“I’m taking it early this year,” he replied, finishing and finally glancing at me. “I saw how Elroy got in and out. I got only two questions. First, where are the guns? Second, do you have a plan I need to work within or am I ad libitum?”
Gripping my side again, I dropped my foot on the ground, and then the other one before sitting upright. “Elroy is mine—”
“I’m going to tell you something,” he cut me off once more, something he knew annoyed me, but from the look on his face I couldn’t find the will to argue. “You will…I need you to remember that right now your wife is sleeping, and she’s gone through a lot to make sure you didn’t die, so you’ll remain calm even though you want to die. You will not rip your stitches, you will not bleed over me again and go into shock, so I can help you get upstairs to her.”
I looked him in the eyes and he looked back, unwavering in whatever he was determined to tell me.
“The guns are under you. 4373. My plan…doesn’t matter now, so you’re ad libitum, but I want him alive…” I told him, watching as he rose off the frame, tossing it to the side before lifting up the rug to reveal the keypad. The vault split open wide, the guns and weapons rising up from the ground. He grabbed a few of the guns, putting them into…my shoulder holsters, under his arms, along with a pair of brass knuckles…
“Put those back. We didn’t send you to medical school so you could end up not being a doctor.” I smirked, leaning into the couch.
“You obviously didn’t hear me when I was performing a blood transfusion from myself to you, while operating to save your life.” He dropped the brass knuckles, reaching for knives. “But I promised, in front of your wife, that each time I hear one of your smartass comments I will remind you that not only did I save your life, brother, but I did so while giving you my blood.”
Closing the vault, he stood up, turning to me.
“That’s the second time you’ve brought Ivy into this conversation by force—”
“She had a miscarriage.”
For some reason everything went black. I looked to the side of me as if I expect to get some clarity.
“I don’t know when it started, or how long it went on for. She told me as she held on to your chest, sobbing—”
“Stop talking!” I snapped, gripping onto my side as I pushed myself off the couch. He grabbed onto me. “Let go!”
“You need a moment.”
“I need to go to her.”
“Not like this!” he hollered, and I bent over in pain, but not from the side, no, this one hurt in places I didn’t think could hurt.
My mind.
My soul.
My…my heart.
“I didn’t know.” How didn’t I know? I always knew! “Ugh…”
Squeezing his shoulder, I bit my cheek closed and stood straighter.
“Go to Carofiglio’s.” I sneered through clenched teeth. “Giovanni will know how to draw him out.”
“Let’s go.” He turned, putting my arm over his shoulder.
Slowly, we walked one by one up the stairs.
Neither of us speaking.
Neither of us needing to.
The moment I saw her lying on her side, there was nothing left to talk about. On the bed, I rolled over onto my good side and pulled her closer to me, resting my head on hers.
“I’ll get it done,” he said, closing the door even though he didn’t have to. The moment he put on that suit he’d already done what he need to do.
Gripping on firmer, I kissed the back of her head.
“He’ll pay for this,” I whispered to her. “I swear it.”
“Good,” she whispered back, placing her hand over mine, squeezing. I hadn’t realized she was awake.
“Are y—”
“Don’t,” she whispered, leaning against me. “Not now or ever. None of this ever happened.”
IVY
I didn’t know how long we both lay there holding on to each other, neither of us sleeping. Just lying in the darkness together.
“Ethan.”
“Yes.”
“I…I…lov—”
“Don’t.”
“No…I—”
“Don’t say it today,” he whispered into my ear. “The day none of this ever happened.”
And so we kept silent.
TWENTY-EIGHT
“Monsters can't be reformed.”
~ John Geddes
WYATT
“Tell your brother he owes me one 1998 bottle of Cuvee Cathelin Chave AND a 2005 bottle of Romanee Conti DRC Magnum,” Giovanni grumbled angrily, brushing off his clippers as I Googled quickly, drinking from another damn juice box.
“Holy shit.” I coughed. “They’re both almost fifty thousand fucking pounds. Who gave it to you, the Dalai Lama? The Queen of England? Jesus!”
“Your mother.” He snapped, immediately shutting me up. “Do you know what it meant to be gifted wine? GIFTED wine. I got two. And because of your damn bother now I got none. The little shit.”
I snickered, leaning back in the seat as he came back to me with a comb, running it over my hair before cutting.
“What made you drink two bottles of wine? I’m sure it was not worth the price,” I asked, tilting my head for him.
“It was worth every penny.” He sighed happily, then remembering his anger, took a step back to scowl. “That’s not the point. The point is I drank it too goddamn early, all because your brother planned to have me killed in order to—”
He stopped right at the best fucking part as the front door chimed.
“Sorry, son, we’re closed today.”
“And the man in your seat?”
“Family only….” Giovanni’s voice trailed off, the scissors in his hands dropping when he looked up.
“Perfect. I’ll pay with her then. Now go where you need to go and bring me the package.”
When I turned, there he stood, sweating, hunched over…over Gabriella, Giovanni’s granddaughter. Her bottom lip quivered as she fought back tears, but she was trying her best not to make a sound.
“Lookie here.” He grinned, pressing the gun into her skull as I pulled the cape off of me, rising to my feet. “If it ain’t the good doctor. Callahan. I smelled something fishy. Good thing I brought my own bait.”
“Let her go.” I sneered.
He laughed like a mad man, hunching further over her, shaking her around. “It’s déjà vu! You know, your brother said the same thing before I shot my pretty cousin.”
Gabby flinched, starting to panic. “Gra—”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” He put his chin on top of her head. “You’re my little shield.”
He yelled before shooting. Ducking behind the chair, I grabbed the gun.
“COME ON, CALLAHAN!”
The glass shattered around us, glass falling on top of me like rain.
“GRANDPAPA, HELP!” Gabby finally gave in to her fear and started to struggle. But he held her tighter, lifting her up from the ground with him.
“Get your filthy hands off my grandbaby!” Giovanni stood up, pointing his own gun at him. And that moment Elroy’s eyes and arm shifted to him.