“Anywhere but here!” Dustin spat as he passed his car keys to his younger brother. “Go on, get outta here,” Dustin pressed with a hard edge to his voice.
Landon recognized the fear in his brother’s typically unreadable eyes. Swiping the keys from Dustin, Landon turned to get in the brand new black Mercedes Benz. Dustin didn’t wait for Landon to pull off. As soon as Landon took the keys, Dustin turned and locked the front door behind him, rejoining Knox in the entryway.
Knox, who was staring down at Fish’s dead body with a disgruntled look on his face, quipped, “Now that’s one dead fish.” His look of muted amusement caused the other men to roar with laughter.
Dustin didn’t seem to see what was so funny though. Attitude and angst poured from his every movement as Dustin glared at his father. “You just can’t seem to stay the fuck outta trouble, can ya, ya old crazy bastard!”
Dustin never did try to hide his annoyance at his father’s antics or those of men around him. He had been outspoken since he was a kid, and nobody had ever been able to quiet him down. Not even Michael. Knox clucked his tongue as he stared at the men.
“Don’t look at me, clean up the mess!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
MILES LEANED BACK in a kitchen chair as his right hand rested over his toned stomach. He had eaten too much, but Miles quickly decided that every forkful of Letty’s meal was worth it.
“Dinner was good, Letty. I can’t remember the last time I ate so much,” Miles said as a smile creased his face.
Juan had gone for seconds as well and had a mouthful of food as he nodded in agreement with Miles’s statement. G, who had quietly nibbled on his chicken, had since fallen asleep in his high chair.
“The kid’s got the right idea,” Miles said with a laugh as he ran his hand over G’s dark brown curls.
“Ain’t that the truth…” Juan replied with a mouth full of food.
Letty rolled her eyes and said, “Abuelita would slap you sideways if she saw your table manners.”
Juan continued to talk with his mouth open. Letty stared at her father having no idea what it was that he was trying to say.
“Okay, well while you two digest,” Letty said, as she reached across the table for her father’s storage box. “I’m just going to get all of my letters out of here.”
But as Letty pulled the box towards her, Miles reached his arm out to stop her. Placing a rough hand on the box, Miles met Letty’s gaze.
“What? Why?” Letty asked with a look of confusion painted on her face.
Miles smile at Letty warmly but in his eyes there was a warning. He clearly wanted her to wait.
“We’ll read them later,” Miles said as he gave a look of caution towards Juan.
Juan caught the exchange. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Juan gruffly said, “You wrote some fresh shit to my daughter, didn’t ya?”
Juan glared at Miles with a charged glare. It didn’t faze Miles though, who looked at Juan with a smirk.
“I wrote some personal shit. For her eyes only,” Miles quipped, giving the old man a wink.
“You’re killing me, Capadonno!” Letty yelled. She couldn’t stay mad long because as Miles laughed, a smile crept across her face.
Lifting an eyebrow at Letty, Miles replied, “You waited seventeen years. What’s a half hour more?”
Letty shook her head as she stared at Miles. Pushing her chair out from the table, Letty began clearing off the table.
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that!” Juan complained as Letty stole his plate out from in front of him.
“Yes, you are! Your cholesterol is sky high from all those egg rolls you eat! Now, I made a whole bunch of chicken and rice. It’s boxed up in the fridge in moderate serving sizes. Don’t take no more than one serving size per meal!”
Juan rolled his eyes like a petulant teenager. Letty caught his reaction and laughed. Tossing a dish towel Juan’s way, Letty said, “You, sir, have dish duty.”
As Juan groveled, Letty kissed him on his cheek in farewell. As Miles collected G, Letty picked up the heavy storage box that contained Miles’s letters, and followed Miles and G out the front door.
Miles walked down the garden path, preparing to unlock the door of his charger when Letty suggested that they take her car instead. Miles hated the idea of leaving Corina alone but when he saw the charged look in Letty’s eyes, Miles relented, trailing her to her bright red sedan.
Letty lived just a short car ride from her father, so it only took about ten minutes to get home. As Letty went to unlock the front door, Miles carried G, who was still fast asleep in his arms, with a diaper bag slung over his shoulder.
“You’re an old pro with kids, Miles,” Letty said with a smile as she watched Miles carefully handle her son.
“I should be. All the brothers and sisters I have… I’ve always been comfortable with kids.”
Letty didn’t say any more as she opened the front door of her house, leaving it open for Miles and G to enter the house.