Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Except my husband’s not standing on the front step.
Carbone gives me a flat, unhappy smile. “Hello, Mrs. Spadaro. Think I could have a moment of your time?”
CHAPTER 26
DEANNA
Oh shit. Oh fuck. He knows. He fucking knows and he’s going to tell me. Carbone smiles politely at my mother and shakes her hand. He accepts some coffee and says hello to my father. Yolanda flutters about, until the pair of us are left alone.
My parents think he’s here to discuss business.
Carbone seems out of place in my mother’s living room. He’s a hard thing, made from flint and steel, while she likes everything soft. A pink blanket sits by his elbow. I wonder how many men Carbone has killed.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about you, Deanna.” He cradles his coffee in his lap. “There was a problem at the house. We didn’t discover it until this morning. Only a few hours ago, actually.”
“What’s wrong?” I want to throw up. They found him. I knew this would happen, but I thought I’d be with Prime. Instead, I’m alone, and fucking Carbone knew it. He came here to corner me.
I know what this is. He’s sending a message. He knows where my parents live. He knows what they are. And he can find me whenever he damn well pleases.
“It seems that Frankie Inzerillo, one of Mr. Fontana’s associates, met with an untimely end in one of the guest bedrooms.”
I cover my mouth in alarm. I don’t even have to fake it. “What happened?”
“We aren’t sure. There was a gun involved and we suspect foul play. Can I ask you some questions, please?”
“Yes, of course. Oh god, I’m sorry about your friend.”
“Frankie wasn’t a friend.” He sips his coffee. “The house guards mentioned you went to the bathroom.”
“Yes, ah, it’s embarrassing.”
“There’s a dead man, Mrs. Spadaro. We’re past that.”
I look down at my lap. Fuck, he’s going to catch me. He already knows. “I got my period early. I had to go, you know, clean myself and take care of it.”
“Yes, it must be difficult to be a woman.”
“Sometimes.” I struggle to keep from fidgeting.
“They said you weren’t gone long. Ten minutes at the most.”
“Like I said, I had to clean up too.”
“I see.” Typically, men would shy away from a conversation about period blood and menstruation, but Carbone’s watching me intently. “Did you see Prime during that time?”
“He wasn’t in the bathroom.”
“Not in the hallway either?”
“I think he was still in the meeting.”
Carbone’s lips press together. “Are you sure?”
“Not really. I was distracted, I mean, like I said. It was pretty embarrassing.” I keep thinking, this is for my parents. If I screw up, this man is going to kill me and he’s going to kill them too. My mom and dad are hostages and Carbone’s not going to hesitate to murder them all, even poor Yolanda. All their lives are in my hands and I can’t fuck this up.
Sweat dribbles under my arms. Fear riles in my stomach. Carbone sits motionless but he might as well hold a gun to my forehead.
“Did you hear anything? A shout? Any other strange sound?” he asks.
“No, the water was running most of the time.”
“Did you see anyone?”
“Only the guards. Prime came out a little after I got back.”
“It’s strange, Mrs. Spadaro. I’ll admit that Frankie has a lot of enemies and he’s not the most well-liked member of our organization, but to find him dead in that house? Mr. Fontana is not pleased.”
“I’m sorry about him, but I don’t know what happened. We weren’t there for very long.”
Carbone taps his finger against his nose before sitting back. “One more question. You and Prime seem like you get along well.”
I’m surprised by the abrupt shift. “I think so, yes, we do.”
“Your relationship isn’t just a business one anymore, is it?”
I don’t know how to react to that. “What do you mean?”
“The guards said you and him were kissing.” Carbone’s smile slithers across his lips. “It’s not a crime to kiss your husband, Mrs. Spadaro, but it’s interesting. We all believed your marriage to Prime was born of convenience. But perhaps it’s more?”
My mouth opens and closes. I don’t know what to say. What does Carbone want to hear? He seems like the sort of man who appreciates working within the confines of a deal. He probably doesn’t feel much of anything, except maybe the thrill of murdering an enemy. At best, at the very limits of this creature’s emotional range, I have a feeling he’d rip through this household and leave it a bloody, gore-streaked mess, and do it with a faint smile on his face.
I consider lying and trying to come up with the perfect reply, but I can’t begin to imagine what this monster wants from me.
Instead, the truth rushes out.
“Things between us are complicated, Mr. Carbone. I don’t know how I feel about him.”