Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“I don’t know,” I admit. “We haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“So, it’s serious?” he assumes.
“We’re not officially going out, but I guess you could say it’s serious,” I elaborate. “I like her as more than just a sex object.”
“Hmm,” Gio muses, turning his attention to the parking lot outside our window.
“I’m guessing you’re not one for romance,” I conclude.
“That’s your father’s deal,” Gio agrees. “I’m just trying to get through each day.”
“That sounds lonely,” I reply.
Gio shakes his head. “I don’t get lonely.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“Too much going on,” he responds. “Not everyone’s cut out for love.”
I feel sorry for him. I never thought I would be in a position where I had something that Uncle Gio didn’t have. But here I am. My relationship with Sofia isn’t set in stone, but it’s something. There’s the promise of something just over the horizon, and I feel lucky to have that. Without love, I think I would be much worse off than I am right now. Even shadowing Gio on his rounds is made more palatable because I know I can go home and text Sofia. Not that I’m going to tell her what I did all day, but just to let her know I’m thinking about her.
“What do you think about the new baby?” I ask, since we’re being honest.
“I hope it’s a boy,” he responds.
“Why?” I ask, wondering if this is some kind of old-world nonsense.
“’Cause if it’s a girl, eventually I’m gonna be arrested for killing someone who looks at her the wrong way,” Gio teases, giving me a toothy smile. I think he’s kind of attractive when he smiles like that, but he doesn’t show his true colors often, so it would be difficult for other people to see.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you off on a technicality,” I joke, referring to my future as a mob lawyer.
Gio laughs uproariously, slapping me on the back.
“You should smile more,” I inform him. “Maybe then you could find someone to fall in love with.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” he says. “I’m too old for that nonsense.”
“My father wasn’t,” I say.
“I ain’t your father,” he retorts, shutting me down.
It’s true that Uncle Gio isn’t my father, but he’s been like a father-figure to me. When Francisco was too busy to play ball with me or take me to the movies, Gio often did. So, I have a certain amount of affection for him, regardless of his habitually stern expression.
CHAPTER 16
SOFIA
Istare at the computer screen, wishing I could magically make the three sentences I’ve written fill out an entire article. There are major plot holes in my story, ones that I can’t fix at the moment.
I’m in the office, sitting across from another half dozen reporters who are working on their own projects. All of them are much more seasoned than I am. They’re working on the bread and butter stories, the ones that keep readers coming back to our paper. I’m working on something much closer to my heart, but I hope it will be equally enlightening when I can finally publish it.
Nobody’s paying any attention to me, which is good. I nibble on my thumb, trying to think of any more details I can add. Frankie told me that his stepmother is pregnant. Maybe there’s an angle there.
I consider everything I learned from our last date and come up short. Even though I’m now positive that Frankie is not directly involved with his father’s organization, I can’t prove that either. There is no direct evidence linking the Corellos to my brother, and the stakeout of Central Bites isn’t going anywhere.
I leave the Word document I’m working on and switch over to my email. Mario has sent me a whole file full of images that he collected. I’ve been through them already, but I decide that one more time won’t hurt. I’m looking for anyone I recognize from my research. There are a few people with criminal records. I know because I’ve done a thorough search of the headlines every time, I’m able to put a name to a face. I found one guy on the city police department’s drug sting website, and another guy’s name came up in a tax evasion scheme.
But it’s a big leap from two unrelated crimes to a criminal conspiracy. So I have to keep digging. There are still a lot of people who went into and out of the restaurant that I don’t recognize. Maybe one of them is the key to my story.
“Sofia?” Mr. Harlan pokes his head out of his office. He spies me at my desk and waves me over.
I grab my notebook and head into his office.
“Give me an update on your story,” he demands.
I sit down, paging through some of my notes. There’s precious little to report, even though I’ve dutifully written down everything Frankie told me. I also have notes from the research I’ve been doing at the library, but that doesn’t amount to much.