Page 97 of Tainted Love

I’ll probably sleep on the couch this week.

Enzo stops at the end of the hall and juts his chin upward. “Here you are,” he says, gesturing to the staircase. “The door code is 2398. You folks have a good night.”

I grab his shoulder, stopping him from spinning around and walking back the way we came. He heaves another sigh before gripping the railing and pulling himself up the stairs to the door.

Enzo opens the door. I take in the unfamiliar angle of Antony Zappia’s office closet as I sense someone else on the other side of the wall. An old man sifting through paperwork. Just another standard Friday night for cranky, old Zappia.

I dig my gun into Enzo’s hip. “Announce that it’s you,” I whisper.

“Hey, Pops,” he says. “It’s me.”

“Enzo?”

The closet swings open and Zappia falls back.

“Hart?!” he asks.

I shove Enzo inside and point my pistol at the old man’s face. “Sit down.”

Zappia raises his hands in surrender while Enzo shimmies over and plops down on the seat in front of the desk. His wrinkled eyes shift between myself and my siblings, his pupils growing wider with each glance.

“What the hell are you doing—”

“I’m not here for you, Mr. Zappia,” I tell him.

“He’s here for Marty,” Enzo pipes in while he gently raises his bloody foot.

Zappia lowers his hands and exhales hard. “Yeah, I figured you would be someday…”

He walks over to his desk and sits down below the dull light of his security monitors while the rest of us take our places. Elijah plants himself in front of the office door, Lilah lingers by the closet, and I stay above Enzo’s shoulder to keep an eye on both Zappias. A man at every exit. Basic Snake Eyes training bleeding through.

I gesture at Zappia’s hands. “Keep them above the desk,” I tell him.

“Yeah, yeah.” He lays his palms flat on top. “When I heard about what he did to your girl, Hart, I wasn’t happy.”

“Neither was I.”

“But I understood it,” he adds. “If I were in his position, I probably would have done the same. I mean… you really fucked up his face.”

“He drew first.”

“And with this Snake Eyes shit?” He scoffs. “We didn’t know what to think. All we knew for sure was that dancer knew you.”

“So, you sent Marty to kill her?”

“I sent Marty to ask her questions!” he says. “The next thing I know there are over a dozen dead bodies on the news and Marty’s laughing like a damn madman.”

I grit my teeth. I’ve killed a lot of people in my life, but I’ve never once laughed about it. Maybe tonight I’ll make an exception.

“I just want him, Mr. Zappia,” I say. “My quarrel isn’t with you.”

Enzo hisses. “Tell that to my damn foot!”

“Hart…” Zappia shakes his head. “He’s my son.”

“I understand your loyalty,” I say. “However, I think you’ll find that loyalty is a bit one-sided.”

He furrows his brow at me. “What?”

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