Page 41 of Black Widow's Kiss

He was right. We hadn’t since realizing that Matteo was the only one capable of shooting me in the neck while I drove.

Lorenzo continued, “Am I gonna be the one to say it or are you?”

“What’s that?”

“Pa could have hired a hit out on you.”

“We don’t know that.”

“We don’t know anything. But we do know who could have shot you in the neck if that is what happened. And we know you’ve given him reason to order the hit.”

“Listen Lorenzo, I know you have your problems with Pa. But ordering a hit out on me? Come on.”

“What about Uncle Vinny?”

Uncle Vinny was like the boogie man in our household growing up. Legend had it that he crossed my father thinking he could take over the family, and our father put a hit out on him.

None of us could ever confirm this because he moved back to Italy after that and the only time we heard from him was during Christmas. He would call asking to speak to Pa and Pa would refuse.

“We don’t know what happened between them. It could have been anything,” I told Lorenzo.

My brother looked at me confused.

“Why are you suddenly defending him?”

“I’m not defending him. You accused him of putting a hit out on his own son and I’m tryin’ to look at things logically.”

“You’re fuckin’ defendin’ him. After the hell he put us through growing up.”

“He raised us to survive. You don’t prepare a lion for a life on the beach.”

“What the fuck, Dante?”

Yeah, I heard it. Lorenzo was right. I was making accuses for the shit way he treated us growing up. I could understand why Matteo would do it. But after everything that happened, why would I?

“I’m just sayin’ that the way he raised us turned us into the men we are today.”

“Yeah. Men who can’t be sure if our brother tried to kill you.”

I was about to make another excuse for our father. I could feel it coming until the intercom on my phone buzzed.

“There’s someone coming in. I couldn’t stop him,” Silvie said sending me reaching for my gun.

Before I got hold of the one fastened to the underside of my desk, my office door flung open. The panic in Silvie’s voice had told me everything I thought I needed to know. My heart stopped waiting for a bullet.

But with my finger gripping the trigger and a 50/50 chance of shooting them through the backside of my desk, a familiar face appeared. Standing in the doorway, he stared at me and squinted.

“Is that a gun in your hand? Or are you just happy to see me?”

“Kuroi? What are you doing here?” I asked panicked in a new way.

“Can’t a boy come to see where his new husband works?” he asked entering and closing the door behind him.

“I thought we agreed…”

“We agreed to nothing. I said I wanted to see where you worked and here I am. And, Honey, it’s probably a good idea for you to take your hand off that gun before I take offense.”

Kuroi was being flamboyant and playful, but I didn’t let it fool me. I knew what he was capable of so I let go of my gun.

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