Page 6 of Petrichor

“It tickles.” The little boy chuckles as he rubs the stubble on my jaw. Such a limpid, radiant laugh, not powerful enough to clear the shadows dimming his eyes. Those big pools are narrowed right on my face, quickly shifting as he continues his explorations. Almost like he’s memorizing me—with his fingers.

Some drops of rain are slipping down the dark green leaves from above and onto us, but I remain still and let the kid finish. His fingers are cool on my skin, it feels like his light touches are chasing away the dread filling me. Until his hands move away.

“Can you smell it, lil’bro?” the older boy asks, looking at his brother with affection.

The kid answers with a nod. His mouth stretched in a big smile. A couple of teeth are missing, giving him an even younger air.

Then he whispers to me, like he’s about to tell me a secret. “Can you?”

I almost ask, but maybe reading my mind, the older boy replies, “The rain.”

The rain?I look at the drizzle falling down from the dark sky, and settling on the wet street with the familiar pitter-patter sound.

My phone starts ringing. And for a moment, the air halts inside my lungs. It’s not Seb, but Luca. Fucking finally. I straighten up as I tell him where to find me before hanging up.

“Are you gonna kill us?” the older boy asks me, voice toneless, eyes closed. He looks much older than he is, defeated, like he’s ready to accept his fate.

“Like I’d waste a bullet on you,” I grumble. It’d be easier to get rid of them, but killing abused kids? No can do. Maybe because I was one of them once upon a time. “You said you have a place to go,then go. And keep your mouth shut, or I’ll come back and make your life a living hell.”

“More than it already is?” he retorts with a severe look on his face, before grabbing his little brother's hand and dragging him away. The kid’s big eyes stay on me for a few steps, then he turns his head around.

I grit my teeth against the urge to stop them, and what? I’m part of a crime family. All I know is blood and pain. They’ll be better off far away from all this. My gaze follows them until they disappear rounding a building.

After a few minutes, Luca’s car pulls up, and I make my way toward him.

“Carlo?” I ask as I get inside the car.

“The bullet went through without hitting bone. Your shirt is bloody.”

“Knife. I’ll go see Doc after we’re done tonight.” The rain has almost stopped. A solitary drop hits the back of my hand as I stretch it out the car window.Rain. Feels wet.

“The small problem?”

I sigh, dropping my hand on the car door. “Two kids. They were hiding inside the bedroom.”

“Were they kidnapped as well?” Luca growls angrily, cracking his thick neck left and right.

“No. They were Joseph’s spawn. He treated them like shit, so I don’t think they’ll talk.”

He hums. “Hope you gave him hell before clipping him.”

“The fucker had it easy.” Although the older boy hit him prettyhard with that steel pipe. I smirk at the memory. Feistiness is a quality I admire.

“Where are they now?”

“Don’t know. They said they had a place to stay, and it’s not like they wanted help from their father’s killer, no matter how shitty Joseph was.”

My phone goes off once again. Seb’s name appears on the screen. I quickly tap on it and lift it near my ear.

“She’s acascittuni,” he declares in a flat tone.

The grip around my cell is so hard, I hear the cover crack. Delia is a rat. An informant.

A fire is blazing in my chest as fury I’ve never felt before explodes inside of me. The taste of betrayal is so bitter, I bite my tongue to force blood inside my mouth.

My ears are ringing, but I can clearly understand Seb’s next words. “Take care of it tonight.”

Chapter One

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