Page 15 of Edge of Ruin
“I think that’s my line,” I said.
“Is Vivi okay?” My friend’s voice sharpened.
“She’s fine,” I said.
“So? What’s the problem? Why are you calling me at ass-crack thirty?”
“Think about it,” Jack snarled. “Figure it out, Dunc.”
A soft, feminine murmur in the background. A questioning tone. “Nah, just Jack,” Duncan replied. Another questioning murmur. “He says Vivi’s fine. I’ll go talk in the other room. Go on back to sleep.”
I heard a door click shut, and Duncan’s voice got harder. “You woke Nell up. She needs her sleep. She’s been through hell lately. Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“You never hesitate to call in the middle of the night when the urge takes you,” I reminded him. “Besides, the sun should be up where you are in the world. Why didn’t you tell me what to expect?”
Duncan paused, baffled. “I did,” he said, his voice blank. “I told you all about those sadistic motherfuckers who are after my fiancée and my soon-to-be sisters-in-law. What else do you need to know about the?—”
“No. Not about them. I mean about her.”
“Ah ... her? You mean … Vivi?” he said, in a tone of discovery. “I see. You mean, why didn’t I warn you about how cute she was? You’re all mad because I didn’t fill you in about the long red hair, the big gray eyes, the slender limbs, the rosy lips? Is that what’s going on here?”
“Goddamn it, Dunc?—”
“You’re a sad case, buddy, when you need to be warned about a thing like that. So, did she knock you back a couple of paces? Figured she might. Nice.”
“You didn’t tell me she was a bouncing tattooed flower child with a fucking dragon painted on her camper van.” I felt frustrated, and stupid. I was unable to express exactly why I felt so misled and jerked around. Like I was being set up to be the asshole.
“What the fuck? Her tattoos bug you, huh? Jesus, man, I had no idea your ass was so tight.” Duncan clucked his tongue. “Did you see the one over the crack of her ass?”
I jolted upright, as if I’d been stung by a bee. “How the fuck do you know that?”
“Saw her in low-rise jeans once,” Dunc said laconically. “Nice ink. Looks great.”
“You bucket of slime! Aren’t you supposed to be in love with her sister?”
“Whoa, aren’t we passionate,” Duncan observed. “I am in love with the sister. I’m marrying the sister. I’m all over that sister twenty-four-seven, like white on rice. But I still notice a great, mandolin-shaped ass when I see one. So shoot me for sending it your way. God knows, you needed something to get you going, and Vivi’s good for giving jolts. The woman’s like a walking firecracker.”
“You admit it, then? You set me up?” I demanded.
Duncan was silent for a moment. “Hold on here,” he said slowly. “You’re thinking this is all about you and your deep-frozen dick, aren’t you? It’s not. Did Vivi tell you what they did to Nell when they took her?”
I rubbed my aching forehead. “We actually never got around to any kind of details like that,” I said. “At least not so far. But that’s not what I’m?—”
“They shot the bodyguard I hired to accompany her. They coerced a little old lady to lure her into a trap, and then they bashed that little old lady in the head. They drugged Nell, and shoved her into the trunk of a car. They tied her to a chair. They beat her. They would have cut her and raped her and killed her if I hadn’t gotten there in time. These are the guys who are after Vivi. That’s exactly what they’ll do to her if they succeed. Think about it, you self-absorbed butthead. I’m doing this for her. Not for you. Are you paying close attention?”
A fierce sigh hissed out from between my clenched teeth. “I don’t need a fucking sermon, Dunc.”
“Doesn’t seem that way,” Duncan said. “The reason I’m breaking your balls about this is because this is the only way I can think of to keep Vivi relatively safe. Short of tying her, gagging her, and locking her in a fucking closet. She is not the most reasonable of females. In fact, she’s, ah, real independent minded, you might say.”
“I noticed that,” I said sourly.
“It’s a family trait,” Duncan confided cheerfully. “Mine is just as bad. It’ll drive you bug-fuck. Buckle up, buttercup.”
“You need to resolve this before that happens,” I said sourly. “Got any leads?”
“Not much yet. Nell and I are renting a car tomorrow to drive down to Castiglione Sant’Angelo and ask around. Nell speaks fluent Italian, you see. Among other things.”
The fatuous pride in the guy’s voice set my teeth on edge. “Well. How nice for you,” I said. “Eat a pizza for me. Isn’t that a perfect excuse to run off and leave me holding the bag.”
