Page 20 of The Enforcer's Revenge
“I’m leaving,” Carina decided as she stood up. “Even though it’s my fucking house now,” she reminded all of them. “I’m gonna go and pick up Brianna ’cause I’m done.”
“But you read music,” Nova went on, as if he missed her announcement that she was leaving. “And you’re not an amateur musician. I hear how talented you are with the guitar in comparison to others, and you taught yourself. The old man wouldn’t let you get lessons, so you just…” He pulled back and looked at her in shock. “Oh my God. You don’t read it, do you? There’s no sheet music at your apartment. No music books.”
Carina stopped walking and kept her arms folded uncomfortably, her entire body stiff in defensiveness.
“Madonn’, your catalog is massive. I heard you taking requests on your birthday. You know it all.” Nova sounded stunned. “I thought you were reading books or watching videos when you were younger. That you learned to read music and practiced, but that’s not it. You figured out how to do it on your own. How do you do it? Did you have someone show you the cords and go from there? Can you recognize all the cords in a song when you hear it and remember them?”
Carina turned back to them because Nova’s shock made it evident to Tino and, likely, Carlo, too, how huge a feat that was.
“I’m not a good reader,” Carina admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m stupid, Nova.”
“No, you’re right, it doesn’t. You’re a genius, and I’m not saying that facetiously. What you’ve accomplished is incredible, especially as flawlessly as you do it.” Nova still sounded awed and then looked back to the targets in front of him. “Carina, I’m almost positive you’re dyslexic. It causes depth perception problems in some people. The school was probably so fucking scared of Nonno they kept passing you and ignoring the issues.It makes sense, right? My brain’s fucked up. Tino’s brain’s fucked up?—”
“Thanks,” Tino cut in and turned to Carlo. “Good to know it’s a family trait. I’m just the only one without a special genius gift to go with it. So glad we took her to him for his expert diagnoses.”
“How hard is it for you to read?” Nova pressed as he completely dismissed Tino’s insult.
Carina straightened up once more and looked away rather than answer him.
“I could help you.” Nova straightened the targets in his hands. Now he looked uncomfortable, too. “I work with dyslexics all the time in my GED classes. It’s not a big deal. Your brain is just wired differently. There are tricks you could learn that would make it easier for you.”
“You expect me to go to one of your GED classes? I have agenuinehigh school diploma,” Carina reminded him.
“Well, aren’t you special, princess? I don’t. I had to go take the test like the other losers,” Nova growled back as his voice became suddenly cold. “Some of us weren’t that fucking privileged to have the family buy us a diploma.”
“I studied for that diploma! It’s a million times harder for me than it is for you! I could’ve dropped out. You think our father cares if I have a diploma? You think the cunt who gave birth to me gives a shit? But I didn’t drop out!” Carina shouted at him. “I worked my ass off for it.”
“How? Licking Sister Justina’s pussy after hours? What was she? The one teacher who couldn’t be bought with Nonno’s money. So, you used your other great life skill?”
“Oh my God!” Carina screamed and rounded on Tino. “You told him that?”
Tino held up his hands at Nova for throwing him that far under the bus.
Carina pointed at Tino. “Fuck you.” She pointed at Carlo next. “Fuck you.”
“What did I do?” Carlo gestured to himself. “I was impressed by the Sister Justina thing.”
“And especially fuck you!” Carina flipped Nova off. “I’m gonna go get Brianna.” She pointed at Tino once more. “Don’t even think about coming over. She’s pissed off at you too! You can go find someone else’s ass to fuck tonight. Oh, yeah, she told me she lets you do that. She just thinks it’s a thing everyone does. No big deal. Like it’s supposed to be on the menu full-time, and we all do it. Don’t worry. I’m telling her how it is now. I can’t believe you told him about Sister Justina.”
Carina stormed out, and the front door rattled when she slammed it.
“Spoiledputtana. I just gave her a fucking waterfront mansion and she acts like she’s better than me.” Nova shoved all the papers off the table and stood. “I was trying to help that cunt.”
Nova left the kitchen too.
Something broke in the living room a second later.
Tino stood there, feeling the back of his neck burn. “This was an awesome idea,” he mumbled and looked to Carlo in annoyance. “Not totally predictable or anything.”
“You called that amazingly well,” Carlo agreed and then gave him a wan smile. “Congrats on the ass, though. It’s not even onmymenu full-time.”
“Yeah, lucky me.” Tino sighed.
Carlo winced. “Guess you shouldn’t have told us how she got an A in math.”
Tino just stood there for another few seconds before the stomp of Nova’s highline shoes against the tile had Tino looking back to the entrance of the kitchen.
“Give her the 9mm back.” Nova’s voice was still low in fury, but it was like he couldn’t get past that one last thought. “She needs it to protect herself.”
