Page 8 of Veil of Obsession
Blood blooms through my shirt, but I don’t stop. I wrench the gun from his hand, twist it up, and pistol-whip him across the jaw. He goes down hard, and I put a bullet in his skull to make it permanent.
Eli’s already dropped the other. Both men lie bleeding into the Persian rug.
“Nice rug,” I mutter, wincing as the adrenaline fades and pain creeps in.
Eli’s already on the phone. “Cleanup crew to the Rotten Apple club, top floor.” He hangs up and glances at me. “Tell Pops the deal went to shit. We might have a war on our hands.” He steps over the corpses like they’re trash and grabs the doorknob, pausing only to say, “And get that arm bandaged. Idiot.”
By the timeI pull up to the townhouse, my arm’s wrapped in a blood-soaked handkerchief I found in the glove box. It’s not much, but it’s enough to stop me from bleeding all over the leather seats.
The place is quiet. Too quiet.
I open the door and hear the soft murmur of a movie. Ma and Mara. The sound of Reese Witherspoon’s voice is unmistakable.
LegallyfuckingBlonde. Again.
I step into the living room and clear my throat.
Ma looks over; her face goes pale. “Lucio!”
Mara shifts under the blanket beside her, peeking up with wide eyes.
“I’m fine,” I say, lifting my good hand. “Just a disagreement with business partners.”
Ma pushes the blanket off. “Sit. Now.”
“Where’s Pops?”
“He can wait. You’re bleeding.” She turns to Mara. “Get the first aid kit. Under the sink.”
Mara scowls but obeys. I sit down with a groan.
Ma unties the handkerchief with practiced hands, and her jaw tightens. “Gunshot?”
“Grazed.”
She doesn’t look relieved. “Doesn’t matter. Could’ve been your chest. Or your head.”
Mara returns, arms full of supplies. Ma takes them, then waves her off.
“Bed. Now.”
“But Ma?—”
“You have cello practice tomorrow. Go.”
Mara huffs and stomps off.
I rip off the ruined shirt, and Ma clucks her tongue.
“You’re your father’s son, all right.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You shouldn’t.”
The antiseptic stings like hell. I hiss, biting my tongue. Ma doesn’t slow down.
“You’re too young for this, Lucio.”
