Page 40 of Dreadful
His eyes widen, and he looks down as if he’s just realizing he’s unarmed. “Shit. I thought I had it.”
“Porca miseria, how long have you been out here like this?”
His brow furrows. “Just a few minutes to grab a smoke. Why?”
He’s too high to lie convincingly, which is good for him because it means he didn’t hear the show I just put on in the alley.
“Were you waiting for someone?”
He gulps. “N-no.”
“Really? You’re just out here with a bag of pills for fun? What have I told you about selling while I’m around?”
“Not to do it.”
“Exactly. And what are you planning to do right now?”
“Um, well, the thing is—”
I snatch the bag from his hand and hold it up to his face.
“There are cameras in here,idiota.” I point to the security cams that I redirected to my database this past week when I realized Tallie works at the Revere. The security guards have a week-long loop playing for them, so they’re none the wiser. “You’re putting Claudio’s entire operation at risk. If you get arrested, he won’t think twice before siccing someone on you in jail to keep you from talking.”
“I’m noratto,” he sneers.
“Not yet.” I toss the bag back at him and lean on my cane again.
No longer pinned, Foglio wipes his shirt and puffs his chest. “You know what? Fuck off, Severino. I work for Claudio, not you.”
“And how would Claudio feel about you getting caught dealing while you’re driving his wife around, hm? Speaking of which, Gertrude wants her coat.”
Foglio tries to put his joint to his mouth again, but I snatch it from his hands and drop it to the ground.
“Hey!” He lunges for it, but I extinguish it with the tip of my cane.
“No getting high on the job.”
He grumbles as he grabs my mother’s pristine, white fur coat from the back seat. Before he hands it over, though, he squints at my chest and huffs.
“And you think I’m the one who’s noticeable. You sure you want to carry this back in?”
I glance down at my suit and curse. Despite how faded the lighting is around us, crimson blood glistens over nearly every inch of my jacket.
Cazzo.
I’m so used to completing jobs in the meat locker that I forgot I needed to be a little more discreet, clothing-wise, out here in the open. I was so caught up in protecting Tallie and punishing Percy on her behalf that I didn’t think about clean-up. It’s a rookie move, but I couldn’t help myself once I had Percy in my hands.
Panic seeps into my lungs, but outwardly I shrug at Foglio like I couldn’t give a damn.
“You worry about your shit, and I’ll worry about mine. Call your buyer and tell them the deal’s off, or I swear to Christ, it’ll be the last one you do.”
Thebastardoglares at me as I take the coat. I awkwardly hold it away from my bloodied clothing to avoid stains as I walk toward the theater.
The closer I get to the theater’s ramp, the more my hand sweats into my mother’s fur coat. I don’t know how I’m going to pull off getting this to her while I look like a walking crime scene. Potential solutions swirl inside my head until a shuffling sound clears my thoughts and slows my steps.
The noise is so faint behind me that I almost ignore it. But the farther I go, the more my instincts scream at me to turn around.
If that maledetto porco is still going through with his drug deal, I’ll slice his throat open.
