Page 155 of Vicious Saint
“Fair point.”
Chugging a Coke, I punch my chest to burp, ignoring the twist of disgust on Hendrix’s face.
“Let me ask you something…” I lean back in the chair, watching as she takes a much more civilized sip of her Pepsi. “Any idea why your mother chose the Italian asshole outside my door to follow you around?”
She looks at me like I’ve got four dicks on my head.
“Uh, pretty sure it’s your dad who told her to hire him.”
“Cap.” I burp again. “He don’t fuck with mafioso.”
Her entire body stills. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t play stupid, Jimi. I know your dad was a fall guy.”
Panic comes through in the form of anger. “Where did you hear that?”
“From you.”
“The fuck you did.”
“Well, technically I heard you telling Good Guy Archer.”
She shakes her head. “Nope, never said that.”
“You’re right. Drunk Jimi did.”
Hendrix looks around, hands rubbing her thighs as she shakes her head. “You’re wrong. It’s not true. None of it is.”
“Why’re you freaking out? It’s not like any of our dads got squeaky clean back stories.”
So what if hers took the fall for a hit?
Wouldn’t be the first time a soldier did.
“My father took off, didn’t wanna deal with the hassle.”
“It almost sounds like you actually believe that shit.”
“He is not part of the mob, okay?! And Carlo’s just a bodyguard my mother must’ve hired because she knew I’d never trust one of your dad’s.”
Leaning forward, I slam my hands on the table. “Then why’d I catch him outside with two Salvini motherfuckers?”
The pictures I took earlier? They gave me enough information to confirm the two guys from the lot are part of the largest crime syndicate on the east coast.
All the blood drains from Hendrix’s face.
Whether it’s because she got caught or just found out is yet to be determined.
“He was a nobody.”
“Perhaps. But something’s fishy. I don’t like it.”
“I’m not gonna let you turn this shit around on me. What my father did was eighteen years ago.”
“Wasn’t planning on it. Bad shit’s going down and I’m just looking for some answers.”
“Guess that’s one thing we share in common.”
