Page 20 of Forbidden Property
Gino sighs. “Nicki, what happened? Did you lose your fucking mind at some point when we were gone?”
“This isn’t about my mental health.”
“You drugged your best friend,” Gino says, his voice almost rising to a yell. He knows that if he raises his voice, I’ll hang up on him. But he clearly disagrees with everything I’ve done. Gino doesn’t have a clue what to do with himself, however. I just have to hope that he doesn’t tell Luigi about what I’ve done until I’m in a much better situation with signed contracts.
“I didn’t do it to hurt her.”
“You drugged her and made her have sex with someone who hates her, Nicki. Never heard the word ‘accountability’ in all the goddamn therapy dad paid for?”
“Why are you being so mean to me?”
“Accountability, Nicki.”
“Fine! If I didn’t drug both of them, they wouldn’t have a common enemy to bind them together. I used Artificial Intelligence to run through multiple simulations, Gino. I did the research.”
“You used Artificial Intelligence to guide your decision making instead of anyone human with a heart. That would explain a lot.”
“Stop being such an old-fashioned prude.”
“What are you going to do when your best friend gets pregnant? You really think you can stop Renzo from killing them both for ten months?”
“He wouldn’t kill his own baby.”
Gino sounds certain when he replies, “He would.”
“He has hidden feelings for Geralynn. This wouldn’t have worked without that. Once the hormones kick in, he’ll become obsessed with her. Trust me.”
“You’re putting your best friend’s life at risk.”
“I’m helping my best friend pay for college and get a house with a freaking pool. She’s going to be Mack Hollins’ neighbor. Do you know how many people in Buffalo would kill for that opportunity?”
“Renzo is my twin, Nicki. I know shit about him that you couldn’t begin to understand.”
“Stop being a cryptic asshole and spit it out then.”
I can tell that I’m annoying Gino, but nothing will compare to how annoyed he will feel if he doesn’t help me with my plan. The men in my family make the consistent mistake of underestimating the women in our family and in their lives. They think they can move us around like chess pieces and we become the villains when we fight back.
It’s not fair.
“He’s going to hurt your friend.”
“He won’t.”
“No,” Gino insists. “He can’t exist without causing pain to other people. Why do you think he never keeps girlfriends for long?”
“His shitty personality,” I respond as patiently as I can, somewhat frustrated with Gino. “Is that a trick question?”
“Women don’t care about a man’s personality if they’re getting fucked right,” he says. I strongly doubt that it’s true, but Gino seems like he’s about to reveal necessary information, so I keep my mouth shut.
“Thank you for that wisdom, Gino.”
“It’s not his personality. He enjoys pain, Nicki. You know that. I know that. Imagine how dark it can get when sex gets involved.”
“Geralynn will–”
“Geralynn will submit to his way of doing things or he’ll throw her out like a piece of garbage. You put your best friend in his clutches because you’re naive and protected. She won’t make it.”
“If you knew half as much as you think, dad would have chosen you for a more important job than managing his World Series bets.”
