Page 25 of Baratta's Darkness

“I just want to keep you from getting hurt.”

“I know that but you tend to forget that I am more like you than you would have others to believe. After all, red is my favorite color.” I widen my eyes while looking directly into his.

“I haven’t forgotten half pint.”

“I thought about going up there. To the mountain. Just to see if they rotted the ground.”

“They haven’t.”

“You’ve been up there? When?” I ask with surprise.

“About two years ago. I’d heard they were building some cabins in the area. I wanted to be sure one wasn’t built there. So I went to check, and then bought the twenty acres. I went back again and planted a fig tree directly over the spot. That way each year rotting figs litter that exact spot.” He smiles at the thought while I giggle.

“Ruthless brother dear. Just ruthless.” We both just sit and laugh while drinking a beer.

Today was a great day that I truly enjoyed. I’ve missed my brother while being away. Hopefully we don’t miss so many of these chances to hang out again.

I walk into the apartment with the puppy in my arms and there are bags of stuff sitting everywhere. One look tells me that Baratta apparently bought out the pet supply store.

“Have fun with your brother?” He asks as he walks out of the bedroom.

“I kicked his ass as usual. Why didn’t you come to the BBQ? Everyone was expecting you.” I was expecting him but I leave that part out.

“I had to get caught up on some work after going to the pet supply store.”

“Did you leave anything at the store?” I say as I look around yet again at all of the bags.

“What do you mean? He is going to need all of this.” Surprise is evident on his face telling me that he is completely serious.

“He’s not going to need that huge bed for several months. Do you really think he needed five bags of dog food?”

“Just wanted to be sure he had plenty in case there was a shortage.” He tries to hold a serious expression but it doesn’t last long when we both start to laugh.

“I’ve got his bath ready so I’ll get him all washed up with this amazing dog soap I got while you relax a bit.” He holds his arms out until I hand over the puppy.

“Actually, I’m a little hungry. I thought I’d call in a delivery from that Chinese restaurant down the road.”

“Sounds great. But didn’t you eat at the BBQ?”

“No. I was too busy waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry; I should have been there for you. Go ahead and place the order while I take care of this little guy.”

I watch as he heads to the bathroom to give Bleu a bath. I can’t help but shake my head at him. He acts as if having the dog is a hindrance but I can tell from the amount of stuff he bought for him that he loves the puppy. Good thing because I love the puppy already and don’t plan to give him up.

After calling in our order, I head to the kitchen to get plates and drinks ready. While standing at the counter, I see something behind the coffee maker. Grabbing it, I see it's an envelope like the ones from before.

I’m just looking through its contents when Baratta comes into the kitchen. He stiffens when he sees what I have in my hands.

“When did these come?” I look directly at him waiting for an answer.

“Last night.” He murmurs. I realize that when something is going on or he doesn’t really want to answer, his voice gets a little bit quieter.

“Last night? Why did you not tell me? Why the hell are they hidden behind the coffee pot?” My voice gets a little louder with each question.

“I wasn’t hiding them. I just wanted time to process the information. Possibly reach out to some of my contacts and see what we could come up with. Those aren’t the only ones.” I say as I go get the ones that were here while she was kickboxing with Austin at the gym.

“You had no right! You should have told me as soon as you got them! And in a way, that is technically hiding them!”

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