Page 85 of Ruthless Consequences

“On a scaleof one out of ten—how dangerous is the guy behind us?” Shawna looked in her rearview mirror.

I looked out the passenger window. Aren was keeping up with her old Toyota. She pressed the gas harder, and the coconut-scented air freshener swung from the mirror as she started to drive more sporadically.

“I honestly don’t know,” I said.

Besides Aren, I had only met Lilo’s grandmother and a few aunts, uncles, and cousins from his Armenian side of the family. Until Carine’s funeral. And technically, I didn’t even meet the man who came to mind who was dangerous.

Lilo’s other uncle.

He’d showed up toward the end with a few other men. They were all dressed in suits with slicked-back black hair. Dark sunglasses covered their eyes. The center man was tall and wide—and really, really good looking. Like, I couldn’t peel my eyes off him for a while. He captured my attention because my husband favored him in looks. He was just older.

“Ma’s younger brother,” Lilo had said to me. “Tigran.”

I’d heard Carine say his name before, but only in reference to Lilo. How she saw him in her son. But she only spoke about it when Michele wasn’t around. Which led me to believe there was more to that story. It was clear that Tigran was someone, given the men standing guard around him. Michele had given him space as he left flowers for his sister. And then he was gone. He looked at none of us as he left.

I’d made a mental note to ask Lilo about him, but it didn’t seem like the time nor the place. Then…I forgot. Until now.

“That old lady? Shit.” Shawna’s eyes widened before they narrowed on the road. “She always go around wielding a golf club like that?”

Molly had charged the car and started swinging as Shawna pulled off. The last thing I saw fading in the mirror was the club hurtling through the air. It barely hit the trunk, but she stood in the middle of the street, hands on her hips, a feral look on her face. It had matched her hair. The flowered robe and house slippers she wore did nothing to distract from the fact that she was ready to hurt someone.

I shrugged. “What do you want from me?” My eyes scanned the area, looking for the gun, but it wasn’t out in the open.

“You have a sister, right?”

I refused to respond to that.

“I know you have two sisters. I did my research.” She sighed when she realized I wasn’t touching that. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you belonged to Shadow Man?”

“Why would I?”

“Because then I would’ve realized what a fuckin’ mess Mo was in! His face that night—I should have known!”

“Should have known what?”

She glanced at me from the side of her eye. “You have no clue, do you? He keeps that part of himself separate from you.”

I couldn’t see my face, but I felt it tighten. I wasn’t sure why, but it pissed me off when she said that. Like I didn’t know my husband. That he hid parts of himself from me.

“Geez. Calm down. Touchy much?” She shook her head.

“I didn’t say anything,” I said, my tone defensive to my own ears.

“You didn’t have to. You looked like you just sucked a lemon. Look, I’m not trying to imply anything by that. It’s just the truth. And you should be glad he keeps that part of his life separate. You know he’s got the monster in him, but he contains it only for you. That’s special. And I respect Shadow Man for it. Can’t say that about many of them. Most of them are worse than animals. Animals don’t know no better.” She grew quiet for a second. “I should have known. Only a few men can clear a room like Shadow Man. Especially a place like The Cigar Bar where they come to hang.”

“Clear a room?”

“Yeah, he clears rooms. If he shows up, they never know why. Might be for a drink.” She shrugged. “Might be because one of them is gonna get whacked. And he’s good at—what he does. Or he was. Haven’t heard too much about him doin’ that shit ever since he got out from under Gallo.” She spit to the side when she said his name.

I wiped spittle off my arm.

She squeezed the steering wheel tighter. “Thing is, they thought he was coming there for you. But I think—”

“He wanted to talk to your sister,” I said.

She nodded. “You know what happened?”

“Your sister was involved with—”

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