Page 32 of Nicco

“The lies y’all tell y’all self is sending me. The caucasity. Are your wife and your other kids going to be at the funeral?”

“Yes, but you don’t have to meet them. They don’t know who you are.”

“Nah! I’m good. Tell my deadbeat grandpa I’ll see him at the crossroads.”

“I will be sure to. Right when he’s laying in the coffin. Have been going to the gun range?”

“Not really.”

“I know. You haven’t been because my credit card isn’t being charged.”

“I’ve been busy with school.”

“You can never be too busy to learn how to defend yourself. No trail of mine will be helpless. You have to practice your shot. You need to take those self-defense classes. I wish you would just do what I say.”

“New daddy, I don’t work for you.”

“I just want you to be safe. The world is full of criminals and rapists and all kinds of deviant mentally ill assholes.”

“I’m well aware.”

There was a knock at the door. Room service had been led into the penthouse and they were pushing a huge cart full of food over towards Kelly and me. There was an array of breakfast and lunch entrees.

“Here you are Mr. Bregoli. A mix of different things to choose from.” One of the wait staff said. The other waiter started opening the lids of the food. “Would you like anything else?”

“No, this is perfect.”

“Great sir, we’ll see ourselves out.”

Kelly grabbed a piece of bacon off the tray. “Everyone really kisses your ass in this hotel.”

“They should. I pay them and now that my father is dead. Word has gotten around. I’m the boss now.”

“Congratulations on your promotion.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Yeah, I guess. What you do is what you do. It’s not necessarily who you are.”

I never want her to know who I really am. I love my daughter and if she knew I just slit some hooker’s throat in one of the hotel rooms, she would hate me. She would despise me. She wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me.

I watched as Kelly piled food on her plate. “Have you seen my mom?”

“Yeah, a few days ago. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.”

Her no reason comment made me very suspicious.

“Kelly, it would be nice if you came to the funeral or the burial or the party afterwards. You don’t have to come to everything. Bring your friend the one that’s here in town with you. No one has to know who you are.”

“Huh, I will think about it, but I can’t make you any guarantees.”

“Well, yeah, just think about it and I will send over the information.”

“Okay.”

We were interrupted by a knock on my office door.

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