Page 67 of DeLucas After Dark

Something is off, and I’m not sure what it is. There’s a buzzing that’s taking place in my brain, and the last time this occurred was when Graziella was murdered almost two years ago. I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to Piper, but my senses are telling me don’t trust shit.

“What’s wrong?” Nico asks, walking up to me where I stand in the backyard overseeing the vendors.

“Some shit’s about to go down.”

“No one knows about this day except for our family.”

“And a few of her friends and the vendors. I hope that shit doesn’t come back and bite me in the ass,” I mutter.

“Tell you what. Keep making sure they get the arch and those damn flowers in the right position, and I’ll look around.”

“Nearest neighbor is four miles down the road.”

“My point precisely,” Nico says, walking towards the tree line to the rear of my backyard. We own ten acres of property that I still haven’t gotten completely secured.

Flipping my phone out, I call Nora.

“Hey. How far away are ya?”

“We’re still shopping. We were sidetracked at a gentleman’s store that Mila and Piper just had to go in to buy gifts for you guys, and don’t you dare ask me what she bought because I’m not telling. Oh, yeah, and your mom stopped to get a gift for your father.”

“What store?”

“I’m not telling. You’ll only figure out what gift she’s got you if I tell you the name, Marco.”

“How long before you guys head back this way?”

“About an hour.”

“Shit.”

“You’re not finished?”

“No.” I glance around me at the people coming and going setting up chairs, flowers, arches, and all the other shit they have to set out. “I’ll have them move their trucks so she doesn’t pick up on anything.”

“Should have let me stay there and run things. I would have made sure they stuck to the schedule.”

Grunting, I reply, “Yeah. I know.”

“By the way, her curiosity was definitely piqued when I showed up this morning.”

“Great story, by the way.”

When Nora arrived in an Uber this morning, she told Piper that I had invited her to spend the holidays with my family since hers had gone to France. Piper bought it hook, line, and sinker and went on and on about how thoughtful and sweet that was of me.

After today, Nora will be driven back to Atlanta to spend the holidays with her family.

“Thanks. Tell you what…I can stall a bit by dropping by the caterer and checking on things. I’ll tell her that I’m checking on an order for Christmas Eve. Hey, gotta go. Piper’s heading my way,” Nora whispers and clicks off the phone.

Placing two fingers in my mouth, I release a shrill whistle. The workers all stop and turn to stare at me.

“You’ve got thirty minutes to get this shit together and get the hell out of here!”

“Yes, sir, Mr. DeLuca,” they all call out and begin running from one place to the next.

A hand grips my left shoulder, and I turn to see my father.

“Padre.”

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