I donโt know what the fuck happened yesterday.
Iโve never acted like that in my life. I was raised to be a gentlemanโ
not to grab a girl and kiss her like a wild bandit.
Maybe it was the adrenaline from racing Riona. Or the fact that weโve been in constant proximity for the last eight days. Or the fact that she manages to get under my skin in a way I donโt quite understand.
I donโt know what it is about her. Iโve always had this compulsion to overcome challenges. And Riona is a constant challenge. Sheโs strong- willed and stubborn as fuck. Determined not to be impressed by me. Intent on always doing things her own way, damn the consequences.
Maybe I shouldnโt have raced her at all. I know how competitive she is. But for fuckโs sake, so am I! I thought it would be fun. Then I saw how seriously she was taking it. And I guess I realized I was taking it pretty damn seriously, too.
Well, now I feel like a horseโs ass.
She was right to slap meโI deserved that. I know damn well sheโs got a boyfriend.
I donโt like that guy, though. I get that heโs good-looking and a fancy surgeon and all that shit. On paper heโs a good match for Riona. But she doesnโt need somebody stiff and proper like that.
She needs somebody who can make her laugh. Who can help her relax a little. Not someone whoโs going to amp her up even more.
I guess that sounds like Iโm describing myselfโIโm not. I know Iโm not the right guy for her, either. Weโd probably murder each other. Plus my lifestyle doesnโt exactly leave a lot of room for romance.
No romanceโjust a whole lot of experience.
Iโve seen a whole lot of ugliness and greed and violence.
But Iโve seen gorgeous things too. Iโve seen the sun setting over Victoria Falls. Iโve ridden camels over sand dunes bigger than any ocean wave. Iโve taken a chopper over a volcano half a day before it erupted. And walked on black sand beaches that look like an alien planet.
I keep a list of the best places. Maybe so I can show them to somebody else someday. Maybe just so I donโt forget them.
I can hear Riona showering and getting ready for the day. I go and do the same, so she wonโt have to wait on me.
It takes me a lot less time to shower. Probably โcause I donโt have two feet of flame-red hair to deal with. I get ready, then I poach some eggs and put some toast on. And I make the coffee extra strong โcause I know Riona likes it that way. Itโs a peace offering. I can guess itโs gonna take a lot more than coffee and a good nightโs rest to cool her off, though.
Sure enough, she comes sweeping out of her room without even a glance at me. She pours herself a mug of coffee and ignores the poached egg I set all nicely on a piece of buttered toast for her.
โMorning,โ I say to her.
โGood morning,โ she replies coolly. โAbout yesterdayโโ
โWe donโt have to talk about that,โ she interrupts.
โIโm not tryna go on about it,โ I persist. โI just wanted to say . . . Iโm sorry.โ
Her green eyes flit up at me for just a second, then look away again. I canโt tell if sheโs still mad or embarrassed or what. Maybe just surprised I apologized.
โJustโletโs leave it alone,โ she says. โThe whole thing was embarrassing.โ โAlright,โ I say.
Riona grabs her coat and we head down to the underground parking garage. I check the vehicle over carefully before we enter, including looking under the carriage for any unwanted additions. As we drive up to street level, I can tell itโs an ugly day. Freezing cold, windy, and gray as slate. Little bits of sleet whip against the windshield, fine and hard as sand.
Iโve been in too many hot places for too long. Iโm fucking cold, even with the heat turned up in the car.
โI canโt believe this,โ I say to Riona. โAfter all the nice things Iโve heard about Chicago winters . . . โ
Riona gives a little snort.
โItโs only November,โ she says. โItโll get a lot worse.โ โHow could it possibly be worse?โ
โJust wait.โ
We drive the four blocks to Rionaโs office. I bet sheโs glad now that we borrowed Danteโs SUV. That wouldnโt be a pleasant walk.
Usually Iโd be a gentleman and drop her off right in front of the building while I find parking, but we need to stick together at all times. Especially now that I know Djinn is apparently such a relentless motherfucker.
Riona and I park a half-block away, then run for the double glass doors.
Compared to outside, the inside of the office building feels warm and pleasant. I can smell coffee and fresh muffins from the cafe on the ground floor.
I escort Riona all the way up to her office. Most of the people on her floor have gotten used to seeing me by now. Especially the paralegal Lucyโshe
gives me a little smile and wave.
I settle down in my favorite chair in the corner of Rionaโs office while Riona dives right into her work. I see her plowing through folder after folder every day, but the pile of stuff she needs to get done never seems to shrink. She must be adding to it constantly.
After about an hour, weโre surprised by a knock at the door.
Itโs Dante and Nero. Danteโs wearing a proper pea coat, but Nero only has on a black t-shirt and jeans. Iโm guessing heโs too hot-headed to ever feel the cold.
Dante says to me, โI thought you might want to go talk to that ex-employee with me. Nero can stay here with Riona.โ
โI donโt need a babysitter,โ Riona says without looking up from her papers. โI can be here alone for an hour. Thereโs a hundred people on the floor with me.โ
โWell, Iโm already here,โ Nero says. โSo you may as well enjoy my company.โ
He slouches over to my chair, flopping down on it as soon as Iโve vacated the spot. He goes to put his feet up on Rionaโs glass coffee table. Still without looking up, she says, โDonโt even think about it.โ
Nero grins and swings his legs over the arm of the chair instead, sitting sideways.
Itโs strange. I never had a problem with NeroโI like all Danteโs siblings. But I find myself not wanting to leave him here with Riona. I tell myself itโs because Iโm supposed to be watching her, keeping her safe. Thatโs my job. But if Iโm totally honest, I look at Nero with his outrageous good looks and his air of menace that I know appeals to women in a very specific way, and I feel something just a little too close to jealousy.
Which is idiotic. Dante already told me that Nero is head over heels for some girl named Camille, and Riona is likewise taken by somebody else. So thereโs nothing to be jealous about here. Not even a little bit.
Still, I leave the office in a strange kind of mood.
Once weโre back in the elevator, Dante says, โHowโs it going with Riona?โ โGood.โ I nod.
โActually good?โ Dante asks.
โYeah. I mean, weโve got our differences . . . โ
Dante chuckles. โI bet. Sheโs great, though. Once you get below the prickly surface.โ
โYeah,โ I say. โThatโs what Iโm finding,โ
Iโm not planning to tell Dante about my fight with Riona. Iโm definitely not going to tell him about the kiss. That was pure stupidity. I wonโt do that again.
Instead I say, โYou want me to drive? I got a pretty sick ride.โ
Dante chuckles. โYou better. Nero brought me over in some crazy old car that felt like it was gonna fall apart trying to carry me around. I donโt think they built cars for people my size back in the 50s.โ
โI donโt think theyย hadย people your size.โ
โExactly. You ever seen a bodybuilder from the 50s? They were like 178 pounds soaking wet.โ
โYou could have a real career in the circus if we could get you a time machine, take you back to the old-timey days.โ
โThanks,โ Dante snorts. โNobody delivers a compliment like you, Long Shot.โ
Dante has the address for Luke Barker, the guy Oran fired after he apparently tried to get touchy with Riona at the company Christmas party.
Itโs been almost a year since then, so it seems unlikely to me that the guyโs still holding a grudge. Worth running down every lead, though.
Dante and I drive out to his house in the Loop. Itโs a pretty Tudor-style place on a tree-lined street. Looks nice enough from the exterior.
โYou sure heโs home?โ I ask Dante. โIn the middle of the day?โ โYeah,โ Dante says. โI called him earlier.โ
Despite that, it takes quite a while for Barker to answer the door after we knock. I hear the sound of something being knocked over in the hallway, and an irritated curse. Then he pulls the door open, still dressed in a bathrobe and looking bleary-eyed and unshaven.
โWhat?โ he says. Then, on spotting Dante, โOh, right. Come in.โ
The inside of the house is a lot less well-maintained than the outside. It smells musty and stale, and half-eaten take out boxes litter the counters in the kitchen. A yappy little Yorkie runs around barking at our ankles. Barker says, โShut up, ya little fucker!โ which the dog completely ignores.
The Yorkie is wearing a sparkling pink rhinestone collar. That, and the throw pillows on the couch that say โLive, Laugh, Wineโ and โCuddle Timeโ lead me to believe that a woman used to live here not too long ago. Probably not now, howeverโwhen Barker opens his fridge, the only thing inside is a pizza box, a dozen bottles of Budweiser, and a bunch of condiment bottles.
โYou want a drink?โ Barker says, taking a beer out for himself. Iโm guessing itโs not his first of the day.
โSure,โ Dante says. Heโs probably trying to seem friendly. Barker pops the caps off the beers and slides one over to Dante. โIโm good,โ I say.
Barker takes a long pull off his beer. He eyes us with narrowed, bloodshot eyes.
โWhatโs this all about?โ he says. โYou know I donโt work for Griffin, Briar, Weiss anymore.โ
โYeah,โ Dante says. โI know that. I was wondering if you could tell me why they let you go?โ
โYou know why,โ Barker says.
โNo,โ Dante replies calmly. โI donโt.โ
โBecause of that bitch,โ Barker says, taking a swig of his beer. The venom in his tone makes my heart rate spike.
โAre you talking about Riona Griffin?โ I say, trying to keep my tone neutral.
โYeah. She was flirting with me all the time . . . couldnโt keep her eyes off me. Then at the party, we both have a couple drinks. One thing leads to another . . . and then she goes crying to her uncle.โ
I canโt imagine Riona โgoing cryingโ to anybody. And I also canโt imagine her flirting with this sloppy sack of shit. Heโs at least ten years older than her. And even if he were shaved and showered and dressed in a nice suit, heโd still have that smug look on his face that I know would rub her the wrong way.
โWhat do you mean by โone thing led to another?โ โ I say, through gritted teeth.
Dante glances over at me. He can tell Iโm getting pissed.
Barker doesnโt seem to notice. He takes another swig of his beer.
โYou know,โ he says. โWeโre talking, having drinks . . . sheโs wearing this low-cut dress. Every time she moves, I can see the top of her tits, and she knows I can see it. She acts all uptight, but you know what redheads are like
. . . theyโre all fuckinโ animals in the sack. So sheโs all like, โExcuse me,โ and walks over to the bathrooms, and I can see the way sheโs walking, shakinโ her ass, she definitely wants me to follow her. So I do, and I shove her in the bathroom and pull up her skirt andโโ
I donโt know at what point in the story I snap, but the next thing I know, my hands are around Barkerโs throat and Iโve flung him up against the
refrigerator. Iโm choking the fucking life out of him and heโs gagging and sputtering and trying to pry my fingers off his neck.
The fact that this arrogant piece of shit thought that Riona was interested in him, the fact that he followed her into the bathroom and put his hands on her . . . it makes me want to murder him. Just snuff him out of this world.
Danteโs pulling me off Barker, shouting, โLong Shot, take it easy!โ
I release my grip on Barkerโs throat just a littleโenough that he can talk.
โDid you hire somebody to come after her?โ I snarl. โWere you trying to get even, because she got you fired?โ
โShe didnโt just get me fired!โ Barker spits, still trying to pry my hands off his neck. โMy wife left me, too! Sheโs divorcing me! She cleared out the bank account and took my car and left me with this fuckinโ dog!โ
โDid you hire someone to kill Riona?โ I roar in his face. โWhat? No!โ Barker sputters. โAre you insane?โ
I squeeze his throat a little harder, lifting his feet up off the kitchen tile. โWhy not?โ I snarl. โShe ruined your life, right?โ
โEven if I wanted to, I donโt have any fuckinโ money!โ Barker chokes, his face turning puce. โPlus the Griffins . . . โ
His voice trails off, โcause heโs not getting enough air. I have to relax my grip again so he can speak.
โWhat?โ I say. โWhat about the Griffins?โ
โTheyโre fuckinโ . . . mafia,โ he says hoarsely. โI was pissed. But Iโm not suicidal.โ
I let go of Barker. He rubs his throat dramatically, coughing and wheezing. I can see the imprints of my fingers on his neck. I donโt feel bad about it. Iโd like to do a whole lot worse to him.
Dante looks at Barker, gasping dramatically on the floor. The guy looks pathetic as hell. Itโs pretty clear that he canโt even clear out his pizza boxes,
let alone plot revenge against Riona. โLetโs go,โ Dante says to me.
โYeah, get the fuck out,โ Barker says petulantly. โYou fuckinโ psychopaths. Drinking my beer then trying to kill me.โ
I turn around, ready to leave Barkerโs musty house.
As I take three steps away from him, I hear Barker mutter, โI hope somebody does off that uppity bitch.โ
I turn around and clock himโa right cross straight to the jaw. It slams him into the fridge, and he slumps down on the tiles, knocked out cold.
When I face Dante again, heโs watching me, eyebrows raised. โYou okay?โ he says.
โOf course.โ I shake out my right hand. โWhy wouldnโt I be?โ โI donโt think he had anything to do with hiring the Djinn.โ โNeither do I. But heโs still an asshole.โ
The Yorkie is running around our feet again, barking, but not at usโjust yapping in general. It doesnโt seem too concerned about its owner slumped down on the floor over by the fridge. In fact, it runs into the living room and pees against the leg of the coffee table, without a care in the world.
Once weโre outside in the chilly air again, Dante takes a deep breath. โThatโs better.โ
โHeโs a mess,โ I grunt. โI doubt a shit-stain like Barker has the gumption to hire the Djinn. Or the money to pay him, if what he said about his wife cleaning out the bank accounts was true. If it wasnโt Barker, and it wasnโt the Russians, that only leaves the Hartford family.โ
โYeah.โ Dante nods slowly. โOnly problem is, I donโt exactly want to threaten them. Theyโve been through enough already.โ
โWe donโt have to go in guns blazing,โ I say.
โYeah?โ Dante cocks an eyebrow at me. โYou gonna be chill this time?โ โOf course,โ I say, shrugging off his look. โIโm fine.โ
Iโm not fine, though. I donโt know what the fuck that was in thereโI completely lost my temper. Thatโs twice in two days.
Maybe Iโm not cut out for this bodyguard life. Iโm getting overly invested. All wrapped up in this thing with a level of emotion that isnโt usual for me.
As we get back into the car, my phone buzzes with a text from my brother:
You missed momโs birthday. And the anniversary.
He means the anniversary of our dadโs death. It happened only two days apart from Momโs birthday, so itโs always a hard time of year for her.
I text him back:
I called her.
A pause, then he replies:
Calling isnโt the same as visiting.
I havenโt been home in a while. Almost three years. But whoโs counting.
I can picture the ranch as clear as the busy Chicago streets right in front of me. I can see the stands of birch trees, and almost smell the scent of clean hay and warm horseflesh.
I feel a pull to be in a warmer, greener place than here.
But I also feel a deep sorrow and shame at the thought of visiting home. So I text back:
Iโm on a job right now.
Grady fires back:
Youโre always on a job.
Thereโs a pause where he waits for me to respond. When I donโt, he texts again:
Mom hurt her foot. Sheโs getting too old to do this full time. We need to talk about what weโre gonna do with the ranch . . .
I turn my phone off and stuff it in my pocket, annoyed. โProblem?โ Dante says.
โNo.โ I shake my head. โNo problem at all.โ