“Pencil’s smudged left to right,” Nico murmurs, pointing at Steven’s notebook, which holds who-knows-what. “Frequently happens in leftie bookkeeping.” “Iris is right-handed,” Christian murmurs. He sits up then, handing the notebook to Nico, who explores it further. “Just because you didn’t write
“Christian!” I shout again, pulling the door shut behind me. He spins at the end of the hall by the elevator, worry all over his face as I hurry towards him. “Iris!” he says, putting a hand around my waist and tugging me close protectively, look around for whatever is attacking, “what’s wrong!?”
“Nico?” I say, as the sun starts to go down. He flicks his eyes to me. I flick mine to my cell phone. “I know I’m not supposed to ask,” I say quietly, “but can you please just tell me if my brother texted me? He’s…he’s not well. You don’t even have to tell me what it says – just…if he texted?”
I blush a little to hear Christian’s private nickname for me on Nico’s lips. “How do you…know about that?” “Oh my god,” Nico says, shaking his head and staring at me as he sits slowly down next to Frankie. “Whenever Christian ever does talk about the years before he came home, he changes names so
Nico only gets up once, pouring a glass of wine and pushing it generously in my direction when I’m finished unloading the groceries. “Here,” he says. “Thank you for organizing the kitchen. That is not…something that’s precisely in our skill set.” I shrug, a little pleased to have made inroads with
There’s a long, tense moment when I do seriously wonder if Christian is going to punch someone. But he shocks us all, I think, when Christian flicks his eyes to Nico’s beer. “Is there more of that?” he asks, his voice dry. “Yeah,” Nico says, immediately jumping out of the chair and heading for t
“Exactly,” Christian says. “Are you seriously buying this?” Nico hisses, gesturing towards me but keeping his eyes on Christian. “That she knew nothing – that she just lived with this guy, handing over her paychecks to him, oblivious to the fact that he’s not only Bonetti’s secret accountant that
Suddenly, quite suddenly, it’s all too much. I burst into tears, burying my face in my hands again, sobs shaking my shoulders as I blubber against my palms. I start to cry so hard that I can’t even catch my breath, and then I panic because I know these tough mafia guys are looking at me like I’m a