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Nah.

I’m just cranky for being woken up so early. I do my work at night, then I play ’til the next day. It’s just how I’m wired, no point to think anything else of it. Actually, there is a point. Jail time made me double down on my habits. Being locked up for two years for dealing coke puts things into perspective – I can get away with murder.

Click.

My father closes the sliding glass door and struts out to the poolside with his cigar in hand. The dumb prick doesn’t realize he’s smoking himself to an even earlier grave. Makes me angry to watch him kill himself. I love the old jerkoff, even if I never tell him.

“Why don’t you work on your tan, or something.” Father waves his cigar at me. “You’re going to look like one of those farmer hicks from the south soon.”

“Is that your way of saying ‘get comfortable’?”

“Something like that.” He takes a puff. “Rocco is considering my offer.”

“Oh yeah? What offer is that? I thought we came here to pay back a favor or something ridiculous.”

Father walks up to me, nodding with that smirk. “You really are a dense prick when you don’t have coffee in you.”

“Mph,” I grunt. Can’t argue there.

“You ever know me to drop everything I’m doing to answer a call?”

“Only if it really matters,” I say.

“There you go, kid. That Pillsbury in there.” He points toward the room. “I owe him my life.”

I furrow my brow. That’s news to me.

“Who do you think got your old man off? Huh?”

“I thought that’s all greased wheels? He just knows how to intimidate a jury and getseveryoneoff. That’s what all the other Valentino boys think.”

His silence is deafening. “I was looking at two lifetime sentences, Trino. That man is the most clever legal mind in the tri-state. You hear me? There arenofree rides. We roll the dice no matter how careful we are.Youshould know most of all.”

“Alright, I get it. Relax, Pa. I’ll sit on the fucking lounge-chair and get an even tan. Is that what you want?Jeez.” I peel off my white polo and toss it on the chair next to me. “You know I’m just trying to do right by you. We got a long list to get through.”

He sighs and sits on the chair next to me. “I’ve been thinkin’, kid.”

“That can’t be good for your health.”

We both cackle.

“Revenge is our family motto. And from what I’ve seen, you serve that dish better than even me. I’m proud of you.”

My stomach growls uncomfortably – not from hunger. What the hell is this emotion?

“Yeah, well, let me keep at it then,” I deflect the sap coming my way.

“I’m trying to tell you that’s not all there is.”

“Yeah, no shit. You should’ve seen Diamond’s pillow-cut babies.” I motion the shape of her breasts, thinking I’ll get a laugh. But I don’t.

“How old are you now?” Father asks rhetorically.

“Fuck off.” I smack the air and put on my shades.

“Going to be thirty-one in a few months, right? Time to grow the fuck up.”

“The hell are you saying? Big Ace saw you at the Glitz last week doing the same bullshit I’m doing. Like father,like son.”