Page 51 of Angel

Mom clasped her hands together. “Who’s staying for lunch?”

“Sorry Mom,” Dominic answered. “I have to get back.”

“Me too,” I apologized. “Sorry.”

“Okay,” she said, coming over to kiss each of us. “You’re both busy, I know.”

“Lunch next week?” I asked.

She took my chin in her hand and shook it a little bit, like she did when I was twelve.

“Be good,” she said, and breezed out of the room.

Dominic and I stayed where we were. Our father hadn’t moved from his seat, which meant he wasn’t yet done with us.

Pops tapped one finger against the armrest. “Angelo,” he said. “I can’t help shake the feeling that we’re about to put everything you’ve been working so hard to build for our family on the line for a woman.”

“I hope not.”

“Yes… Me too, son.”

“Hold on a second,” Dominic said, and let out a long breath.

“What?” I asked.

He stood staring down at his phone for a long few seconds. Panic gripped me.

“What?” I demanded again.

The slowest smile ever rose up on Dom’s chest. “I don’t believe it.”

Pops got to his feet. “Dominic, what the hell is going on?”

He finally tore his gaze from his phone. “Talk about bad luck and timing. There’s been a hit on Moretti… in Sicily…Palermo, to be exact.”

“What? He’s dead?”

Dominic shook his head in disbelief. “That’s usually what happens after a hit.”

“By who?” Pops demanded.

Dominic shrugged. “As of right now, no one knows. He was shot in broad daylight leaving his condo there.”

“Where are you getting this information?”

He shook his phone in our direction. “From an associate.”

‘Associate’ didn’t explain much. But then again, neither did Dom.

I couldn’t unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth. The news was too good to be true. Premature and anti-climactic. I wanted to have a chance at him. To put up a real fight and come out the other end on top. I should be thanking my blessings that someone took the problem away for us.

Dominic started typing away on his phone.

I looked over at Pops. “Is this...”

“Do you want to know if it’s good news for Paige?” He slowly nodded. “I suppose so. I didn’t hear of any other agreement in place if Moretti died.”

“That’s good news.”