Page 26 of Forgotten Comeback

My thumbs fly over my phone, responding to Russell before he narcs on me to John.

Business came up.

My fucking business, nobody else’s.

A knock on the window startles me. Rolling it down, I go to speak, but Taylor tosses a small paper bag at me and silently walks off.

Reaching inside, my eyes go wide. It’s a ball gag, with a message scribbled on a yellow sticky note.

Since you’re so concerned with my sex life, I figured I’d help you out with yours. Next time you have a thought, instead of verbalizing it, wear this. I guarantee your partner will thank me.

A triumphant grin stretches across my face. Taylor does want to play games with me.

Chapter

Eleven

Gavin

“Whatsup?” I stick my head inside Inferno’s makeshift office at the warehouse. “I need to get the bar prepped.”

“This won’t take long.” Wearing a mask with glowing Xs for eyes, he motions to a chair across from his desk. An identically masked John sits across from him.

Wondering what I’ve done this time, I close the door behind me and take a seat.

Inferno slides over the newspaper.

My wide eyes land on the obituary.

“Antonio Parisi’s dead?” I say, my voice sounding weirdly hollow. Thought I’d be happy for this day to come, but I don’t feel much of anything.

“‘Heart attack.’ Convenient, considering his AC capo Sergio and Sergio’s little weasel of a son Matteo are also dead,” John says bitterly.

“What does this mean for us?” I say, my voice barely a whisper.

“It means we’ve dicked around and missed our opportunity.” Inferno slams his fist to the desk.

“It means three fewer Parisis stand in our way,” John counters.

“Do you want me working the Mia/Sal angle or not?” I ask, secretly hoping they say no.

“Yes,” they say in unison, and so much for hoping.

There’s a weird undercurrent of tension between the twins, and after an uncomfortable beat of silence, I rise. “Alright, well, I’ll be manning the bar if either of you needs me.”

Returning to the front, my neck gets a roll, and then my shoulders, trying to rid myself of the odd sensation that’s lingering.

My phone buzzes, and I fish it out of my pocket.

Hey, I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. My friend called in sick, and I’m picking up her shift at The Diamond. I’m really sad I don’t get to see you…

My thumbs hover over the keyboard. While I need Mia here tonight so I can work the Sal angle, I can’t say I’m too upset about her absence. In fact, the idea of having to bang Mia again makes my skin crawl.

I should wrap up around midnight. Where’s the afterparty?

Depends. WYA on that situation we discussed?

My cousin wasn’t at Sunday dinner, so I didn’t get a chance to chat with him. But I promise I will the next time I see him.