Page 75 of Killer Body

“This thing, asshole. Don’t ever ask no one about Julie Larimore, not you, not this old dead-ass man. Understand?”

The pain rang through him again, sharper, closer to his kidneys.

“Yeah, I understand.”

Another kick, sharper and more splintering this time. Lucas knew, as his body jerked to protect himself, that the assault was more directed to the pleasure of the one inflicting than to the fear of the one receiving.

He heard a retching sound beside him, knew it was Bobby W. That alone forced him to fight the blinding blackness, open his eyes. As he did, he heard a woman scream.

Tania Marie

Word of the day:Instauration:Restoration after decay, lapse or dilapidation

Finally, after breaking every speed limit and not taking even one pee or food break, they parked in front of Virginia’s, as evidenced by the purple neon sign in small lowercase letters.

Rossi told Tania Marie to wait in the truck, but he could kiss her ass. As he slammed the door of the driver’s seat behind him, she opened the other door. Damned lucky she didn’t break a leg having to scramble out of the pickup.

“I told you to stay put.”

“Fuck you.”

She’d refused to speak to him on the horrendously long drive, planning what she’d do once they got here. Now she stormed past him into the restaurant, past bald Max at his glass-brick station, past the hostess in her long black gown, right into the sacred, frigging kitchen.

Late as it was, the place was packed with customers lingering over drinks and conversation. Let them linger over this !

Virginia presided over the line in her white jacket, looking like a crazed, brilliant scientist. Her hair, an angled bob about the same color as Tania Marie’s swished like filmy fabric around her face as she turned from the line.

“He brought youhere?”She shook her head as if correcting one of the line chefs. “The idiot!”

“Watch who the hell you call an idiot. And I don’t care if you are my boss.” Rossi stalked in behind Tania Marie and went straight up to Virginia, who was almost his height.

“So, why don’t you tell me why you brought my daughter inside this restaurant when you knew she’d throw one of her fits?”

Rossi didn’t flinch. “Did you expect me to tie her down, lock her in the truck, maybe?”

This was fresh. No one talked like that to Virginia.

“Certainly not. And that’s not what’s upsetting me.”

“Hey, Gin, you told me to get her. I got her. You told me you were scared. I believed you. Now you’re telling me I should have made her stay in my truck.” He looked from her mother to Tania Marie, then back again. “In case you haven’t noticed, your daughter has a mind of her own.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Since when?” Tania Marie demanded. Now she was really steamed. She nudged up next to Rossi, close to Virginia’s flushed, angry face. “Since when have you noticed one thing about me?”

“Keep your voice down, Tania Marie.”

“I won’t.”

“Youwill.This is my kitchen, my restaurant.”

Tania Marie took a look around, surprised by how in control she felt. At the shrine of Virginia—all sauté pans and bubbling water ready for the next pasta order—the white-clad line cooks pretended this nasty little scenario was invisible. Tania Marie guessed everyone in Virginia’s life did that. Everyone but her.

“But it’s my life.” Tania Marie walked along the line as each cook turned away, like cartoon characters, heads down, waiting for the next command. “It’s my damned life. Why did you hire him to yank me out of it?”

Virginia leaned back against the counter and lifted her right hand, motioning to Rossi. “Take her to my place, okay? We can discuss this later, after we close up here.”

“I’m not going,” Tania Marie said.