Page 167 of The Wicked
“I don’t want anything to get mixed up or blurry, okay? This feels too personal,” she said.
“I think it’s just a house. Why are you overthinking, hm? Isthis stemming from guilt because you do not have pure intentions?”
“It’s not guilt,” she countered…She lied.“I’m just—I’m just not used to this. Maybe I’m overthinking it.”
“Or maybe you need a shower and a change of clothes. And food, because you eat like a horse, and the dinner served today was subpar.”
“Hmm.” A smile broke out on her face. “Look at you, knowing the right buttons to push.”
“Okay.”
She laughed, walking around the space. “Are any of your soldiers around?”
“Why? Do you aim to strangle me in my sleep?”
She turned to me, a smile curving at her lips. “Don’t give me ideas.”
Zahra Faizan was a beautiful disaster. A cunning woman. An entity as discreet and suave as me.
Her only mistake was her utter transparency.
“I’ll shower and wear your clothes while you order food. Or cook—can you cook?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ordering it is, then.”
“Hm. The bathroom is the one on the left. Everything you require is easy to find. It’s a small space. Nothing is hidden.”
“Roger that.”
I watched her walk towards the door I had pointed out and disappear behind it.
My eyes were still on the door when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled out the device, seeing Angelo’s name on the screen.
I answered. “Significant emergencies, Mancini.”
“I’m calling to check in. You didn’t inform me if you arrived at your place yet.”
“I did. Did you find them?”
“Yes. They are from Sicily. Manuel Conti’s men.”
“Manuel Conti,” I drawled. “Hm. Dig up all you can. Not about her; her information in the database is useless. But Conti. I want to know everything.”
“Noted. Are you being careful?”
“Yes, I have condoms, Papà.”
“That’s not—Jesus. I’m just saying be careful around her.”
“Hm. Say hi to your mother and Lisa for me. Don’t forget the prayer pamphlets; she would feel offended if I didn’t ask for them.”
His mom was religious, and each time Angelo visited, he always returned with pamphlets she had picked out for me. His mother, my mother, and his aunt, Lisa, had been close back in the day. But then my mother’s case worsened, and she withdrew from everyone until…
“I’ll do that.”Angelo’s voice reached my ear.“See you tomorrow.”
I hung up.
