Page 63 of Flawed

Benny redirects his gaze on Sid. "You got anyone not accounted for?"

He shakes his head. "No. We just dealt with the one loose end last night. What about you?"

Benny's nostrils flare as he takes a moment to think. He finally nods. "No one at the stage of taking them out."

"It's gotta be him, then," Jimmy announces.

"What else did the Boss tell you?" Benny asks.

I shake my head. "Nothing. You know how he orders these things."

"Where's it taking place?" Jimmy demands.

"Not sure. Jacopo will send his orders once I pick you up. I'll see you at ten thirty to be safe," I add, then rise. I walk toward the door.

"Hey!" Benny calls out.

My insides quiver. I spin. "What?"

Benny studies me a moment then quizzes, "Why do you think he's so hush-hush on a corporate guy? It's not like he's anyone important. Plus, it's only thirty-k. He normally waits to kill them when it's over fifty."

I shrug. "Hey, I'm just a messenger. I'm not the boss. Besides, you know how the boss likes to keep us on our toes."

Jimmy grunts. "Yeah. It's annoying as hell."

Benny's head jerks toward him. "Do not disrespect the boss," he seethes.

Jimmy holds his hands out. "Sorry! Didn't mean any disrespect."

Benny leers at him for a moment then turns back to me. "One more question."

"What's that?" I reply, feeling like my skin's crawling and needing to get out of here. I hate questions. I never know which lie I'll have to cover up or if I'll have to create a new one on the spot.

He leans back in his seat and presses his fingers together. "I've been meaning to ask you. Whatever happened with you and that redhead?"

"Redhead?" I question, thinking about Chanel. My gut churns.

Please tell me he didn't see me with her.

Benny nods. "Yeah, the one all over you at the boss's party."

I rack my brain but don't know who he's talking about. There are so many women at all the events. I reply, "Which party?"

"You know, a couple months back."

I try to remember what party I could have been at where a redhead gave me attention, but several redheads have set their eyes on me over the last year.

Jimmy laughs. "He's got so many women, he doesn't know what to do with them. He forgets them so soon."

I go along with it. The truth is Chanel's the only one I've touched since I met her. I've always tried to stay far away from anyone associated with the Abruzzos. And maybe that's why I fell so hard for her. She's not anywhere close to my world.

Benny continues, "It's the one from his daughter's birthday party. The redhead in the cut-out minidress. Boobs, ass, and legs."

It all comes back to me. I blurt out, "Jacopo's niece from Italy?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Nothing happened. She was wasted. I took her to her room and left," I claim. I don't tell them I intentionally got her drunk so she would pass out and I could leave.

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