He says it like a promise, like a threat.
And when he says it—for some reason I believe him.
TEN
Vinnie
“WANT me to drive down, brother?” is how Arrow answers the phone, making me smile.
“No, but as usual I appreciate the offer,” I say into the phone, looking down the driveway. “I do need a favor though. Talon’s not answering his fuckin’ phone and I have a few questions for him.”
More like an interrogation. I don’t care how much he tells me this isn’t my business, he made it my business when he dragged me into it.
“I’ll try to get in contact with him for you,” he rasps, not sounding too happy about it, but he wouldn’t complain. That’s just Arrow through and through. “Everything okay over there?”
I didn’t really know what the fuck to say. Everything was okay, but it wasn’t. I know that Arrow will just tell me that this isn’t my problem to deal with, that Shay isn’t anything to me, that when I get back I need to forget all this shit.
But I couldn’t.
“Everything’s all right,” I say, shuffling my feet. “Talon’s protection operation is just fuckin’ bullshit, Arrow. Having one or two people protect a woman by locking her up and moving her all the time isn’t really the best plan I’ve ever heard.”
“I hear you. You’ve got only a few days left though, so just look after her until it’s no longer your problem. Your marker will be paid, and you won’t owe that bastard shit anymore.”
Just like I thought he’d say.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Thanks, brother.”
“Anytime. You need me, I’m there.”
“I know,” I say, nodding even though he can’t see me. “And right back at you.”
“Anna wants to tell you something.”
I can hear the sound of him kissing her before handing her the phone.
“Hey, Vinnie, how’s everything?”
“Everything is fine. How’re things at home?” I ask her. I actually miss the women and their crazy antics, even though my hands are full over here dealing with Shay. I think the women would like her a lot, but I don’t even want to consider why that makes me happy.
“Things are great. We miss you! Guess what happened the other night?” She snickers, then starts laughing before even telling me the story. I have a feeling this story is going to be like the penis cake incident. I listen as she rambles on about their night at Rift and how a woman was hitting on Lana but she had no clue, missing every hint, until the girl asked her to go home with her.
“And now you’re being the great friend you are and telling everyone?”
“Hell yeah I am,” she replies, laughing. “It’s revenge for the pizza story she told everyone last time.”
“Well it’s not anyone who would follow a random Italian backpacker back to her car and eat pizza out of her trunk when you didn’t know how long it had been sitting there.” I pause. “Or who the girl even was.”
“Ah, come on, live a little, Vinnie,” she says. “She was Italian. She knew great pizza. So is Talon’s cousin hot? Are there any added benefits to the job, if you know what I mean?”
I pause, not wanting to tell her the truth, because then everyone would be on my case and assume I was being swayed by a pretty face.
“You’re quiet, so I’m assuming she’s not very attractive and you don’t want to be mean, or she’s a total fucking babe and you don’t want us to give you shit over it when you get home.”
“Anna,” I warn, giving it away.
“Oh my god, she’s a hottie,” she whispers. “And you’re stuck in a house with her with nothing else to do. Have you slept with her yet?”
“Anna, not a word,” I growl, now pacing up and down. “And no, I haven’t. And I won’t be. So you can relax. And I didn’t tell everyone your pizza story, so you can keep this to yourself.”
“Of course,” she says, sobering. “But that excludes Arrow. You know that, right? It’s old-lady law.”
I scrub my hand down my face in frustration. “There’s nothing to tell, Anna.”
“Talon—”
“Has made it clear I’m not to touch her in that way.”
She’s quiet for a few moments. “Do you like her?”
“Anna, I barely know her.” Which is the truth, but the answer to her question would be yes. She’s beautiful and has a fire in her that I love to play with. “I gotta go, all right? Talk soon. Take care of Arrow for me.”