Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“I was just being efficient. Now you don’t have to tell me what he wanted.”
He climbed the stairs and knelt down on one that nearly put us at eye level. Then he pulled me close and kissed me before saying, “I’m sorry if Ford dropping by like that made you uncomfortable.”
“It didn’t, actually. I was intimidated by him when we met, but I’m not anymore because I’m confident in our relationship. Now, I just feel bad for the guy.”
“Why is that?”
“Because a terrible thing happened to him—he had the greatest man in the world, and he let you slip away.”
Adriano grinned as he got to his feet and helped me up. “Come on, let’s finish getting ready,” he said. “We have a fancy chartered plane to catch.”
The plane really was ridiculously nice—so much different than economy class, which was what I was used to. All of us drank Bloody Marys, laughed, and told stories all the way to San Francisco, and I was feeling no pain by the time we arrived.
The Dombrusos offered to drive us to our destination, but we opted to take a cab and promised we’d join them for Sunday dinner. Then I brought Adriano to the crappy building that had been my home for a couple of months. Wow, was I ever not going to miss this place.
When we pulled up out front and saw a bunch of kids sitting on the steps, Adriano joked, “Oh look, a kid gang.”
“For real, though. They’re a bunch of baby delinquents. See the one with buzzed off blond hair? That’s who stole your watch from me. And look, the little shit’s still wearing it! I can’t believe no one’s taken it from him.”
Adriano turned to me as I slid down in the seat to stay hidden, and a huge smile spread across his face. “That’s who took the watch? A scrawny ten year old?”
“He’s at least eleven. Maybe even twelve.” When he started laughing, I said, “See why I didn’t tell you? We need a plan. If he sees me, that mini demon is going to take off running, and we might never catch him.”
“Let me handle this. You just stay here.” He asked the cab driver to pop the trunk, and then he went and got something out of his luggage.
When he approached the group of kids, they eyed him suspiciously. I couldn’t hear what he said to them, but then the boy slipped the watch off his skinny wrist and traded it for some sort of large package. The tiny hoodlums were talking excitedly as they all rushed into the building with whatever he’d given them.
I asked the cabbie to keep the meter running before joining Adriano. As we went inside, I asked, “How’d you do that?”
“It was easy. I traded him for something he considered more valuable than the watch.” While he was talking, he unraveled a thick bundle of yarn from the Rolex’s band. So that was how the kid had kept it from falling off.
“I can’t even begin to guess what that was.”
“The latest generation PlayStation, which hasn’t hit the stores yet. Never mind that it cost a fraction of what the watch is worth. To a kid, it’s pure gold.”
“Was that meant for your brothers’ kids?”
He nodded and said, “I actually have two of the consoles, so I guess my nieces and nephews will have to share the one that’s left.”
I had a follow-up question. “If they’re not in stores yet, where’d they come from?”
“Um…they might have fallen off the back of a truck.”
“You stole them?”
“Me? No. The person I bought them from, however…”
I grinned and shook my head. “I thought you were reformed.”
“I am now. That was my last official act as a criminal,” he said.
The watch face was covered in fingerprints, so he polished it up with a handkerchief. Then he put it on and turned his wrist, examining the watch from different angles with a smile. I was so damn glad he had that back.
When we got to my room, he looked around curiously but refrained from commenting while I quickly packed my things. I knew it was a hovel, and it was nice of him not to point that out.
Soon we were back in the cab, and fifteen minutes after that we stepped into the townhouse’s foyer. “Home sweet beige,” he quipped, as we piled our things just inside the door.
“This place isn’t so bad. A few house plants and some colorful throw pillows, and it might seem downright homey.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’d like to hold off on buying a place here for a bit, because there’s something I want to do first.” He took his phone from his suit pocket and pulled up a real estate listing. Then he showed me the screen and asked, “Do you think your mom would like someplace like this? I obviously plan to ask her when we visit, but I want to find some examples to show her.”