Blood and Fire (McClouds & Friends #8)(146)

Sean followed his example, and Petrie, too. Zia took her own sweet time, stirring in sugar lumps. She took one of the pitta ’nchiusa, looking at it from all sides, sniffing it before taking a cautious nibble.

Costantina watched intently as she chewed. “Nonna’s recipe. Just like hers, isn’t it? The trick is the wine you put in. Has to be a real good Calabrese red, or it don’t work worth a damn.”

Zia Rosa chewed, making no sign of having heard her cousin’s words. She swallowed. Sipped her coffee.

“I don’t need a cooking lesson from you, Tittina,” she said.

“Let’s get back to the subject, shall we?” Kev said, before the red-faced Costantina’s head had a chance to explode. “The letter? The guy who took Bruno? Can you give me a name? That’s all I want.”

And he would get it before he left. If he had to take those two guys apart chunk by bloody chunk.

Don Gaetano cleared his throat. “Well,” he said. “A lot of years have gone by. Things have changed. I don’t think it’ll be possible to—”

“I got this goddamn letter, Gaetano.” Zia Rosa’s voice began to shake. “I swear to God, I’ll send it. And if you have me whacked, the lawyer sends it. And you will go down.”



“Bullshit, it don’t,” Zia Rosa said. “I bet you’d rather spend your golden years in your fancy house, gobbling Tittina’s pitta ’nchiusa than sitting around in cell block C eating red beans. You can’t shit me.”

“You don’t understand what my father is trying to say,” Michael broke in, his voice reasonable. “Times have changed. We just don’t have the same kind of clout with this person that we had eighteen years ago.”

“That’s no problem,” Kev said, his heart thudding. “Just give me his name and his address. I’ll take care of the clout myself.”

Michael and Gaetano gave him a stare. He returned it.

“The name, please,” Kev said. “Give it to me. And we’ll leave.”

Zia Rosa put down her coffee cup with a clatter. “Tittina. Did you steal Nonna’s jewelry box from Madga’s apartment after she died?”

Oh, Christ, no. Kev cringed, inwardly. Zia’s timing sucked.

Costantina thrust out her chin. “How dare you accuse me!”

“You did!” Rosa spat the words out. “It’s true, eh? Eh?”

“I wouldn’t call it stealing!” Costantina yelled. “I’d call it salvage! The no-good trash next door would have stolen it, or it would have ended up in the garbage! And it should have been mine to begin with!”

“Nonna gave it to me,” Zia Rosa shot back. “Not you!”

“But I was older!” Costantina’s face had gone purple.

“Yeah, and you was also a nasty lying little troia who couldn’t keep her panties on!” Zia Rosa snarled.

“It ain’t my fault nobody ever wanted to get into yours, brutta zitellaccia!” Costantina shrieked back.

Things degenerated from there. Kev cursed. He was about to grab Zia to drag her out the door— And the room exploded in gunfire.





“Hobart? The video, please?” King prompted his servant.

Hobart went to the computer pad. He tapped it and held up the screen in front of Bruno’s face.

“This is Lily’s debrief,” King said. “The whole thing would take hours. I selected a couple of highlights to illustrate my point.”

The sound was tinny, but he would know Lily’s soft voice anywhere, even distorted by the tweeter and rough with exhaustion.

“. . . all I know, he was already screwing other women. He’s a ladies’ man. He’d boff anything female with a pulse. And he’s attractive. Who could blame me?”

“Oh, no one, my dear.” It was King’s voice, coming from behind the camera. “Was he good?”

Lily froze for a moment. A smile curved her lips. Bruno had never seen that smile, or that strange, hard glitter in her eyes.

“Very good.” Her voice went low to a sexy purr. “Lots of stamina.”

The camera cut to a moving shot that swirled around her, taking in King and the woman, his other servant. “I was so entertained,” Lily went on, with a light laugh. “We had quite the mad affair.”

The camera flashed to King’s reaction, laughing. “ that’s funny,” he said. “You are unique, Lily.”

She gave the camera that cold-as-glass smile again. It chilled him to the bone. “I’m gratified,” she said. “I live to please.”

“I know you do,” King replied. “You’ve done very well, my dear. You’ve exceeded my expectations. I’m so pleased with you.”

“I’m glad that you are,” she said, her voice oddly wooden.

“In fact, after this is finished, I’ve decided to give you a very special privilege,” King went on. “A great honor. I’ve chosen you for the qualities of bravery and cunning that you displayed in this assignment. I am starting a new crop of embryos for the pods, my dear. And I have chosen to use your eggs—with my sperm.”

The camera cut to Lily’s reaction. She looked dumbstruck. Tears glittered in her eyes. One of them flashed down her cheek.