Luke’s lips pressed together but, even so, they were still twitching like something was very, very funny and he didn’t want to laugh out loud.
When he got himself under control, he said, “I don’t think they say that anymore, Ava, if they ever did, outside the movies.”
Oh well. So I didn’t talk wise guy. Sue me.
I leaned in. “What you’re saying is, they’re going to whack him,” I was still whispering.
Luke shook his head, let my neck go but his hand slid to my jaw. “No, where Vincetti’s goin’, he’ll still be breathin’. Your problem is, Vito wants to send Sissy with him.”
All my body systems froze solid.
No!
No, no, no!
No!
“That can’t happen,” I said when my mouth was moving again.
“Vito’s determined, says marriage is life. Wants them back together.”
I’d heard that before.
“But, Dom’s a dickhead,” I said, sounding slightly desperate (which I was). “He’s mean to her. He doesn’t let her serve leftovers. He tells her what to wear. He doesn’t know what a woman should wear! One time he told her to put on these pink Capri pants with this purple gypsy shirt. Apart they were kickass items of clothing. Together she looked like a fool. I know it sounds stupid but it’s not. It’s bossy and not in the tough guy, kinda sexy, bossy way that you’re bossy, it’s just plain old mean bossy. He’s a jerk!”
Oops.
Did I just tell Luke his tough guy, bossy ways were “kinda sexy”?
His face was coming closer to mine, his hand had flexed on my jaw and he had a full on grin happening so I guessed I did.
“I take that back!” I said a bit loud and sounding like a third grader. His head stopped its descent but his grin didn’t go away. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m just freaked out. I don’t want Sissy to go back to Dom.”
Lucky for me, Luke decided to let it go. “I know that, babe, but Matt saw you two wrestling when Vincetti was out on the street. You were trying to stop her from getting to him. You have to talk to her, give her the option because Sissy might not agree.”
Unfortunately, Luke was right, she might not.
I closed my eyes. With my eyes closed, I felt Luke kiss my nose.
Just as an aside, a closed-eyes, you’re about to lose your bestest best friend to Uncle Vito oblivion, Luke Nose Kiss was very, very sweet.
I opened my eyes again and saw his face was partly soft, but his eyes were fully warm like he knew what losing Sissy would mean to me. This caused another warm whoosh to power through me.
“You’ve got to the police station to talk to her,” Luke said softly. “Find out what she wants to do. She decides she wants to divorce him, we’ll take care of her, put her in the safe room until Vito cools it and Vincetti is out of the picture. She decides she wants to go with him, we’ll deliver her safe to Vito.”
I needed more information. Tons more.
“What does ‘disappearing’ mean?” I asked. “Is she going to be gone for everyone, her Dad, her Mom? And if so, for how long? Will she come back? Will she phone? What do I tell them? Can we visit her? Are we talking another state, another country, another continent?”
“Right now disappearing at all is Sissy’s decision. We delay a lot longer here, babe, Vito’s gonna cotton on to what we’re doing and it will be Vito’s decision.”
I decided I didn’t need any more information.
“Time to go,” I said abruptly, turning on my heel and walking into the other room. “Sissy, let’s go ID some bad guys,” I announced, hightailing it through the loft, sparing Lucky a glance. “Lucky, later.”
“Vito says…” Lucky started but Sissy and Hector were already at the elevator, Hector had tagged the button and the doors were sliding open.
I joined them and we moved into the elevator as Lucky started to come our way. He was too late. Luke had already moved to block the path between Lucky and us.