Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Who the hell was it?
“We don’t stand on ceremony at lunchtime,” Mrs. Bellamy says. “Just help yourself. Guests first, of course.”
“Obliged,” I say. I grab a burger from the plate and place it on a bun. I add some lettuce, tomato, and just a tiny bit of onion. Then some ketchup and mustard.
I wait until Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy serve themselves, and then I take a bite.
“Delicious,” I say after I wipe my mouth with my napkin.
“Bellamy beef. It’s the best,” Mr. Bellamy says.
“You might be right about that, sir.”
He laughs. “Please, call me Austin.”
“Of course. And you may call me Vinnie.”
Austin takes another bite of his burger. “So, Vinnie. How are you finding the state of Texas now that you’re home?”
“It’s hot,” I say.
Austin laughs. “It is that.”
“When I left for Europe, our family was still living on Long Island. Texas is new to me. But I like what I see so far. It’s a beautiful state.”
“It is indeed. Everything is bigger and better in Texas, as they say.” Austin takes a bite of his burger.
“Would you care for fruit salad, Vinnie?” Star hands me a crystal bowl filled with a mixture of cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, raspberries, and blueberries.
“Thank you.” I scoop some onto my plate and hand it to Austin.
“We can’t thank you enough,” Star says, “for what you’ve done for Falcon.”
I resist the urge to lift my eyebrows. How much do they know about what Falcon went through at the hand of my family?
“All I need to know is that Savannah loves him,” I say.
“Good man,” Austin says.
I simply nod and take another bite of my burger.
Good man. Will he be saying the same after he and I have our talk?
I don’t know that he will. I’m not sure what he thinks of me. He must know what my family does for a living.
Star chatters on and on about how well Raven is doing.
It’s funny that neither of them bring up the fact that a dead body was found in their home only mere days ago. But I’ll have plenty to say about that when I get Austin alone.
Once we’re done with lunch, Lucy brings in dishes of simple vanilla ice cream for dessert.
“Star makes her own ice cream,” Austin says. “There’s nothing like it.”
“I can’t wait to try it then.” I smile and take a spoonful of the ice cream.
Indeed, the ice cream is spectacular. So much creamier and with much more vanilla flavor than anything you can buy at the store. Even better than the gourmet ice cream Savannah served Raven and me at dinner last week.
“Wow,” I say after swallowing. “This may be the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.”
“It’s Raven’s favorite,” Star says. “She can’t get enough of it.”
“Just like her Orange Crush?” I can’t help a smile.
“Exactly.” Star smiles. “God broke the mold when he made that one.”
I can’t help grinning. “I can’t disagree with that.”
Once we’re done with the ice cream and Lucy clears the table, I turn to Austin. “Sir, if I may have a few minutes of your time in private?”
“Yes, of course.” He rises. “Star, will you excuse us?”
“Yes, of course.” She gets to her feet and collects the ice cream bowls. “You men go about your business. I’ll just help Lucy clean up.”
I follow Austin out of the kitchen and down a hallway to a large oak door. He opens it and gestures for me to go in.
He takes a seat behind the desk. “Please, have a seat.”
I sit down in one of the plush leather chairs facing him.
“So, Vinnie, what can I help you with?”
I take a deep breath in and meet his gaze.
“You can tell me about Brick Latham.”
31
RAVEN
Falcon joins Jared and me in the waiting area.
“Mr. Bianchi still in there?” I ask Falcon.
Falcon raises an eyebrow. “He’s with his daughter and Savannah.”
“Vinnie left,” I say.
“He did?”
“Yeah. He said it was business. But if his grandfather is still here…”
Falcon shakes his head. “Anything can be business to those people.”
“Vinnie is not one of those people,” I say adamantly.
Falcon rubs at his forehead. “I agree with you, Ray. But right now… I don’t want to even think about the kind of stuff he has to do.”
“I prefer not to think of it either.” I look over to Jared. “Could you excuse us for a minute? I want to talk to my brother alone.”
Jared rises. “I can go stand there by the hallway, but my eyes will be on you the entire time.”
“I understand.”
Jared nods and walks out of earshot.
“He knows everything, Ray,” Falcon says.
“He probably does. Sometimes I just want to talk to my big brother.”
“I’m all ears. What do you want to talk about?”
I bite my lip. “First of all, how is Mrs. Gallo?”
“She’s starting to come to, finally.”
“Why did you leave Savannah in there alone with her grandfather?”