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“Very good.”
Once in the sitting room, Fred took a seat on the blue tufted sofa, his gaze moving directly out the window. The gentle lighting in the garden gave off an ethereal ambiance. Between the calming light and the company of this delightfully bratty and beautiful redheaded man, I felt at peace.
“Any preferences?” I inquired as I stood at the small bar.
“Whatever you’re having is fine,” he said without looking away from the view.
I poured the golden-brown liquid into two tumblers and added a couple of ice cubes to them and joined Fred by the window. There was a matching chair by the couch I took once he accepted my drink.
“Thank you.” He didn’t ask what it was, just took a sip. Trusting or reckless? Two very different definitions and outcomes once figured out.
He made an appreciative sound. “What is this?”
“Drambuie on the rocks.”
“It’s delicious. I can taste the honey and spices, but they’re not overwhelming. Smooth.”
I smiled, pleased he enjoyed the beverage as it was my favorite post-dinner drink. “Glad you like it.”
After he took another few sips and rested the glass on the table, I broached a topic with him I’d avoided…Future me might hit present me upside the head.
“Fred, I know you’ve had a trying day, and I hate to burden you further. But before we meet with Albert tomorrow, I feel I should discuss something that has been on my mind.”
He sighed as if I’d shattered the fragile peace he was wrapped in. “Rip it off like a Band-Aid.”
“I’ve been going over everything about the night your uncle and cousin were killed. One thing keeps bothering me.”
“Only one?” He snorted.
“Well, yes, actually. I am examining all of this as the professional killer I am. I can remove emotion and only concentrate on facts.”
Fred seesawed his head back and forth. “Fair. And what’s keeping you up at night, Vincenzo?”
Was there a purr in his voice? Shit, was he flirting, teasing? Maybe I was reading into something that wasn’t there. Shit. I was about to burst the bubble I’d worked so hard to slip into with Fred.
“You said you told Aiden to stay with Zion as you left the restaurant. He naturally disagreed and explained he very much didn’t like you going without him.”
“Right, but stupid me thought we were fine.”
“Not stupid, relaxed. And sadly for people like you and me, it’s a rare feeling we embrace when we can.”
He nodded. “True, so go on.”
“If Aiden had followed you, he’d likely have been killed or wounded. Perhaps the whole scenario would have changed.”
“I imagine it would have. My uncle might have been able to save Aine, or concentrated on himself and I wouldn’t have lost them both that night.”
“My point is…” I didn’t want him falling into the hole he was sliding into. “If the plan originally was for four of you and not three of you, how’d it go down the way it did?” I held up my hand because I knew it was unclear. “Zion told me that the shots were fired about two minutes after you exited the restaurant with your uncle and Aine. But right after you left without Aiden, he took his phone out and texted someone.”
He shrugged. “Okay…he does that. I tend to not follow rules; he might have had Kieran or Adam or somebody on the street and was getting a message to them to watch me.”
“Did you see them?”
“I didn’t see anything, Vincenzo.” Fred’s eyes narrowed. “All I saw was the SUV rounding the corner briefly before shots were fired. Then my uncle’s face, then nothing.”
“You’re not going to like what I have to say next, Fred.”
“I’m already not liking it, Vin.” He quirked a brow as he shortened my name.
