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I grin while walking out of the cafeteria, a lightness to my steps I’ve missed since getting the message I had a child. I text Mattia, informing him of Zakiya’s disguise and to double the men tailing her.
A part of me wants to see if she can lose my men again, and if she can, how long it will take. I can afford to be amused. She’s agreed to give me what I want.
Some of what I want, I correct myself. Now that I’ve decided she’s part of the package, I have all the patience in the world to fulfill my fantasies. And the first will be to rip those fucking glasses off her face and look into her eyes.
CHAPTER 7
Zakiya
I return to Mr. Murphy’s after leaving Sansone.
Loud grumbling grows the closer he gets to the front entrance to let me in. When he swings the door open, he glares at me, starting at my feet and traveling to the top of my curly wig.
“Hmph. Damn shame you think you got to cover up what God done gave you.” He turns his back on me and leads me inside. “I got the girl to agree to paint some of these houses, but here you come, ruining our good time.”
When we enter the room with the miniature town, Jinx hasn’t moved from where I left her earlier.
“Did she eat?”
Mr. Murphy glares at me. “What do you take me for? For every train she finished, I gave her five chicken nuggets. You won’t believe how productive she became.”
“Oh, my God, Mr. Murphy. You can’t train a little girl the way you would a dog.”
“What nonsense. If I were trying to make her into a loyal pet, I would have taught her to fetch. Do you know how often I walked back and forth to keep up with her because she was blowing through my project? My poor knees barely kept up.” Hebreathes heavily before settling on a chair perfectly positioned to oversee Jinx’s progress. “It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t so g-d good at it. Look!” He holds up a model train car with an intricate design on the sides.
I take the miniature from him. “Jinx, you did this?” I ask the little girl.
She peers at her feet and jerks her head.
“Do you know what this means?”
Jinx peeks up at me before retrieving her stuffed animal.
With no other clue to determine if she’s paying attention, I assume she is. “We need to go to the art store to give you a studio.”
She jerks her head up, and her mouth opens but no sound escapes.
“It’s settled,” I say. “This weekend you’ll have everything you need to become the next Banksy.” I take her hand and lead her toward the door.
Mr. Murphy explodes from his chair and hobbles on his cane to intercept us at the door, no longer out of breath. “Now, wait a minute. When can I expect the little one to return? Can’t have these houses looking like bland rejects after she done gifted me with fantasy trains.”
“Oh…” I glance at Jinx. “Actually, I have to take Jinx to her father.”
The news deflates Mr. Murphy, and all his spit and vinegar drains away, leaving his shoulders slumped. A hopeful spark enters his eyes. “How sure are you he’s going to take?”
“I’m not, but I’ll be with Jinx so if he does anything she doesn’t like, we’ll leave.”
Mr. Murphy bypasses me to address Jinx. “Remember what I said about if anybody gives you trouble.” He raises his cane and jabs it in the air. “I’ll feed them a wood sandwich they won’t walk away from.”
Jinx jerks her head. Although nothing else in her demeanor changes, I sense she enjoys Mr. Murphy’s vow. I can’t believe they bonded so well over an afternoon, considering Mr. Murphy’s first language is grunts and Jinx is mute. Regardless, I’m glad Jinx has a new person in her corner, gruff and ornery or not.
After promising Mr. Murphy I’ll occasionally drop Jinx off for a visit, we head to my house to pack some essentials. If Sansone doesn’t work out, we’ll be able to run with a little pre-planning.
At five on the dot, we drive onto Sansone’s Haven estate. Unlike the first home where Jinx and I ambushed him, this place is more suited for a small child. There are no imposing statues and the surrounding garden with its profusion of colorful flowers softens the stone building. A path leads to the front door instead of the dramatic stairs we climbed at the other location.
Jinx stares wide-eyed with awe instead of fear. At least the asshole has common sense to pick this place. If he had chosen the other mansion or his penthouse, my estimation of his character would have sunk pretty damn low. He’s already working on a deficit, but this choice raises him to a marginally better asshole.
Still an asshole.
