Page 175 of Made in Love and Blood

No, she couldn’t take it.

But he needed to yell now.

“Give it t-to me,” Nico said. “She can’t—”

“Get out of my face,” he hissed at Frankie.

She did not wait for him to say another thing before sliding out of that chair away from him the moment he gave her the opportunity. His daughter didn’t go far into the hallway before stumbling into what sounded like the wall. Those cleats were not good on his floors for more than one reason. But the quiet exchange between two women and Frankie, who continued loudly crying, filtered back into the office.

Salvatore just turned back to Nico.

He stared up at him.

“It’s okay,” Nico told him. “I can take it. I can.”

Yeah, he knew.

So, Salvatore gave it all to him. Every loud, hateful word. Nico took it and then thanked Sal for not hitting him when it was over.

“I don’t hit my fucking kids, Nico!”

That was the last thing he would yell at that boy. Ever.

•••

The study overlooked the driveway and courtyard.

Sal’s bedroom overlooked the back property.

He smelled Carina’s sultry body oil before she came up beside him. “Found you,” she said softly.

“Hmm.”

He wondered how long she had to look, hours after he sent her from the office. The way she settled in against him, resting her head against his bicep, he figured they were okay.

“You know, I don’t think you’ve slept up here in...”

“Months,” he filled in for her, the longer it took.

“Kinda like you downstairs, babe.”

“Me, too. But you don’t want to share that big closet, do you?”

He felt her cheek lift with a grin. “I’d give you two racks and a section of shelves.”

“Good, because I have plans for the space up here.”

She glanced up at him. “Oh, making the closet bigger?”

“Hell no.”

Her hand swatted playfully at him. “Mean.”

“Aren’t you going to ask the plans for the rooms?”

“Probably a man cave. Game room. Sex dun—”

“No,” he muttered. “You had your fill of that sort.”