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sigh of relief when I saw that there were no messages.
I might just survive this after all.
We didn t talk at all as I sped along the highway.
Mario seemed lost in his own thoughts and
apparently he didn t intend to share them with me.
That was just as well because I was in self-reflection
mode. I knew what I d done was foolish and after
seeing Frankie, I was convinced that I d done it all for
someone who had probably been using me all along. I
wanted to scream at Mario, I wanted to say why didn t
you just ask me to help get your sister back without playing
me like that& bringing me to life& making me care& when
I d spent my entire life learning how to protect myself from
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exactly this?
I resurrected my father s voice in that vehicle. I
suddenly felt like I needed to hear him say be a man,
Thomas& don t wear your emotions on your sleeve& real
men don t get all sentimental over stuff& that s for little
girls& don t be a little girl&
Mario had played Frankie, told him he loved him,
maybe even drove the bastard to a life of crime, and
I d ended up just like Frankie& another one of
Mario s dupes, falling for those eyes, that smile& that
perfect ass. Pawns, both of us, but that was all over
now. From now on, I wouldn t let Mario get to me. I
spent the rest of the drive rebuilding that wall and by
the time we arrived back at the hotel, it was all but a
fortress.
When we drove up to the Sleep Inn, Mario spoke to
me for the first time since we d left the city. Do we
have to stay here?
Yes, I said simply.
We got out of the car and walked into that little
office. Charlie seemed surprised to see us. Car not
running well?
It s fine, I said. Can we have a room for another
night?
Certainly. He handed me the key. I signed
something and left. Mario trailed after me.
Do you have your stuff? I asked him.
It s in the car, he said.
I got his bag and my own stuff, including the
weapons and we walked down the line to the last
cabin. I put the key in the lock and opened the door. It
was the same tacky dcor, but I really didn t give a
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shit. This room had two beds. That was a good thing.
Mario laid down on one of them. I locked the door
then sat down on the other one.
He looked over at me. If I didn t thank you& I
want to&
No need, I said. No problem. Go to sleep.
Thomas?
Go to sleep, Mario, I said, lying down on the bed.
Come over here, sleep beside me?
I didn t answer.
Thomas?
No, I said. It s over now.
Thomas? He sat up. I don t&
Mario, I don t want to talk about it. From now on
we keep our mind on one thing& you living long
enough to testify. That s all. Is that clear? I knew
how I sounded, cold, hard, unfeeling. I sounded like
my father.
If that s what you want, he whispered.
I turned off the light. That s exactly what I want.
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CHAPTER SIX
hen I opened my eyes, I looked over to see Mario
W
sleeping. He was on his side, his face towards me,
his arm hanging outside the bed as if he were trying
to reach over and touch me. I sighed and sat up. It
wasn t very comfortable sleeping in my clothes, but I
had been too damn exhausted to do anything about it.
My shoulder was stiff, and I moved it around a little. I
got up and checked outside, checked the door and the
window.
I took my gun into the bathroom and laid it on the
sink. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the
shower, keeping my ears alert for any sound. I
allowed only a stream of water so that the sound
wouldn t drown out the background noises. I turned
around when I heard movement. Mario stepped into
the bathroom. I kept my eye on my gun. He stood
there watching me through the transparent shower
curtain. The shower doesn t seem to be very good,
he commented, flipping up the toilet seat and using
the facilities. I rinsed and turned off the shower, then
reached for a towel and wrapped it around my waist,
picking up my gun off the sink.
I kept it on low. You can go ahead if you like, I
told him and stepped out of the tub.
He looked at me for a minute. I felt so lonely last
night.
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D.J. MANLY
That s normal, I replied. I wished to hell he
would just move so that I could get out of the
bathroom. You re away from your mother, your
sister& you re the only witness in a big time
That s not what I mean, and you know it. What s
happened to you? What s changed? Do you think I
don t know the sacrifice you did for me?
I did my job, he said, even if it wasn t the
assigned one. Now, if you don t mind, Mario, I d like
to& I tried to get past.
He stood his ground. You know yesterday I saw
you& I really saw you. I watched you put together
that high tech gadget on the roof& saw you go into a
dangerous situation with skill and courage, and not
once did I lose faith that you were going to bring us
out of there alive. I feel safe with you, Thomas, and
there is no one I d rather have watching my back than
you.
That touched me. I actually looked away for a
minute, then I heard that voice, the one I presented so
often to the world. Thanks for the vote of confidence,
but if you don t mind&
It s Frankie, isn t it? It s what he said to you.
Listen, Thomas, I want to explain about Frankie and
me&
You don t owe me any explanations. I shook my
head. Look, what happened between us happened
because we were alone together and for a long time I
had denied certain& urges& but I won t do that
anymore.
What do you& mean?
When I m off duty, I ll express my sexuality like
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any man. My sexuality has nothing to do with my job
as long as they remain separate.
I m sure you ll have a fucking line outside your
door, he glowered at me. And they ll sure as hell
enjoy your body, but they ll never get anything else
than those sculptured muscles and that big, juicy
cock. He left the bathroom without another word.
I pursed my lips, looked at myself in the mirror. I
had two days growth of beard on my face and my
blue eyes looked bloodshot and sad& very sad. I
rubbed my hand over my jaw. I pushed Mario s
words away and decided to find my shaving kit.
Mario was sitting on the bed when I came out.
You can use the shower if you want. I can wait to
shave.
He sprang up with his bag and headed for the
bathroom. The door closed. A few minutes later, my
cell phone rang. I sighed and picked it up. Petrie
here.
Hello, Thomas, how is it going?
I recognized the voice of my superior immediately.
I said a silent prayer that he wouldn t know anything
about my little diversion yesterday. Everything is
fine, Sir, still at the hotel waiting for orders.
We found out that there was no breach. The
location is secure. I want you to take the witness back
there.
To the cabin?
Yes.
My heart sank. It was the last place I wanted to go
with Mario. We ll get ready, have some breakfast
and be on our way.
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D.J. MANLY
There is an agent waiting for you up there. He s
brought fresh supplies. He ll spend the night and take
down any information you may have. They re
thinking of moving up the trial date, Thomas, so it
might only be another week. How is it going?
De Luca is healthy, and
No, I mean your relationship. Has he told you
anything that might be useful to the prosecution? Did
you find out who he was protecting?
No, I said, closing my eyes.
Lower those defenses, Petrie, make friends.
I will, sir, I have. He&
His sister and mother are now under twenty-four-
hour surveillance.
Sister?
Yes, we didn t even know he had a sister, and
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