Page 12 of Vows of Blood
That perks my ears up. “So, what did you hear?”
“Only that Papa wants you to get married to Pecora’s oldest daughter.”
I wince in disbelief. “He wants me tomarryTony Pecora’s daughter? You can’t have heard that right.”
“I heard what I heard.”
I stare at him, looking for the lie, waiting for him to suddenly start laughing and tell me that it was just a joke. He doesn’t. He just looks back at me with his swelling nose.
“That is one hundred percent not true,” I tell him. “I would know if I were about to marry Analisa Pecora.”
“Listen, believe me or don’t. I’m only telling you what I heard.” He sniffles again and this time, the sound is clogged. “I need to get this checked out. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, sure.” We walk down the alley together and to the parking lot. Before we get to the car, I say, “Don’t worry about Papa. I’ll talk to him about what happened tonight.”
Pavel nods and says, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
As we get in the car, I realize that’s not all I need to talk to my father about.
“Hey, you forget to duck?”
One of my father’s guards is standing at the door when we arrive at his house. He’s a big man with a round, jolly face and permanently rosy cheeks under his full beard. In all these years, Pavel and I have never known his real name. We just call him UncleMorozbecause he reminds us both of Santa Claus. Especially when he starts laughing like he is now.
As we walk up to the door, he reaches out to Pavel’s chin. “That’s a solid shot,” he says. “You’re gonna need to set it. I can do it for you real quick if you want.”
Pavel gives me a cautious look and I pat him on the shoulder. “I’ll see you upstairs.”
As I walk away, I hear them go back and forth about Pavel’s nose. By the time I reach the stairs, the halls fill with a loudcrackandPavel yelping out and cursing in pain. I guess Uncle Moroz made good on his suggestion.
My father is in his study and his door is open. A warm amber light spills out and into the hallway as I approach. I knock, pushing the door open.
He’s sitting at his desk, reading glasses on his nose as he hovers over what looks like a notebook. The second he sees me, he smiles and takes off his glasses.
“You’re back already. How did it go?”
“Kozlov got away from us,” I tell him. Before my father can say anything, I add, “It’s not Pavel’s fault. Kozlov saw us coming and got the jump on him. Greasy bastard’s fast.”
He sits there with a neutral expression, then he shrugs. “Koz was always a slippery son of a bitch. Where’s your brother know?”
“Probably in the kitchen with ice on his face. Kozlov broke his nose.”
At that, he shakes his head. “He really needs to learn to duck.” He sighs and puts his glasses back on. “I guess next time, hmm?”
That’s my cue to leave. He’s turned back to whatever he was reading which means the conversation is over, but my feet stay rooted to the spot.
“Is there something else you wanted to talk about?” he asks without looking up.
“Yes. I’ve heard that I’m about to be married. To one of Pecora’s daughters.” He freezes momentarily, then takes his glasses off again and sets them aside. “I immediately thought that itcouldn’t be true because you would never arrange a thing like that without talking to me first.”
He scoffs. “You think you know so well what I would or would not do? Interesting how you talk to me like you’re the one in charge.”
I’ve insulted him. Still, he hasn’t denied it yet. “I meant no disrespect,” I say. “It’s only that I’m your son and, more importantly, your Brigadier. Rumors like this among our ranks don’t serve us?—”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing that it’s not a rumor.”
I’m stunned silent. It’s like he’s slapped me in the throat and I’ve lost my ability to speak. In my silence, he shakes his head.
“This is not how I wanted you to find out,” he says. “I was planning on telling you once the final arrangements had been made. Ah, but what’s done is done. You know now. That’s all that matters.”
