“No, tomorrow.” I can almost hear Luciano rolling his eyes from here. “Yes, now. Why else would I have asked?”
Johnny lets out an exaggerated breath and slides his shoe away, shutting the door to unlatch the security chain and opening it wide.
Luciano strolls in, shifting his gaze all around while making his way toward me. “I know a guy.” He points at my face. “I can have someone look at that.”
“I’m fine.” Although, it really does feel like I got hit by a fucking truck. Can’t say I’ve ever been punched in the face by a man or pistol-whipped before. I guess there’s a first time for everything. And hopefully a last.
“What are you doing here, Luciano?” Johnny comes over and stands in front of me, like he’s protecting me from any potential threat.
Luciano sits down on the chair opposite of me, making himself right at home. “I need to know what I’m dealing with here. Clearly, you and Franklin have some kind of feud. I’m just trying to put all the pieces together. What’s a guy like him have against someone like you?”
“The details aren’t important.” Johnny remains firm in place.
I raise my hand to rest it on his back. “Hey,” I say calmly. “Sit.” I manage to tug him down next to me.
Still, he pivots himself like a shield across me.
Luciano adjusts the cuffs of his black dress shirt. “I just disposed of two bodies for you. The least you could do is not act like I’m the dangerous person here.”
I wrap my fingers around Johnny’s, hoping it anchors him in this unsteady time.
“I worked for him, and then I didn’t. He didn’t exactly take my parting very well, tried to kill me.” Johnny raises his shirt to show Luciano the scar on his torso. “I took the opportunity to fake my death, and here we are.”
Luciano leans forward. “He put a hit out on you?”
“Why is that surprising to you? I thought you knew Franklin.”
“Oh, I know him all right.” Luciano shifts his gaze to me and then back to Johnny. “You two haven’ttalkedyet, have you?”
I speak up. “We haven’t exactly had the moment.” I circle my finger around my face. “With this going on and all.”
Johnny tenses beside me. It’s one thing for me to have a secret, but to share one with this stranger, it’s probably enough to unhinge him.
“What is it?” Johnny turns toward me.
“Well, um…” I point to Luciano. “He’s part of your family tree.”
There, I said it.
Johnny looks at Luciano. “What, like an uncle or something?”
Luciano runs his hand through his hair, the dark locks billowing in response.
“Actually.” I brace for the bomb that I’m about to detonate. “He’s your father.”
Johnny shakes his head side to side slowly. “No.”
Luciano sits there, waiting for the shock to wear off. But something like this, on top of everything else that’s happened, could take Johnny a while to process.
“Wait.” Johnny scratches his temple. “If this is true.” He stares at the man with a striking resemblance of him. “And you’re my…dad.” He emphasizes the last word like it might bite him. “What does that make me to Franklin?”
Now I’m the one thrown for a loop. What does Franklin have to do with any of this?
Luciano sighs. “His nephew.”
I sit up straighter, trying to get around Johnny to get a better view of Luciano. “He’s your brother?”
Luciano nods. “Unfortunately. Yes.”
I am at a complete loss for words. Never in a million years did I imagine taking that small sample of Johnny’s DNA would result in finding a birth father, let alone forever linking him to the man who tried to kill him. The sick fuck who almost ruined Johnny’s life. Who was going to have a bullet blasted into my head a few hours ago because I wouldn’t give him the information he wanted.
Nephew.
Wasn’t that the same thing Franklin said about Josey? Which would either make Johnny and him brothers…or cousins. Either way, the plot thickens with them somehow being related, too.