He smiles, but then he slaps me with his other hand. “Not too slow. Brody is just a cop. No cunning. He does what he’s told, the same as the rest. Who else?”
“Just tell me already.”
“You will learn nothing if I do. Take a few days. Think hard, like I taught you. When the clues are all there, all you have to do is piece it all together.”
He drains his glass, picking up his newspaper. “I hear your latest nanny has walked out.”
“Apparently so.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Get a new one.”
“How many have you gone through now?”
“I have another one lined up.”
“That was quick. I thought the agency refused to send any more. They don’t want to work with the mafia, apparently.”
“This is someone I’ve picked. A civilian.”
He raises his eyebrows. “A civilian? Brought into the family home? Are you certain this is wise?”
“She knows nothing of our work.”
“How will you keep it that way?”
“Leave that to me. Are we done here? I have a lot to do today.”
“One last thing. I heard a rumor that you kept one floor open. The firings have stopped. Care to explain?”
“That’s the deal I made with the civilian. I let her magazine friends keep their jobs while she works for me.”
He shifts in his seat, stroking his chin. “You fucked this girl, didn’t you?”
“Does that matter?”
“Don’t shit where you eat, Hunter. What happens when she gets pissed at you? Decides to talk to the authorities about our business. Could you kill the woman you’re fucking?”
“You mean like you and mom?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. If it comes to it, could you put a gun to her head and pull the trigger?”
“You know I could.”
“No worries that you might fall in love? Might weaken your resolve when it comes to the crunch.”
“There’s no such thing as love, you know that.”
“That’s my boy. Just remember that when it comes to kicking her crying ass out into the street. We are family. We take care of each other. She is nothing without our blood in her. Nothing.”
“I intend to fuck her for two months and then get rid of her.”
“Why two months?”
“Have you forgotten your own deadline?”
He grins at me. “Just messing with you. You keep her for the duration. See if she can give you what you need. Remember, the clock’s ticking, though. Your brother marries on Christmas Eve. If you are not wed first, it’s game over.”