Page 66 of Total Obsession

She'd fallen asleep before I'd even had the chance to put a movie on. I knew it was because the dinner and the emotions that came with it had exhausted her.

My phone buzzing in my pocket pulled me out of whatever it was I was doing as far as Zoey was concerned. I stepped back into the main part of the apartment, closing the bedroom door behind me.

The moment I saw the number I almost chuckled. I'd been waiting for this call to come in. I was surprised it hadn't come in sooner.

"Where the hell are you?" It was Beau.

"Just finishing up Thanksgiving dinner on this fine holiday. Yourself?" I replied sarcastically.

"You know where the hell I am," he spat, his frustration coming clear through the line. Beau never was one for controlling his emotions. It had always surprised me that he'd made it so far in this world as a result. "I'm where you're supposed to be. How do you think we're going to explain this to Papa J?" he asked, using the code name for Johnny. I at least had to give him credit for still keeping to the protocol as far as names and wiretaps were concerned.

I sat down on the couch and picked up my whiskey. I took a slow sip and enjoyed hearing his panic on the other end of the line increase.

"I'm not sure, Beau, but then again, I don't think Johnny's really the one that you're going to need to report this little mishap too, is it?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Who actually gave you the orders, Beau? Go on and tell me. I won't be mad."

"Fuck you," he said to me.

"No, that doesn't sound right," I replied. "I'm not sure that I recall that being his name."

I was met with frantic sputtering on the other end of the line, but I just spoke over it.

"Go on, say it, Beau. Primo gave you the orders, didn't he?" I replied, not caring to hide the identity of the man I knew to be trying to set me up.

"I ain't saying shit," he replied.

"That's okay, my dear partner," I said to him. "You don't have to."

With that, I hung up the phone and immediately placed another call.

"I have an order," I said to Will.

"It is a holiday, you know," Will chided.

I ignored his antics, as always. "Beau Bennett."

"Whoa, Axe," Will replied. "He's one of ours."

"I'm aware of who he is," I replied. "I've been the one working with him for the past several years." I hesitated. "Working might not be the right word, putting up with is more like it."

"I guess I really don't want to know," Will said.

"After all this time, you're finally learning," I replied. "I haven't completely thought through how I want this one to happen. Just keep feeding me the normal information. If I need anything specific, I will let you know," I said.

"You know you're going to need a cleanup crew for this, yes? Considering that Beau isn't presumably going to be there to do it. Well, he'll be there, but he might be indisposed," Will said, making himself laugh with his thought train.

"I'll take care of that. I know who to get," I replied.

"Alright," Will said, and we both hung up the phone for the second time that evening.

I downed the rest of my whiskey and put the glass on the table. I was about to lean back but took a closer look at it. There was a red print on the side of the crystal. I looked at my finger to see that I was bleeding.

It was only then that I noticed a large crack in the vessel.

twenty-one