Chapter 11
Tricia quietly stepped down the hallway and came to a stop in front of her door. She let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she’d been holding when her eyes set on the key in front of her. There’s no guarantee that Nicky had came back to the apartment that Tricia shared with Little Tony, but that bet had pretty good chances of coming to fruition.
She turned the key in the lock and went ahead to open the door. Tricia unconsciously smiled at the TV sounding in the room. “Hey, Nicky.” Tricia called out, closing the door behind her with a gentle snap. “You waited up for me?”
Nicky turned with a big bowl of popcorn in her lap. “Yeah.” She looked guarded, and very much concerned. “What happened today?”
Tricia let out a harsh burst of laughter before dropping next to Nicky on the couch. “Your uncle arrested my brother.”
She could feel the way that Nicky tensed up next to her before slowly relaxing. “Which uncle? What they think he did?”
“The detective. Danny, I think.” Tricia grabs a hand full of popcorn out of the bowl. “They thought he raped and killed a prostitute.” She loudly crunched the popcorn in her mouth and didn’t turn her eyes away from the mindless show playing on the screen.
Nicky’s hand bushed hers as she went ahead to grab a bite of popcorn herself. “You think he did it?” Tricia stared at the television long enough that she knew that the silence was stretching to becoming uncomfortable. “Trish?”
Decisively, Tricia grabbed the remote and paused the screen in front of them. She closed her eyes for a moment to come to a decision. It took her a moment before she took the popcorn to place it on the floor and turn to her girlfriend. She reached out and thought second of it so she brought her hands back into her lap to clench at her shirt. “I know he didn’t do it, Nicky. I know my brother…he would never put someone through that. He saw…” She glanced down, unable to look at Nicky’s face when she went further. “He saw what being raped did to our mom, and how…how I reacted when it happened to me.”
Nicky reached out a hand and gingerly touched Tricia’s face. “Hey. Hey. Trish, look at me, baby. Please? Don’t pull away.”
Tricia shook her head, pulling back from the touch. “The thing is, Nicky…I think I know who the killer is that your uncle is look for. I know that justice will be served if I open my mouth…but I don’t know if I want to deal with the consequences.”
“Tricia…”
Tricia finally looks at her girlfriend at the plea in her voice. “He likes to bite. The bite marks won’t match Little Tony’s.”
Here, Nicky’s eyes widen even further and drop down to where she knows Tricia has scar that looked just like a bit mark.
“Yeah.” Tricia leaned her head back against the couch. “And I don’t want my brother to take on dad’s skills for me. Heck, I don’t want to take on dad’s skills for me. I’d like to stay as far away from anything dealing with the family as I can get.” At Nicky’s questioning look, Tricia couldn’t help the cruel smile that crossed her face. “Ask your mom about the Assante’s. Or about Gino.”
“Why won’t you tell me?” Nicky finally asks, this time her being the one to look away.
“Because…” Tricia took a breath and turned back around to hold Nicky’s face in her hands. “Because I want you to love me at least for a little wile longer.”