his breath, his words harsh, his gaze deadly.
‘That’s enough,’ said Rob, and grabbed Kit’s arm.
Kit took a fumbling swing at Rob, but stumbled sideways. Effortlessly Rob dodged the blow, pushed Kit’s arm behind his back and pulled him away, toward Ruby’s car.
Ruby stood there, aware of Vittore’s coldly contained rage, of Bella’s distress.
‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated. ‘He’s drinking a lot. I know it’s no excuse, but . . .’ her voice trailed away.
There was no excuse. This had been terrible, an insult. She was still shaking from the suddenness with which Vittore had caught hold of Kit.
‘Come, Mama,’ said Vittore, and took Bella’s arm and put her in the limousine.
‘Wait—’ started Ruby, following.
Vittore turned a snakelike gaze on her. ‘ Go away ,’ he hissed.
Ruby’s shoulders slumped. Moving among the staring crowds, she made her way to her own car. Rob was already behind the wheel, and Kit was laid out, eyes closed, in the back. She got in beside him, looked at him with disgust. This was her son, but at this moment she was ashamed of him.
‘Back to yours?’ asked Rob, his eyes meeting hers in the rear-view mirror.
Ruby nodded. Right now, she couldn’t trust herself to speak. Kit had ruined everything. And she couldn’t help thinking again of Bella’s words.
Blood will flow.
She only hoped it wouldn’t be Kit’s. But after this? She very much feared that it would.
‘Rob? Did you hear what Vittore said?’ she asked him.
Rob shook his head.
‘ Rob? ’ she insisted.
Rob heaved a heavy sigh. ‘It’s an empty threat, Ruby.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He said, “You and yours,” said Rob uneasily. Actually, what Rob had really heard Vittore say was: ‘I’m going to rip the heart out of your family, out of each and every one of you.’
He wasn’t about to tell Ruby that.
Instead, he shrugged. ‘Big talk. That’s all.’
Ruby looked at him. She thought he was lying, but she wasn’t going to pursue it.
‘Get us home,’ she said.
16
‘You bloody fool,’ said Ruby, thrusting a cup of freshly ground black coffee into her son’s hands.
Kit lay sprawled on her sofa at the Marlow house. He straightened, took the coffee, stared at it, then swallowed a mouthful. Lifted the cup in salute to his mother, who stood over him looking disapproving.
‘Thank you, Mother dear,’ he said.
‘And you can stop that right away,’ snapped Ruby. ‘D’you think that was clever, turning up and making a show of yourself?’
Kit put the drink down on the side table. Looked up at her, then at Rob, who was standing over by the window, arms folded, watching. At least Daisy wasn’t here giving him an ear-bashing too. She was out somewhere, either pretending she was loving the store work to arse-lick her way into Ruby’s good books, or with Jody and the twins.
‘Wanted to say my farewells,’ said Kit. He was feeling steadier now, but faintly sick – and his head was starting to throb again.
‘You should have stopped away.’
‘Well, I didn’t.’
‘I talked to Bella Danieri today. She told me something important.’
‘ Did she now.’
‘Can you not take that tone with me please?’ said Ruby. ‘Yes. She did.’
‘So what’s this nugget of pure gold she passed on to you then?’
‘Jesus, mate . . .’ said Rob, shaking his head.
Ruby crouched down so that she was on the same level as Kit. ‘She told me none of her sons was responsible for Michael’s death.’
Kit sat there a moment, staring at Ruby’s face.
Then he started to laugh. He laughed so hard she thought he was about to shit himself.
‘Yes. Hysterically funny,’ said Ruby.
Kit wiped at his eyes; he was literally crying with laughter. Neither Rob nor Ruby looked even faintly amused.
‘Look,’ said Kit when he could get his breath, ‘whether it was Tito who put the gun to Michael’s head, or Vittore or that little shit Fabio, it’s all the same to me. The order came from
‘That’s enough,’ said Rob, and grabbed Kit’s arm.
Kit took a fumbling swing at Rob, but stumbled sideways. Effortlessly Rob dodged the blow, pushed Kit’s arm behind his back and pulled him away, toward Ruby’s car.
Ruby stood there, aware of Vittore’s coldly contained rage, of Bella’s distress.
‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated. ‘He’s drinking a lot. I know it’s no excuse, but . . .’ her voice trailed away.
There was no excuse. This had been terrible, an insult. She was still shaking from the suddenness with which Vittore had caught hold of Kit.
‘Come, Mama,’ said Vittore, and took Bella’s arm and put her in the limousine.
‘Wait—’ started Ruby, following.
Vittore turned a snakelike gaze on her. ‘ Go away ,’ he hissed.
Ruby’s shoulders slumped. Moving among the staring crowds, she made her way to her own car. Rob was already behind the wheel, and Kit was laid out, eyes closed, in the back. She got in beside him, looked at him with disgust. This was her son, but at this moment she was ashamed of him.
‘Back to yours?’ asked Rob, his eyes meeting hers in the rear-view mirror.
Ruby nodded. Right now, she couldn’t trust herself to speak. Kit had ruined everything. And she couldn’t help thinking again of Bella’s words.
Blood will flow.
She only hoped it wouldn’t be Kit’s. But after this? She very much feared that it would.
‘Rob? Did you hear what Vittore said?’ she asked him.
Rob shook his head.
‘ Rob? ’ she insisted.
Rob heaved a heavy sigh. ‘It’s an empty threat, Ruby.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He said, “You and yours,” said Rob uneasily. Actually, what Rob had really heard Vittore say was: ‘I’m going to rip the heart out of your family, out of each and every one of you.’
He wasn’t about to tell Ruby that.
Instead, he shrugged. ‘Big talk. That’s all.’
Ruby looked at him. She thought he was lying, but she wasn’t going to pursue it.
‘Get us home,’ she said.
16
‘You bloody fool,’ said Ruby, thrusting a cup of freshly ground black coffee into her son’s hands.
Kit lay sprawled on her sofa at the Marlow house. He straightened, took the coffee, stared at it, then swallowed a mouthful. Lifted the cup in salute to his mother, who stood over him looking disapproving.
‘Thank you, Mother dear,’ he said.
‘And you can stop that right away,’ snapped Ruby. ‘D’you think that was clever, turning up and making a show of yourself?’
Kit put the drink down on the side table. Looked up at her, then at Rob, who was standing over by the window, arms folded, watching. At least Daisy wasn’t here giving him an ear-bashing too. She was out somewhere, either pretending she was loving the store work to arse-lick her way into Ruby’s good books, or with Jody and the twins.
‘Wanted to say my farewells,’ said Kit. He was feeling steadier now, but faintly sick – and his head was starting to throb again.
‘You should have stopped away.’
‘Well, I didn’t.’
‘I talked to Bella Danieri today. She told me something important.’
‘ Did she now.’
‘Can you not take that tone with me please?’ said Ruby. ‘Yes. She did.’
‘So what’s this nugget of pure gold she passed on to you then?’
‘Jesus, mate . . .’ said Rob, shaking his head.
Ruby crouched down so that she was on the same level as Kit. ‘She told me none of her sons was responsible for Michael’s death.’
Kit sat there a moment, staring at Ruby’s face.
Then he started to laugh. He laughed so hard she thought he was about to shit himself.
‘Yes. Hysterically funny,’ said Ruby.
Kit wiped at his eyes; he was literally crying with laughter. Neither Rob nor Ruby looked even faintly amused.
‘Look,’ said Kit when he could get his breath, ‘whether it was Tito who put the gun to Michael’s head, or Vittore or that little shit Fabio, it’s all the same to me. The order came from
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