Tito. I know it did.’
‘You don’t know any such thing. You hated him because he’d hurt you in the past—’
‘Hurt me? He fucking crucified me. He deserved everything he got.’
‘But he didn’t kill Michael.’
Kit shrugged, sipped more of the coffee. ‘Fabio then. He’s like a hyena, that one, giggling and shuffling and twitching around, always ready to pull some fucker apart once the big boys have taken their share. Michael was shot from behind. Isn’t that Fabio’s style?’
‘At least you admit it’s not Tito’s.’
Kit gave a sour smile. ‘I’m not admitting anything. What about Vittore?’
‘What about him?’
‘He’d do it.’
Ruby let out an exasperated breath. ‘Kit – none of them did it. Bella swore that was true. She said Tito came to her, but she said no. And neither he nor Fabio nor Vittore would disregard her wishes – not about Michael. He was married to her niece, he was kin. She wouldn’t allow it. She made that very clear.’
‘Michael should have struck first,’ said Kit, now gazing mournfully at the floor. ‘He should have let me sort it. I told him, let me do it. But he wouldn’t.’
Ruby was silent, feeling Kit’s anguish for the loss of his boss, the one man who had been like a father to him. His real father, Cornelius Bray, had discarded him; he’d grown up bounced around children’s homes, feckless and footloose, back in the days when she hadn’t known where he was or even if he was still alive. She had desperately tried to trace him, but it was Michael he had stumbled into, and Michael who had saved him from the gutter, raised him up. The loss of him was killing Kit, she could see that.
‘It’s too late for all that,’ she said gently. ‘Too late for regrets. But maybe not too late to let it all go. To admit to yourself that you were wrong, that the Danieri family weren’t responsible.’
Kit gazed at her. ‘I’m not admitting a damned thing,’ he said.
Rob let out a heavy sigh.
‘And you can shut up,’ Kit told him.
‘Oh, pardon me for giving a shit,’ said Rob.
‘ Look ,’ said Ruby, shooting a glance between them. ‘This has to stop. If we’re lucky – and I’m sure Bella will be talking to him right now – Vittore will calm down. For God’s sake, Kit, the last thing anyone wants is all-out war. Admit you were wrong. That you made a mistake. Let’s do as Bella says and stop this, just drop it.’
But Kit was shaking his head.
‘No! I have to know who did it,’ he said. ‘If what you say is true—’
‘Kit! It is.’
‘OK. I don’t believe it, but let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re right. If it wasn’t one of them , then who the fuck was it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Ruby, thinking of Michael, her Michael, thinking of his steel-grey eyes and the feel of his hair beneath her fingers, of his strong, handsome face, his laugh, his way of always finding the answers. Well, he couldn’t find this one. He was gone. ‘I loved him too, Kit. I really did. But maybe we’ll never know.’
Kit was shaking his head. ‘No. That don’t cut it. I have to know. If the Danieris didn’t pull the trigger, someone did. Someone who’s still out there, who thinks they’re home free.’
‘Kit, mate . . .’ said Rob.
Kit flashed him a look full of fury. ‘Don’t “mate” me. If it wasn’t the Danieri mob, then it was someone else. And I have to know who .’
17
What surprised Daisy most about working at the store was the stark difference between the shop floors – all pristine clean and laden with everything so beautifully and temptingly arrayed, designed to prompt impulse purchases – and the warren of dark passageways and bare cloakrooms and business-like offices the staff occupied.
‘Morning,’ she greeted everyone she passed, wanting to be one of the girls, accepted, part of the pack. She put on her burgundy coverall with Darkes picked out in gold thread on the left breast pocket, checked
‘You don’t know any such thing. You hated him because he’d hurt you in the past—’
‘Hurt me? He fucking crucified me. He deserved everything he got.’
‘But he didn’t kill Michael.’
Kit shrugged, sipped more of the coffee. ‘Fabio then. He’s like a hyena, that one, giggling and shuffling and twitching around, always ready to pull some fucker apart once the big boys have taken their share. Michael was shot from behind. Isn’t that Fabio’s style?’
‘At least you admit it’s not Tito’s.’
Kit gave a sour smile. ‘I’m not admitting anything. What about Vittore?’
‘What about him?’
‘He’d do it.’
Ruby let out an exasperated breath. ‘Kit – none of them did it. Bella swore that was true. She said Tito came to her, but she said no. And neither he nor Fabio nor Vittore would disregard her wishes – not about Michael. He was married to her niece, he was kin. She wouldn’t allow it. She made that very clear.’
‘Michael should have struck first,’ said Kit, now gazing mournfully at the floor. ‘He should have let me sort it. I told him, let me do it. But he wouldn’t.’
Ruby was silent, feeling Kit’s anguish for the loss of his boss, the one man who had been like a father to him. His real father, Cornelius Bray, had discarded him; he’d grown up bounced around children’s homes, feckless and footloose, back in the days when she hadn’t known where he was or even if he was still alive. She had desperately tried to trace him, but it was Michael he had stumbled into, and Michael who had saved him from the gutter, raised him up. The loss of him was killing Kit, she could see that.
‘It’s too late for all that,’ she said gently. ‘Too late for regrets. But maybe not too late to let it all go. To admit to yourself that you were wrong, that the Danieri family weren’t responsible.’
Kit gazed at her. ‘I’m not admitting a damned thing,’ he said.
Rob let out a heavy sigh.
‘And you can shut up,’ Kit told him.
‘Oh, pardon me for giving a shit,’ said Rob.
‘ Look ,’ said Ruby, shooting a glance between them. ‘This has to stop. If we’re lucky – and I’m sure Bella will be talking to him right now – Vittore will calm down. For God’s sake, Kit, the last thing anyone wants is all-out war. Admit you were wrong. That you made a mistake. Let’s do as Bella says and stop this, just drop it.’
But Kit was shaking his head.
‘No! I have to know who did it,’ he said. ‘If what you say is true—’
‘Kit! It is.’
‘OK. I don’t believe it, but let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re right. If it wasn’t one of them , then who the fuck was it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Ruby, thinking of Michael, her Michael, thinking of his steel-grey eyes and the feel of his hair beneath her fingers, of his strong, handsome face, his laugh, his way of always finding the answers. Well, he couldn’t find this one. He was gone. ‘I loved him too, Kit. I really did. But maybe we’ll never know.’
Kit was shaking his head. ‘No. That don’t cut it. I have to know. If the Danieris didn’t pull the trigger, someone did. Someone who’s still out there, who thinks they’re home free.’
‘Kit, mate . . .’ said Rob.
Kit flashed him a look full of fury. ‘Don’t “mate” me. If it wasn’t the Danieri mob, then it was someone else. And I have to know who .’
17
What surprised Daisy most about working at the store was the stark difference between the shop floors – all pristine clean and laden with everything so beautifully and temptingly arrayed, designed to prompt impulse purchases – and the warren of dark passageways and bare cloakrooms and business-like offices the staff occupied.
‘Morning,’ she greeted everyone she passed, wanting to be one of the girls, accepted, part of the pack. She put on her burgundy coverall with Darkes picked out in gold thread on the left breast pocket, checked
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