Read 14 Fearless Fourteen for Free Online Page B

Recognize
anyone?”
    “Loretta and Joe are vaguely related. It's not shocking that
there'd be a family resemblance.”
    “It's more than a family resemblance. Besides, I caught them in
the act. They were doing it in my old man's garage. Nine months
later, Mario popped out of the oven. That piece of shit Morelli. I
should have killed him then.”
    I was stunned. I'd seen the resemblance, but this had never
crossed my mind.
    Morelli had been pretty wild in high school and his early
twenties.
    He hadn't been my favorite person, and I was willing to believe
a lot of bad things about him. This went beyond what I would have
expected. Hard to believe he'd have a romantic relationship with
Loretta and then walk away from her and the baby.
    “I know Morelli had a Casanova reputation in high school, but
this is out of character,” I said to Dom. “Family and friends were
always important to Morelli.”
    “He ruined my kid sister's life. She was smart. She always got
the good grades. She could have been something, but she had to quit
high school. And now she's in jail. This is his fault. He stole her
future, just like he stole mine. You tell the sonovabitch to live
in fear. You tell him to watch his back, because I'm gonna chop the
head off the snake. And you tell him to stay far away from my
nephew,” Rizzi said, eyes narrowed.
    “If you'd post the security for the bond on Loretta...” “I'm
living in my mother's house. Does that say something? Like maybe I
haven't got a cent? No job. No money. No goddamn
house.”
    “I thought you might have some cash laying around.” “What are
you, fucking deaf? I have nothing.” “Okay then. Good talking to
you. Let me know if you find some money. Just give me a ringy
dingy.”
    I turned and practically ran back to the car. He was frig-gin'
scary. And I couldn't believe I told him to give me a ringy dingy!
Where did that come from?
    Lula was eyebrows up when I slid behind the wheel. “Well, how'd
that go?” she asked.
    “Could have been better.”
    “He gonna bond Loretta out?”
    “Nope.”
    “Sounded to me like he was yelling about
something.”
    “Yep.”
    “You want to talk about it?”
    “Nope.” What on earth was I supposed to say? He saw Morelli
boinking Loretta and getting her pregnant? I could barely think it,
much less repeat it.
    “Hunh,” Lula said. “I was gonna make you my maid of honor, but I
might have to rethink that if you're gonna go all secret on
me.”
    “I thought you were going to have a quiet
wedding.”
    “Yeah, but you gotta have a maid of honor. It's a
rule.”
    Vine Street ran off Broad and was at the edge of the Burg. I
cruised along, checking off the numbers of the row
houses.
    “What's this guy's name?” Lula wanted to know.
    “Andy Gimp.”
    “That's a terrible name. That's a strike against you right from
the start.”
    “He's eighty-one. I imagine he's used to it.” I pulled to the
curb and parked.
    “Showtime.”
    “I hope not,” Lula said. “I finally got me some good stuff. I
don't want to ruin my mental image. I don't want some old wrinkled
wanger burned into my cornea when what I want to remember is Tank
and the big boys.”
    I took a business card and a small can of pepper spray out of my
purse and rammed them into my jeans pocket. “Big
boys?”
    “Yeah, you know... the fuzzy lumpkins, the storm troopers, the
beef balls.”
    I covered my ears with my hands. “I get it!” I stepped onto the
small cement front porch and rang the bell. A little old man with
wispy gray hair and skin like a Shar-Pei answered.
    “Andy Gimp?” I asked.
    “Nope. I'm Bernie. Andy's my older brother,” the man said. “Come
on in. Andy's watching television.”
    “I got a bad feeling about this,” Lula said. “If this is the
younger brother, what the heck does the older one look
like?”
    “Hey, Andy,” Bernie called out. “You got company. You got a
couple hot ones.”
    I followed Bernie into the living room and immediately