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"They will," Giovanni warned

"If they do, it’ll be handled," Vincent said, "but until that tiroup?"

Vincent looked across the room at where the Don sat in his favorite chair In his late sixties, Sal was shaped like a balloon and sounded perpetually full of helius and succeeded rule after he died Antonio had dubbed him Salamander "If you scare a salamander, he’ll drop his tail and run," he had said "No skin off his back Teeks later, he’s good as new"

Sal ht Maybe they’ll take thehed dryly, but tried to cover it with a forced cough when everyone looked his way The guy beside him seemed annoyed by the outburst, another soldato whose naht be Johnny, one of about a hundred other Johnnys running around the streets His looks certainly fit the nauishable Another number in the crowd, easily replaced, never oing

When Sal dismissed them with a wave of the hand, Vincent was the first out of his seat He dumped the scotch and headed for the door, but Giovanni cut hi athe theht The last thing we need is violence on our streets over things that have nothing to do with us"

Vincent headed for his rental car when Giovanni’s voice rang out oncedoes not mean they have not violated us There will be war"

5

Carer in his closet The small piles of laundry hadhe owned now dirty on the floor Usually it wouldn’t have gotten that far, as he would have taken them to the local laundry service, but he had a probleh the library to the other side of the floor and grabbed Do when it wouldn’t turn He could hear voices inside and pounded on the door

Do across the bed in one of Doe of what he’d interrupted "I need some money My clothes are dirty"

"You want , bro," Do to pay ed "I’ll figure it out"

"Yeah, you will," Doure out how to do your own dahed inside the roo back to his bedroorabbed his cell phone and dialed Dia’s hoh of relief when she answered "What do you want, Car?"

"Because I know you," she said "You don’t call to chitchat"

He sighed "My laundry needs done"

"You want me to do your laundry?"

"Yes I don’t knoho else to ask"

"Well, how much money do you have?"

"None"

All he heard was the sound of laughter before Dia hung up

Irritated, he picked up ar it downstairs As soon as he reached the laundry roo, soft and sweet like a lullaby Haven stood in front of the dryer, folding clothes She glanced at hi froed it into the roo all the clothes into it It overflowed, and he had to push on theent and caught Haven’s eyes again as she gaped at hi a pair of pants

He wasn’t sure what her probleravated to deal with it Another week had passed with her avoiding hi from rooms before he could say hello

"So, where’s the soap?" he asked "You know, the Tide or whatever we use around here?"

Haven reached behind her and opened a sent Carain as he took it froht in when Haven sharply inhaled

The intake of breath stalled him "What?"