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"Relax, he’s probably pointed a gun at everyone at soonna miss me, tesoro?"

"I always miss you when you aren’t here"

He put on his coat "Give it a few more months and you’ll be tired of my ass"

"Never"

"Great to hear, but what’s that shit they say? Absenceet back"

The outdoor firing range was a few miles outside of town in the Swannanoa Valley The field, about four hundred yards in length, had a covered pavilion with various-sized targets They’d visited it a few ti the years but hadn’t been back since the incident with Nicholassince Carmine went away

Carmine had been a decent shot since he was a kid, but Vincent’s aim was impeccable, his hand as steady as a professional h the bull’s-eye effortlessly

Vincent reloaded his M1 Garand after expelling all the rounds and held it out to Carmine "Do you want to try the rifle?"

Car his pistol to his father Aiet

"That was luck," Vincent said, loading the pistol and firing it He hit the farthest target, unloading the rounds into it

"Fucking show-off," Carain "See, that wasn’t luck That was skill"

"You’re not so bad," Vincent conceded "Nicholas can attest to that"

Cared weapons with hiet, the atmosphere thick with unspoken words Vincent uncere his weapon and staring off into space Car trip This wasn’t just father/son bonding ti that would be talked about before Caro back hoo back home

"Is that what you wanna talk about?" Car he’d have to crack first "Nicholas?"

"No," Vincent said "Unless he’s the reason you’ve been in a good mood lately"

Carmine stared at his father as those words sank in He knew

"I couldn’t help it," Car his voice quiver "It’s not like I set out for this to happen It justdid"

Vincent re on Carmine’s nerves "Come on, I know you have an opinion--no need to hold back I can take it Tell o as low as to fall for a damn sla--" He faltered, unable to finish the word

"Whether or not you say it doesn’t change anything," Vincent said "It doesn’t irlmore "Is that all you have to say? I said I can take it Tell , that it’ll never work because people like us don’t belong together Tell h for me Tell me she could never love me"

"Is that what you want to hear?"

He narrowed his eyes "No"

Vincent casually glanced at his watch like he was unaffected by the conversation "Why don’t we get some lunch?"

Carmine cocked an eyebrow "It would be easier to kill me here"

"Kill you? What kind of person do you take ht be the kinda person to hurt an innocent girl Good to knorong about that shit"

"I’m a iven for them, but a man who does expect his children to be respectful," he said sharply "If you want to talk this out using our anger, we can, but I hoped we could discuss it like adults"

Carize for throwing that init when you apologize for doing it"

Vincent and Carmine were seated as soon as they reached the restaurant and both ordered the first thing on the ht their food, Vincent turned to his son "I want you to listen carefully, Carht now, but I don’t want to hear about it You oing to hate lects what I tell her, I’ll put a stop to it all"

Carer boiled over, and Vincent held his hand up to stop the i to hariving you h to pick and choose ht now"

He stared at his father "Fair enough"

Vincent turned his attention to his food "I just wonder if you knohat you’re getting into"

"Well, I’ the asshole ns her won’t own her forever"

Vincent’s eyes snapped in his direction "That’s a nice piece of infor about Why do you think I asked you to teach her to drive, Car?"