Page 20 of Nicoletta
The women hustled me out so fast, I forgot it, then Nicoletta in that halter top clouded any thought.
“One night ain’t gonna matter.” Diesel runs the tape over my knuckles.
The one and only thing I have of my mother’s is her St. Christopher medal. I cherish it, convinced it has unseen powers. Fuckin’ crazy, but I also haven’t lost a fight if I have it on me.
“I’m undefeated, and it’s because of the necklace.” I motion to the door. “I got about a half hour before I’m up. You gotta go get it.”
She gave it to me when I was a kid, and now I keep it in my pocket whenever I fight.
“Ahhh, fuck.” Diesel shakes his head. “Where is it?”
“It’s in the bottom drawer of the dresser in my bedroom.”
“You sure? I’ve seen your room. It’s a fuckin’ pigsty.”
“Don’t be a wiseass, just get it for me.”
“All right.”
Diesel heads for the door, and I do a few light drills. Nothing to wear me out, just enough to keep loose.
Twenty minutes later, Diesel’s coming through the gym door.
“You find it?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He holds it out to me, his face stone-cold.
“What the fuck is the matter? Going through my bedroom couldn’t have been that bad. Especially since Nicoletta’s been straightening up for me.”
“Really?” His face twists into a sneer. “Anything else she’s been doing in that room?”
“Yeah, we’ve been fuckin’ each other stupid in that room. Not that’s it’s any of your damn business.”
“I’ll bet, perfect setup.”
“You got something to say, just spit it out.”
“Found something besides the necklace in your dresser drawer.” Diesel reaches into his cut and pulls out something wrapped in a paper towel. He slowly unfolds it, and I’m staring at a long, sharp kitchen knife.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask.
“You tell me. It was wedged way back in your bottom drawer.”
I take the knife from his hand and look it over. “Never saw it before.”
“It’s not yours?”
“Why the fuck would I be hiding a kitchen knife in the back of my drawer?”
“Funny, I wondered the same thing.”
I flip the knife from side to side. “I don’t know where it came from.”
“I was afraid you were gonna say that.”
Diesel locks eyes with me, his meaning clear.
“You think—Nicoletta?”
