In the House On Lakeside Drive Read Free Page B

corner farthest from the door. It gave her a good view of everyone in the dining area. There were several families having a late dinner, some of the younger crowd picking up food to take home, and even a few older couples enjoying some coffee and dessert. A trio of men sat in the corner farthest from the little group, and Rachel felt as though one of the men was staring right at her, his pale blue eyes boring into her very being. She shivered slightly at the thought.
    “Cold?” Remy asked between bites of ice cream.
    “No,” the young woman said, shaking it off. She glanced over again, and the men had set into their plates of food. “Just a little chill. You know Gio keeps the cannolis near-freezing to save the custard.”
    “That’s what makes them good,” Sam said. He let his spoon clatter into his bowl, his stomach now stuffed with thick pizza and a sizable share of ice cream.
    “The sundaes are better,” Remy disagreed. “Especially ones like this.”
    Just then, a thin, ragged-looking man came in, his long brown hair looking like it hadn’t seen soap in several days. Hard brown eyes flashed through a pair of small round spectacles, and the man’s goatee looked as though it couldn’t decide whether to curl or tangle into a matted mess. “Oh, shit,” Remy muttered, sinking into his chair. He turned his head toward the table, hoping that his face had gone unseen.
    “You know him?” Josh asked, thankfully keeping his voice to a quiet tone.
    “Yeah. Wish I didn’t.”
    The raggedy man came near, almost falling over his own feet as he walked. The smell of liquor and days-old dirt assaulted Sam’s nose, and he worked hard to keep his face blank. “Well, well,” the man said, a little too loudly. “I guess they do let you out, huh? At least, enough to be seen in public.”
    Evan stood up, his slight frame a match for the drunken man. “Hey, leave him alone.”
    “Who the hell asked you ?” the man spat. “If I want a word with my nephew, I’ll have it.”
    “There’s nothing to say,” Remy spat back. “You’re drunk.”
    “Should take you home, where you belong, boy.” Small hands tried in vain to shove Evan to one side, and the unkempt face leered at Remy. “Teach you your place, which is not in public for everyone to see.”
    “No. What’s going to happen is you’re leaving,” Evan said, taking the man’s collar and shoving him away from Remy, who was dangerously close to his breaking point. “Come near him again, I’ll see to it Remy presses charges.”
    “Boy belongs with me. Not fit to see to his own affairs.”
    “Not the way the law sees it,” Evan countered.
    “Fuckin’ law don’t know shit,” Remy’s uncle yelled, drawing the attention of more than a few people in the room. “Kid’s not right in the head—doctors say so and everything, and what does he do? Runs from the one person he’s got left to go live with some uppity gopher and his whore.”
    Suddenly a thick hand clapped on the drunkard’s shoulder. “Out. Now. ”
    “Got a right to express myself.”
    “Well, you can express yourself to the cops when they come to pick you up,” the restaurant’s owner said, his black eyes glinting like pieces of polished coal. Gio Betti didn’t approve of drunks in his establishment, and especially not entitled bastards like Cooper Lavelle. Soon a couple of uniformed officers took the raving man off his hands, and the small group in the far corner heaved a collective sigh of relief. “Sorry about that. It shouldn’t have happened.”
    “Not your fault, Gio,” Remy said, his gratitude evident on his face. “He’s an asshole.”
    The burly Italian smiled. “You got yourself a good place now. Remember that.”
    “I will.”
    “Well, that was exciting,” Sam commented drily as the sound of heavy footsteps plodded toward the kitchen.
    “That guy’s mean, ” Josh said, too struck to say anything else. “You’re not stupid, Remy.”
    “Of course not,” Sam