A Man of Honor.

Chapter 66: Smoke and Mirrors.

"Some people are common gamblers. I am an uncommon gambler." ~ Frank Costello.

We arrived back in Vale later that night. As quaint as Patch was I couldn't deny the pleasure at being back in my city, my home. I wanted to start putting my plan in drawing out the traitor in action as soon as possible, but it was too soon to actually get those wheels rolling.

We drove back to my penthouse and went to settle down for some sleep. The only thing I could actually do at the moment was flash Cinder a text telling her that I needed a meeting at her earliest convenience. I needed to talk to her if I had any hope of pulling this off and the sooner she was able to arrange a meeting, the better. I wanted this business done yesterday, but it seemed that the late night was going to have to delay me for a time.

With the text sent to Cinder, I set my scroll down on my night stand and plugged in the charger. I looked over at Neo, who was stripping off her clothes so she could take a shower. Some spots of red were still on her white outfit. We hadn't talked much since she had driven that blade through Nicky's heart and tossed him overboard. So far I had been simply trying to give her space on the subject, but with nothing else to do as I got ready for bed, I decided I'd try talking to her.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her.

She stopped and seemed to think about it as she discarded a bra into the laundry hamper. "I'm - not - feeling - much - of - anything - right - now." She admitted to me. "I - feel - hollow, and - tired."

"I'm sorry." I told her, sitting down on the bed, untying my tie and fiddling with the buttons of my shirt.

"Is - that - wrong?" Neo asked me. "Shouldn't - I - feel - something?"

"I don't know." I told her honestly. "I'm not a therapist, but honestly I expected you to be cutting in line to hurt him."

"Like - I - said, it - wouldn't - change - anything." She told me with a slump of her shoulders. She fidgeted awkwardly as she looked at the bathroom, wanting to take a shower. "I - suppose - I - shouldn't - be - surprised - that - I - don't - feel - any - different - now - that - he's - gone."

I didn't say anything to her as I continued to undress and get ready for what I expected to be a sleepless night.

Neo fixed me with a stare. "Am - I - just - fucked - up?"

I shook my head and stood up. "No, or if you are, I'm just as fucked up as you." I told her, stepping forward and pulling her into a hug. "If I'm being honest... I kind of felt sorry for him at the end, and whether it was vengeance or mercy that led you to put that blade through his heart, it doesn't matter to me. What's done is done."

She nodded in my arms and we stayed together like that for a long time before she finally pulled away and smiled. She stepped off towards the bathroom for a quick shower. When she emerged she simply went to bed, not bothering to talk further on the subject, simply letting sleep clear our minds as we drifted away holding each other, offering comfort that didn't require any words.

We woke up the following morning and as I cooked breakfast, I got a text back from Cinder, agreeing that we needed to meet later that night and we arranged for it to happen over coffee. With Nicky's demise being kept secret, I had to keep up appearances of laying low so I did most of my business here in my penthouse.

Most of the business that day was addressing the rumors about what had happened at Patch. Most of the Family didn't even know I had shortly left Vale and hearing that I had disappeared for little more than a day to take care of Nicky was starting to get around everywhere. Most of the rumors were positive, but I had to tell the various soldiers and Capos that visited me that the hunt for Nicky went on.