Blue Smoke

divorced in two years. What’s your view on divorce, O’Donnell?”
    “Never been there.” He settled into the passenger’s seat. “Wife won’t let me.”
    Reena snickered and took the wheel. “She’s so strict. We’re pretty strict on it, too, in my family. It’s the Catholic thing, and the family thing. Some of my cousins have been through rocky patches in their marriages, but so far, things have stuck. Makes it a little intimidating to take the step into holy wedlock. ’Cause it can mean serious lock.”
    “You thinking about getting hitched? The carpenter?”
    “No. Well, yes, it’s the carpenter, but no, not hitched. Just thinking in general.” She hesitated, then thought partners were partners, and the same as family. “My sister Bella told me her husband’s stepping out. Has been for years, apparently, but he’s rubbing her face in it now.”
    “Rough.”
    “You ever cheat?”

    “Nope. Wife won’t let me.”
    “That bitch.” Reena sighed. “I don’t know what she’s going to do. First off, it’s a surprise to me that she didn’t blab this to everyone, kept it to herself this long.”
    “Touchy area.”
    “We thrive on touchy in my family. And she’s been seeing a therapist—another surprise. It just makes me think how marriage is a land mine. A really intimate land mine. Adultery to kitchen fires. Never a dull.”
    O’Donnell shifted in his seat to study her profile. “You’re serious about this guy.”
    She started to blow it off, then shrugged. “Heading that way, for me. Gives me the wet palms if I think about it too hard. So I’m going to think about something else, like the fact my fire-starter hasn’t called since the night he torched the school.”
    “You’re not figuring he’s done.”
    “No, no, I’m not. I’m trying to figure how long he’s going to make me wait. Meanwhile, you mind if we take a detour? I’ve got something I want to do.”
    “You got the wheel.”
    V ince’s law firm was downtown, with a view of the Inner Harbor from his office. She’d been there only once before, but she remembered.
    She wondered if the striking brunette who was his administrative assistant was the one he was stepping out with.
    The waiting area was plush, neutral tones, very contemporary, with splashes of plum. She wasn’t kept waiting in it long, but was escorted through to Vince’s spacious office with its wide windows and walls of dramatic art.
    He kissed both her cheeks in welcome. There was already a soft drink on ice and a tray of cheese and crackers on the coffee table in his seating area.
    “Such a surprise. What brings you to my neck of the woods? Need a lawyer?”

    “No. And I won’t keep you long. I don’t have time to sit, thanks.”
    He smiled, charming, handsome, smooth. “Take a minute. The city can afford it. We never get to talk, just the two of us.”
    “I guess we don’t. You skip a lot of the family events.”
    His smile was full of regret. “The demands of the job.”
    “And of the women you play with. You’re cheating on Bella, Vince, and that’s between the two of you.”
    “Excuse me?” The charm drained out of his face.
    “The fact that you’ve decided to rub her face in it, humiliate her, makes it my business. You want side dishes? Go ahead. You can break your marriage vows. But you won’t continue to make my sister feel like a failure. She’s the mother of your children, and you’ll respect that.”
    He stayed calm. “Catarina, I don’t know what Bella’s told you, but—”
    “Vince, you don’t want to call my sister a liar.” It was hard, it took vicious effort, but she stayed calm as well. “She may be a whiner, but she’s not a liar. That would be you. The liar and the cheat.”
    There was a flash of fury. She felt it burst out of him, saw it kindle in his eyes. “You have no right to come into my office and speak to me like this, about matters that are none of your concern.”
    “Bella’s my concern. You’ve been a member of the family long enough to know how we work. Respect her, or divorce her. That’s your choice. Make it soon, or I’ll make things very hard for you.”
    He let out a surprised laugh. “Are you threatening me?”
    “Yes. Yes, I am. Give the mother of your children the proper respect, Vince, or I’ll see other people know where you’re spending your evenings instead of with your wife. My family will take my word on it,” she added. “But I’ll have it documented. Every time