Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Vito explained what happened the night we caught Loony watching me, then saw Benito was waiting outside. When he’d finished, it was my turn.
“You first encountered Benito in Vegas?” Lucien asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me everything you remember about that meeting.”
I took as deep breath and started talking. “When I realized I needed a loan, I asked a friend I’d gambled with who’d had big losses and recovered from them. He told me where I could get the money I needed, but he warned me that I better have a way to pay my loan back or I’d be sorry. I swore to myself I wouldn’t gamble anymore, and I was making plenty of money, so I could handle it. I called the number my friend gave me and arranged a meeting. There were two people there when I showed up, Benito and a short round man who wore glasses. Benito hovered behind him like he was his bodyguard.”
“What was that man’s name?” Lucien asked.
“He never told me.”
“Give me a better description.”
“He was wearing a tan suit with shiny gold satin trim on the lapels.” Lucien made a face, and I couldn’t help but smile. “It wasn’t a fashion choice I would make.”
Devil laughed. “Sounds ugly as shit.”
“He was bald on top with dark hair around the sides of his head and bushy eyebrows.”
“Fuck,” Angelo said. “It’s Gordy.”
Dom shook his head. “Jesus Christ, I should’ve killed him when I had the opportunity.”
Vito looked surprised. “You had a contract on him, Pops?”
“I wish. The job would’ve been done if I had, but he could’ve been collateral damage on a job I did out in Vegas about ten years ago.”
“I knew he’d been building power,” Lucien said. “But I hadn’t bothered to keep up on the details.” He focused on me again. “Benito was there when you signed the contract for the loan?”
“That’s right. He didn’t say anything. He just stood there like he was hoping to intimidate me, but right before I left he told me that if I couldn’t pay the money back, I’d answer to him. I’d thought he worked for the other guy, but the way he said it gave me the impression it was actually the other way around.”
“Fuck,” Lucien said. “How did he manage to work his way up that fast?”
Dom huffed. “Gordy is weak. He blusters about being in charge, but he can’t back up the power he claims to have. A man like Benito—who’s crazy as hell and willing to do anything and kill anybody—could easily take Gordy’s organization and set himself up in charge.”
Devil nodded. “That definitely sounds viable.”
“Either way, I’m going to kill him,” Vito said.
Lucien held up a hand. “We’re going to set up a plan.”
“I’m not letting him walk away.”
“We are going to handle this discreetly. I have no interest in the man taking even one more breath, but we’re going to make sure his death won’t blow back on us or on Zeke.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Vito huffed. “I won’t do anything to endanger Zeke’s career.”
Dom glared at him. “Or this family’s position.”
“Or the family, obviously. I want us protected.”
“Sometimes it’s not as obvious as it should be,” Lucien said.
A tense look passed between Vito and Lucien. I didn’t say anything else. I was sure Vito didn’t want me getting in the middle of it, especially when I might make things worse.
Lucien returned to questioning me. “Later, when you didn’t make payments, you saw Benito again?”
I shivered thinking about that awful night. “Yes. He broke into my apartment and demanded the money. I gave him what I had, but he said it wasn’t enough, so he broke my arm. I had to miss the end of the season. It’s probably part of the reason I got traded. I don’t mind the trade. Things weren’t great for me in Vegas, and I’m better off away from there, but—”
Val snorted. “There was no reason for that. He obviously had an income and could pay. He only missed one payment by a few days. It’s hardly the first step you take.”
Devil shrugged. “Sometimes, you really got to make somebody know you’re serious.”
Vito scowled him.
“I don’t mean Zeke. I like Zeke.”
“Jesus, the things I put up with in this family,” Lucien said. “Did you see him again after that?”
“No, I got out of town as fast as I could and spent some time with a friend in Colorado that I played with on an AAA team. When I got the word about the trade, I headed to Boston as fast as I could.”
“So you never paid them back?”
“No. I tried to win the money, and I just got deeper in debt. I know it was stupid. I made a lot of mistakes. I’m trying really hard not to make any more.”
“Yet you came to us to borrow more money.”