Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 16236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 81(@200wpm)___ 65(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 81(@200wpm)___ 65(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
I took a deep breath. I’d refused to follow orders. I’d stood up to Vinnie and pushed back. I’d killed Billy, insuring we’d never get our payout from him, and yet, this was the hardest thing I’d ever said to my boss. “I’m in love with Elio.”
For a minute I thought Vinnie was going to remain cold and impassive, that despite the way being with Tom had softened him personally—though not as a businessman—he might not give a damn what I felt. Then he smiled. Well, it was more like a smirk, but the anger had left his eyes. “You’re telling me you showed up at Billy’s house, saw this guy, and just decided you loved him.”
I shook my head. “Earlier in the year, we…spent time together. Regularly. Then he disappeared in early June. I’ve been looking for him ever since.”
“And you had no idea he was Giacomo’s son?”
“Not a clue. But now I know why he stopped meeting me and how he was able to hide so well.”
“No shit.” Vinnie looked out the window for a moment, and I didn’t even dare to breathe. “I saw the way he looks at you.”
“Like he’s angry? Like he wants to get away?”
Vinnie laughed. “Like he wants to climb you like a tree and devour you. If I left the two of you alone, there wouldn’t be any talking.”
“That was my plan. Easiest way to get him to agree.”
Vinnie rolled his eyes. “You’ve got so much to learn.”
“Are you saying that doesn’t work with Tom?”
His eyes went cold again. “Don’t ever question how I handle Tom.”
“No, sir. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Damn right you didn’t.”
“We’re going to go back in there in a few minutes, and you’re going to convince him to show us the information he’s got on his father. You are going to use any means necessary to get what we need. Do you understand me?”
It was all I could do to focus as I imagined how I could extract the information. “Yes, sir.”
“I won’t agree to any deal unless I understand every single detail. If I fuck this up, my life is on the line. You get that, right? I won’t go down alone. I’ll kill you, and I’ll take out Elio too.”
I gripped the edge of my chair and started to rise.
“Sit the fuck down. You’ve brought me nothing but trouble, and you’re an inch away from me putting a bullet through you. If it wouldn’t upset Tom, I’d finish you right now.”
My heart pounded. I’d really fucked up, but if I got Elio out of this, I might have actually made the best move of my life.
“I want full control of this operation,” Vinnie said. “I’m in charge, not Elio. He’s the son of our enemy.”
I was trying so hard to forget that’s who Elio was. “Yes, sir.” I wasn’t going to push any harder. I had a chance. I just had to make Elio bend to my will.
“If you fuck this up, Lucien will come for my head, and he won’t stop there. He’ll take us all out. Do you understand the position you’ve put me in? Do you think your life’s really worth that?”
This was a trap. I couldn’t answer either way, so I said nothing.
“You owe me. You owe me your life. Whatever I say after this is what you’ll do.”
“Yes, sir.” If I was relegated to scraping up pieces of the men we eliminated off of the streets, I’d do it. If I had to put myself in front of a bullet every fucking day, I would do it. For Elio.
“How bad is your arm?”
I smiled. “Worried about me?”
“You’re more useful to me if you can use it in a fight.”
“It hurts like hell, but it will be fine. Elio cleaned it out. He thinks I need stitches, but—”
“Then you’ll get stitches.”
I hated doctors, but I wasn’t going to argue. I’d pushed Vinnie far enough.
8
ELIO
“How can I help?” Tom asked.
“How do you do it? How do you live with…?” I gestured toward the door where Vinnie and Tony had made their exit.
Tom smiled. “It took me a while to get used to it. Vinnie is a force to be reckoned with, and it was a matter of days from meeting him to him telling me he was taking me with him and there weren’t any other options. In the end, he did give me a choice, but I followed him. I’d seen things I shouldn’t have, so my other option was essentially mob-run witness protection. I wouldn’t have been free either way, and being with Vinnie is…nice.”
His smile told me exactly what was nicest about it. “There are definitely some benefits to being with Tony, but I feel like I’m going from one prison to another.”
“Realistically, what are your other options?”
“I saved up some money, but Billy took it, the son of a bitch. I should never have hooked up with him. That was a huge mistake.”