Knox broke into laughter, loudly cackling into the phone.
“It’s not fuckin’ funny, Knox!” Dustin complained. “He’s a fuckin’ menace.”
“Aye, is Landon there? I wanna talk to him.”
“What are you gonna do about the old bastard?” Dustin demanded to know.
“I’ll handle it. I’ll be over later today. Landon?”
“Yeah, yeah… Hold on.”
“Hullo?” Landon asked as he grabbed the phone from Dustin.
“I got your text,” Knox said cryptically.
“Okay… so what do you think…” Landon asked.
Knox held the phone to his ear as he ordered his coffee.
“Hey Knoxy,” the blonde barista said with a wink.
“Verrrrronica….” Knox said stretching out her name as far as it would roll off his tongue.
“What’ll it be, babe?”
“Americano. Extra sweetness.”
“You know how I do…” Veronica replied sassily with a smile.
“Knox!” Landon yelled into the phone. “Quit pussyfootin’ with the waitress and talk to me!”
“Calm down, ya little shit! I’m listening!” Knox spat as he moved aside and waited for his order.
“Nunzio and his boys were at the house last night. How come?”
“Nunzio… Nunzio Rigatti?” Knox whispered into the phone, his eyes going wild with alarm.
“Yeah. Along with his brother and Antonio Pena.”
“You’re positive?”
“What do you think? I might be the baby but I’m not a fucking idiot.”
“That’s trouble right there…”
“So what do we do?”
“Nothing. Keep your neck off the executioner’s block. I’ll deal with it. Lemme know if Dante comes around, tell him I’m lookin’ for him.”
“Knox…”
Knox didn’t say another thing though, as he quickly ended the call. Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he grabbed his coffee and rushed back out to his car.
The bell over the front door of the Violet’s Diner clanged loudly as Letty Alves walked in with G on her hip and Miles by her side.
“How many, hun?” Violet, the Violet, the woman the restaurant was named for, asked as she patted her platinum blonde blow out.
“Two adults and a booster seat,” Letty replied happily.
Letty ignored the stares and the looks they were getting from the other patrons in the restaurant and kept her smile planted on her face. Miles didn’t, though. He looked into the face of each of the men, not daring to blink. Casting each of them a cold, unflinching expression, the others always looked away first.
“You got it, hun. Follow me,” Violet said as she led Miles and Letty to a booth in the back.
Violet passed Miles the booster seat. He placed it on the booth beside the window and sat the kid in the seat, gently strapping him securely in place. Miles slid into the booth next to the toddler, while Letty sat opposite them, grinning broadly at both of them. Her’s was a smile that few things could crack. Miles was relieved to see that he had restored some hope in her eyes.
Cracking open the menu, Letty began perusing the specials while Miles slipped a quarter in the jukebox that sat on the end of their table. Rolling the catalog of songs, he finally stopped when he found a song that appealed to him. As Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers began to belt out “American Girl,” Miles picked up his menu, too, deciding upon what he wanted for breakfast.
“So whaddya want to do today?” Letty asked Miles, not removing her eyes from the breakfast menu.
Miles looked up at her with a surprised look upon his face. “Who, me?”
“Yeah, you!”
“Park! Park!”
“I always take you to the park, G! It’s Miles’s turn to pick.”
“Park!”
Miles laughed as the persistent little bugger continued to demand a trip to the playground.
“Calm your nerves. We’ll hit a park today. Jeez, he’s pushy!”
As G celebrated his small win, Miles contemplated Letty’s question. He hadn’t really put much thought into it. His mind was too busy thinking about the things he needed to take care of with his family. Miles didn’t really consider the fact that Letty would actually want to do something outside the house.
“I mean we could just rent movies, but I figured you’d want to be outside. I just gotta stop by your father’s to check in on him, then we’re free for the day. My dad usually babysits G on Saturday nights. Let’s go out.”
Miles shrugged as a smile tugged at his lips. “All right, let’s see where the night takes us.”
“Do you need to get anything else from the stores? Or are you set?” Letty asked.
“Need to go to a pharmacy and maybe hit a Caldor or a Kmart…”
“Oh, baby. You’re dating yourself. They tore those down about ten years ago. We have a Target and a Super Walmart.”
“What the fuck is a Super Walmart.”
“Someplace you don’t wanna go,” Letty said with a laugh. Talking with her hands, she dramatically replied, “Trust me.”
“This I gotta see…” Miles said with a laugh.
“It’s the zoo. With clothes and appliances.”
Miles nodded as he perused his menu.
“Think I’m going for the steak and eggs,” Miles said as he laid his menu flat on the table. G immediately stole it and began to bang it against the table.
“Old habits die hard, huh?” Letty asked with a laugh.
Miles shrugged. “Guess so,” he replied.
A disgruntled-looking waitress named Rosa stopped by, took their orders and quickly brought them back their drinks. The bell over the front door rang again as a group of businessmen walked through the front door. Letty didn’t pay them any mind as she looked across the table at Miles.
The conversation continued at a steady pace. When there were lulls, they weren’t uncomfortable, and it felt like no time had passed at all between Letty and Miles. They were just as they had been when they were teenagers, only this time, they had the strength and resiliency to see through whatever struggles came their way. Miles reached for Letty’s hands across the table.
“Let’s go for a drive tonight. Maybe AC?” Miles suggested.
“That sounds like fun,” Letty said as she lifted her glass of water to her mouth. “We should take G to the park first, though.”
“PARK!”
“For sure…” Miles said with a laugh.
“Headed to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back,” Letty said as she lifted herself from her booth.
“Ma!” G yelled as Letty walked away.
“She’ll be back, little dude. Here, look,” Miles said as he reached for the kid’s menu and small pack of crayons. “Color something for your momma.”
With a set of the grabbiest hands Miles ever saw, G reached for the crayons and the coloring paper, excited for the activity at hand.
Letty peered into the mirror as she washed her hands. She quickly dried her hands on a paper towel and disposed of it before exiting the bathroom. With the lyrics of “American Girl” stuck in her head, Letty hummed along as she made her way back to her seat. Crossing the dining room, Letty had a smile on her face. She felt like nothing could wipe it clean from her face, but then, in that very moment, something did.
“MILES!!!!! NO!!!!!!”
Letty’s blood-curdling scream bounced off everything. From the floor to the ceiling in the restaurant, to everyone within two hundred feet of the diner. Standing just feet from Miles with his gun pointed at his head, Dante Sabotino had a look of pure vindication on his face. Everything was happening so fast. Miles saw the look on Letty’s face before he heard the shot cry out. With barely enough time to react, Miles ducked under the table, pulling G under with him, protecting the child from the blast of the shot. With his back towards the shooter, Miles held G under him, acting as a shield against the danger at hand. A bullet ricocheted off of the ta
ble just inches from where the child sat. It would have hit Miles for sure, had he not moved.
Dante didn’t have time to take another shot. As the shot rang out, a pair of cops walked through the door ready for their first coffee break of the day. Hearing the blast and Letty’s blood-curdling scream, the officers ran forward, service pistols pointed at Dante’s head.
“Freeze! Put the weapon down!”
One officer pointed at Dante while the other one approached him, ready to snatch the gun from him.
“Put down your weapon!”
G screamed in terror as Miles held him securely under the table, holding him tightly against his chest, their hearts thumping in unison.
“I’m not gonna ask again! Put down the fucking gun!” the cop screamed.
Not waiting another second, the officers tackled Dante, knocking him to the ground as his gun went flying across the dining room floor. It lay just inches from where Letty stood in shock.
While the one officer cuffed Dante, the other bent down under the table to help Miles and G up, and make sure that they weren’t injured.
“Go fuck yourself, Capadonno! You’re nothing! Nothing!”
As Miles rose to his feet, with G still clutching his neck, Miles simply glared at the man, not uttering a sound.
“Let’s go, Sabotino! Off to the Pen!”
“Don’t matter none! I was just one in line hoping for a chance to off that fucker! Even the scum up in New York wanna ice you! Just ask Knox!” Dante spat.
Not bothering to listen to what Dante had to say, Miles rushed to Letty’s side. She grabbed G from his arms, kissing the child’s face, then stepping on her tippy toes, she grabbed Miles’s face and kissed him on his cheek. Breaking her hold on his face, Letty grabbed her purse and let Miles escort her and G out to the car. As Letty stepped into the car, the shock wore off, as a scream ripped from her lungs.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
KNOX CAPADONNO ARRIVED at Tia Marie’s at half past the noon hour. Dressed handsomely in a black pinstripe suit, he adjusted his tie in his reflection on the front window of the popular eatery before passing through the double doors. Two dapper-looking gentlemen dressed in black tuxedos and white gloves splayed open the doors and nodded at Knox as he entered. Carrying a black briefcase in his right hand, Knox checked the watch on his left wrist as he crossed the dining room. He didn’t bother glancing at the eyes that trailed him across the room, as patrons pivoted their necks to get a better look at him. Cutting through the rows of neatly arranged tables and chairs, Knox bypassed the hostess desk and swiftly ascended the spiral staircase. The graceful sounds of La Petit Minuet swirled through the restaurant as Knox approached the double doors of the Velvet Room. A pair of barrel-chested men with their arms crossed against their dark suits stood guard at the doors, preventing access to any surprise visitors, which is exactly what Knox Capadonno was. No one was expecting his arrival. Their beady eyes were stern and emotionless as Knox approached them. Not allowing the men’s presence to break his cool, Knox cast the duo of stern-looking men an all-business stare.
“Move,” Knox said to the men in a stern tone of voice. There was a cruel hilt to his gaze. “I’m not asking. Move out of the fucking way.”
Knox was always the most polished of the Capadonnos. Each of his words were perfectly enunciated, and when he cursed at someone, somehow the jab felt much more pointed with the absence of the heavy Jersey accent and slang, and the always present letter G at the end of all of his words.
“Some fresh mouth you got for a flashy DA like yourself,” Dino Ragostino said in a thick Brooklyn accent to Knox as he stared him down, eyes trailing from Knox’s stony gaze down the length of his suit, to his fine Italian leather shoes.
“A little far from home, aren’t you?” Knox asked Dino, and then snapped his gaze to Dino’s brother Mario’s face.
Mario stared at Knox, his stone-cold gaze unwavering. Not letting Dino get the best of him, a smile tugged at Knox’s mouth. “I learned from the best.”
“Last I checked, the best called Brooklyn, New York home,” Mario spat.
This earned a chuckle from Knox as he glared back, not cowering away from Mario’s lethal stare.
“Ah, yes… The best. In this life, ever so guarded in secrecy, you somehow think the loudest and most visible mobsters on the East Coast are the best? Truly, if they were the best, they’d manage to operate in a way to keep from landing on the wall of my office. The mark of a true Mafioso is handling business in such a manner that you remain unseen, unheard, and off the radar. You should be like smoke. Move silently. Without a trace of evidence, no trail to follow, but with a display of destruction in your wake. Then, when the first eyes look to the scene of the crime, you’re already gone, vanished into thin air. You’re looking at the best. Now step aside,” Knox said, his voice so smooth, and his eloquent words clearly having an effect on the men.
Suddenly Mario and Dino were mute. Knox glared at both of the men. When he realized that Knox wasn’t budging, Dino asked, “Or what?”
Dino jutted out his jaw as he waited for Knox’s response. A delicious smile creased Knox’s face as he rebutted, “I’ll introduce a few more of your relatives to the New York State Corrections System.”
“Is that a threat?” Mario demanded to know. His gaze quaked with rage. As Knox stared at Mario, he detected the slightest glint of fear looking back at him. Knox’s smile grew.
“You know damn well it’s a promise. Now move aside. I have business to tend to.”
“Mr. Rigatti is occupied. You’ll have to come back.”
Knox clenched his teeth, as the men continued to bar him from the room. Turning around with a look of absolute rage in his eyes, Knox gently placed his briefcase down on the table. With his back to the men, he entered the combination on his briefcase and popped it open.
“What’s he doing?” Mario asked his brother.
Dino, trying to peer over Knox’s shoulder to get a better view, couldn’t see a thing. Knox’s broad shoulders and tall stature prevented him from viewing the contents of Knox’s briefcase. Knox appeared to be shuffling the contents of his briefcase. With his back still turned towards the men, Knox said, “I’m going to tell you one last time. Get the fuck out of my way.”
“You’re a persistent son of a bitch, aren’t you!” Mario spat.
Turning on his heel, Knox popped the magazine into a sleek grey Smith and Wesson .40 pistol. Twisting the silencer into place, Knox raised his arm, thrusting the gun to Mario’s forehead.
“What the fu—” Mario began but before he finished Knox had pulled the trigger sending the stunned man crashing to the floor.
“You motherfucker,” Dino growled as he began to charge at Knox in a fit of rage, but before Dino could even so much as put his hands on Knox, Knox had turned the gun on him. Quietly pulling the trigger, Knox left a dime-sized hole in Dino’s head, squarely between the eyes.
With a sour look upon his face, Knox turned around. He grabbed his briefcase in one hand, tucking his gun in his ankle holster. Reaching for the door handle of the Velvet Room, Knox pushed open the doors allowing them to swing shut behind him.
Nunzio Rigatti was a busy man indeed, but it wasn’t business that he was tending to. Sitting upon a dining room chair in the middle of the room, Nunzio was treating himself to a little mid-day delight. Three young and voluptuous women danced around him wearing nothing more than a G-string and sky-high stilettos as he watched, hungry with desire. Nunzio hadn’t heard Knox’s arrival. Knox knew that the room was soundproof, and Nunzio most certainly hadn’t heard the scuffle in the hallway just moments earlier.
With an amused smirk on his face, Knox leaned against the far wall as he watched, just waiting to see how long it took New York’s most visible mobster to recognize his presence. This wouldn’t be a friendly social occasion. As one of the women straddled Nunzio’s lap, pushing her ample breasts into his face and whipping her hair around, her ginger haired companion spotted Knox
and screamed.
“What? God, shut the fuck up!” Nunzio yelled, but when the women saw Knox in the corner they ran. Two of the women fled right past him, covering themselves up with their arms, as if now they were newly self-conscious because someone other than their client had seen their goods on full display. But the red-haired woman halted dead when she saw the look on Knox’s face. Their eyes met for a moment, the woman’s expression was one of embarrassment, but there was something more behind her gaze. She looked at Knox with regret; a plea oozed from her eyes as he stared at her with disappointment.
“Lila…” Knox said in a stern tone of voice. He nodded, quickly dismissing her. As the hostess that had led Knox and his brothers into the Velvet Room last night, Lila was more than just a passing acquaintance. She had a history with several of the Capadonno men, and a very complicated history with Dustin and Knox. As Knox snapped his gaze off Lila’s face, she ran out of the room with sobs ripping from her mouth.
“What the fuck is going on?” Nunzio snapped as he zipped up his pants. Finally, he spotted Knox standing in the corner of the room by the double doors.
“Am I interrupting?” Knox asked in a sarcastic voice. He played the role of the asshole well. “I’d hate to be a bother.”
“What the hell do you want?”
“I want to know why you’re in Carrion when you’re at war with the Capadonnos…” Knox asked.
“Like I’d tell you!” Nunzio spat as he cut across the dining room. As Nunzio cut the distance between him and Knox, he never took his eyes off of the DA’s face.
“I have a pretty good idea,” Knox said with a shrug. “You don’t even have to say a word. You might call the shots up in New York, but around Carrion, you’re not the boss.”
“No. I’m not the boss, but I know the boss well.”
“What are you doing in Carrion?”
Miles Away (Carrion #1) Page 18