Mafia Protection (Tomassi Series Book 1)

by AA Lee

  Angelo punched the man to the ground and yanked the gun out of his hand. Brett came behind to assist him and tied the man’s hands and feet with ropes.

  “Please, don’t kill me. I will do anything you ask me to do,” the man protested. He begged for his life, but Angelo showed him no mercy at all.

  “You will wish you never crossed my path,” Angelo breathed. “I will see you again tomorrow. You should make your amends tonight while you still have the chance.” Then he looked over at Brett and pointed his chin to the second Escalade. “Take him to the warehouse. You and Sammy do whatever you need to do to get him to talk. I want a full report tomorrow.”

  Brett looked around as Sammy walked over to him. Both of them picked up the man. Ella saw them disappear where she could not see.

  “Rafa, can you handle the cleanup with Jim and Ray?”

  “We have this covered,” Rafa said with a nod.

  “Good, take care of it, and then get the hell out of here before the cops show up,” he ordered.

  Angelo gave out a few more orders, and then he walked toward her. He looked like he wanted to protect her and rip her heart out at the same time. It made her afraid of what he might do.

  CHAPTER 45

  Angelo had not said a word to her the night before and barely glanced her way. He did not even sleep in the same bed. It was already three in the afternoon and he still kept a distance. Ella had not tried to talk to him either, knowing he would ignore her reasons for leaving the suite.

  She heard him shuffle in a drawer in the next room, slamming the drawer shut when he was finished. Angelo was still in a bad mood. Ella let out a small breath from where she sat on the bed but knew she could not avoid him forever. Even though she dreaded his wrath, she could not delay the confrontation. Ella dragged her feet out of their room and walked to the kitchen, where Angelo stood.

  Angelo was at the counter with an open knife under the faucet. He saw her out of the corner of his eye but did not greet her. He barely acknowledged that she had entered the room or sat at the table to watch him. She did not like this Angelo. He was more intimidating than usual when he did not speak. The knife in his hand alarmed her, too. It was long and sharp, past the legal size of a knife he should carry. She was relieved when he sheathed it back in its case and slid it into his boot, but then his focus fell on her.

  He turned around and shook his head, glaring at her as he walked to the table. His hands landed on the wooden top and his body crouched. His face was directly in front of hers and made her take in a shaky breath. She leaned back with his threatening expression, but Angelo leaned closer to her face than before.

  “You made my men risk their lives to save you last night, and Sullivan got shot twice. You should have looked further than being upset over the contract. Leaving the hotel by yourself, especially now, that also put others in danger. You are not the only one I have to think about in this mess.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ella immediately answered. Angelo made her feel guiltier than she already did.

  “Sorry? You think being sorry is going to make up for what you did?” Angelo’s voice was low and direct. If she did not know better, he had slept little the night before. “If Sullivan never answered his phone, do you realize that you would be in the hands of Bonadio’s group?” Ella lowered her head to hide from his tone when he forced her chin back up. “You will look at me when I’m talking to you.”

  “I won’t do it again,” she whispered. “I promise.” Angelo frowned and stared in her eyes. His fingers weaved through the back of her hair and squeezed. The grip around her hair hurt, but he was not letting go. She did not dare say another word with his furious eyes.

  “Oh, I know you won’t, Ella. You will never cross me again – of that I can promise.” It felt like her body shrank underneath his glare before he finally let go. He did not say another word to her. Angelo walked to the door and slammed it as he left the house. His car started, but she never heard him leave. Then the doorknob turned again. She thought Angelo had forgotten something but the engine on his car revved. The tires screeched and the car sped away from the house.

  “Hello?” a woman called and stepped through the door. Ella stared at her. She had never seen the older woman before and wondered how she got past the guards outside. The woman had pulled her dark hair in a bun on the back of her head, and silver strands scattered throughout. Ella guessed she was in her early fifties. She stood about average height and gave Ella a friendly smile. Who was she?

  “Ella?” The woman’s smile widened as she walked straight up to Ella and wrapped her arms around her head. Ella froze. The woman let her go and grabbed her cheeks, placing a kiss on both sides. “I have been waiting to meet you. I bet you have no idea who I am?” Ella shook her head and waited to find out. “My name is Nina. I’m Angelo’s mother.”

  Ella looked back at the door. She had no idea why his mother was here. Did he plan the visit, or did she come on her own?

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Ella greeted. “I’m sorry I’m not dressed. I didn’t expect company.”

  “Nonsense, you will have plenty of times when you need to dress up in fancy clothes,” she chuckled. “Why waste all that effort getting dressed for me?” Ella liked her. Nina had an upbeat personality. It reminded her of Lila in a way.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” Ella offered and stood up.

  “I would love a cup,” Nina replied.

  Ella had not been around any motherly figurehead lately. She thought about it. Besides Lila, she had not gotten close to any woman at all. Men dominated her life. They watched over her. Ella did not know how to feel about Nina being in the house.

  She set down two cups on the table along with cream and sugar. She did not know what Nina preferred but stirred both in hers. Then she was quiet and waited for Nina to speak. There must have been a reason for the visit.

  “Would you like to hear about my story?” Nina asked and mixed cream and sugar in her coffee.

  “Of course,” Ella said and took a sip from her cup.

  “Good. Come with me, Ella. It’s too stuffy in here. Why don’t we move to the family room where we’ll be comfortable on the sofa?”

  Ella shrugged and stood back up. She felt more comfortable on the sofa anyway and had no problem with moving as Nina wished. Ella gladly propped up her knees and held her cup of coffee on her leg. She was interested in the woman she had heard nothing about.

  “It seems like a long time ago now,” Nina started. “When my family told me to marry Antonio, I thought the world was ending. I wanted to run. I wondered what gave them the right to choose who I married. Not only did I not love Antonio, I had never met him.”

  “That must have been really hard for you,” Ella said, thankful that she did not share Nina’s situation. “Did you ever fall in love?”

  Nina let out a breath at the memories that seemed to come to her mind. “I didn’t for a while. I despised Antonio for a long time. He was gone for days at a time or out late when he was in town. I took care of his house. He saw other women. He thinks I don’t know, but I grew up with the rules. I knew what he was doing. Marrying me was a way for our families to make peace, but Antonio and I hardly acted as husband and wife.”

  Ella already worried about Angelo being gone for days at a time, but other women never seriously crossed her mind. If Antonio was that way, did that mean Angelo would be too? “You are still together. Are you like that now?”

  “Well,” Nina sighed. “About a year passed after we exchanged vows, and I was tired of being alone. I became desperate to get some sort of affection even from the man I despised. I decided not to look at what I hated about him anymore. I focused on his good qualities. He took care of me. He gave me a house and a car. He gave me anything else I needed or wanted. After that, I started to act like his wife. I asked him how he felt or made him his favorite foods. He thought I went crazy, but I didn’t stop. It wasn’t long before he didn’t want to ignore me anymore. He starte
d coming home and spending time with me. Then, Angelo came. As soon as I saw Angelo’s face, I knew that Antonio and I would live a good life.”

  They were happy despite their rough beginning, and Antonio had not been exempt from the rules either. Ella knew that she could not tolerate Angelo sleeping around. That was not an issue like it was for Nina, but Ella still worried. Would he grow tired of her and look for love somewhere else? Would she become lonely and end up like her mother? Ella had so many questions and so few answers. She did not know what to expect.

  “Ella.” Nina laid her hand on Ella’s arm. “Don’t think so hard about it.”

  “How do you separate it? How do you raise a family and have a marriage and live a normal life with everything happening on the outside?”

  “You let Angelo worry about that, dear. That’s what Antonio taught him to do. You only need to worry about being one thing—his wife. His group activities shouldn’t concern you. I know my son will do everything he can to make you happy. All you need to do is keep him from drowning. Love Angelo no matter what. If you can do that, the rest will fall into place.”

  CHAPTER 46

  Angelo paid little attention to the road aside from staying in his lane. He was angry; mad at himself, furious with Ella, and just fed up with life in general. He could not seem to get ahead no matter what he did. She was gone for five minutes before he called Sullivan, and Bonadio’s ranks were waiting to attack them both. That bastard had to die.

  At the warehouse, his car jolted to a stop. Angelo opened the middle compartment and pulled out his cigarettes and a light. He was trying to quit. He knew he could not smoke if he wanted a family. Right now, that was the least of his concerns. He would not get a family if Ella kept running away.

  He blew out a puff of smoke and leaned against the side of his car. It relaxed him some. His nerves were shot. Thinking about why he was upset in the first place made him madder still. Angelo threw down the cigarette and stomped it out. He had a situation to handle inside the building.

  Angelo flung open the door and heard it slam again as he walked to the back office to see who was there. Rafa was sitting behind the desk. He must have been there a while. The last time Angelo was there, Brett turned the office into a disaster. He did not know where anything was.

  “Was the cleanup handled last night? Are we in the clear?” Angelo asked and fell into the small recliner in front of the desk.

  “So far,” Rafa replied. “Donnie tells me the force is suspicious that we were involved with the disturbance, but there were no bodies left behind for evidence. They are still trying to figure out what happened.”

  “Good.” Angelo nodded. “I’m assuming that they won’t ever find the evidence.”

  “Yes, I told you we would handle it.”

  “Fine. Fine.” Angelo brushed off the remark. “Did Brett get anything useful from that asshole I had him bring back here?”

  “Well, I can tell you this for certain. Bonadio turned more of Gregorio’s members to his side than we thought. We should make sure not to let something like last night happen again. Bonadio also has ties with law enforcement. He could definitely use that against us.”

  “That’s fucking perfect,” Angelo quipped and rubbed his temples with his thumbs. “As if we don’t have enough to deal with without corrupt POs.”

  “Hey, I’m just giving it to you straight.” Rafa rummaged through several sheets of paper on the desk and sorted the four stacks on top.

  “Get you an assistant, Rafa. You waste too much time organizing. I have better uses for you than filing.”

  Rafa gave him an upward glance and grumbled, “I don’t want anyone else handling my files. I have them how I like them.”

  “You need one, so find one. That’s the end of it,” Angelo ordered; then he looked through the open door. “Did Brett end up shooting that man?”

  “No, I’m sure he would have. We thought you wanted to take care of it.”

  Angelo stood up. He unbuttoned the two buttons on his coat and took out his pistol. It was a beautiful object with deadly intentions. As he walked out of the office, Angelo ejected the clip just to hear the snapping sound it made when he shoved it back in.

  There was a holding room in back. He continued forward with one thought in mind—death. Nobody held a gun to his woman’s head. This man would pay in the same way that Gregorio’s man paid when he pointed a gun at Ella’s head the night at the casino.

  In the room, the man sat on the floor. Brett took Angelo to heart. He did what he needed to get the man to talk. By the looks of him, he probably did more than needed. The man was lucky. If he had looked less beaten, Angelo would have tortured him more with broken bones.

  This was his life. Angelo raised his gun and looked at the man. He felt no guilt and no hesitation. He almost hated himself for his lack of pity. That was who he was. Feeling sorry for anyone who wronged him would have been his downfall. He could not afford to lose his nerve. He would be dead as soon as he did.

  Angelo pulled the trigger three times and hit the man in the head, neck, and chest. The first shot took the man’s life on impact. He fell to the ground. Angelo could not tell if the blood on the floor was fresh or already there. He did not give it another thought either and walked out of the room.

  Angelo left the building altogether. He needed a drink. Sometimes coping with the cruelty meant an occasional drink or five. All he thought about for the last few months was how to protect Ella. All of his efforts meant nothing to her. On a whim, she left the suite without realizing how much attention he gave. She was like a child sometimes. He kept her from self-harm. He kept her from Bonadio. When would she understand?

  “Hey!” Rafa shouted and ran after Angelo’s car as he backed up the Mercedes. “Where are you going?”

  Angelo rolled down the window and looked at him. He wanted Rafa to leave him alone. “What are you, my keeper?”

  “Open the door,” Rafa snarled. He stepped in front of the car and forced Angelo to stomp on the brake.

  “Move the hell out of my way!” Angelo snapped. “Do you really want me to run over your ass?”

  “Just open the fucking door!” Angelo knew that he would have to either run him over or open the door as he wanted. Rafa jumped inside as soon as the lock clicked up. “I don’t like where your mind is at all. You’re taking me with you wherever you’re going.”

  “Fine.” Angelo spun the tires and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. “I hope you like Marla’s, because I’m going to be there all night.”

  Marla’s. It was a hole-in-the-wall bar and did not have a listing on the Internet. No one would find him or Rafa there. There were a couple of drunks sitting at the bar. Two more men played pool. It probably had six tables in the entire place. Rafa looked around with disgust. His expression was priceless. Angelo owned a multimillion-dollar hotel and this was where he took him.

  “How the hell did you ever find this place?” Rafa asked.

  “It’s my secret hangout,” Angelo answered and walked to the bar.

  “Sure it is,” Rafa said. He did not believe him, which made it more humorous.

  “No, I’m serious. Watch me.” Angelo looked back.

  “Mr. Tomassi,” said the bartender. It was a woman in her late thirties with blue hair and a short jean skirt. She may not have dressed her age, but she was attentive to the customers.

  “Give me two Heinekens,” he said.

  “Sure, hun.” She walked to the small cooler and grabbed the beers. The cooler had one light on and the other burned out; the bottom of the appliance was missing a foot.

  “Six dollars,” she said and set the beers in front of him.

  “Keep the change,” he handed a Heineken to Rafa.

  “You have to be joking,” Rafa smirked.

  Angelo grinned. Seeing Rafa there was the most amusing moment he had in a while. “Hey, this will be the last place anyone looks for us. It’s not that bad once you get used to it. They take care of you he
re, but I wouldn’t take anyone home if I were you.”

  “No,” Rafa agreed. “I’m sure that I would get more than I asked for.”

  “Game of pool?” asked Angelo.

  “Sure, but I’ll have to burn my tainted hands of germs when I get back to the hotel.”

  Angelo laughed. “Don’t forget to call Brett when you do. You know how he likes fire.”

  Rafa took a drink of his beer but choked. “Too bad for him that I’m not a pyro.”

  “No…just a nympho. No one wants to see that.”

  Rafa crossed his arms and glared at him with contempt. “I don’t fuck that many women.”

  “Okay.” Angelo nodded and left it alone; then his tone turned more serious. “What am I going to do with Ella?” he asked and picked out a pool stick.

  Rafa shrugged. “Lay low and give her some time. Gregorio’s ranks could not get any worse than they already are in the next few weeks. Nobody knows about Gregorio but Sullivan and us. Our absence will also make Bonadio paranoid. That could help us too.”

  “I think waiting will hurt us more,” he said and racked the balls.

  “Actually, after last night, it’s probably best that we stayed off the radar for a while. Another incident like that could shut us down. That would be worse. The cops are still investigating that scene.”

  “You shoot first.” Angelo pointed at the table and thought about what he had said. “Christ, I knew she was mad at Gregorio. I should have never left that contract in the room.”

  “No, what you should have done was wait until after you got married to give her the master code.”

  “Go to hell,” Angelo huffed.

  “You’re older. You will go first,” said Rafa.

  The table was open. He knew that Rafa was not trying with the game. He did not even knock one ball into a pocket.

  “What would you do with her? I can’t have Ella jumping in the middle of the street every time she gets upset. I don’t have time to worry about that shit.”