His ashen face rolls to the side and cracks into a wide smile. “Vinny, my boy! Come in!”
I stride up to him and clutch his veined arm. My chest tightens as I look into his watery blue eyes and I don’t breathe until Adriana slides beside me. She reaches up and touches my shoulder, a small gesture that allows me to inhale again.
“I’m not so bad, Vince. It looks worse than it is. They’re discharging me today.”
“That’s great.”
His eyes slide over to my fiancée. “Nice to see you, Adriana.”
I wish I still held her hand, so I could squeeze it.
“Yeah. Glad you’re okay,” she says in a voice barren of emotion.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Her brown eyes are remorseless as she turns around when I pinch her arm roughly. “Go wait outside.”
I’ll deal with you later.
I wait until the sound of her heels clacking on the linoleum disappears. The door swings shut behind her, and Jack gives me a shrewd look.
“This war with the Rizzos—it can’t go on, Vince,” he says in a surprisingly clear voice.
My stomach clenches. “It’s safe to talk openly here?”
Jack presses a button on the side of his bed. The bed moans as it pushes up, so that Jack is sitting upright. “Yeah, it’s safe. Doctor-patient confidentiality. Cops can’t bug hospitals.”
Both of us have a good laugh at that.
Still smiling, my voice turns grim as I force myself to confront the situation at hand. “We need to have a sit-down with Tony. We don’t have the manpower to win this war. I think Tony knows that.”
My heart beats a violent tattoo against my chest.
Jack gives me a shrewd look. “He just tried to blow your head off. All of our heads, in fact. I want the cocksucker dead.”
Easier said than done. He’s the boss of the Rizzo family, for Christ’s sake.
I squeeze his shoulder. “I know. Believe me, I know. But we’re in no position to fight back. I think you should ask John in Montreal to help organize this sit-down.”
The Cravotta Crime Family boss in Montreal is friendly with Jack, and he might be able to secure a meeting with Tony. On the plus side, he’ll probably back us up if Tony decides to do something stupid.
He makes a sour face. “That French speaking fuck?”
“What? I thought you were on good terms with the Cravotta family.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” His mouth sets in a firm line. “There’s something else. I did some digging on your fiancée.”
Ah, shit.
My stomach twists. “Yeah?”
“Her father pissed off the Rizzos by agreeing to testify against Richie, who is missing.” His eyes burn into mine.
I don’t dare blink. No one knows about his death. Not yet. If they did—if the Rizzos found out I killed one of their made men, I’m fucked. I’m dead.
And I’m not just living for myself anymore.
My throat bulges and I swallow the painful lump. “So what?”
He looks at me like he wants to slap my face. “What the fuck were you thinking? Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
The energy rush to my head makes my hand slip on his bed. Oh, Fuck.
“No one else knows, Jack. I plan to keep it that way.”
“You better fucking hope they don’t find out, because if they do, there will be nothing stopping Tony from sanctioning a hit on you. I won’t go to war with the Rizzos just to save one captain.”
“What the fuck was I supposed to do, Jack? That asshole lured me to Adriana’s mother’s house to whack me. These fucking Rizzos fight dirty, and then Tony complains when I fight back? Fuck him.”
I don’t understand the hardness in his eyes. He looks at me like I’m a problem, like I’m making sloppy mistakes. I’m not.
“I love you, Vince, but it won’t matter to them. To them, you’ve violated the rules again.”
Fuck. I know he’s right.
His hand snakes through the bars and grabs my wrist. “You need to get rid of her mother.”
“What?”
I yank my arm out of his grip. Is he fucking crazy?
“She’s not trustworthy. She has to go. Give her a couple months, she’ll be singing to the feds about you. About us.”
Just the thought of it fills me with dread. It would destroy her. No.
I move away from him as a dizzying spell overcomes my body. My chest feels way too tight. “No,” I manage to croak out. “I won’t fucking do it.”
But he’s right. I know he’s right.
“Did you think being in this business was going to be easy?”
Fuck off.
“It would devastate Adriana.”
“You swore to put this family above everything. Everyone. That includes your future wife and children. Do you know how many times—”
“I love her, Jack.” My voice shakes and I clear my throat to strengthen it. “Don’t make me do this.”
The boss’ gaze slides to his lap, and he adjusts the blankets on his legs. “I knew you getting with this broad would become a fuckin’ problem.”
My fists clench together as white-hot energy burns away my fear. I would like to reach in that hospital bed and strangle him. “She’s not a fucking problem. She’s going to be my wife.”
Jack can be such an asshole.
He heaves a sigh when he sees how I won’t back down. “Relax, kid. We’ll table the issue with her mother for now—”
“Thanks.” I look at him warily. Inwardly, I don’t quite trust that Jack means what he says. He’s a prudent man, and he’ll get rid of her if he wants to.
“But if we’re going to do this sit-down, you need to be prepared. Keep your fucking head down and do not cause a problem for me. Try to keep your temper under control, or this might end badly for you.”
I want to roll my eyes. “You don’t need to say that. I’m not a moron.”
“Yeah, well.”
Wiseass.
* * *
I might die tonight.
It keeps running through my head in a soft whisper.
I expect it to happen. They’re reckless. They’ve already shot at us in a public restaurant surrounded by family. What the fuck do they care about rules? The only thing that gives me hope is that John will be there, mediating this meeting.
Still, why the fuck am I making it so easy for them?
Because it’s better to walk to your own death. To actually choose it, instead of it jumping out at you, striking you down like a lightning bolt.
Staring out into the city from my apartment makes me breathe easier. I look down at the quiet rumble of traffic, the haze rising over Central Park, and I feel removed from all of the politics within the families. Sometimes, when I feel guilty, I just stare out of this window and remind myself that we’re all a bunch of ants scurrying around. What will it matter to the universe if one of them is gone?
But I’m not floating in space. I’m a human being. I’m just as much of a slave as the rest of these poor bastards walking around this city, but at least I know who I am.
At least I accomplished that.
I never got to do all the things I wanted. Never saw Italy, never got married, or had kids.
My heart pounds a dreadful beat. I want all those things. I never realized how badly I wanted them until I met her. When there’s nothing between you and death but your intelligence or your guts, it’s easy. In the past, I would have gladly walked in the line of fire for Jack because we were part of the same family. This was my life.
Now she is.
Adriana sits at the small round table that she dragged near the windows, pouring over sheaves of paper almost spilling from the table.
I cannot deny the small sting of envy when I look down over her shoulder, at the notes strewn with mathematical symbols and phrases I’ll never understand. She’s so much smarter than I am. A part of me wonders what my life would be like if I had gone to college. What c
areer would I have chosen?
I can’t even fathom honest living anymore.
She wraps her arm around my leg and squeezes my thigh, turning her head to give me a kiss on my stomach. I feel tightness in my chest that strengthens when I lay my hand on her gorgeous head. Words can’t describe the happiness I feel when I see her ring gleaming on her finger, to know that she’s mine.
“Vince, did you say you had to be somewhere tonight?”
The happiness deflates like a balloon bursting.
“Yeah.”
Her head turns as she looks up at me with a slight frown. “Something wrong?”
Oh, you don’t even know.
Instead, I smile at her. She nuzzles my stomach and her mouth kisses a trail up my abdomen. My cock stiffens in my pants and she smiles when she sees it. She stands up, hands around my waist.
This fucking woman can get me hard so easily. Every stroke of her hands sets off a million nerve endings. She kisses my chest as her hand reaches around my thigh and strokes my cock. It hardens uncomfortably.
“God damn it, Ade.”
I move her hand away from my cock, and she gives me a wide grin. It makes me want to shove my cock down her throat to get rid of her gloating smile. Grabbing her shoulders, I pin her against the wall as I seek out those gorgeous, full lips. My tongue sweeps across her bottom lip, and I pull down her jeans. My hand spreads across her smooth belly and I dip my fingers behind her panties. Reaching back, I stroke her soaking clit and she moans into my mouth.
My woman is so hot for me that I can feel her wetness all over my hands. My two fingers tease through her folds and stab upwards. I feel her around me, as smooth as the inside of my cheek. She kisses me back desperately as I twist my fingers.
Goddamn, it’s hot.
“Vince—oh, Vince.”
My cock is so hard in my pants that it’s painful.
I love her. I want to fuck her. I’m going to tease her like she teased me.
“You want me so badly, don’t you?”
Her mouth opens in another gasp as I wrench my hand. “Yes!”
I chuckle in her ear, loving the way her body writhes against mine. Her nipples peak through her t-shirt and I’m tempted to grab her tits, but I know that if I do, I won’t be able to stop myself. My hand slides from her panties and she looks at me questioningly, her face flushed.
“What are you doing?”
“I need to leave.” I can’t quite suppress my grin as she grabs my waist.
“No, you can’t just—”
“Yes, I can,” I say, shooting her a warning look.
My fingers are still wet with her juice. I raise them to her face, and brush them against her lips. She leans forward and sucks them clean, probably hoping I’ll break down and fuck her.
I don’t.
When they’re clean, I tap her face with my hand. “Be a good girl and don’t masturbate. Wait for me. If you do it anyway, I’ll know.”
“Oh, come on!”
I push her away gently and I hurry out the door. Self-control can only go so far, and I’ve nearly spent all of mine.
It’s only till I’m outside that I realized I forgot to tell her that I love her.
* * *
I drive past the restaurant before looping around to find parking.
Fuck it. If they want to kill us, they wouldn’t make it so obvious.
I stop the car, and Jack and I share a look before we exit. Whatever happens, happens. Put everything behind you.
Several street lamps are busted, shrouding the sidewalk in darkness. The low visibility makes me nervous. If I can’t see anything, I can’t protect Jack. I already almost failed him once at the restaurant. Jack and I don’t say anything as we approach the darkened windows. Gambini’s. I can barely make it out.
I reach out and open the door, expecting a rain of bullets, screams, something, not a fat asshole patting me down for weapons. He takes my glock and finds the piece strapped to my leg.
“Vince—Jack,” the guard nods at both of us.
I’m too full of energy to say anything. I nod at him and step inside.
It’s a small restaurant. Looks homey—very traditional, old school Italian. The clichéd red and white-checkered tablecloths cover the small tables. Wooden chairs surround the quaint tables. They look like they were made for smaller people, because Tony looks so large in the chair.
“Hey guys, take a seat.”
Tony, the fat fuck, sits behind one of the round tables. He doesn’t even get out of his chair as we approach.
Disrespectful fuck.
His captains, who are seated around him, glower at me. George, the consigliere, sits at Tony’s right. There’s a bottle of wine on the table with no label, a couple of glasses and white plates. Big heaps of ziti sit on the plate in front of Tony. He digs into it with his fork, his hand almost swallowing the silverware. It’s so quiet, that the only sounds I hear are the clatter of Tony’s fork against the plate and his chewing.
To my relief, I spot John seated at the table with his protection flanking him. Johnny French, they call him, or “Frenchie” to his back. He isn’t really French, but like most Italians who grow up in Montreal, he speaks it fluently.
My feathers settle down somewhat. Good. I feel a little less naked.
Johnny stands up and embraces Jack. “How are you?”
“Not bad, not bad. This is Vince.”
“Ah, the hothead. I’ve heard about you.”
John winks at me, trying to get me to relax, but I can’t.
“Relax, Vince.”
I can’t relax, not when I’m staring at the man who almost had me and Adriana killed. Not to mention my mother, for fuck’s sake. I’m regretting the suggestion for this sit-down already.
Jack grunts as he sits down in the chair. He’s still in pain from the surgery, but he keeps his back straight. From the outside looking in, he looks just fine. It wouldn’t do to show any of these assholes weakness. I take my place behind him. One of the captains, a guy my age, sneers at me from across the room.
Fuck you, too.
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Johnny suggests.
“Thanks for coming down, John.”
The two bosses stare at each other from across the table.
“Okay,” Jack relents. “I’ll start. You came into our restaurant while we were surrounded by family members and you tried to end us. Well, we’re still fucking here and we want an end to all of this violence. It’s bad for business and it makes us look like savages to those in the old country.”
Tony barely looks up from his plate as Jack talks. He shrugs. “And?”
I’m already bristling from his fucking attitude.
“And what?”
“What, you’re going to act like nothing’s wrong while that piece of shit stands behind you? First, he beats the shit out of my made guy. Now his brother and another one of my guys are missing. I hear you, Jack, but we have a fucking problem as far as he’s concerned.”
I tense behind Jack as Tony’s small eyes flash malevolently towards me.
“He disrespected our family at one of our games. He was violent towards one of the dealers. I was there and saw all of it. Vincent’s response may have been a little overboard, but he tried to make it right.”
Tony sneers at me. “Look at you, hiding behind your fuckin’ boss like a coward.”
I move around Jack and lunge towards Tony, but Jack grabs my arm.
“I can fucking speak for myself, Jack!” I turn back towards Tony as hatred boils through my veins. “Yeah, I beat the piece of shit to a pulp, and I’d do it again. He was way out of line. Then when I try to make it right, you assholes threaten to rape my fiancée.”
He has an irritating little smirk. I’d like to reach across the table and rip his fat fucking head off.
“I had to retaliate. I could have killed him. I didn’t.”
I did him a fucking favor.
Tony blinks. “You broke h
alf the teeth in his mouth. How am I supposed to respond when you keep attacking my guys? Two of them are missing.” He gives me a pointed glare.
“Well, I don’t know anything about that!” I snarl into Tony’s face.
Like fuck, I don’t. I put several rounds in his chest and head. I’d do it again, and again, and again. As for the asshole who threatened Adriana, he had it fucking coming. Fuck them all.
One of the captains leaning against the wall, the one who eye-fucked me earlier, straightens. “Watch your fucking tone, asshole.”
Jack gives me a quelling look before he turns his attention back to Tony. “Tony, we’re not here to argue with you. We’re here to put everything behind us and work towards a solution.”
“Yeah, ‘cause you’re dying left and right.”
“Hey,” he snaps, looking angry for the first time tonight. “I could have gone to friends of ours in the old country, but I didn’t. I’m trying to make things work between our families before we kill each other. This conflict is destructive to both of our businesses, whether or not you’d like to admit it.”
The New Jersey boss sets down his fork and shoves aside his plate. One of his soldiers takes it away immediately as he takes a small sip of wine, stirring the glass and sniffing as if tasting Jack’s proposal. “I’m willing to discuss terms with you, but I have two missing men, Jack.”
“Yeah, and you killed several of mine, not to mention two of Vince’s cousins.”
That fat asshole looks up from the table, looking at me. A smile stretches over his grotesque face like a jack-o-lantern.
My hands shake at my side.
“Adriana Baldino,” he says suddenly.
“What’s she got to do with anything?” I ask defensively.
Jack gives me another enraged look.
“Her family owes us a lot of debts, not to mention her father almost fucked us over when he agreed to testify.”
The captain who told me to settle down shifts suddenly, I see his arms cross out of the corner of my eye.
Double Blind (Vittorio Crime Family #2) Page 2