But the next morning, when his father checked his security cameras, that plan, like Dommi’s plan before his, flew out of the window too.
“Mommy? Mommy?”
Trina looked at her high maintenance son. They were in the dining room of the Palargio’s penthouse, having breakfast. Trina, Sophie, and Dom. And Dom was being Dom. “What?” Trina asked.
“May I have another toast, please?”
“No, you may not. Finish eating what you have.”
“But I don’t have any more toast.”
“I’m not playing with you, boy,” Trina warned him. “Finish your breakfast.”
“He’s got food and want more food,” Sophia said to her mother. “He’s greedy.”
“You’re greedy!” Dom shot back.
Trina shot a look at him. “Don’t make me get out of this chair. You hear me?”
Dom frowned. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But she gets on my last nerve, Mommy.”
Trina couldn’t help but smile. “What do you know about last nerves? Just eat.”
Dommi smiled, too, when he saw his mother smile, and began eating his breakfast more vigorously.
But when his father entered the dining room, fully dressed in his pristine suit and tie, his energy slowed again. Trina looked at him. That wasn’t like Dommi. He usually ran to his father whenever he came down for breakfast. Which was usually long after the rest of them.
But Sophia ran to him. “Daddy!” she said happily, as she jumped from the table.
Reno was still drained from the day before, and was barely awake, but he managed to lift her into his arms. “Hello, Princess,” he said, as he began carrying her to the table.
“Good morning, Daddy,” she said. “You’re late for breakfast.”
Reno went over to Trina, and they kissed on the lips. As usual, he wanted to linger in his kiss. But he didn’t. He sat down, with Sophia on his lap, at the head of the table.
“I’ll get your plate,” Trina said as she got up and headed for the kitchen.
Reno looked at Dom. He was a little disappointed that his son didn’t run to greet him the way he usually did. “Good morning, Road Runner,” he said.
“Beep, beep,” Sophia said.
“Plan on being fast and furious today too?” Reno asked. “Plan on stealing any more cars today? Plan on cruising the Strip today?”
Dom shook his head. “No, sir. Never. I’ll never drive again for as long as I live.”
“Drive?” Sophia asked. “You cannot drive.”
“Au contraire,” Trina said as she returned to the room with Reno’s plate of food. “Your brother’s talents are endless. He, in fact, can drive.”
Sophia looked at Dom as if she was seeing him for the first time. Dom, however, was looking at his parents.
“Dinner still on with Sal and Gemma tomorrow night?” Reno asked Trina.
Trina nodded. “It’s still on.” Then she stopped and looked at him. “Why? Don’t tell me you can’t make it.”
“I can make it. I want to make sure Sal makes it.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Dommi said. Reno and Trina looked at him.
“What?” Reno asked.
Dommi swallowed hard. “What happened yesterday is my fault. Not Uncle Sal’s. I want to apologize to you and Mommy,” he added.
Trina stood there and looked at him. Reno began eating, staring at his son too. Then Trina smiled and opened her arms. It was exactly what Dommi was waiting for. He jumped from the table, ran to his mother, and fell against her into her arms.
She kissed him on the top of his head. “Your apology is accepted,” she said.
“Thank you, Mommy,” Dom replied, and then looked at his father.
Reno looked at him with a look devoid of warmth. Dommi’s manipulating ass had to learn a lesson. But Reno’s hardnose look didn’t last. Dommi drove him all kinds of crazy, but he loved him to death. He smiled and opened his arm too. Dommi smiled and jumped up onto his lap. Reno pulled both of his biracial children tightly, and held them close.
Trina smiled. It warmed her heart. She sat back down.
Reno looked at her. Even with no makeup, and even as she was dressed very conservatively in a thigh-length gray suit coat that concealed her fantastic ass, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him. “How are you doing this morning?”
She nodded her head. “I’m alright. Once I get Dom back on track in school today, I’ll be better.”
“The entire city will be better,” Reno said with a smile. “And safer,” he added.
“Speaking of city,” Trina said, “don’t forget the luncheon today.”
Reno frowned. “That isn’t today. Please tell me that is not today!”
Trina was not amused. “It’s today, Reno. Don’t even go there. You forgot?”
He didn’t respond.
“Oh, Reno!”
“Don’t oh, Reno me! I don’t have time for some idiotic luncheon. I don’t have time for that shit. And it’s eleven o’clock in the morning? Who eats lunch that early?”
“Plenty of people, Reno. And it’s not about how early it is. They want to be out by one. They have things to do too. You’ve got to show up.”
“I’ll show up. If I can get away.”
Trina gave him her best look of umbrage. “You can and you will get away. You’re the guest of honor. You’re being handed the key to this city. All you have to do is show up, attend a program for a couple hours, and accept the key.”
“A couple hours of bad music, bad jokes, and bad food. That’s how those programs always are. And for what? A freaking key that can’t even unlock a freaking door!”
“It opens doors in the metaphorical sense, Reno,” Trina explained. “Owning a key to the city says that you’ve arrived. It says you’re legitimate and the entire town recognizes your legitimacy.”
“It says I contribute money to the mayor’s foundation and they want that money to continue,” Reno suggested. “It will continue, because that foundation is doing helpful things, but let’s not pretend this is about me and my good works. It’s about me and my pocketbook.” He was about to continue, but his cell phone rang. When he pulled it out, and looked at it, he had to answer. “Yeah?”
The caller was his front desk security chief. “I apologize for disturbing you, sir, but it’s Jimmy.”
“What about Jimmy?” Reno asked, and Trina looked at him.
“He’s down here fighting a guest, sir, and he will not listen to reason.”
Reno angrily removed the phone from his ear, and then put it back. “I’m on my way,” he said, and ended the call.
“Come on, children,” Trina said as she lifted Sophia into her arm and Dommi got off on his own. “What about Jimmy?” she asked Reno.
Reno was rising and tossing a napkin onto the table. “A fight. With a guest.”
Trina was surprised. “A guest? Don’t he realize we can be sued?”
“Oh, he knows that well. But does he care? Hell no.”
Reno looked at Dom and pointed his finger. “Fuck up again and you’re fucked. You hear me?”
“I hear you,” Dom said, nodding. “I hear you loud and clear.”
Reno stared at him a moment longer, and then he gave him a kiss. He gave Sophia a kiss, gave Trina a kiss, and then he left.
“Can I go see Jimmy’s fight, Mommy?” Dommi asked.
“You know better than that,” Trina said, although she was very worried. “Daddy will handle it.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The argument had escalated to dangerous heights by the time Reno got off of the elevator and made his way toward the front entrance, where the disagreement was taking place. Jimmy was jawing with a hotel guest about some trash talking the guest had been doing. But Reno knew his son. He knew that look on his face. He began to run. But before he could get there, Jimmy angrily decked the guy, jumped down on top of him, and began to go to town on him.
Reno’s security chief was onsite, and c
ould have broken it up, but when he saw Reno running to the scene, he stood down. Jimmy was in a foul mood this morning. The worse the chief had seen in a long time. He would rather Reno handle it.
And Reno did. As soon as he arrived, he grabbed his son off of the guest, and flung him away. And the guest, as Reno expected, stood to his feet announcing his plans. “I’m gonna sue!” he yelled. “I’m gonna sue! Jimmy Gabrini hit me first and everybody in this lobby saw it! I’m gonna sue!”
Reno extended his hand. “I’m Reno Gabrini,” he said. “Jimmy’s father. May we speak privately, please?”
The guest didn’t shake his hand. He straightened his now disheveled shirt. “What do I need to speak privately with you for? I’m not playing. I’m gonna sue!”
“Then let’s go settle it.”
The man looked at Reno. He knew who Jimmy was by word of mouth last night in the casino. He knew he was the owner’s kid. This was the first time he had any contact with the owner himself. So he agreed to go into a backroom with Reno. Jimmy followed them. When the door was closed, Reno pulled out a wad of cash, counted out a thousand dollars, and handed them to the guest.
“What’s this?” the man asked.
“A grand,” Reno said. “Take it and scram.”
“Don’t give him anything, Pop!” Jimmy yelled.
“Shut the fuck up!” Reno yelled back at his son. “Keep your fucking trap closed!” Then he turned back to the guest. “Here,” he said, still offering the money. “Take it.”
But the guest was not amused. “Are you joking? Are you for real? I can sue this place for tens of thousands of dollars. Why would I settle for a grand? I’m not taking shit and scramming. You scram!” The man turned to leave.
Reno grabbed him by the arm and turned him back. “Either take this grand and leave,” Reno said, “or lose an arm, a leg, and an eye while I’m at it. And yes, you can still sue after that level of beat down. But I doubt very seriously if you’re ever enjoy the money.”
The man was stunned. Anybody else and he would have laughed at such an insulting way to handle business. But this was Vegas and this was the owner of a casino. He didn’t know who this Gabrini person was, he was from Idaho, after all, but he knew some casino owners had bad reputations. Gangster reputations. And that look in this casino owner’s eyes made him doubtful that this man was joking. Therefore he didn’t smile either. He liked his life just the way it was, and didn’t want to get mixed up in craziness. He snatched the money out of Reno’s hand, and scrammed.
Then Reno looked at his son. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked him. “You know you can’t fight any of our guests!”
“He was mouthing off. What did you want me to do? Stand there and take it? I’m a man, Pop. Men don’t take that crap!”
Knocks were heard on the door. Reno exhaled. “What?” he yelled.
The door opened. It was Lee Jones. “You need to come see this, boss,” he said.
“Come see what?”
“You need to come.” Then he looked at Jimmy. “Bring Jimmy with you.”
Reno found that an odd request, but he and Jimmy followed Lee to the elevator, upstairs, and into Reno’s suite of offices. Trina, Dommi, and Sophia were also at Reno’s office, sitting in his secretary’s waiting room. Quinn Chan was just asking if she could assist Trina in any way. Trina said she could not. The other assistants sat behind their desks and smiled. They knew Mrs. Gabrini was no fan of Quinn’s.
Now Reno, Jimmy, and Lee were coming through the door, and Trina looked just as puzzled as Reno. She stood up. “What’s this about?” she asked him as they walked up to her.
Reno stopped walking and looked at Lee. He didn’t expect to see the rest of his family sitting here. “Was this necessary?” he asked him.
“I called the residence first,” Lee said. “I thought you would still be there. When Trina answered, I thought she, as President of this corporation, should see this too.”
“See what?” Trina asked.
“Let’s get inside,” Reno ordered. He knew all eyes in that outer office were on them. Trina, Jimmy, and Lee began heading into Reno’s office. Reno, however, stopped and looked at his two youngest children. “Keep your butts in those seats until we finish,” he said. “Understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” Sophia quickly said. Her small feet were barely over the seat and were flapping wildly.
Dommi, on the other hand, wasn’t carefree at all. He appeared to Reno to be plotting and scheming even as he sat there. And Reno gave him what Dommi knew as that look. Dommi nodded vigorously. “I won’t move a muscle in this chair no matter what,” he promised.
“Or that’ll be the last chair you sit in,” Reno warned. Then he looked, not at Quinn, but at his secretary.
She smiled. “I’ll keep an eye on them, sir,” she said.
“Thank you,” Reno said, and then headed in his office too.
Jimmy wasn’t particularly concerned as they stood in front of Reno’s desk. Lee wasn’t on his father’s security staff after all. What would he know? Besides, Jimmy assumed this emergency meeting had everything to do with some major contract dispute or some other issue regarding one of their major talents. They only booked superstars for their guests’ entertainment and it was always big news when one backed out or made unreasonable demands.
But he assumed wrong. As soon as Reno arrived and stood in front of his desk too, and leaned against it, Lee aimed a remote at the big screen television on the wall above the bust of Beethoven. It was the same wall that Jimmy opened without permission while Reno and Tree were sound asleep.
But before pressing Play, Lee spoke. “Woody was doing his daily check,” he said to Reno, “when he saw something pretty amazing. He was too afraid to bring it to your attention himself. He’s Office Security,” Lee added, “but he felt this was too personal. So he came to me.”
Reno and Trina both were concerned. Personal? “What is it?” Trina asked.
“This,” Lee said, and pressed Play.
Jimmy nearly wet his pants when his image appeared on the television screen, in the room behind the wall where his father kept his safe. He was opening up the safe.
Terrified, he looked at Reno. But Reno, mystified, was staring at the screen. So was Trina. Jimmy had no idea his father had cameras in that little musky room. He had no idea!
When Jimmy, onscreen, began taking wads of cash out of his safe, Reno felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He knew his sons were a handful. He knew they required every ounce of energy he had to make sure they didn’t go off any deep ends. But he never dreamed his oldest boy, his firstborn, would ever steal so much as a penny from him! Or from anyone else. But Reno stared at that screen. He stared when Jimmy, apparently hearing someone approaching, dropped the bag and left the room. Then, a few minutes later, Jimmy returned to the room, grabbed the bag filled with cash, and left again. It was only then did Lee stop the recording.
It was also only then did Reno and Trina look at Jimmy. Jimmy was surprised that his father’s look wasn’t filled with rage the way he expected, but disappointment. Deep disappointment. And hurt. Deep, deep hurt. That look alone broke Jimmy’s heart. He hurt his father. For the first time in his life, he hurt his father.
Then his father hurried over to him and hurt him. He hit him with a single punch. Jimmy felt the sting in his jaw and buckled his knees. He was on the floor before he realized what had just happened. He quickly began holding his jaw and moving it around as if he was afraid of getting lockjaw. He looked up at his parents.
Trina often intervened when Reno got too rough with their children, but she wasn’t about to intervene this time. If Jimmy had not been Reno’s son, that one punch would have been followed by fifty more warm-up punches and then his real ass whooping would have commenced. And stealing from Reno? She was as shocked as her husband.
“What’s the meaning of this, James?” Reno asked in a voice uncharacteristically quiet and unassuming.
Tears be
gan to appear in Jimmy’s eyes.
“And stand your ass up!” Reno ordered. Jimmy quickly stood up.
Trina and Lee exchanged a glance. Lee had been a part of their family since Trina first hooked up with Reno, but they were treading into family territory they had never treaded before. His look seemed to ask for permission to leave. Trina nodded.
“I’ll be in my office if either of you need me,” he said to Reno and Trina. He looked at Jimmy again, and then left.
Reno was looking at Jimmy too. He was staring at his son with such an intensity that it terrified Jimmy just to look back. “So you’re stealing from me now?” Reno asked his son. “You’re stealing from me?”
Jimmy swallowed hard. “I wasn’t stealing,” he said.
“Bullshit!” Reno responded with so much emotion that Trina touched his arm to help calm him back down. He calmed down.
“I took it,” Jimmy clarified, “but I was going to put it back. I needed the money, Daddy.”
When Jimmy called him the more affectionate Daddy, rather than his usual Pop or Dad, it felt like another gut punch to Reno. Had he failed him that miserably? Did his own son hate him so much that he would steal from him? Was calling him Daddy some kind of way of rubbing it in?
But Trina knew there had to be a huge explanation. She and Jimmy were close. Jimmy wouldn’t just steal like this, and especially not from Reno. Something was wrong. “What did you need it for?” she asked.
Jimmy shook his head. He hated that it had come to this. He hated that he would have to reveal something so vile to his father. “I was going to put it back,” he said again.
“Why did you take it, motherfucker?” Reno asked between clenched teeth. “Answer her question!”
But Jimmy was too ashamed to answer it. He couldn’t even voice it. He reached into his suit pocket, pulled out the phone that contained the first video, and then handed the phone to his father.
Reno Gabrini: A Family Affair Page 7