“Hey, that explains a lot,” said Gabriel speculatively.
“It does,” Rico agreed. Then they turned to the entrance and realized about twenty Alphas had come in. Lucretia was leading the way. Not one of the Alphas raised a weapon but obediently stood awaiting orders.
“Well, well, it looks like Lupo is dead at last,” she said with a smile. “And none of us Alphas were here to witness the event, either. So, since you already know it is traditional for the man who deposed the leader to take his place, to whom do we own the honor of this kill?”
Lucretia was blatantly telling them that they should attribute the kill to Rico. Gabriel wasn’t sure if the lie sat well with him but he weighted the options in his head. If he told the truth, they would expect him to take Lupo’s place and he’d be even more stuck than he’d been before. If he told them Rico killed Lupo, Gabriel would miss out on the glory but he would get to leave. It wasn’t a difficult choice to make, as far as he was concerned.
“Rico killed Lupo, of course,” he said loudly as he pushed the man to the front. He pat him on the back proudly and gave him a thumbs up. His thumb was covered in blood, and Rico had no blood on him at all. The lie was blatantly obvious, yet no one said a word.
“Is this true, Rico?” prodded one of the other wolves.
“If Gabriel says it’s true, then of course it is true,” Lucretia commented. “The man is much too soft to be a criminal.”
“Thanks a lot,” Gabriel grumbled. “You’re right about that, of course. I’ll be very glad to leave this place.”
“Well, Rico, there is something you must know,” said Lucretia as she stepped boldly forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “My men are loyal only to me. If you want to gain control of them, then you shall have to make me your wife. We can reign over this little empire together.”
“Hey, take away all my fun why don’t you?” he grumbled. “I wanted to get a ring and go down on one knee and the whole nine yards, but no—miss Alpha queen won’t even let a guy do that. Do you see what I’m dealing with here, Gabriel?”
“I see very clearly,” he smirked. “Now go ahead and kiss her and say yes, so we can go, will you?”
“Go? Where are we going now? I thought we could make use of my new banquet hall for a celebration,” Rico said. “We could all use some rest, could we not? Desmond can wire a ticket to Esrelda and she can bring Maria here for you. Does that sound agreeable?”
Gabriel sighed, and looked over at his wife as she stood there soothing their son. He imagined Mario was equally as tired after all he had just been through, and Betsy certainly looked a bit worse for wear. He didn’t even want to imagine what he looked like himself.
“Fine, but kiss her anyway,” Gabriel said. “It’ll give her men a clear idea that the deal’s been accepted, and then we can go announce the good news to whoever might be left upstairs. Hopefully they’ll take the change in leadership with good grace since I don’t feel like fighting yet another battle tonight.”
“You’re the boss, boss,” said Rico with a grin. Then he grabbed Lucretia around her waist, tilted her way back until she yelped, and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.
The Alphas all cheered. Rico’s men laughed and slapped each other’s shoulders, and Betsy grinned as well. She cast Gabriel a grin that clearly said she like the idea of Lucretia having somebody else to focus on, and he nodded his agreement.
Upstairs, nobody was the least bit surprised when the bloody group emerged from the elevator. Some of the people seated there even cheered. The butler stepped forward and asked, “And to whom do I now owe my allegiance, sirs?”
“Rico,” said Gabriel, indicating his friend.
“Will you be wanting a shower, sir?” the man asked Gabriel.
“Yes, and we’d also like a suite of rooms with accommodations for an infant, if you have it,” said Gabriel.
A bellhop stepped forward to lead the couple and their child away.
Rico called after them, “Don’t be too long, we’re going to dine in about an hour. I’ll find a woman to care for little Mario while you’re down here. I’m sure he’s not ready for such a rowdy party at his age.”
“Thanks all the same, Rico, but I’d just as soon enjoy my son,” Gabriel told him. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
“All right, my friend,” Rico agreed. “You take all the time you need. Desmond is already speaking to Esrelda now and arranging for her flight. It won’t be long before your whole family is together again.”
“Thanks.”
“Gabriel, you could always keep on working for me, you know,” he suggested. “I’d send you back to Vegas. You could have your old job back there.”
“No, Rico, I don’t think so.”
“It’s an open-ended invitation if you ever change your mind.”
Gabriel didn’t say another word as he and Betsy followed the bellhop, leaving all things mob related behind.
THE END
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Return Of The Real Italian Alphas Page 7