Breaking Bones (Mariani Crime Family #2)

by Amanda Washington

  The booths on either side of Jimmy’s were empty. Diner traffic this early was low, but there were still enough patrons to provide a possible witness. Wondering how Renzo planned to play this out, I followed as he slid into the seat across the table from Jimmy and leveled a gun at him. The waitress excused herself and I took her spot, standing to block the view of onlookers. Jimmy was in the middle of taking a bite of his waffle. He stiffened and the color drained from his face. Then he slowly lowered the fork back to his plate and faked a smile.

  “Renzo. Hey man, I’ve been looking for you. My phone broke and I—”

  “Cut the shit, Jimmy,” Renzo said, gesturing at the phone on the table. “I tracked you through that piece of shit, dumbass. Thought you’d never leave the house. I’m glad you did so I didn’t have to go in there after you.”

  Renzo filched a piece of bacon from Jimmy’s plate and stuffed it in his mouth. “Goddammit, I can’t believe you put me in this position,” he said around bites. “Of all the low-life, scum-sucking, bottom-feeding bastards out there, she had to choose you.”

  Sweat beaded across Jimmy’s forehead. “You gotta listen to me,” he pleaded. “I… I made a bad bet, but I’m workin’ my ass off to get the money, I promise. I’d have it for you now, but Ellie has to get braces and my insurance doesn’t—”

  “Shut the hell up,” Renzo snapped. He shoved the last bite of bacon into his mouth and then wiped his hands on a napkin. “Stop using my niece as an excuse to be a douchebag.”

  What? His niece? Jimmy had to be Isobel’s husband, and therefore Renzo’s brother-in-law. I swore under my breath as all the pieces clicked together. No wonder Renzo was pissed. My presence was a show of disrespect, a slap across his face. Carlo had sent me as a sign that he didn’t trust Renzo to whack his sister’s husband.

  Damn.

  I’d worked so hard to make sure nobody saw me as a threat, but in one foul swoop, Carlo had undone all my work. Renzo was pissed, but he couldn’t take it out on Carlo. Carlo was disciplining Renzo and putting me in my place. After this hit, I’d be at Renzo’s mercy… and Renzo didn’t have any mercy.

  “If Ellie needed braces, you should have made wiser bets,” Renzo said between gritted teeth. “I told Isobel not to marry you. I can’t believe I let her talk me into throwing you some business. You got my ass called to the carpet, and now I have to deal with you. You left me no goddamn choice.”

  Jimmy’s eyes practically bugged out of his head. It would have been comical if the situation weren’t so deadly. “You c-c-can’t d-d-do this. Isobel will n-n-never forgive you.”

  Renzo calmly slid his gun back into his pocket and pulled on a pair of gloves. When he was finished, he leveled his weapon back at Jimmy, and said, “Get me his piece, Bones.”

  Taking my cue from Renzo, I released the grip on my Glock to pull on gloves before reaching into Jimmy’s jacket pocket and relieving him of his Beretta 92, which I then passed to Renzo.

  “Now pick up your phone and text my sister. Tell her you screwed up and you’re sorry. Tell her you can’t live with the guilt anymore.”

  Jimmy’s eyes went wide. “N-no.”

  “Think, Jimmy. Don’t make this harder than necessary. I can still protect her and Ellie, but I can’t protect you. Pick up the damn phone.”

  Hands shaking, Jimmy did as he was told. His fingers flew over the face of the screen as he composed the message.

  “Show it to me,” Renzo demanded.

  Jimmy held up the phone. Renzo scanned the screen and nodded. “Send it.”

  Jimmy hit the send key and showed Renzo again.

  “Ren, it doesn’t have to be this way. You know I’m good for it. Just give me a little more time.”

  Renzo didn’t reply. His eyes were hard when he looked at me—the witness sent by the family to make sure he did the deed—then turned back to his brother-in-law. “You know I don’t make the rules, and mercy isn’t mine to give.” He pulled out his own phone and thumbed a message.

  “No, Ren, don’t do this.” Jimmy turned from Renzo to me, searching for hope.

  I had none to give him.

  The building’s fire alarm pealed, deafening in its steady screech. Renzo tensed. Ignoring our booth, waitresses herded diners toward the exits.

  Renzo scooted around to Jimmy’s side of the booth. He grabbed Jimmy’s hand and positioned it on the Beretta, raising it to Jimmy’s temple. Jimmy struggled, but Renzo quickly overpowered him and squeezed the trigger. Jimmy’s body jerked. Blood and tissue coated the wall behind him. I stared at the body, knowing I should feel something at the loss of life, but I didn’t. Not even a flicker of remorse. Jimmy’s gun fell to the seat. Renzo pushed past me and walked back toward the way we’d entered.

  Behind us, Jimmy’s cell phone rang, the happy tune competing with the high-pitched squeal of the fire alarm. It was probably Isobel, freaking out about Jimmy’s text.

  By the time we reached the kitchen, the staff had been evacuated. No witnesses. Even had they seen us, no local would be stupid enough to testify. Not in this city. Not unless they wanted to end up just like Jimmy. We escaped through the back door. In the chaos, nobody noticed two wiseguys slinking out of the supposedly burning building. That was nothing out of the ordinary for Vegas.

  We made it back to Renzo’s SUV before his phone buzzed. He took the call and put it up to his ear. “Hey Izzy, you’re up early. Everything okay?”

  As Renzo assured his sister he’d find Jimmy and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid, I watched the restaurant where Jimmy sat with a hole in his head disappear behind us. The world we lived in was beyond screwed up, and I was thankful Angel was getting out, even if I wouldn’t be able to join him.

  Much to my surprise, Renzo didn’t turn his gun on me. Instead, he dumped me off right where he’d picked me up. I had to admire Carlo’s play, knowing even though Renzo had let me go today, he was too prideful to forgive me for what I’d seen. As a made man, Renzo could ice me with very little—if any—retaliation. Unless, of course, I took Carlo’s offer and let him turn me into a family man. Then I’d be protected. I’d also be stuck in Vegas and unable to leave with Angel.

  I had no good options, and as I watched Renzo pull away, I felt like someone else had eyes on me. Alarmed, I gripped the gun in my pocket and scanned the area. I didn’t see anyone, so I slipped inside to get the hell out of the open.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ariana

  SLEEP AND I had never been on great terms, but our relationship seemed to be getting worse the older I got. When I was with Matt, he’d give me something to knock me out, but Halloween had scared the crap out of me and I hadn’t touched so much as a Tylenol since. Exhausted, I stared at the clock on the nightstand, calculating how much sleep I could still get if I miraculously passed out.

  Determined to get in at least a few winks, I closed my eyes and attempted to clear my mind. Markie’s steady breathing kind of irritated me. I couldn’t understand my sister at all. Her boyfriend slept on the other side of the living room and she was here in the bed with me. If I had a guy like Angel—or any guy at all for that matter—I’d be in there wrapped in his arms, doing whatever it took to get rid of this hollow feeling inside me. But Markie didn’t seem to crave affection the same way I did, making me wonder what was wrong with me.

  Why did I constantly crave to be touched and loved?

  My thoughts drifted back to my conversation with Bones. Why had I chosen Vegas? Deep down I knew my chances of making it as a singer were few and far between. But what better place was there for playing the odds? So yeah, I was gambling with my future. Not like I had anything to lose, though. Everything I’d ever had was long gone.

  My eyes sprang open again. The clock on the nightstand read 6:12 a.m. Christmas was almost upon us and I still hadn’t figured out a gift for Bones. I wanted to get him something special, but didn’t want to seem desperate. Cologne? No. I loved the way he smelled and did not want to mess with that. A watch? No way
could I afford the type of timepiece a man like Bones would wear. A tie? Too dad-ish. Nothing seemed right.

  Frustrated, I threw back my covers. Screw sleep. I didn’t need it anyway. What I needed was more time with the punching bag to help me focus. Wondering if there was some sort of workout gear I could get him, I slipped out of bed, pulled on my gym clothes, and crept to the door. Bones was sleeping peacefully for once and I didn’t want to wake him, so I slipped out the door as quietly as I could.

  About an hour and a half later, I was finished with my workout and still clueless as to what to get Bones. I headed for the elevator and found him standing in the lobby wearing one of his sexy suits with his hand in his coat pocket. Since I wasn’t stupid, I knew he kept a gun in that pocket. And like a little kid with a security blanket, his hand was on it every time he left the condo.

  Bones’s posture was rigid, his lips tight, contrasting the gym bag slung over his shoulder. He faced the front doors of the building, watching something. Curious, I followed his gaze to what appeared to be a typical dry, sunny December morning. Nothing to be all tense about.

  “Hey Bones, you okay?” I asked.

  He glanced at me before returning his gaze to the lobby doors. “Yeah. Was just on my way to work out with you.”

  “So you dressed up first?” I asked, gesturing at his designer threads.

  “Had to take care of some business first.” The way he continued to stare at the door told me it must have been some business.

  “Oh. Everything okay?” I asked.

  “For now.”

  When he still didn’t move I asked, “So, you heading up? Or are you just going to stand here all day?”

  That finally got his attention. His gaze turned on me, taking in my sweaty gym clothes before saying, “I need to hit the gym. You’re all done?”

  He sounded disappointed, and I didn’t want to leave him alone. “Actually… you feel like going for a swim?”

  “A swim?” he asked.

  “Yeah. You know, with the water and the strokes.” I flailed my arms around like I was swimming. Although the complex had a pool, Bones and I had never used it. I wasn’t sure he even knew how to swim.

  His lips quirked up in a sexy half-smile that made my heart race. “Yeah. A swim sounds good.” He cast one last look at the main doors before draping an arm over my shoulders and leading me back toward the gym.

  Bones smelled amazing. I leaned into him, inhaling the fresh, clean scent of his body wash mixed with gun oil. I could have stayed under his arm forever, but he shooed me into the women’s locker room and headed for the men’s. By the time I slipped into my bikini and re-emerged, Bones was already swimming laps. We were the only two people in the pool room, so I stood back and watched the way his powerful strokes ate up the distance from one side of the pool to the next. His trunks hung low on his hips, teasing me with every stroke. For one brief, insane moment I considered getting him a Speedo for Christmas.

  Because nothing says platonic like a banana hammock. Ohmigod, get a grip, Ari.

  No one looked good in a Speedo. No one. Yet there I was, fantasizing about Franco “Bones” Leone, beautiful specimen of man… Franco. A freakin’ sexy name, too. One I could definitely wrap my tongue around… or my legs. And I definitely would the second I had the opportunity. Although, sex had ruined the best of my relationships, and I couldn’t afford to lose Bones just because he had a hot body. His hot body chose that very moment to crest the water, and I was caught drooling over him like some sort of pervert. His gaze raked over my body before he cracked another of his sexy, lopsided smirks.

  “Did you invite me here just to look at me, or are you gonna jump in and swim?”

  Heat shot up my face, and to other parts of my body. I closed my mouth, hoping there was no saliva running down my chin, and dove in.

  The water cooled me down immediately. Without giving Bones another glance, I swam until my limbs felt like they were going to fall off. When I couldn’t go a single lap further, I headed for the hot tub. Turning my back to the pool so I wouldn’t be tempted to gawk at Bones, I closed my eyes and slunk down until the water came to my chin. The jets drowned out the noise of my reality and pounded away at my sore muscles. It was heaven. It lasted all of five minutes. Then the water level rose, covering my mouth and going up my nose to almost drown me. I flailed and coughed, trying to recover.

  “Sorry,” Bones said, smiling sheepishly. “Most people have a little body fat, so they rise with the water level.”

  Sometimes he said the sweetest things without even meaning to.

  “Aww, thanks.”

  I resettled and watched droplets of water roll down Bones’s chest. It was the first time I’d seen him bare-chested close up, and da-aamn, the boy was stacked. Besides the very impressive muscles, though, several scars marked up his pecks and abs. I remembered what he’d said about coming home bleeding from training and his mom not saying anything, but just fixing him up. I nodded toward the marks and asked, “Those the scars from your training?”

  “Some.” He sank up to his neck, obstructing my view. “Guys have scars. It’s a thing.”

  “Sure they do. Must have been some training.” I’d seen knife scars before, and Bones definitely had a couple of them. And the sloppy circle on his left shoulder had to be a bullet wound. No way that was from training.

  “So…” Bones started, leading into an obvious subject change. “I hear you have a birthday coming up.”

  I winced at the reminder of my upcoming twenty-first birthday. Old enough to drink and too old to be chasing a dead dream. I could almost hear the clock ticking toward my mid-twenties, and then thirties. When would I be too old to be discovered at all? Uncle Jay used to call my singing “a nice little hobby.” Man, I wanted to prove that windbag wrong and show him I could make a career out of it, but after a year in Vegas I was still just waiting tables.

  “Ari?”

  I shook myself. “Yep.”

  He chuckled. “What? It’s the big twenty-one. You should be at least a little excited.”

  “Yay me,” I deadpanned. Twenty-one, crappy job, always broke, living in my sister’s boyfriend’s condo, no car, no education; life wasn’t exactly turning out the way I’d hoped. I should have listened to my uncle and gone to school. I shouldn’t have blown all my money moving to Vegas and renting—and furnishing—the fanciest apartment I could find. I shouldn’t have given a cent to Matt. I should have researched him and asked for references. The drugs were also a big mistake. Oh, and all those expensive outfits I bought didn’t do a thing for getting me noticed. They just emptied the last of my bank account. Now here I was, washed up before I’d even started.

  Boo-hoo. Cry me a freakin’ river, Ari. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself. Idiot.

  “You’re not the least bit pumped about drinking legally?”

  “Nah. Kinda takes the fun out of it for me. It’s not like I like the flavor or anything.”

  He chuckled. It was nice to see him relax after whatever had gone down with his job this morning. Deciding to mess with him, I batted my eyelashes.

  “Why do you look so disappointed, Bones? You thinking about getting me drunk and taking advantage of me?”

  He stiffened. “Sorry, Ari, but I’m not that kind of guy.”

  “Don’t get your panties in a wad, I know you’re the boring definition of a gentleman.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  Bones was like a trained bear in this circus called life. He was friendly and knew all the right tricks, but there was something feral and dangerous lurking beneath his skin. The suicidal part of me wanted to taunt him until he lost his cool and showed me the beast within. I wanted to poke him until he broke free and mauled me. Probably not my smartest move, but I leaned forward and said, “Yeah? Prove it.”

  Then I made the dirtiest play I could think of and stood up. Water cascaded down my bikini-clad body, forcing Bones’s attention on my bare stomach, which was right in
his face. His eyes widened, and I got the briefest glimpse of his beast. Then he dropped his gaze and looked away.

  “Chicken,” I said, slumping back down into the water.

  “I’m not a nice guy, Ari. I know you’re just teasing, but you don’t want to do that with guys like me.”

  “Who said I was teasing?” Frustrated, I crossed my arms and glared at him.

  “Come on, don’t be like that.” He nudged me with a toe. “Talk to me like you did last night. Tell me something about yourself.”

  “I hate the color pink,” I replied. It was the least personal response I could think of.

  He cocked his head. “Not what I meant. Tell me something important. Something you’ve never told anyone else.”

  “Truth or dare?” I asked.

  “But without the dare. I have a feeling you’d beat me every round.”

  “No fun,” I pouted. “Fine, but you go first.”

  “Okay.” Bones looked around the room. I followed his gaze to the two camera bubbles. Whatever he was about to confide, he didn’t want overheard. My interest piqued when he turned up the jets on the tub and slid over so the side of his body was pressed against mine. His proximity definitely felt more like a dare than truth. My pulse sped up as he leaned into me, positioning himself to whisper in my ear. Hot breath on my neck made goosebumps sprout across my arms. If he was about to admit he had a thing for me, I could not be responsible for what I did to him in that hot tub. Or what I allowed him to do to me. To hell with the cameras pointed at us.

  “I’m sick of watching people die,” he whispered.

  Talk about killing the mood… Still, curiosity made me seek out his expression. He looked upset—haunted. “What, like family members?” Was he talking about cancer? Trying to relate to me about Markie?

  He shook his head.

  I searched his face, but it gave me no more answers.

  “Your turn.”

  It felt kind of unfair since he was being all mysterious and elusive, but two could play that game. “Being around Markie makes me feel like a horrible human being.”