“I never even considered that,” Trina said. She was on the passenger seat. Reno was driving. Jimmy followed them, driving Trina’s car.
“When she asked why we were there, I was thrown too,” Trina added.
“Like what were we going to say?” Reno asked. “We’re here because our son killed the man who was banging his wife? We’re here because one day I had to let some mobsters shoot my oldest son rather than shoot my wife and baby?”
Trina smiled. “She would have declared all three of us crazy and committed us on the spot.”
They laughed. Then Reno looked at Tree. “Commit who? You?” he asked.
And that was the end of their counseling sessions. Not because they wouldn’t participate, but because everything they needed to discuss was the very things they could not mention. Jimmy spent that weekend with his daughter, and then returned to New Hampshire. Life went on after all of the drama, as it always did. It was, as Reno put it, the Gabrini way.
It was also the Gabrini way to look out for their children. The following weekend, Jimmy returned to Vegas and Reno and Trina drove him over to Buddy Wellstone’s house so that Jimmy could pick up the baby. The plan was for the four of them to go to dinner, but when he took too long, they became concerned. Everything had been amicable. Val never once kept Maddie from spending the weekend with her father, and even she and Jimmy weren’t at each other’s throat. They wanted to keep it that way.
That was why, when Jimmy still did not come out of that house, Reno and Trina got out of the car and went inside themselves.
Val and Jimmy were in the den, playing on the floor with the baby, when they walked in.
“You forgot we were out there?” Reno asked his son. He and Val weren’t exactly lovey-dovey, but they were at least on speaking terms again.
“Hey Ma,” Val said, as she and Trina hugged. “Hey Dad.”
“How are you?” Reno asked her, picked up and kissed little Maddie, and then looked at Jimmy. “Well?”
“Well what?” Jimmy asked, as Trina took the baby from Reno and hugged and kissed her too.
“What’s taking you so long?” Reno asked. “You forgot we were waiting on you?”
“Nothing’s taking me long. And I was gonna tell you. I decided that I’m going to hang here for a while.”
Reno didn’t get it. “Hang here? What for?”
Jimmy wanted to roll his eyes. “I’m going to hang here,” he said again.
“You’re going to hang here with the woman who cheated on you?” Reno asked.
“With the woman I cheated on,” Jimmy fired back. “Yes.”
Val smiled.
“And there’s that little detail,” Trina added, “that she’s the mother of his child.” Trina handed the baby back to Jimmy. “Let’s go, Reno. We’ll see you guys later.”
Reno didn’t like it, and Trina knew it. He had this double standard when it came to women. Jimmy could cheat, but he had to be forgiven. Val could cheat, but she had to be ostracized and forever punished. If it was up to Reno she would be kicked to the curb permanently. But Trina wasn’t having it. Jimmy and Val both messed up, and especially Jimmy, given what happened at that lodge. Trina placed her arm in Reno’s and escorted him back to the car.
“They break up to make up,” Reno said, when they got outside. “It makes no sense.”
“We’ve had our breakups too, Reno,” Trina reminded him. “I don’t know why this seems so strange to you.”
“She cheated on him,” Reno reminded her.
“Yeah, but look what Jimmy did to that man she cheated with. Don’t you think she’s suffered enough?”
“No,” Reno said bluntly. “Hell no. That man got what he deserved and the only reason Jimmy didn’t pop a cap in her ass too was because of her status as the mother of his child. But now they’re back together?”
“They aren’t completely back,” Trina said. “They’re working on it.”
“But how can he trust her? A man has to be able to trust his woman.”
“They both have things to work on,” Trina said. “It’s a two-way street.”
“So what are you saying?” Reno asked as he opened the car door for Trina. “Forget about it?”
Trina looked at her husband. Reno sometimes had a way of breaking it down to the real. He had on his shades, so she lifted them up, revealing his gorgeous blue eyes. “That’s a start,” she said with a smile, kissed him, and got into the car.
But as soon as they got into the car, Reno’s phone buzzed. He looked at the text. It was from Stephanie. She was back in town. “I’ll drop you off at Champagne’s,” he said. “I’ve got to make a run.”
“What about?” Trina asked.
“Just business,” Reno said, which was his usual line. And Trina, for peace sake after too much drama already, let it go.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The motel was nearly out of town, on the edge of the interstate, and Reno’s Porsche pulled into the parking lot. He got out, looked around, and made his way across the sidewalk to the room. He had a key, so he unlocked the door and walked in, closing the door behind him.
Stephanie Deevers was in bed, naked beneath the coverings, lying on her stomach. Reno walked over to her, and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Thanks for coming,” she said, in a voice barely audible.
Reno frowned and began rubbing her back. “How are you feeling?”
She attempted to smile, but couldn’t pull it off. “As well as can be expected. Awful, in other words.”
“This isn’t the way to do it, babe,” Reno said. “As awful as it is, this isn’t the way to do it.”
“It’s the only way I know, Reno. I know it’s difficult for you, but you’ll go on. You’ll get through it. But it’s the best way for me.”
Reno continued to stare at her. To study her. His heart was breaking for her.
“I wouldn’t have come to you, to involve you, if I had a better choice. I’m a coward, I know.”
“You’re not. Don’t say that. You’ve always been brave as long as I’ve known you. And you still are.”
“It’s hard, Reno,” she said, her voice breaking. “It’s real hard.”
Reno quickly got on the bed, and pulled her into his arms. Tears were rolling down her face.
“With Jimmy’s situation, you’ve been through a lot lately, and I know I’m asking too much.”
“Don’t you worry about me,” he said, holding her tighter. “Don’t you dare worry about me.”
“I shouldn’t put this burden on you. But you remember when we were kids in Jersey?”
Reno nodded. “I remember.”
“You used to always tell me that we’ll be together forever. No matter what.”
Reno smiled. It was kid’s play to him.
But not to Stephanie. “You don’t know how safe that made me feel.” She looked at him. “You know why?”
“Because you didn’t know any better.”
“Because I believed you,” she said. Reno looked at her. “I believed you would do everything you said. And you said a lot, Reno.”
Reno smiled.
“You said we would always be together. You said all of that shit my old man was putting me through would end someday, and you would be the one to end it. You said I would always be the most important human being in this world to you. You were my number one lover, and I was yours.”
They stared into each other’s eyes. Reno could see the pain and agony in her beautiful eyes, but he could see the determination too. “Tonight is the night, Reno,” she said. “If you love me, and I need you to love me unlike you have ever loved me before, you’ll do right by me. You’ll look out for me like you promised. I have nobody else. I’m depending on you and you alone, Reno. You can’t let me down again.”
Tears were dropping freely from Stephanie’s eyes, and Reno closed his own. It was almost too much to bear. He loved this woman. He’d loved her all his life. But they weren’t kids anymore. This shit was
real. He had a family to think about. A wife. But Stephanie was right. They went way back. He neglected her too long. He wasn’t going to neglect her again.
He kissed her forehead, pulled her closer into his arms. And held her even tighter.
Trina was alone in the store, behind the counter, when Jazz and Andre walked into Champagne’s. This wasn’t the way they had wanted it to go down. She wanted more than what they had. But Stephanie had agreed to have the cameras in the room. She agreed to give us the live feed. She had to take what she could get.
Besides, Stephanie’s way was the faster way. It involved higher stakes. It would be a chance for Jazz to turn that knife a little into Reno’s arrogant ass, and finally get her revenge. And Andre was glad to get the show on the road too. All he wanted was to get paid. He wasn’t interested in revenge or any of that other personal shit. He just wanted the money.
Trina didn’t realize Jazz was in her world again until she looked up. When she saw Jazz, of all people, standing in her store, she froze. Memories flooded back. They used to be so close when they both waited tables at Boyzie’s. She remembered how badly she wanted her success to be Jazz’s success too, and she gave Jazz all kinds of chances. She even went behind Reno’s back giving that girl three and four and five more chances. But all of it failed. Jazz was too busy blaming the world for her failures than to find any success. Now she was back. And Trina was floored.
“Hello, Tree,” Jazz said with her best charming smile, the kind she used nowadays to keep her salon customers coming back. “Don’t look so surprised. I know you might think I’m a ghost, but I’m not dead yet.”
Trina had to stop herself from staring. “I’m just very shocked to see you. It’s been a while.”
“Even longer than that for me, but I feel you.”
“How have you been?” Trina genuinely wanted to know.
“To hell and back. As usual. How about you?”
That was always the problem with Jazz. Nobody was going to out-victim her. Trina never tried. “I’ve been good,” she said. “Thanks for asking.”
“Yeah, well,” Jazz said, looking around, “I see this little store of yours is still doing well. I thought it wouldn’t last a good year. Now it’s thriving.”
Trina knew Jazz did not come into her store to discuss her success. She knew her too well. “So what can I do for you?” she asked. “Here to shop, or just to chat? We have a new collection I think you’ll like.”
“How would you know what I’ll like?” Jazz asked and Andre had to elbow her. But Jazz ignored him and continued to speak to Trina. “I’m not here to give up my hard earned coins on this high-ass crap.”
That was more like Jazz, Trina thought. Blunt and nasty. “What are you here for then?”
Jazz looked at Andre. Andre reached his cellphone out to Trina. “Take a look,” he said.
Trina hesitated. She knew it was going to be about some nonsense. But she took the phone and pressed what appeared to be a video. Although there was no audio, there was plenty of action.
Reno was sitting on the edge of a bed in what appeared to be a motel room. Some naked white woman was in the bed. Then Reno, fully dressed, got in bed with the woman and pulled her into his arms. Trina’s heart dropped. Reno was holding a naked woman, in his arms, in a motel room. And then the video stopped. She looked at Jazz.
“I always told you he was a dog,” Jazz said as she took the phone from Trina’s hand. “Now you can see it for yourself. And before you start making excuses for Reno the way you always do, I need you to know that they’re still in that motel room. And if their past is any predictor, they’re going to be making love all afternoon.”
“You can come with us and see for yourself,” Andre added. “Or deny your lying eyes.”
Trina was floored.
“I’m only looking out for you, Tree,” Jazz said. “I’m only looking out for my old friend. That lady he’s fooling around with is just using him. She came to me with this shit because she knew we used to be tight. Yes, she’s in it for the money like all his other women are. But I’m tired of men treating us like this. I’m looking out for you. I did it for you. For the sisterhood.”
Trina looked at Jazz as if she was crazy. “Your ass did it alright,” she said, “but you didn’t do it for me, so don’t even try that.”
Jazz became angry too. “Okay, so I’m doing it for the money too,” she said, and Andre elbowed her again. But she ignored him again. “I’m out to get paid, yes, I am. That says something about me. But what will it say about you, Tree, if you don’t even want to come with us to see the truth? Your ass still blind? After all these years? After all those rumors of Reno’s cheating? This is your chance to catch him in action. He can’t explain it away if you walk in on his ass. And you’re still thinking about it? You’re still hesitating? What does that say about you?”
A part of Trina knew Jazz spoke the truth. Another part of Trina wanted to run as far away from this situation as she could run. “Where is he?” Trina asked.
“Oh, no, sister,” Jazz said. “You aren’t looping us out of this picture. We want money. You write the check and pay us for our efforts, and we’ll take you to your cheating ass husband. You don’t pay, then tough. All you’ll have is the memory of that video that only shows you part of the picture.”
Trina stared at her. “How much?” she asked.
“Ten thousand for now,” Andre said. “I’m sure you can come up with that much in a horty-torty place like this place. I’m sure you can find that much in your safe or wherever you keep the cash.”
“You give us the cash,” Jazz said, “and we’ll take you to Reno. But only if you agree to keep those bodyguards Reno has on you away from us. I don’t want anybody harming me because your ass get hot with Reno. You know how I roll.”
Trina stared at Jazz. She knew exactly how she rolled. Downhill all the way. And then she nodded. “Drive around to the backdoor. Give me fifteen minutes to close up the place and get the money, and I’ll be there.”
“With the money?” Andre asked.
Trina wanted to kick Jazz’s ass for putting her in this position. But she knew Jazz wasn’t the one on that tape. Jazz wasn’t the one in that bed. “Yes,” Trina said.
“We’ll be waiting,” Jazz said, and she and Andre left.
Trina immediately went upstairs, to her office. She sat behind her desk and turned on the monitor. A live stream of her store was shown. She then pressed rewind and moved back until she had a clear picture of Jazz and Andre. Then she singled out Andre, attached his picture to an email, and pressed send.
She then made a phone call. “I sent you an email,” she said. “I need a background check stat.”
“How deep?”
“As deep as you can go in fifteen minutes,” she said. “Call as soon as you get a hit.”
“Will do.”
Trina killed the call. Then she leaned back, and exhaled. And prayed this was some big, grand mistake.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Stephanie was still in bed, but Reno was now sitting in a chair, the only seat in the motel room. They both were distressed.
“I’m weak, Reno,” she said, “and I’m getting weaker. It has to be today.”
But Reno was shaking his head. “You don’t realize what you’re asking of me, Steph.”
“I do know. How can you say that? We keep meeting, and talking, but I can’t go on any longer, Reno. It has to be today.”
Reno was agonized. “Why would you want to put this burden on me? You’re one of my oldest friends. We go way back, Steph. How can you ask me to do something like this?”
“Because you’re the strongest man I know. Because I know you can handle it.”
But Reno shook his head again. “It’s too much to bear, Steph. You don’t know what you’re asking!”
“Stop saying that. I do know what I’m asking. I’m asking you to help me commit suicide, Reno. I’m asking you to end this pain so I won’t have to bear
this another day. I came back to Vegas for your help, not your judgment. I’m asking you to kill me so that I won’t have to die alone. Because either you’ll going to take that gun and take me out, or I’ll do it myself. And I’ll die alone, Reno.”
Reno rubbed his forehead. And shook his head again.
But before he could ask another question, or make another plea for Stephanie to talk sense, the door to the motel room was unlocking. He looked at Stephanie. “Expecting somebody?” he asked.
“No,” Stephanie said and sat up in bed, covering her naked body with the sheets.
But Reno didn’t have time to react. The door opened and, to his eternal shock, Trina and two other people walked in.
“Tree?” Reno asked, floored. “What are you doing here?”
“I know you didn’t just ask her that question,” Jazz said. “I know better than that.”
It was only then did Reno realize the woman he thought he recognized was none other than Jazz, Trina’s old friend. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked her.
“What is this about, Reno?” Stephanie asked. “And who are these people? I don’t know any of these people!”
Trina, who was already staring at her, looked at her husband. The pain in Trina’s eyes were intense, but Reno didn’t see it. He was too busy consoling the other woman. “It’s okay, babe,” he said to Stephanie. “This is my wife.”
Stephanie’s eyes grew larger. “Your wife?” she asked as if it was news to her. “What are you talking about?”
Reno looked at her. And frowned. “What do you mean what am I talking about? This is Trina. I told you all about her.”
“You told me?” Stephanie asked.
Reno stared at her. He was even more puzzled than Trina’s presence.
“Tell me what’s going on, Reno,” Trina said. “Who is this lady, and what are you doing in a motel room with her?”
“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly. “This is an old friend of mine. This is Stephanie Deevers.”
Reno Gabrini: For His Lover (The Mob Boss Series Book 14) Page 11