Nico

by Sarah Castille

  “Nico still hasn’t called me in.” Ben stepped back into the doorway. “But when he does, it’s gonna be the end of me.” The call in was a formal order for a made man to report to his superiors, usually so he could be disciplined—in other words clipped. Ben wasn’t made, but Frankie had used the terminology when he’d ordered him to stay in Vegas until Nico contacted him, so he figured the end result would be the same.

  “The offer is still there to pull you out. You’ve got a little girl to think about and now she has no mom. I’ve talked to a judge and it’s a simple formality now for you to have custody. She can go with you wherever you go.”

  Ben shook his head. “I’m not gonna be able to play happy families in suburbia when I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, sleeping with a fucking gun under my pillow, worrying about whether the guy across the street already washed his car yesterday, or whether that plumber’s carrying a wrench or an assault rifle. You run from the Mafia and they assume you’re guilty, so I know how that’s gonna end. One day, a Chrysler 300C pulls up outside the door, two guys run in, pop pop, I’m dead, and Daisy’s an orphan if they even let her live. What we talked about earlier is a better plan. Daisy stays with you and your wife, goes to the same school, sees the same friends, and I take my chances with Nico. If it turns out bad, I’ve got an aunt in Florida who says she can take Daisy.”

  “How good are those odds if he finds out you’ve been undercover for ten years?” Jack turned back to Ben and folded his arms.

  “He’ll only care about the three years I was in his crew,” Ben said, his watchful gaze on Daisy. “And I’m gonna let him know I didn’t rat on him. He never got involved with drug trafficking, Jack. No prostitution. No human trafficking. No arms trading. He runs a clean casino. I’m not saying he hasn’t crossed the line. I’m not saying he isn’t a criminal—he’s probably got one of the highest body counts in the city. And the things he’s done to the people that crossed him—well, they scare the shit out of me. But he’s fair, and there are lines he won’t cross. He’s not a fucking murderer like Tony, who kills just for the sake of killing. Nico’s a bad guy who only whacks bad guys. He’s no saint, but he’s no sinner either.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

  Good question. He had struggled for the last three years about the line between good and bad. How could he think of Nico as a good man when he made his living breaking the law? What was bad and what was good? Was a man who was honorable and respectable, who protected his family and stuck up for his friends, a bad man because he killed bad guys and ran protection rackets to keep the people in his territory safe? Ben didn’t know anymore. All he knew was what felt right to him. Shooting Rev when he wasn’t doing anything wrong didn’t feel right. Just as leaving town without talking to Nico didn’t feel right either.

  “I dunno. That guy they found, the Wolf … the Cordanos gave him a traditional Sicilian necktie ’cause they found out he was a rat. Feds caught him smuggling cocaine and they offered him a deal—wear a wire or twenty years in jail. I’m not partial to neckties, but Nico … he kinda likes them, but only if someone’s truly been a rat. And I didn’t rat—at least not on his crew.”

  “I knew there was a reason you weren’t filing the reports.” Jack walked along the porch; dodging the broken tricycle Ben might never get a chance to fix. “So you’re just going to hope he lets you off with a warning?”

  “I’m gonna hope he lets me off with my hands and feet still attached. He caught this one dealer stealing from him, got a sledgehammer, and…” He trailed off, not wanting to give Jack any information that could be used to implicate Nico in a crime. “I know him like a brother,” he continued. “He’s changed over the last few weeks since he met Mia, chilled out a bit. I just pray some of that chilling rubs off on me.”

  He walked into Daisy’s bedroom and packed her few clothes into a bag. On his way out, he grabbed one of her stuffed toys, a purple puppy with a large belly. It was surprisingly heavy and he put it back on the bed and lifted another, frowning at the weight. Curious, he lifted the toys one by one; noting they all had a similar weight. He pulled out his knife and sliced one open.

  “Jack,” he called out. “Get in here. I got something.” He held up a brick of heroin as Jack walked in. “I think they’re in all her toys. Might be the lethal batch that’s just hit the streets. I’m gonna go find out if Daisy knew about it.” He grabbed one of the toys and jogged out to the car where Daisy was still reading her book.

  “Can I look up now, Daddy?”

  “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m sorry I forgot about you there.” He held up the toy. “Do you know anything about the packages inside these toys?”

  Daisy’s eyes went wide. “It’s supposed to be a secret. Gabe said he would hurt me and Mommy if I told anyone. He used to come into my room at night and tell Mommy he was reading me a story, but he was really cutting up my toys and putting bricks in them. I couldn’t play with them anymore, and he shouted really loud when I touched them. I felt lonely in my room when I couldn’t touch my toys. I didn’t have anything to cuddle at night, and I didn’t want to be there alone.”

  Ben felt at once relieved that his worst nightmare hadn’t come true, and angry that Gabe would use his daughter’s toys—the toys he’d bought for her—as a place to stash his drugs. “Do you know what he did with them?”

  Daisy nodded. “He gave them to his friend who came to visit all the time. They thought I wasn’t listening, but I was because I liked to say good-bye to the toys Gabe’s friend took away.”

  Ben felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle. “Did you ever see his friend? Do you remember what he looked like?”

  “Yes. He was silver.”

  *

  “Help!” Mia screamed as she rocked back and forth. The guard had tied her to the chair after handcuffing her, and she hadn’t been able to work herself free. “Mama! Kat!” She had been shouting for at least twenty minutes, even though she knew the guard would never let them in.

  She startled when the door opened, twisted her head to look back over her shoulder. God, if her father returned and told her Nico was dead, she would be tempted to prove to him on his own terms she was good enough after all.

  “Kat!” Her face brightened when she saw her sister and her mother behind her. “Mama?”

  “Mama made a little something for the guard and put a bottle of sleeping pills in it,” Kat said, smiling. “We had to wait until they took effect before we could come in.”

  “Are you okay?” Mia’s mother came around the chair and checked her for bruises.

  “I’m good, Mama. I’m just so glad to see you. Nico’s in danger. Papà’s put a contract out on him, and they’re planning to whack him tonight. I need my phone. It’s in the bag on the floor.”

  “Kat, you get the phone. I’ll find something to cut the ropes and open the handcuffs.” Mama raced out of the room, and Kat pulled out the phone.

  “Call Nico.” Mia kicked her legs trying to loosen the ropes. “If you can’t get him, try Vito. His is the only other number I have at the casino.”

  “No answer for Nico. I’ll send a text.” Kat quickly typed and then scrolled through Mia’s phone and pressed Vito’s number.

  “Someone’s answering.” She held the phone up to Mia’s ear, and she breathed out a sigh of relief when Vito said hello.

  “I need to speak to Nico. It’s urgent. I think someone is after him.” Mia tried to keep her legs still as Kat pulled at the ropes around her ankles.

  “Mr. Toscani is in a meeting in his office with Frankie and Luca,” Vito assured her. “He gave strict instructions not to be disturbed. There are two guards outside his door and another two at the elevator.” He chuckled. “I’m sure you, more than anyone, know how secure the casino is, especially after you sent us the final test report. We implemented all your suggestions immediately. I assure you, Mr. Toscani is perfectly safe, but I will make sure all the security guards know to watch for su
spicious activity.”

  “Thanks, Vito.”

  “Pleasure, Ms. Mia.”

  Kat ended the call and cut through the ropes. “There you go.”

  Mia wiggled her feet to increase her circulation. “How long do we have before the guard wakes up?”

  “Mama gave him a lot of pills so quite a while, but I don’t think Papà was going out for long. He told Mama to keep the dinner warm.”

  “Help me up and turn on Papà’s computer. I’ll show him just how powerful a woman can be.” She settled in her father’s seat with her hands still cuffed behind her back, and stared at the screen. “He didn’t log off. How convenient. That’s one less password I have to hack.”

  “What are you going to do?” Kat asked

  “Something I should have done a long time ago. Revenge and ruin all with the click of a button.” She directed Kat to turn on the remote desktop connection and had her call Jules on her phone.

  “I need some help cracking a couple of passwords and hacking into my dad’s bank accounts. Are you up for a little black-hat fun? Just passwords. I don’t want you to touch anything in the systems. I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me.”

  Jules laughed. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since the day you caught me having a little black-hat fun at the public library. And I spent years getting into trouble. This is nothing compared to what I used to get up to.” She tapped on her keyboard for a few minutes. “Okay I’m ready. Accept the connection, and we’re off to the races.”

  “Jules is a password hacking pro,” Mia explained to her sister. “She’s written all sorts of code for uncovering hidden passwords. Plus, she’s just really good at guessing.”

  “Hmmm.” Jules mused over the phone. “What words would your daddy dearest use for his passwords? I don’t think he’s the exclamation mark dollar sign hashtag type. How about abusivebastard798? No. Fucktard332? No. Ilovesicilianneckties4987? No. Where_are_my_cement_shoes? No.”

  “Jules…”

  “Shhh. I’m thinking. You do what you need to do. Leave me to it for a few minutes. I watched The Godfather last night so I have lots of ideas.”

  Mia’s mother ran in and held up the key. “I was looking for something to pick the lock when I realized your father would have left the key with the guard. It took a while to fish it out of his pocket.” She knelt behind Mia’s chair and fiddled with the lock until the cuffs snapped free.

  “I’m worried about Nico.” Mia rubbed her wrists. “His casino manager said he’s with his friends, but I still want to go to the casino to check things out. Papà’s not working alone on this one. He’s getting help from Nico’s cousin, and he seemed pretty confident about his plan.”

  “Don’t go alone.” Her mother put out a warning hand. “Your father doesn’t do things by half measures. If he says he sent someone then he’ll have sent someone who is good at what he does.”

  “Who can I call?” She twisted her lips to the side, considering. “I don’t have phone numbers for anyone on his crew.”

  “I have Big Joe’s number.” Kat held up her phone. “Remember?”

  Mia’s tension eased the tiniest bit. “Perfect. Call him and ask him to meet us there. Tell him Papà has put a contract out on Nico for tonight.”

  *

  Nico couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Everyone in the Vegas underworld knew he had put a contract out on Dante. If Dante was so addicted to gambling that he had to come out of hiding, there were dozens of casinos to choose from. His decision to come to the Casino Italia couldn’t have been by chance.

  “Hold up,” he said to Luca when they passed the door leading to the staff locker rooms. “I’m gonna put on a vest.” He insisted all his security guards wear Kevlar body armor after a rise in gun fights around the downtown casinos, mostly caused by disputes arising from the drug trade. “You should wear one, too.”

  “I’m good.” Luca said. “Those things are so damn uncomfortable I can’t move like I need to move.”

  Luca never wore a vest. He was still in self-destruct mode after his wife’s death—too many women, too much booze, too much gambling. Although he had been younger when his father died, Nico remembered having similar feelings—taking on risky jobs for his father’s capos because he didn’t care if he lived or died. All he wanted was an end to the pain.

  After Nico put on the vest beneath his shirt, they made their way down to the high-stakes room. Good as his word, Vito had cleared it out and the only people left were Dante, the dealer, and two casino regulars. Nico sat on the opposite end of the blackjack table from Dante and threw some money on the table. The dealer nodded and handed him a stack of chips.

  “Gentleman, would you excuse us? Private game.” Vito ushered the dealer and the two players out of the room, with murmured apologies. Although private gaming wasn’t allowed in Vegas, Nico had outfitted the high-stakes table area with sliding doors and shuttered windows that could be closed to hide the room when the highest of the high rollers came to visit. Vito closed the doors and windows, and Luca clamped a hand on Nico’s shoulder in warning.

  “The guards are all outside. You want them in?”

  Nico looked around the small room, his gaze resting on Dante. “I don’t want anyone here but you, me and Vito.”

  *

  “Jules, forget the passwords. I need you to login to our work system and hack into Nico’s eye-in-the-sky at the casino.” Mia ran through the house with her mother and Kat behind her, the phone to her ear. “I need to know where Nico is. I hacked his phone, so I know he’s in the casino, but I can’t pinpoint his location.”

  “I’m on it,” Jules said. “This is all very exciting. I mean, the job is exciting but kidnappings, rescues, bad guys who aren’t really bad, good guys who aren’t really good, guns, embezzling money—”

  “I’m not embezzling my father’s money. I’m transferring it to a locked account for safekeeping. He won’t be able to hide any money or liquidate his assets if everything goes south. I don’t want his dirty money. If he gets arrested, I might hand it over to the police. Or maybe, I’ll just give it to charity.”

  “You’re a regular Robin Hood.” Jules laughed. “I’d say that makes your black hat gray.”

  Mia gave her mother a hug, but when she turned to Kat, her sister was already pushing past her and out the door.

  “I’m coming with you,” Kat said. “You need someone on the phone, and I’m not sitting at home waiting for Papà to plan out my life like a good little Mafia princess. I’m not the girl you thought I was. Even if you say no, I’ll jump in the car and follow you. This isn’t something you can do alone.”

  Mia glanced at her mother for approval, and her mother nodded. “Keep each other safe. I would come, too, but someone needs to be here when your father gets home.”

  “Mama…” Mia knew just what would happen when her father got home and found his guard drugged and Mia gone.

  Mama smiled. “I think there’s a little bit of the pasta al forno I gave to the guard. Your father will be hungry when he gets in, and he’ll want to eat before he gets down to business.” She reached out and gave Mia’s hand a squeeze. “We are all strong in our different ways. Now, go save your man.”

  *

  “I can only assume you came here looking for me.” Nico had never seen a man who looked as utterly wrecked as Dante did now—tie askew, shirt untucked, hair mussed. So unlike the man who had shaken his hand at the Cordano family home.

  “You were looking for me.” Dante raised his weary, bloodshot eyes, his face pale and dull as though his life had been sucked away. “I thought I’d save you the trouble. Here I am.”

  So this was it. Face to face with his father’s killer after ten long years. Security cameras turned off. No one to stop him. Two loyal men at his back. If he pulled out his gun and shot Dante now, his father would finally be avenged. It was all he had ever wanted, all he had dreamed about since the moment he held his father’s lifel
ess body in his arms.

  His hand hovered near his waist where his weapon was holstered. He’d made a promise to Mia. A promise to himself. If he pulled the trigger, he would be back where he started. There had to be another way.

  “What are you doing here?” He lowered his hand, studied the man across the table. “A man who would shoot an unarmed man in the back, and then hide behind his father for ten years, isn’t the kind of man with the courage to face his own death.”

  “Maybe you’re wrong.” Dante swirled the bourbon in his glass. “Maybe I’m done with the Mafia life and I wanted to do one courageous thing before I die.”

  “Circumstances can change,” Nico said. “But not a man’s character.”

  Dante gave a bitter laugh. “Once a coward. Always a coward. You’re right about that. I was always too afraid to stand up to my father. I did whatever he told me to do even when inside I was screaming. Mia thinks my father tricked me into shooting your old man. But the reality is, I knew he wasn’t armed. I just had no choice. Do you know what it does to a man when you go against your conscience? It eats at your soul until there’s nothing left, until you become nothing more than the instrument for someone else’s will.”

  “You’re saying it wasn’t your fault?” Nico snorted his derision. “That he made you do it? That’s a coward’s way out. We always have a choice. It’s the choices we make in life that define us.” His pushed himself off the stool. Dante was a pathetic, broken man. He didn’t need Dante’s death to fulfill him anymore. Mia had shown him a life beyond the emptiness of revenge.

  “Or sometimes, it’s the choices we make that kill us.” Dante lifted his finger, looked over at Vito.

  “No.” Luca threw himself in front of Nico. A gunshot cracked the silence. Luca staggered forward. He grasped at the table and collapsed in Nico’s arms, his shirt blooming red with blood.