Mob Boss Eleven- The Wrong One (The Mob Boss Series Book 11)

by Mallory Monroe

  Grace looked at Trina. “I’m not overdoing it, am I?”

  “Showing me two thousand pictures of the same little girl?” Trina asked sarcastically. “No way is that overdoing it! Now if you would have shown me three-thousand pictures, then yeah, you’d have a problem.”

  Grace laughed. “Sorry about that. But I know I can’t discuss her at all when Val gets here.”

  Trina looked at her. “And why the hell not?”

  “Why not, Tree? You know why not! Gemma told me---”

  “Gemma?” Trina asked. “The same Gemma who didn’t show up for our girls night out?”

  “She planned to come. But she’s got this crazy case, and the trial begins Monday. She plan to work all night to get herself ready to go to trial. And you know, Gemma. She doesn’t want any distractions when she’s about to go to trial.”

  Trina nodded. “Don’t I know it.”

  “It doesn’t matter if the defendant is innocent as a dove or guilty as sin. She gives it her all.”

  “Okay, she’s excused,” Trina said. “But what’s your excuse? Why do you feel you can’t show pictures of your baby in front of Val?”

  “When I asked about how she was doing after her miscarriage, Gemma said she’s not doing well at all. She wouldn’t go into details, you know how Gemma will never discuss somebody else’s business, but she did seem to suggest Val was in a pretty bad place.”

  Trina nodded. “She is. But that’s why you don’t hold back. You have pictures of your baby, you show those pictures. The last thing Val needs is for us to continue to coddle her.”

  “Then how can I help?” Grace asked, concerned. She wasn’t as close to Val as she was to Trina and Gemma, but she liked her immensely. “What is it that she really needs?”

  “She needs to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” Trina said. “She’ll feel bad about you talking about your baby. Sure she will. But she’ll feel worst if you don’t talk about your baby. It wouldn’t be natural. And she doesn’t need any more crazy in her life. None of us need any more crazy.”

  “Amen to that,” Grace said heartfelt. “There’s been peace since Sal and Gemma’s marriage. I hope we can keep it that way.”

  Trina stared at Grace. She knew her. And she could tell when she wasn’t keeping it one-hundred. “How’s it really going, Grace?”

  “You mean with the baby?” Grace asked.

  “Not just the baby. But you. And Tommy. And you and Tommy.”

  Grace tried to smile, but Trina could see the hesitancy. “It’s going . . . pretty well. I got an offer to sell Trammel Trucking.”

  Trina frowned. Where did that come from? “An offer to sell your company?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “When? At that tradeshow you just attended?”

  “Before then,” Grace said. “A group of Seattle investors want to take over majority interest in Trammel. I can keep some shares, but they want controlling interest.”

  “And I know you told them no,” Trina said. “I know you told them hell no.”

  Grace paused. “I told them I would think about it.”

  Trina couldn’t believe it. “But why, Grace? You’ve never mentioned anything at all about selling Trammel. Why would you entertain it now?”

  “Because I’m a mother now,” Grace said.

  “I’m a mother. Of not just one baby, but four babies if you count Reno and Jimmy, and I do. I’m not only running my own company, but I’m helping Reno out at his too. It can be done.” Trina reached over and touched Grace’s hand. “Trust me.”

  “That’s not why I want to sell. I know I can run a company and raise a child. But. . .”

  “But what, Grace?”

  Grace closed her eyes. She had wanted to talk to somebody about it for so long. Trina wasn’t the ideal person because she was Reno’s wife and Reno and Tommy were closer than brothers. But she was perhaps the only person who would understand. Grace opened her eyes. “It’s about being a Gabrini,” she said.

  Trina could see the anguish in Grace’s eyes. “Go on,” she said.

  “I can’t talk to Tommy about it because . . .” She swallowed hard. She looked Trina dead in the eyes. “I’m terrified for my child, Tree. The thought that crooks and criminals will try to use her as a pawn whenever they wanted to get at Tommy scares the life out of me. I don’t want my child to have to have bodyguards and be protected for the rest of her life.”

  “It won’t be like that,” Trina said.

  “But it’s like that already. If she’s not with Tommy, then he constantly has somebody with us. If he’s out of town or can’t get away, he won’t let me go to the grocery store without one of his men going with us. And poor Sal. He’s almost as bad as Tommy. Whenever he’s in town working at the Gabrini Corporation and Tommy’s out of town, he won’t spend the night at his own place in Seattle, where I know he would prefer to stay. He spends the night with me and the baby. Tommy’s thrilled whenever Sal’s in town. But I hate it.”

  “Well, Grace, if you don’t want Sal spending the night there---”

  “No,” Grace corrected. “I love Sal, and I love for him to stay with us when he’s in town. But I hate the reason why he’s staying. Tommy’s treating our baby as if she’s the crown jewels or something and has to be under twenty-four hour guard. I don’t want my baby raised like that.”

  “Then why did you have Tommy’s baby?” Trina asked point blank.

  Grace looked at her. “What?”

  “Why did you have his baby? When I had my children, Reno was the same way. And I’m sure if Gemma has one, if she ever has one, Sal is going to be the same way. They’re Gabrinis, Grace. You married a Gabrini. You had to know that Tommy would be overly protective. You had to know that.”

  “I knew it,” Grace said. “But. . .”

  “But you didn’t realize how much you would hate the overprotectiveness?” Trina attempted to help her out.

  “I didn’t realize how much I would hate the reason for his overprotectiveness,” Grace responded. “It’s the reason for it, the fact that she’s Tommy’s child, that I hate. I can’t help but think about what happened to Reno’s son Nicky.”

  But Trina was already shaking her head. “Don’t go there, Grace.”

  “But I can’t help think about it, Tree! They killed Reno’s son because he was Reno’s son. And everybody knows Tommy and Reno are like white on rice. If they did it to Reno’s son, why would I think they would never do it to Tommy’s daughter?”

  “And before you let that man knock you up, you didn’t think that would bother you?” Trina asked.

  “I knew it would. And I’m working through it, you know? I love Tommy. And he’s been a great father to Destiny. You should see him, Tree. He’s been great. A wonderful father.”

  But Trina knew nuisances better than most. “Has he been a wonderful husband?” Trina asked her.

  “What do you mean?” Grace responded. “He’s a very good husband to me. An excellent husband. Me, on the other hand,” she said with a smile that wasn’t meant to be humorous.

  “What do you mean?” Trina asked her. “You’re a fantastic wife to Tommy. Those ex-lovers of his took you to the brink, and you had to go there, but you came out on the other side, Grace. You’re stronger for it.”

  Grace nodded. Although it wasn’t true. Although Grace would never tell Trina that she was still having nightmares about those ex-lovers of Tommy’s, and the one in particular that she had to put down herself. And after the birth of Destiny, instead of that kind of devotion to Tommy making her feel stronger and more secure, it was beginning to have the opposite effect on her. “I guess you’re right,” she said to Trina. “I guess you’re right.” And then they both heard Val’s voice.

  “So sorry I’m late,” she said as she arrived at their table.

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Trina said as Val hugged her neck.

  “Good seeing you again, Valerie,” Grace said, when Val reache
d over and hugged her. “You’re getting younger.”

  “And better?” Val asked.

  “Always,” Grace said with a smile.

  The waiter immediately came to their table.

  “Orange juice will do for me,” Grace said, and the waiter immediately hurried off.

  “So,” Val said, hanging her shoulder bag on the back of her seat, “what were you gals talking about before I dropped in?”

  “Destiny,” Trina said honestly.

  “Oh, the baby,” Val said with forced excitement. Then she looked at Grace. “How is she, Grace?”

  “Perfection in motion,” Grace said. Val smiled. “No, I’m kidding,” Grace added. “But she’s good. Thanks for asking.”

  “I know Tommy’s pleased.”

  “You’d better believe it,” Grace said. “I’ve got a picture of---” Grace caught herself. “He’s very pleased,” she added.

  “You’ve got pictures,” Val said. “May I see them?”

  “Be careful what you ask for,” Trina said. “She’s got thousands.”

  Val smiled as Grace handed her the cell phone. Val began to thumb through the various pictures of the baby girl. Grace glanced at Trina. Trina raised her eyebrows, and then sipped her tea. It was what it was, as far as Trina was concerned. The world wasn’t going to walk on eggshells for Val or anybody else. Val had to realize that.

  “That’s a white man’s baby,” a voice said just behind Val’s shoulder. Trina and Grace both looked up and saw a white man dressed in black standing behind Val.

  Val turned his way too. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, bitch,” the man said. “Those pictures you’re looking at. That’s a white man’s baby.”

  “Anyway,” Trina said, attempting to get back to their conversation, “I’m glad you could make it, Val.”

  “Thank-you,” Val said.

  “Why you got to have a white man’s baby?” the man in black asked. “The brothers are supposed to have the big weewees. Why you don’t want a brother, bitch? What’s wrong with the brothers, bitch?”

  Trina looked the man dead in the eyes. “I would strongly advise you to take your straggly ass back where it came from before you really get to see what it feels like to be a bitch.”

  “Oh, yeah, motherfucker?” the man said, loudly this time. Almost too loudly it seemed to Trina, as if he was trying to attract attention. Many of the partiers in the club turned in his direction. “And you think you’re going to show me what it’s like to be a bitch? You? You think your bougie ass can show me something? I’ll take your cunt and shove it down your throat, bitch! I’ll have you crawling on your knees and begging my ass to stop! But I won’t stop because I’ll be enjoying it too fucking much! You’re a piece of shit, you hear me woman? You ain’t nothing compared to me!”

  Val could see the bouncer shoving through the crowd, and she was grateful. She and Grace both felt unnerved. But Trina tossed her napkin on the table and stood up. There was nothing unnerved about her.

  “Come over here,” she said to the man, “and try it. Your ass that bad. Come and try it.”

  But instead of the man going toward Trina, as the crowd seemed to want, he smiled and began to back up. And then he pulled out a big gun. Another man in black stood up, pulling out his weapon too, and they both started shooting. The crowd went crazy with screams and a mad dash for the exit, but those men in black weren’t aiming wildly at all. Their bullets weren’t trying to spray down innocent bystanders. They had Trina in their sights. And they were spraying her.

  By the time they were done, and were running out of that club too, Reno Gabrini’s wife was down. Tommy Gabrini’s wife was down. Jimmy Gabrini’s young wife was down too. The owner of the club, who didn’t know Grace and Val from the man on the moon, ran to Trina’s aid. Because he knew who she belonged to. She was Reno’s woman. She was the one woman in Vegas he thought would be untouchable.

  But not only had she been touched, but was by far the hardest hit.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The plane had been in the air for nearly four hours. Reno was now lying down on the double seat inside his private cabin, and was reading over the addendums to the contract he would be signing on Monday. He removed his reading glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose. And he once again began to wonder if this decision to open up so many hotels would prove to be a smart move in the end. What if it was too ambitious an undertaking? The high dollar action were in the big towns, not small-town America. The PaLargio had that kind of elites only brand. But if Reno’s venture succeeded, it would be a brilliant move. If it failed, it could be colossal. And his brand could be tarnished forever.

  Then he had to smile at himself. His brand wouldn’t be tarnished in the least and he knew it. People would continue to flock to the PaLargio in Vegas because they gave it all they had. They put on the best shows, and had the hottest casino, and treated their hotel guests with the kind of respect only presidents and kings were accustomed to. And they would treat their guests at the PaLargio South the same way. People would come to those towns, not because of the towns, but because they wanted to spend a few nights in that PaLargio style. At least that was Reno’s vision.

  The door to his cabin opened quickly. Which astounded Reno because he traveled with nearly half a dozen aides, and every one of them knew better than to just barge on in. But when he saw that it was Janet, his executive assistant, and that harried look on her pretty face, he knew this was no ordinary slight. Something was wrong.

  “What is it?”

  “I just got a call from Bev, sir.”

  Reno continued to lay on his back, staring up at his assistant. “Who?”

  “From Bev. A friend of mine. She didn’t know how else to get in touch with you. She was at Scroll’s tonight.”

  Reno continued to stare at her. He knew the club’s name. He knew it was the club Trina had reservations to attend. But he didn’t want to think the unthinkable. He didn’t want to respond to that panic that was trying to surge within him.

  “She knows your wife only because she sometimes would buy her clothes from Champagne’s. From your wife’s clothing store.”

  Reno continued to stare. Continued to fight that surging panic with everything within him.

  “There was a shooting at Scroll’s sir, and she says Mrs. Gabrini was involved.”

  Reno lost the battle. The panic hit him like a sledgehammer, and he lifted his body up as if he was gasping for air. “She was involved?” he asked nervously. “What the fuck does that mean? How was she involved?”

  “She was shot, sir,” Janet said quickly.

  And Reno jumped up, with the papers that had once dominated his thoughts dropping to the floor like trash. “Where is she now? Is she still at the club?”

  “She doesn’t know, sir,” Janet said, near tears. To see her boss so unhinged scared even her. “Bev ran out of the club as soon as the shooting started. But she knows for a fact they were shooting at Mrs. Gabrini.”

  “Maybe they missed,” Reno said desperately. “Shooters miss all the time. Maybe they missed.” He pulled out his cell phone so fast it flew from his hands.

  “They didn’t miss, sir,” Janet said sadly as she picked up his phone. “Mrs. Gabrini was already down before Bev made it out of the club. She said Mrs. Gabrini was already down, sir.”

  Reno’s heart dropped. Janet handed him his cell phone. He had to close his eyes, to regulate his breathing. “Tell them to turn this plane around.”

  “Yes, sir,” Janet said.

  “Tell him to get me back to Vegas.”

  “Yes, sir,” Janet repeated, and hurried to instruct the pilot.

  Reno’s heart was pounding through his chest as he tried to make a call. Why did he have to be hundreds of miles away when she needed him most? Why didn’t he have his ass in place when she needed him most for once in his life? But he couldn’t help that now. He, instead, focused on making sure she was protected. If that friend of Janet’s wa
s right, the implication could be devastating. She could be badly injured or . . . or . . .

  Reno refused to entertain that implication. She was going to make it through this if he had to will it to be so himself. But he had a job to do. He had to make sure she was protected during her most vulnerable time.

  He made phone call after phone call. He ordered Jimmy to the hospital. He ordered his security chief to take charge of his two younger children and their nannies, to get them into the safe room. He ordered the men in his secret service to that nightclub, to get that video, to find out everything they could find out right under the nose of the cops. He called Sal. He called Tommy. Tommy was in Seattle, but he was closer to Vegas than Reno was. But he needed Tommy there too. He trusted no man above Tommy. He phoned everybody he trusted to get there and look out for his wife. He called every one of the Gabrini men. And every one of them answered, and responded to the call.

  Then he called Trina’s phone. He knew it was useless. But he couldn’t help it. He felt like an animal in a cage. He needed to do everything himself, but he was on a gotdamn plane and couldn’t do anything himself. That was why he phoned her. He was hoping against hope that she would answer. He was hoping against hope that Janet’s friend was pulling some kind of horrific prank, and Trina would laugh him to scorn.

  But Trina didn’t laugh him to anything. She didn’t answer her phone.

  Of all the people he phoned, she was the only one who didn’t answer the call.

  Of all the people he phoned, she was the only one, he feared, who couldn’t answer.

  Sal drove his brand new Mercedes-Benz through the streets of Vegas like a man without limits. Gemma rode right beside him, urging him to get there faster, knowing that it wasn’t just Trina who had been at that nightclub, but Grace and Val too. Gemma was supposed to have been there. But she was working too hard.

  Jimmy had phoned them again and told them where the ambulance had taken the ladies, and they were well on their way. They had avoided calling Tommy. They wanted more information before they called him. But Tommy was already blowing up Sal’s phone.