by Cindi Madsen
“Tempting, but we can’t just run away. It’ll look suspicious, like we’re scared.” He ran his hands down her arms. “We watch our backs, find the rats, and then take care of it. The cops, feds—whoever’s trying to stir up trouble—they’ll be pains in the ass for a while, but when they can’t make anything stick, they’ll back off. Same as always.”
No, he didn’t run. He made the hard decisions. People just didn’t understand how difficult it was to make them. Everyone wanted to be the boss until the heat was on.
***
The call from Carlo made a rock form in Vince’s gut, and it grew larger and heavier the more he thought about it.
Bobby set his steaming mug of coffee on the table in front of the couch. He looked like shit. Dark circles, pale skin, and sweat beading his brow all meant he was thinking about his next fix.
“When’s the last time you used?”
Bobby sniffed. “Finished off my stash a couple of hours before you and Cassie showed up. Care to stay around for the puking stage?”
“I’ve gotta go meet with our uncle and see if he kills me first, but then after, I’ll rush right home.”
Bobby lifted a shaky hand and ran it through his hair. “So your girl doesn’t know about Carlo? Or…the rest of it?”
“No. I’ve tried to keep her out of it. She…” Vince wanted to spill it all and get Bobby’s advice. Ten years ago, he would’ve. Maybe even five. But now he couldn’t trust his own brother. The only person he could confide in was Cassie, and he’d been lying to her for weeks. Since confiding everything would get her killed, that wasn’t even true. “She’s too good for me.”
“Yeah,” Bobby said with a shrug. “But yesterday she proved she’s tougher than she looks. And she thinks I’m redeemable.” He scratched at his arm and glanced around. “You should hang on to her.”
Vince tossed him a pack of gum to try to help with the twitchiness and craving, although he knew it wouldn’t work for long. “She was right about you needing professional help. It’s going to take more than a few meetings. I probably shouldn’t have brought you back here where you know too many people. I just didn’t have much of a choice, considering leaving you there would’ve gotten you killed.” A hot burst of anger mixed in with his ever-growing anxiety. “Damn Carlo.”
“It’s funny because I always wanted in and you always wanted out. But he doesn’t want me and he wants you.”
“Yeah. Fucking hilarious.”
Bobby shoved a stick of gum in his mouth and went to town on it. “What are you going to do?”
“There’s only one way to keep you and Cassie safe, and that’s to give in and join him. I’ll have to break up with Cassie, of course. I can’t pull her in. For one, she makes too good of leverage against me, and I won’t put her in that kind of position. And I can’t have him using you every time he feels like it, either.”
“She mentioned that place in Colorado. Parker, was it?” Bobby rolled the gum wrapper between his fingers until it was a tiny silver ball. “Maybe I’ll just go. Check into rehab and give it a real shot. ‘Course I’d need some money.”
Vince’s skin prickled. He met Bobby’s desperation-filled gaze. “Money for rehab? Well, that’s a new one.”
“I’m serious.”
Vince crossed his arms. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“Cassie believes in me.”
“Yeah, she believes in me, too,” Vince said with a bitter laugh. “She believes in everyone.”
“That’s probably true. But having her tell me I could do it while looking at me like I was someone worth saving…it made me want to prove her right. A couple of nights hiding out in that dump also showed me where my life was headed if I didn’t change—the things that guy’s done to pay for drugs…” Bobby shuddered.
“Now you’re talking about joining Carlo and giving up Cassie—the girl who pulled me aside and demanded I bring you back to her—just to keep me safe.” Bobby shook his head. “I don’t want this to be who I am anymore. I don’t want to risk my life for one more hit and then ruin yours because you help me.” He unwrapped another piece of gum and shoved it in his mouth. “But I’ve already tried quitting on my own, and it didn’t work.”
“A rehab center won’t do all the work for you, you know. It’s not going to be easy.”
“I know.” Bobby swiped his sweaty forehead and then, much quieter, said, “Believe me, I know.”
Vince nodded, wishing he could believe it would be different this time. While his brother had nearly gotten them all killed yesterday, he missed him. He recalled Cassie’s yippee dog comparison, and the happiness that rose up helped take the edge off the shitstorm going on inside his head. “We’ll talk if you’re still here when I get back.
His nerves stretched thin again when he climbed inside the Jeep. He took a deep breath. He’d fucked things up with Carlo, slipping when he knew better. This meeting was going to be a turning point, no doubt about it.
His only option was to assure Carlo his alliances were straight. Otherwise everything would fall apart, and at the end of this playing pretend period with Cassie, he wouldn’t have a life left to get back to.
***
Carlo expected Vince but got Sal instead. He walked him out through the back patio door and crossed his arms against the chill in the air. “What did you find out?”
“Uffizi went to the station,” Sal said. “They’re insisting on holding Dante the max amount of time before officially charging him, just because they can.”
“Dante’s straight, right?”
“He won’t talk, Boss. But Mario got picked up this morning. I know he’s a small fish, but with two of our guys in cuffs, the rest of the boys are getting jumpy.”
Carlo patted his pocket for his lighter and then pulled it out and lit his cigar. “I wasn’t aware of what a bunch of donnas I was working with. We’ve been through this before. We just gotta lie low and cover our tracks.”
Sal kicked at the grass. Cleary the gnat was getting ready to buzz. “I don’t mean no disrespect, but I started thinking about the waitress, wondering if it’s a good idea to risk keeping her alive with the law coming down on us.”
“I’m already taking care of it. You go calm down the boys and tell them to keep their noses clean. Once we find out what they’re charging Dante with, we’ll make our next move.”
The patio door slid open, and Allegra ushered Vince outside. His jaw tightened when his eyes lit on Sal, and the two of them glared at each other.
“Sal, you can go. Watch your back and make sure our facilities are locked up tight.”
He nodded and took the side-gate exit.
Vince stepped up to Carlo and looked out over the backyard. “It’s been a while since I’ve been over. Even longer since I came out here. Makes me think of all the barbeques we used to have when I was kid. Back when my parents were alive and before Bobby was always in trouble.”
Carlo blew a ring of smoke. “Look, I’m sorry about Bobby. But I needed you to see what could happen if I stopped being so tolerant. I need a decision.”
“I told you I was thinking about it. I don’t do good with ultimatums.”
“I don’t do good with nos.”
Vince shook his head, the corner of his mouth curving up. “You don’t say.”
The tension faded, and things felt like they might be okay after all. “So, McCormicks…?”
Vince’s eyebrows drew together “The place where Cassie works? What about it?”
“It’s McCarthy’s.”
He shrugged. “I always call it the wrong thing—all those damn Irish “Mc” names blur together, and then I think of those spices and flub the name. Why? Did you need the address? It’s just downtown, right next to a deli. Good steak, but not nearly as homey as Rossi’s. They take themselves a little too seriously if you ask me.”
Carlo studied his nephew. No hesitation, and he thought the same thing when he ate there. It must’ve truly been a slip. “And New Yor
k? How’d that go?”
Vince let out a harsh exhale. “I might’ve pissed off some of the New York boys. I paid off Bobby’s balance and told them he was out. When Big Al refused my terms, I renegotiated… by pulling a gun on him.”
“I heard,” Carlo said.
“I’m assuming you heard I took Cassie, too?”
Good. He hadn’t had to pry it out, although Vince was smart enough to realize he would know, so that didn’t help much. “Thought it was strange.”
“She wants to go to a college there. When I told her I was going, she asked to tag along. I thought it’d be good to see where she’d be, just in case. Plus, the farther away she is from here, the less triggers for possible memories.”
All logical.
“I didn’t realize it’d get so rough, of course,” Vince said. “Didn’t help that I was trying to keep what I was doing there on the down-low, and one of his boys decided to threaten her. Luckily, she just thought the bouncer came over because of the dress code.”
Vince switched his weight from one foot to the other as his gaze went to the grill where his dad used to flip burgers and hot dogs almost every weekend. Slowly, he returned to the present and shifted his attention back to Carlo. “Look, I’m in, okay? On a few conditions. Because of Bobby, I don’t want to deal with the drug side. In fact, I’m hoping to get him into rehab, but I might need a loan. As for the job, I’ll collect, I’ll consult, I’ll intimidate. I’d rather work more as your consigliere than the underboss. If all of that works for you, you got me.”
An adviser who also collected and dealt with the shit he didn’t want to deal with anyway? Carlo could work with that. He extended his hand. “Welcome to the family,” he joked, and Vince laughed as they shook on it. Carlo pulled him in and gave him a hug with a hard slap on the back.
“Don’t you worry about your brother. We’ll get the best treatment money can buy, and it’s on me. Least I can do.”
“Thanks, Carlo.” Vince glanced at the gate Sal exited through. “What’s going on? I can see the worry hanging on you, and Sal looked like someone shoved a stick up his ass, so I’m guessing something’s up.”
“Pretty sure Sal’s thing was because you nearly choked him out in my office.”
“Man, what a donna.”
Carlo chuckled. With him and Vince squared away, balance was finally restored. As soon as they got the law off their backs, they’d be stronger than ever. “Dante got himself busted for drugs, and they’ve been holding him a while, which means the feds have stepped in. I’m sure they spent a lot of time trying to flip him.”
“So we lay low, we watch for tails, and we’re more careful with calls. They won’t get us; they never do.”
The use of “us” sent a warm swirl of satisfaction through Carlo. “The feds are breathing down my neck, and I don’t have the luxury of making a mistake or letting personal feelings get in the way of what I know needs done.” He tossed his cigar on the sidewalk, stomped on it, then squared off in front of his nephew so he could closely watch every tick of his face. “I’m as sorry as anyone to have to make this call, but I can’t leave any loose ends. Cassie needs to be taken care of. Now.”
“Is it worth the risk of it being traced back to you? I assure you, she doesn’t remember a thing. As your consultant, I’ll tell you I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“There’s no way around it, Vince. I understand if you’ve become attached. I won’t think any less of you, but it’s got to be taken care of. Can I count on you?”
Vince ran his fingers across his jaw. “I’m not gonna lie, I hate the thought of doing it.”
Carlo nodded. “I suspected as much. It’s hard to get that close and not feel something.”
“But like I said when I first volunteered, if it has to be done, I want to make sure it’s quick and painless. I’d still rather it be me than someone else.”
“It has to be done. I’m sorry about it, I am, but I just can’t risk it. Not with so much on the line.”
Vince swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“It needs to be tonight, before the feds get more organized and none of us can take a piss without someone breathing over our shoulder. Capisce?”
“Consider it done.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Carlo stayed out in the backyard for several minutes after Vince left. When he headed inside, he clicked on the television, but was unable to settle on anything for long. After a good hour of mindless stupidity, he flipped through the channels again…
Trying to rid himself of the doubt he didn’t want to have.
He wanted to start this new position with Vince off right, but he kept hearing Sal’s nasally voice telling him that Vince always had a thing for Cassie. He thought of Big Al relaying how angry Vince became when he threatened her.
Blind trust was just that—blind. He’d always needed to see things for himself. Surely Vince knew there’d be repercussions if he failed. Bobby was in town, most likely calling old contacts already, looking for a fix.
As long as Vince did what he was supposed to, he’d keep his word, pay for Bobby’s rehab, and ensure nothing happened to him. Hell, maybe it’d even stick. Honestly, Carlo felt like he’d failed them both. After all, the man who shot down their father did it to get back at him for killing his brother. As soon as Carlo heard about Antony, he suspected retaliation, and when he finally got hold of Enzo Paggio he’d confessed… after Carlo had taken a couple of fingers.
Carlo’s sister, Teresa, had always been a little too fragile. It was why he was glad that Antony had fallen in love with her—well, truth be told, at first he was pissed. But then he realized his best friend would take care of her.
When Antony was murdered, she fell apart. Between the drinking and the pills, she finally mixed a powerful enough cocktail to leave her two boys behind.
Vince was sixteen, Bobby fourteen. Carlo had tried to do right by them.
He still wanted to right by them.
But that was his heart overruling his head again. Stop being a pussy and do what you know needs to be done.
He emptied his pockets—fucking feds making him need two phones everywhere he went. Using his brand-new burner, he called Sal. It was a sad day when he was the only one Carlo could call. Why couldn’t the gnat be sweating it out in a cell instead of Dante?
“Sal,” Carlo said as soon as he answered. “I need you to listen very carefully to my instructions, and I want them followed to a T. Vince is taking care of the waitress tonight, but…”
His throat tried to close on him. Was he really doing this? He ran a hand through his hair and sat forward. “I want a little extra reassurance, just in case. Don’t send Jackhammer.” He searched his brain for the right guy. Quick and quiet and would never point the finger at him, even if he got caught. Someone Vince wouldn’t see coming, either.
Just in case, he mentally reassured himself. It’s always a good idea to have backup.
Finally, he came up with the best option he could under the circumstances and gave the detailed instructions to Sal to relay to the hired third party.
“What if Vince gets in the way?” Sal asked.
Carlo’s gut clenched, and he breathed out through his nose, forcing the weak, affectionate sensation away. “Just have him do what needs to be done.”
Blood was thicker than water, but if his blood tried to cross him, it’d be the last thing he did.
***
Cassie had the first shift at McCarthy’s today, but since it was super slow and her concentration was subpar anyway, Mr. Brown let her off early. She decided the perfect way to celebrate was to buy the dress she’d had her eye on, get all fancied up, and make a nice dinner for her and Vince—he’d called earlier and said he’d be over as soon as he could.
Tonight was going to be the night. Yesterday she and Vince had pushed past all the barriers. Exchanged I love yous. So no more waiting. She seasoned the chicken, and while it was marinating, changed into her new racy hot-pink d
ress. The first time she passed the window display featuring it, she fell in love with the bright color, but decided it didn’t have nearly enough material for her to actually wear, even with her more-bold-and-adventurous goal in place.
But the way Vince looked at her the other night when she wore her little black dress gave her the confidence to buy the strapless, mid-thigh number. She might never wear it outside of her apartment, but she’d rock it tonight. She curled her hair in loose waves and slipped on four-inch nude pumps. Hopefully, the combination would prove to be more than Vince could resist, because she was so over resisting.
She’d just sprinkled fresh basil over the chicken when there was a knock on the door. Cassie wiped her hands on the kitchen towel and answered it.
Vince stood there, deliciously scruffy, his dark hair a bit messier than usual, wearing his green army jacket. He had a large black duffel bag over his shoulder. Hope tingled through her—maybe he planned on staying the night. Or the week, considering the size.
“That’s a big bag,” she said. “I think I could fit in it.”
He looked at her—or more like through her. “It’s all my work stuff. I didn’t want to leave it in the Jeep.”
“Well, I’m about to put dinner in the oven. I can open a bottle of wine if you like, or you can kick back on the couch for a few minutes while I wrap this up, and then I’ll join you.”
“I’m gonna go wash up, actually.” He walked over to the television, turned it on, and then walked down the hall, still carrying his duffel bag.
Weird. She wondered if it was Bobby or if something at work left him so…detached.
And why did he turn the TV up so loud?
He hadn’t noticed her outfit either, which was disappointing to say the least. Maybe he just needs a few minutes to unwind. We’ll have dinner, get to an easy flirty place like we always do, and the night will get back on track. Just a minor setback, nothing more.
Cassie pulled out a cutting board and grabbed a tomato. She bounced it on her forearm and caught it. Tomatoes got wimpy throws because otherwise you ended up with mashed tomatoes—not nearly as good as mashed potatoes. Unless of course you were making marinara, which she wasn’t.