“Can you take Chase or Johnny with you?” I ask. Those are two of Frankie’s friends, ones who didn’t desert him after Papa was convicted. Ones who’d always been there and refused to walk away from our family because of the bad press. I trust Frankie more when they’re with him.
“It’s not really a place for them, Chell,” he says, rubbing my arm. “I’ve gotta do this on my own. But it’ll be quick. I’m just going uptown, nowhere crazy. I’ll probably be home for dinner. We can order pizza, my treat,” he says with a wink.
My heart thumps hard and fast when he smiles. I want to believe him, but the overwhelming sense that something is about to go very wrong washes over me, consuming my whole being. Maybe I’m just being overly protective. Or maybe I’m right on target with these feelings. Nothing is ever quick—even death—with the mafia.
“Do you, ah, have a gun?” I ask.
He rolls his eyes. “Course I do.”
I nod. “Okay, well, don’t forget to bring it. Just in case.”
“I’m telling you, it’s going to be fine. Besides, I wasn’t even the ringleader. Salvatore handled all of the heavy shit. And he’s the one who called me about coming to collect my cut. He’s the one they would have gone after, not me. But they obviously don’t know it was us who pulled the job.” He squeezes my shoulders. “What’d I tell ya? Good things are starting to happen, Chella. This is only the beginning.”
And that’s what I’m afraid of — and also that my and Frankie’s interpretations of ‘good things’ don’t exactly match up.
Chapter Five
Roman
My blood bubbles in my veins as I hear Salvatore on the phone with Frankie. That slimy little bastard. He’s been here for years, and I’ve only been in this position for months. He waited a damn long time to exact his revenge against my family.
But he doesn’t get the last word.
The Amantes are done screwing over the Villanis.
This is our town, and no punk-ass prick soldier is gonna take what we’ve built!
Maybe it’s payback for running them out of Sicily.
Maybe he needs the cash since his father keeps making bad choices that get him closer and closer to death.
Or maybe he’s just goddamn stupid.
“You did real good, Sal,” I say, circling the chair where he’s tied up. “That was very convincing.”
Sal nods quickly. “And he’ll be there, too. He needs that money. He’s in a pretty shitty place right now.”
I stop circling and drop to my knees, dragging my gun down the side of his bloody and bruised face. “Frankie and I were best friends back in Sicily. Our fathers were business partners a long time ago back in Sicily, at least until his father screwed mine out of a real estate deal. And then my father forced the Amantes out of the country. Did you know any of that?” I rise to my feet and sweep a hand through my hair. “So now Frankie sees his opportunity and decides to get his revenge, yeah? He figures he can come after what my family has built and take his share.” I hover close to Sal’s twitching face. “But he can’t. And he fucking won’t get away with it. He betrayed my family for the second time. You know how that feels?” I tap the gun on the side of his face again. “Like you’re getting ass-rammed. Dry. Nothing to prep the assault.”
“Roman, look, I know you’re angry, but—”
“But what, Sal?” I thunder. “You were pissed off, you had a beef with my family because we fired you, so you figured you’d come up with a plan to come back for what you thought was yours, yeah? That alone was stupid. Then you team up with Frankie Amante to help. You know how that makes me look, Sal?” I hiss into his ear, yanking it so hard, he lets out a piercing yelp. “Makes me look like I’ve got my head up my ass, that I didn’t see it coming. Not a good look for a boss, is it?”
“N-no,” Sal whimpers.
“But you made sure to wait until Matteo was outta the picture to enact your little plan, didn’t you? You figured you’d get away with our money if I was the one in charge, right? Lemme ask you something,” I say, shoving my face right into his and yelling at the top of my lungs, “Is this how you imagined things would turn out, you cocksucker? Huh? With you beaten within an inch of your pathetic life, tied to a chair, with a cinderblock chained around your ankles?”
Sal doesn’t answer. His chin quivers and his shoulders quake as the tears spill from his beady eyes.
I shake my head. “If you weren’t such a goddamn pervert, things mighta gone differently, you know? Like if you’d left your disgusting hands off Zoe instead of handing her off to your dipshit crew to send us a message, you might not be sitting here right now with your dick hanging out. But that’s why we fired you in the first place, isn’t it, Sal? Because you never could stick to the plan. You always had to put your own fucking spin on shit, and it bit us in the ass plenty.” I smirk. “Looks like old habits die hard, for you and your buddy, Frankie. That apple sure as hell doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Amante family!”
Sal sputters and wiggles in the chair, and I narrow my eyes at him. “You could’ve told him it was a setup. You know there’s no way out for you,” I say. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because why the fuck should he get away with all that money?” he sneers. “I did my part! I just got caught! I shouldn’t have to lose everything to him!”
“Another reason why you’d never make a good leader,” I muse. “Captain goes down with the sinking ship. You’ve heard that, yeah?” I furrow my brow. “But this…Captain sinking the fucking ship with everyone still on it…that’s a new one.”
“If I don’t make it out, nobody does!” Salvatore smirks. “You might wanna look up Frankie’s sister, too. You never know. We mighta pulled this job on you before and you didn’t even realize it. She might have some of the money we stole. Just sayin,” he says with an ominous chuckle.
My spine tenses.
Frankie’s sister.
The date I missed.
How the hell could I have gone back to the restaurant, knowing it was her brother who stole all of that blow? How could I look her in the eye, knowing I was hours away from skewering him?
I couldn’t face her.
I couldn’t stomach the thought of looking at her, if I’m being honest.
That Amante blood runs through her veins, too. And as hot as she is, I don’t need any more toxins seeping into my goddamn life.
“Selfish prick,” I mutter, rolling my eyes at Bobby and Ray who dragged Salvatore’s fat ass over here, same place where I popped Dario barely twelve hours ago. “Sellin’ out everyone and his fucking mother on his way out,” I grumble.
“What are you gonna do?” Ray asks in a hushed whisper.
“I’m gonna hold his hand and read him a story…just before I put a bullet between his beady-fucking-eyes. Cushion the blow a little.” I snort. “What the hell do you think? I mean, the guy’s already anchored, for Christ’s sake.”