Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72790 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72790 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“Sit.”
I sat, making myself comfortable. I knew that they expected most guys to be nervous in their company. I knew they also knew that I wasn’t most guys.
“What can we do for you, Lucky?”
Antonio smirked at his brother’s choice of words. They were expecting me to offer them something, not the other way around.
“The girl. I want her out.”
They exchanged an uneasy look. That was interesting.
“You mean Charise.”
“I mean Kirsten.”
Now they exchanged another look.
“What is your interest in our employee, Lucky?”
“She’s with me now. I need to keep her safe. Sal is gonna hurt her if she stays there.”
Vincent ran his hand through his hair and sighed. I’d never seen him look anything other than self-assured. But he looked upset.
“She’s under Sal’s jurisdiction.”
“Look, I have money, I’ll pay her debt. But she’s not going back.”
“You put us in a difficult situation, Lucky,” Antonio leaned in. “Sal can be… difficult.”
“Yeah, well, he tried to trade her to an FBI agent the other night. He was going to rape her.”
Now they both sat up.
“You are sure about this, Lucky?” Vincent pointed his finger at me. “Don’t be telling tales.”
I nodded.
“Sal was on the fence but he’d given the guy carte blanche. He wasn’t going to be able to stop him by the time they shut down.”
“What guy?”
“His name’s Cheever.”
Antonio started speaking in Italian, fast and furious. I heard curse words liberally sprinkled in. His brother nodded a few times, but that was it.
“We thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
“I have money. I’ll pay. Plus interest.”
Vince finally smiled.
“She’s a nice girl. Beautiful. I told her she was making a mistake.”
“She’s an angel.”
He nodded.
“She’s a good mother, and I respect that.” He steepled his fingertips together. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t make promises.”
I stared at him. Mother? Were we talking about the same girl? I felt the floor drop out from under me.
“You didn’t know,” Antonio said, a dawning smile on his face. “About the sick kid? That’s what she needed the money for.”
Things started to click into place. She wanted me gone by three. The ‘roommate’ whose door was always shut. The mysterious reason a sweet girl like her was in this mess to begin with.
Oh, my Angel. Why didn’t you tell me?
“No, I didn’t.”
“Neither does Sal, so keep it that way,” Antonio muttered. “And keep your distance from the Garage. I wouldn’t go back there, Lucky.”
“Does the kid change things for you, Lucky?”
Vincent was watching me closely, with a stillness that reminded me of a large predator about to strike. He looked like a lion. The softness of his voice belied true power.
“Not even a little.”
Vince smiled at me with genuine warmth for the first time in our long acquaintance. He had perfect teeth. The man looked like an after photo in a cosmetic dentistry ad.
“Good man.” He held his hand out. “Give me what you have.”
I handed it over and he flipped through the envelope. Then he weighed it in his hand.
“This is about twenty. The debt is thirty. She’s barely paid any off, which I think is Sal’s doing.”
I was impressed by his skills, I had to admit. How many guys could weigh money with their hands?
“Holy shit, you’re good.”
He smirked.
“I know. When can you get the rest?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Alright. I would throw a little extra in there to soften the blow. Sal is possessive about her. That’s why he’s cheating her on the payback. He wants her around. He thinks he’ll wear her down.”
He stood up and shook my hand for the first time.
“I’ll never admit to this, but I think he’s a fucking creep.”
“If he wasn’t so loyal to Vince Senior, he’d be in the river,” Antonio added. He clapped my back and then I was out, about twenty k lighter.
Cal was sitting with a couple old timers sipping cappuccino. The old timers were laughing. I shook my head. Of course, he fit in. Callaway could charm anyone, even the mafia.
“We good?”
I nodded and accepted the return of my gun from Bobo.
“All good.”
And it was.
I couldn’t wait to see my Angel and meet her kid.
Chapter 17
Kirsten
“Are you going to work tonight, Mom?”
“Yes, dear.”
I pressed a kiss to Jacey’s head and spooned out more string beans with lemon and olive oil. She was eating more than usual. So was I.
I hadn’t felt this good in a long time. Since I was a kid, maybe. Early on, when both my parents were alive.
Having both the night and day off honestly felt like kind of a holiday. Even if I was worried about Sal and the Margarellis. Not even the text I’d gotten that morning from Lucky could make me stop worrying completely.
It’s taken care of. See you tonight, Angel.
Except he wouldn’t be seeing me tonight. I was already in my uniform. I couldn’t rely on Lucky to keep me out of trouble. I had to handle this myself. Of course, that meant working around the bikers hanging out in front of my house all day. I had to be smart. I had to be extra sneaky.