Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
As they joined us around the coffee table, Adriano asked them, “How long are you guys planning to stay in Las Vegas?”
Dante answered for them. “Vincent will need to head back to San Francisco soon. He has little kids at home, and I know he misses them and his husband Trevor like crazy. Josh and Darwin will probably head back at the same time, since they’re both in college and ditching class to be here. And Nana’s going to do what she always does—whatever the hell she wants. As for Charlie and me, we’re planning to stay as long as it takes to resolve this situation. I brought in eight more men, by the way, so there are now two dozen people out there making waves and looking for Greco. As long as he doesn’t skip town, I expect to find him any day now.”
“I doubt he’d leave town,” Adriano said. “That’d be like admitting defeat, and he’s not about to do that.”
I asked, “What exactly is the plan, once you find him? I mean, I assume it’ll involve threatening him and beating him up, but is that really going to be enough to get him to permanently back off and leave Adriano and his family alone?”
Dante and Adriano glanced at each other, and Dante told me, “That’s entirely up to your boyfriend. Whatever Adriano decides, I’ll back him up.” I wondered just how far Reno would actually take this.
Just then, the front door was thrown open and Dante, Vincent, and Adriano tensed up and leapt to their feet. But it wasn’t a raid by Greco, it was the return of the shopping expedition.
Nana led the march into the house, daintily carrying a small, pink shopping bag. Behind her were Josh and Darwin and a short, stocky little old man they’d apparently picked up along the way. All three of Nana’s companions were loaded down with shopping bags.
Her face lit up when she saw us, and she exclaimed, “There you boys are! Adriano and Jack, meet my husband Ollie. He’s actually my second husband, due to the fact that my first one was a no-good bum. Ollie had to stay behind in San Francisco for a day to finish up a charity auction we’re putting together, but he flew out this afternoon to surprise me.”
We exchanged greetings and shook hands with Ollie, after he offloaded eight bulging bags onto the coffee table. Then Adriano introduced Romy, who asked, “Was there some kind of clearance sale at the mall?”
Ollie took a seat and put his feet up on the coffee table. “Nah. My girl just got excited, because she had a cute new family member to shop for. While she was at it, she picked up a few things for herself, of course, along with some gifts for the rest of her boys.”
I was surprised to discover he actually meant me when he mentioned a new family member. Nana squeezed in between Adriano and me on the couch, pulled some of the shopping bags closer, and began unpacking her finds, which she piled onto my lap. “Thank you,” I said, as she thrust a shoe box into my hands. “Please let me know how much I owe you, and I’ll pay you back.” But I might have to rob a bank first, because the pile on my lap was still growing.
“Don’t be silly,” she said, as she added something small and sheer to the pile. Oh god, she’d actually bought me sexy underwear. “I don’t want you to pay me back! I just want you to enjoy this stuff, as much as I enjoyed shopping for it.”
Josh and Darwin added their bags to the pile as Josh said, “And let me tell you, she enjoyed the hell out of this shopping trip. It was all we could do to get her to stop for lunch.”
“I tell you what though, I’m about done for the day,” she said, as she placed a mesh tank top on my lap. Good lord, Reno’s granny was really trying to tart me up. “Jack and Aidie shouldn’t be going out anyway, what with needing to recover and all, so let’s have dinner delivered tonight.” I grinned at her nickname for Adriano, and I was happy when she turned to Romy and asked, “Can you stay and eat with us, kiddo?”
Romy turned his gaze to the gold shag carpeting as he said, “Thanks, but I have plans.”
I didn’t believe him. He was probably just overwhelmed by all of his brother’s new family members, same as I was. In fact, he made an excuse soon after and said he needed to go.
First though, he pulled aside Adriano and me for a quick medical exam. We moved into the quiet sitting room at the front of the house, and he checked our vital signs and shone a small flashlight in our eyes to see how our pupils responded. Then he turned his attention to my arm. As he changed out the butterfly bandages that had replaced some of my torn stitches, I told him, “The Dombrusos could never take your place in Reno’s life, Romy. You know that, right?”