I patted my pocket, unable to stop my grin from spreading as we arrived at Tero’s.
My grin disappeared on seeing Rafa, his face set in coldly furious lines, waiting on the curb, which in itself was surprising considering Bonafacio would be arriving with a small army like we had, and the last thing I needed was for him to be caught in some stupid drive-by by a runner with twitchy fingers.
‘What the fuck are you?—’
‘El Topo’s not coming.’
My own fury sparked. ‘He cancelled?’
His lips thinned. ‘Correction. He’s not coming here. He wantsyouto come to him. Alone. I told him to fuck off.’
My teeth gritted hard enough to hurt my jaw. ‘Call his people. Tell them I’m on my way.’
Fury turned to shock. ‘Like fuck you are.Frate, this is a trap?—’
‘He probably thinks so, but he won’t after he learns what we have.’ At his mutinous look, I sighed. ‘I have three back-to-back races starting in a few days plus Orazio’s birthday party thrown in there. I’m not letting this hang over us for another three weeks. It gets settled today.’
His fists bunched hard, but after several beats they unclenched. ‘I’ll call. But I’m following. And so are our men. Anything happens, we kill them all.Capisci?’
As a sign that he didn’t totally hate my guts, it was touching enough to bring a lump to my throat. Bumping fists with him, I let him slam the door.
Fist, who’d heard everything, put the vehicle in drive.
And we were off.
I’d seen pictures of the home Maddelena had grown up in. At a fifth of its size, it would never meet the majesty of Fallbrook, but it was impressive nonetheless. In a Westchester look-how-fucking-rich-I-am kind of way.
I had little time to admire the architecture though.
At the end of the short drive, twelve men in two rows of six, armed to the teeth, formed a beefy receiving line to the imposing front doors.
I hid a grin and waited for Fist to open my door.
Behind me, the single SUV they’d allowed through the gates let out the six soldiers I’d brought. Another forty lined the streets surrounding the Mancinelli property in case hell broke loose.
Stepping out, I buttoned my jacket and strode in measured steps towards the thin, hawk-nosed man framed in the door.
Like Orazio, El Topo was showing his age of a life lived on the edge of constant danger. But with thinning hair and a sickly complexion, he looked slightly worse for wear than my grandfather. I searched his features for signs of Maddelena, and to my relief I saw very little.
She’d clung hard to her grandmother’s and mother’s DNA.
‘I told you to come alone.’
I smiled. ‘You didn’t tell me shit. We had a meeting which you pulled out of at the last minute. Besides, I’m a terrible dancer when the tune isn’t to my liking.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘It’s clear nobody bothered to teach you respect, boy.’
‘Oh, I know respect. So I know it’s earned. You haven’t earned mine. And you’re already in a deficit by calling me “boy”.’
From the corner of my eye, I saw his men fidget at my lack of deference. But I was starting as I meant to go on. ‘Now, I can leave if you want, but then so does any chance you have to make the right choices.’
His eyes narrowed. Assessing my level of bullshit. Then he looked over my shoulder.
‘Where’s my granddaughter?’
‘Not here.’ I shook my head. ‘Did you seriously think I would bring her with me?’
Unholy rage sizzled to life in his eyes, and I was glad Maddelena was safe and sound in my bed.
