“Same shit, different city.”
“I take it Joel wasn’t one to go quietly into the night?”
“No.” His eyes narrow as he flexes his jaw. “He and a few of his buddies got it in their minds that they could take on Danny’s boys.”
I smirk at the very thought. Danny handpicks every man he hires. He expects each one to take a bullet for anyone in the Leone family. He makes sure they’re good when they get to him, and then he trains them the way he wants them after they join his team. Danny doesn’t pick someone just based on looks; he goes for skill.
If Joel and his boys thought they could take out a few men in suits, they’re dead wrong. Hell, they might be dead already considering how Danny tells his men to deal with people who threaten his family. And technically, Joel did. The bouncer might already be in the Hudson if the traffic was in his favor.
“Good thing your brother brought more than we expected.”
“I figured he would. At least for the initial day. And I bet they’ll stay on a while longer now that a situation occurred.”
I called him after I got in last night, which was very early morning for him. He answered, but he didn’t greet me as I expected. Which was fine. I was never one to fear silence or afraid to fill it.
“Danny boy, how’s life? Anything new with you? How’s the family? Did you get my care package? I saw it and couldn’t resist.”
Silence.
But it was better than being hung up on.
“Ah, a man of few words. I like that in a man. Anyhow, just calling to thank you for the use of your men last week. They did swell. No mess or fuss from any of them.”
“That’s why I hired them.”
I remember actually smiling at my brother’s gruff response.
He might not be one for idle chitchat, but speaking about his men is another subject entirely. Dad did well choosing him to be the man in the family who focuses on security. He’s a walking advertisement for a security firm or a workout magazine. Both would fit him well.
“Exactly. They’re good at their job and know how to do so. You did good, big bro.”
He just grunts in response. Danny’s never fond of compliments. Actually, no one in the family except Mama and me seems to take them with a smile. The others deny them or ignore them. I revel in them. Even if a person is trying to insultme rather than point out a success, I take it with a smile and see it as a compliment that it was even noticed at all.
Maybe there’s still a bit of my sunshine self within me. I might not smile as much, but I’ve still got the right mindset. Something I hope never truly leaves me.
“So, I’m sure it won’t be a problem to send about four of your guys to G-Spot for security while I set up shop before I vet my own team. I’ll expect them there at four. Thanks.” I hang up quickly and feel my entire face light up with glee watching my phone ring.
Not that I plan to answer. Danny can be quiet most of the time, but he has a way with words when he wants to say something. He definitely wants to talk if he keeps calling and hanging up just to call again.
I left my phone in the kitchen as I went to bed, letting it ring. I knew he wanted to talk more, probably to ream me out about using his men for my own jobs instead of hiring my own team, but we both know he wouldn’t be happy with them unless he did the recruiting. Something he doesn’t have time for, so this is just our family love language of sharing, yelling, and asking for favors.
Which is why I wasn’t surprised when I showed up and found not just his men already here but my brother as well. He greeted me—well, glared—as I forced a smile to keep up appearances. My smiles are now for the family and for those who I want to use. None of them are for me. Not lately. Maybe one day I’ll smile again for me, but not today. Tomorrow doesn’t look any better either.
Danny was less grumpy outside this morning than on the phone. He probably had his daily protein shake, or two,and was able to calm down enough to have prepared a speech for me. One I didn’t listen to.
“Answer your damn phone next time.”
“And deprive myself of seeing you outside your little fortress? I think not.” He might be stiff as a board most days, but he let me get in close enough to wrap one arm around him and pat his back. He detests it when I call his office a fortress. He protects it like it is, even more so sometimes. Prison would be a better word choice with how much he prefers to be inside the walls than out, but saying a Leone is in prison leaves a foul taste in my mouth. Even as a joke.
“Vinny has you taking on this dump?” He pulled back and positioned himself a firm space away as he straightened his suit from the rude way I rumpled it. He won’t say the words, but I’ve known him my whole life. I can read him like a book; all his expressions are sentences in their own right.
“You talk to him?”
“Enough to know that I’ve got more shit to put on my plate with men down.”
“They aren’t down,” I said with an eye roll. “They’re working here. And with them here, you can tag in the other team that usually follows me for other things when I’m working.”
“Working? Since when do you work?”
