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I then make another phone call to the brother I need most right now.
Salvatore comes within the hour. He’s aware of what’s going on and the worry is all over his face.
“You alright?” Salvatore grabs my shoulder when he walks in and starts looking me over similar to the way I checked Charlotte out when I first got in.
“I’m okay,” I assure him.
“She okay?”
“She’s sleeping. She doesn’t know.” She fell asleep a few minutes ago. Her head was paining a little more so she went to lie down and when I went to check on her she was fast asleep.
“Fuck, don’t tell her anything until we need to.”
I smirk. “We?”
“Fucking prick, don’t play with me now. It’s we all the way. Nick messaged me, he heard there was a shootout near work so he was checking in. I didn’t say the shootout was about you.” Salvatore knows Nick as well as me.
Salvatore and Nick share the same temper and that’s saying something considering I can lose my shit at any time. I’m considered the level-headed one. I don’t know why that is. Maybe it’s because I’m not as crazed as these two and I don’t have that presence Vincent has.
People find out they’ve crossed me when it’s too late and they’re either too dead to make amends or lose a limb.
“Thanks bro.” I rest my hand on his back and look him in the eye. The minute I do he knows I’ve summoned him here for a reason.
I have and it wasn’t for this friendly chat.
He tenses but I smile. “Do you want to go smoke outside? My girl thinks it’s sexy as fuck to watch me smoke, but she hates the smell and I want to keep the house vanilla fresh for her.”
I even sound different to myself. He nods and we go out back into the garden and sit by the pool.
I bring out my best Cubans with a hint of oak wood. He likes those. What he doesn’t like is the suspense that looms in the space between us.
I sit opposite him and light up.
“Gabriel, talk. I need to know what’s on your mind. What’s happening? I know the gist, what I don’t have are the specs, the fine print and details. What did that bastard do?” Salvatore straightens up.
“You know what he didn’t do? He didn’t kill me.” I smirk without humor. “The bastard didn’t kill me, he had a clear shot and never took it because he didn’t want to, although…” I hold up my finger for effect “...if the spray of bullets had gotten me that would have been mission accomplished. Bastard would have gunned me down in the road, one more dead Giordano brother, one less Giordano to worry about. Message received loud and clear. I’m his target. The man wants me dead, but he wants to play with me first.”
Salvatore growls and bares his teeth.
“Fucking fuck that,” he hisses.
I shake my head. “Not this time. Fucking fuck my chances because I’m fucked and screwed in every which way possible because this guy is an Antonella.”
He keeps quiet at that. “Gabe,there’s… we have to do something. We can gather the boys, call Claudius again, do something.”
“I’m sure everybody will do their best in the end Salvatore, but when you’re dealing with a madman nothing is ever clear cut. Nothing goes the way we think it should because they’re unpredictable. Shit you never expect can happen, everything gets fucked in a way you can’t imagine and… Salvatore… I can’t allow her to suffer again.” Emotion takes me and I have to set down my cigar. “I can’t. I can’t. He’ll kill me somehow, some way and like today I won’t see it coming and I won’t stand a chance.”
Silence takes up residence for a few seconds and makes the air heavy with tension as we look at each other.
“Ask me,” he says because he knows there’s only one reason I asked him specifically to come here. There’s only one reason why he’s the only one here. Vincent offered to come after he went on the streets and I told him I was fine. I know Nick wouldn’t have come. He would lose his temper first then come see if I was okay after. Salvatore though… no.
“You have my back bro. Now I’m going to ask you to take care of my girl if anything happens to me.”
He holds my gaze and his face hardens. He stares at me with a deep intensity that keeps me there.
“Gabe –”
“No.” I cut in and shake my head. “Salvatore. Please. Just don’t let anything happen to her. The only other person I can trust with this is you. I ask you to look after her and… if you have any feelings at all for Mimi please treat her right. She deserves a good man. You are that… but if it’s more than friendship, don’t do what I did and fuck things up. That’s all I’m asking.”
