AllFreeNovel
Share Us
By the time I returned to the second racing venue, the helicopter and cop cars had ceased their chase. I lined up at the starting line, looking for Mikey in the crowd. What the hell had he gotten me into? I’d known him since first grade. He was a good friend, but he could be a total asshole sometimes.
The flag dropped for the second time tonight, and I floored it. Like before, my focus was on winning. When I reached the last quarter-of-a-mile stretch, I shifted gears. In the rear-view mirror, the fire from the nitrogen burn rose up and got lost in the dark night. And all I could think of were those gorgeous green eyes shooting daggers at me. As soon as I crossed the finished line, I spotted Mikey. I stormed out of the car and rounded on him.
"Did you steal this car? Are you fucking kidding me? My brother and Rex are all over my ass, trying to get me to New York. If I get in this kind of trouble, I'll have no choice but to do as they say." I fisted the front of his T-shirt.
"Relax. I didn't steal it. The pink slip is in the glove compartment. I won it fair and square. I told you that two nights ago. Jeez, maybe stay off the booze for a fucking bit." He slapped my hand away and jerked his chin forward. "You came here to help me seal a deal."
I turned around, and there she was. She had her long hair sprawled around her shoulders and wore a V-neck T-shirt that hugged her tits just the way I liked it. As if she had sensed me, she shifted her weight to look my way and froze.
"We're racing for pinks?" I asked under my breath.
"Her brother already lost his ride and a shit-ton of money to me. But he's got something I need."
"You don't mean her." I gritted my teeth. The idea of Mikey with his hands all over her made my stomach churn into a painful knot.
"I wouldn't mind a piece of that. But no, this is business." He gestured for me to go ahead.
I ambled over to the dealer handling our race. "Massimo." I shook his hand, then turned to the green-eyed beauty. "We weren't properly introduced before."
She blew out a breath, as if giving me her name was a tiresome chore. "EJ Holt." Her fingers had barely brushed mine before she shot a murderous look to the guy standing next to her. By the way he cowered behind her, I could only assume that was her brother. "My brother doesn't have your money."
"I know that, doll." Mikey stepped forward with his hand extended. "Mikey Gallo. We met briefly last month."
"Yes, we did." Her jaw clenched. "I’d hoped never to see your kind again."
"Let's take a minute. I'm sure we can come to some sort of an arrangement." I put up a finger, squeezed Mikey's shoulder, and pulled him away from the trio. I wished I remembered what I had agreed to while we were in Ibiza. I didn't like the greedy spark in Mikey's eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Take a good look. Virgin territory all around us. These punks don't know how to run a town. We can take over. Easy." He slapped my stomach with the back of his hand. "A new crew. A new family. You and me."
"I don't want a new mafia family. Hell, I don't even want the one I already have. This is not what we talked about." I didn't know that for sure. But there was no fucking way I had agreed to return to New York and play the good son again.
"You said you wanted to start over. Settle down." He gestured toward the race cars. "Here's your chance. Zack owes me enough money that he’ll have no choice but to forfeit his territory to me. Then you and I can do our thing, our way."
"We didn't discuss this."
"We're discussing it now." He crossed his arms over his chest, his brown eyes bright with excitement.
I glanced over at EJ. She leaned forward to whisper something to her brother. The wind caught a few loose strands of blonde hair and tossed them into her face. What would she think if she found out I was third in line to take over the family business, a member of a hundred-year-old society that ran all mafia related activity in the country? In short, a fucking criminal.
"No."
Mikey chuckled, then his lips dipped into a frown. "Wait. No? You're saying no?"
"I am. Tell them their debt is forgiven. We leave for Ibiza tonight."
"How about you think on it a bit?" He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and ushered me to EJ, her brother, and the dealer. "How long do you think you’ll need, doll? To come up with my money."
"First of all, I'm not a doll. The name is EJ." She swallowed. Again, she glared at her brother for a beat, but he didn't say a word. "A month."
"A month? I can't wait that long." Mikey raked both hands through his wavy hair, his gaze darting between EJ and me. "But you know what? I'm feeling generous. Must be the crisp Southern air. How about you go out with my friend Massimo here and we call it a deal?"
"Don't be an asshole." My cheeks burned hot, pissed that Mikey could read me so well.
He was such a cliché. He missed his mafia days, his family, and having power over everything and everyone around him.
"What?" He asked in an innocent tone. "They need time, and you need a friend while we wait for our money." He winked at me.
The asshole knew I wasn't at all indifferent to EJ. He also didn’t want cash. I turned to EJ to explain Mikey's fucked up humor, but she beat me to it.
