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“But if it comes down to it, and we have to hurt him, how is she going to feel about that?”
I take a deep breath. “I’ve explained this life to her as much as I can.”
“Well, I guess we’ll deal with it if and when the time comes.”
“Yeah.”
“You sure you don’t want any food?” he asks, shoveling mashed potatoes and steak into his mouth.
“I’m good.”
“You said Mariella cooks, right?”
I nod. “Yeah. Why? She’s not gonna be your personal chef.”
Khalid laughs. “I wouldn’t even ask. But no, I was talking to Kyler’s friend, Isaac. You know he’s filthy rich. Anyway, he’s opening up a restaurant soon. It’s still in the early stages, but I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks.” I pocket that information and will talk to both Kyler and Isaac about it first before I bring it up to Mariella.
“Well, before I go, I have some information. The people who were fucking with the Irish businesses were found. Jian was still scouting the bars and stayed after closing. Someone threw a brick through the window with a note on it.”
“What did it say?” he asks, pushing his plate away as he sits back.
“It was a threat. Apparently, the Irish have started dipping their fingers into the coke business.”
“I thought they only dealt with heroin?”
“It was that way for a long time, but now they’re getting greedy.”
“The coke business goes primarily through Gonzales. You know what we had to give up for even a small piece of his business?”
“Yeah, half our fucking gun business.”
“Granted, drugs get more money, but still. I had to meet up with his people for months. Asshole didn’t even want to meet me in person.”
“I know. Well, the Irish might be about to make enemies with them.”
“Which fucks us, because we’ve got business with both of them, but the Irish taking part of our coke business was never part of the plan. Onlyweshare that with Gonzales.”
“I knew they couldn’t be trusted. We may end up having to choose sides here, and you already know where I’ll lean.”
He rubs his forehead. “Yeah. Okay, I’ll plan a meeting with Murphy and see what I can find out. May need to send Tommy to talk to Gonzales and let him know we’re not in on this.”
“Good idea.” I push away from the table and stand up. “Gonna go talk to Donati. I’ll let you know what happens.”
“All right, man.”
I softly hit his shoulder with my fist before I walk out the door. “Take it easy.”
* * *
Once I leave the casino, I send Mariella a message to let her know I’m on my way to pick her up. After our night at the club last night, we didn’t get much talking done. We left to spend the night at my condo, and she was asleep for the entire drive, falling back into unconsciousness almost as soon as she hit the mattress.
Today, on top of talking to Donati about how our business relationship will be going forward, I have to cut out some time for just me and Mariella. There’s a lot that’s been left unsaid, and it’s time to force myself into an uncomfortable setting in order for her to understand everything fully.
When my driver pulls up in front of my building, Mariella is already outside. She’s wearing a black shirt that clings to her skin and a pair of light blue jeans that accentuate her luscious curves. A pair of black sandals add a few inches to her height. She’s looking at her phone, and then her round doe eyes lift up and find the car. Though she can’t see me through the tint, a smile quickly forms on her lips before she races over, her brown curls flying behind her.
“I was going to come up for you,” I say as soon as she gets in.
