AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s why he was the only person in the world he could entrust with watching over Ariana. If anything happened, Kevin would be sure she was safe. That’s all that mattered.
Once the gates were opened, Costello drove his Challenger up the curved drive to the front of the house. Two men stood on the stairs. Even with their overpriced sunglasses shielding their eyes, he could see their glares.
Dancing monkeys. That’s all they were. It’s exactly what he’d been.
Costello climbed out of his car and pocketed his keys.
“He’s waiting for you.” The first monkey spoke, contempt filling the spaces between the syllables.
“I had to announce myself at the gate. I assumed he would be,” Costello said, brushing past them both.
“Hold up.” The second guy clamped his hand down on Costello’s shoulder. “Hand over your gun first.”
“Of course.” He reached into his jacket and pulled the Glock from the holster. “Here.”
Once relieved of his weapon, they led him up the steps and into the house. Costello had been in the house hundreds of times over the years. Family dinners with Frank’s wife and kids, big Christmas celebrations. He didn’t need an escort, but under the circumstances, he didn’t mention it.
“You really have some balls coming here after what you fucking pulled,” Frank greeted Costello from his desk. The doors to the office were closed behind him, but the monkeys remained an arm’s length away.
“You always told me to take the initiative.” Costello rolled his shoulders back and readied himself for whatever was coming.
Frank stood from his chair and rounded his desk, taking measured steps until he reached Costello. Being almost a head shorter, he stopped a few feet away so he wouldn’t have to tilt his head back to look at him.
“Didn’t I give you everything you wanted? Everything you needed? You had to go and steal from me?” His even tone didn’t put Costello at ease. He’d once seen Frank hug a man, inviting him over for Easter dinner right before he whipped out his pistol and put a hole in his head.
“You did, Frank. And I’m grateful.” Costello put his hands together, bowing slightly toward him. “Truly. I am. This had nothing to do with you. Nothing to do with betraying you in any way.”
Frank’s gaze narrowed. “Tell me why you took my property then.”
His property? Costello swallowed the rage that sentence brought up. If he was going to make this all okay, he couldn’t step out of line. He had to keep within the boundaries of the family.
“Honest truth? I love her.” Costello folded his hands in front of him and tightened his jaw.
Frank shook his head. “She’s a Lullaby girl, Costello. Pick another girl, slip her the Lullaby, and you’ll have your own little girl at home.”
“She’s not a Lullaby girl, Frank.” Costello paused. “The drug never worked on her. She was playacting for a while before I caught on. Only recently did the drug regress her, and it was when Nancy started double dosing her.”
Frank’s eyes went wide. “She doubled the dose? She’s fucking lucky she didn’t kill the girl.”
Costello dug his nails into his palm. Not really the fucking issue at hand, but fine, let Frank dwell on that for a moment.
“Nancy’s part is what I want to talk to you about.” Costello said.
“She’s a bitch, I know that. But she’s fucking blood, and Johnny won’t let me send her away. My brother’s always had a soft spot for that loon.” Frank walked over to the wet bar in the corner of his office and poured himself a drink. Costello didn’t wait for an offer for himself.
“She and Johnny, they’ve been making plans, Frank. Johnny mostly, but she’s helping.”
Frank downed his drink, then ran his tongue over his teeth before turning back to Costello. “Go on. And you better not be fucking with me, because I’ll yank your lying tongue out of your head right here and feed it to your little girl when I find her.”
“Johnny’s been talking about not liking the way you’re running the Houses. He wants them all to spit out girls faster, which you’ve said yourself, so I know he’s bringing it to you. But he doesn’t want to wait for you to do it. He thinks you’re too old school.”
Frank dropped his glass on the bar with a clunk. “You telling me my brother is going to make a play for my seat? I’m the head of this fucking family!”
“Yeah, you are. But he’s already gotten the okay from enough of the committee to move ahead without worry of retribution. He’s promising bigger profits with less costs. He offered them shares.”
Frank wiped his hand across his mouth. “The House was our father’s business. No one at the fucking committee was to touch it. It was a Romero business and only a Romero business.”
