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“You can’t blame her with all the shit you pulled back in Brooklyn. Using her to do your dirty work—Fuck, you almost had us killed.”
“That was all about business.” Frank shifted his gaze to the back of the room. “Until it all fell apart and I was the only one who could save her.”
Cheryl alluded to this too, then brushed over it when Nick questioned her, but shit was getting too deep to keep anymore secrets. Especially if those secrets fucked with the future of Club Wicked, or him getting back with Cheryl.
Nick stared at Frank willing him to continue.
“It was the third time I’d come to L.A. to get her out of the shithole she was living in, but she refused. We fought, again and I flew back to New York that night. Two days later my phone rings and it’s Cheryl frantic and not making sense.”
Nick’s gut tightened.
“Izzy was working as an escort for some slimy pimp who liked to beat up on his girls. They were arguing in the hallway and Cheryl stepped in. Shit got crazy and the guy ended up taking a header down a flight of stairs.”
“Shit!”
“Thanks to Cheryl the fucker never drew another breath.” Frank’s smirk contained a hint of pride. “She panicked, and called me.”
“And how did Johnny play into all this?”
“He was already in L.A. setting up the jazz clubs, so I told him to get his ass over there and take care of it which he did, but of course he wanted something in return.”
“And Cheryl was the payment?”
“Johnny called in some favors and had the whole thing cleaned up within an hour. The body disappeared into thin air and Cheryl was never questioned by the cops or anyone else. I’m sure nobody gave a shit about the lowlife, but the job still had to be done.”
Nick’s brain spun with the ‘what-ifs’ and different variables. He hated thinking of Cheryl so vulnerable and forced into a no-win situation, but the trace of emotion in Frank’s voice floored him too. This somewhat human side of Frank’s personality spooked him.
“Marrying Cheryl solved two problems. It cleaned up his rep after doing time in Rikers and it made it easier to use him as a front man at the jazz clubs. Plus, Cheryl finally had to accept my help and move out of that shitty neighborhood. He promised to keep her secret and they both went into it knowing it was a fake marriage. Neither of them expected anything different. A match made in purgatory. Then Johnny started forgetting where his loyalties should lie.”
“You used to say the same about me and Samson.”
Frank huffed out a laugh. “Even back in the day I knew you two had what it takes, but Johnny’s different.” Frank’s face clouded over. “He’s got a big mouth and he doesn’t know when to shut it. Bragging and acting like a big shot.”
“Sounds like it’s time for a change.” Nick let his words sit between them.
“Like?”
“We could work against each other or we could work together, but either way it’s time to take this bastard down.”
“Are you saying you need my help?” Frank shot him a smirky grin.
“Fuck me, but I think we need each other.”
“I know the only reason Cheryl made the deal with Johnny was because of the kid. She knew if what she did got out and she got convicted for that fucker’s murder or even if it went to trial the kid would definitely end up in social services.”
“Wait a minute. I thought her kid was Johnny’s.”
“Nah, Portia was about five when it all went down. Cheryl was more scared about what would happen to her than to herself. Kept saying nobody could take away her child.”
“If it’s not Johnny’s—Are you telling me . . . it’s my kid?”
The room tilted, and Nick gripped the edge of the bar. Had Cheryl kept this from him all these years?
“She never said, but the timeline fits.” Frank refilled Nick’s glass. “She doesn’t even acknowledge I’m the grandfather, but I get it. She’s trying to keep the kid safe.”
Nick saw Cheryl three times in the last two weeks and she never thought to mention she had a kid—maybe his kid. Nick’s mouth dried. It seemed obvious the ten-year-old was his. The only thing he couldn’t swallow was her deception. The walls closed in and an out of control rage overwhelmed him. What the fuck kinda game was she playing?
She’d told him when they were in Miami all those years ago lying was her go-to when she was in trouble, and because of her past experiences she viewed relationships as a form of commerce. A means to an end, a business deal, just like the one she had with Johnny Russo.
