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“He wasn’t going to let Vito hurt me.”
CHAPTER 16
Dante
“Who’s this?” I say when another car pulls up to the old tollbooth entrance at the dock warehouse’s parking lot. It’s the furthest spot in the estate, currently out of operation, but there’s another car sitting at the barrier.
Luca glances at me from his car. We’re sitting side by side in the lot, waiting for the so-called kidnapper to turn up so we can make the drop. It wouldn’t usually be Luca on a job like this, but we need to keep this contained to the four of us. He’s risking his reputation for his family and me if we mess up somehow, get caught, and this goes south.
I flash my lights at the car, my hand on my gun. The car honks its horn.
“Stay here, boss,” I say.
“Don’t call me boss, Dante.”
I drive over to the barrier, parking sideways. That way, I can duck behind the bullet-resistant doors if he starts unloading. The man climbs from the car. He’s tall, maybe even as tall as Luca and me. He’s broad, too, wearing a black leather jacket and a leather vest underneath. He has slicked black hair with threads of silver in it. He walks around the barrier and approaches my car, lighting a cigarette.
“Relax. You’re Dante. That’s Luca Marino.”
“Who thefuckare you?” Luca growls. He had gotten out of his car, and his hand was in his suit jacket.
“Your old man didn’t call?” the man says.
I step from the car, my gun in my hand, staring at the man. He looks back at me calmly. I know another predator when I see one, another hunter.
“Tony Marino sent me,” he goes on. “My name’s Ritchie Amato. The big don should’ve told you about me.”
I glance at Luca but keep Ritchie in front of me the entire time. “Call your dad, Luca,” I say.
“No need to act so tough,” he says with a mocking, ice-cold smile. “Nothing bad is going to happen here.”
“Yeah. Describe him. Then why… No, Tony didn’t call. He was probably facedown in a bottle. Yeah, well, we don’t need any goddamn babysitter.”
Luca hangs up, walks over, and nods gruffly at him. “He’s Uncle Tony’s friend. Uncle Tony cares about his daughter so much that he apparently sent somebody to spy on us.”
“Spy,” Ritchie says, laughing. “He just wants his daughter home safe and sound.”
“Who are you, anyway?” Luca says.
“My Family back west, they’re small, but your uncle’s a smart, well-connected man. He’s building the west, just like the pioneer days, eh?” Ritchie grins. “So I’m helping him. Helpingher.”
“My cousin,” Luca says. “Mia. She’s a good person.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“Heard what?” I say, my hand on my gun, my finger twitching as though trying to spring onto the trigger.
“I’m sorry?”
“What have you heard about Mia?” I ask. “You said you’ve heard she’s a good person.”
“Well, you know how people talk about families, small talk, man. Just common manners.” He laughs in a shit-eating way. “I guess you’re not one for small talk.”
Luca glances at me. From how he’s looking, I know he knows something about Mia and me. I don’t even have to say anything. He knows what a hungry, possessive man looks like. He’s the same way with Ruby. Only, before, it always seemed so stupid to me. So pointless. It’s all going to end anyway, but not anymore.
“Whatever the case may be,” he says, “I’ve heard she’s a pretty, nice, friendly young lady.”
I grind my teeth, wondering if he knows something, too. He’s eyeing me like he’s expecting a reaction and wants to make something out of it. Or maybe this is all in my head, and I just want to cave his teeth in for daring to talk about my woman.
