MOB BOSS 2 (13 page)

“Aunt Bele knew?”

“Yeah she knew. Of course she knew.” Then Reno exhaled. “We were one fucked up family, okay?”

Tommy’s expression changed. His look became more concerned, more worried. “Think we need to bring in the police?”

“No way. Not until I know what’s going on.”

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, I agree,” he said. “But I have a plan.”

Reno’s cel phone began to ring. When he saw it was Carmine, he answered it quickly. “What’s up?” he asked him.

“There’s been a hit at Spring Valey,” Carmine said in a breathless tone and Reno stood erect.

“What?” Reno asked in such a voice that he immediately got Tommy’s attention.

“They tried to overpower security.”

“Is Ma and the girls al right?” he asked. Vito and Marcy looked, Sal Luca hurried over. “Is everybody okay?”

“Ma and the girls are okay. Dirty’s okay. He says they were able to drop two of ours. We didn’t hit any of their people.”

“What about Katrina? Where’s Katrina?”

“She’s working, she’s with Amos.”

“Go to her now. You get to her and you blanket her, you hear me, Carmine?”

“I hear you, Reno.”

“I mean now.”

“I’m on my way there now. Right now. I’m getting on the elevator now.”

Reno closed his eyes, sat his cel phone against his forehead, and then put it back to his ear. “And get more security over at Spring Valey, I’m talking an army if necessary, and get Ma and the

girls and Dirty out of there. Get them to the PaLargio.”

“I already made the order.”

“Good. Good work, Carmine. Dirty say who did it?”

“Partanna’s people, who else?” Carmine said.

“But did Dirty see any indication that a hit was coming, any familiar faces?”

“No, Reno, nothing like that. They don’t leave caling cards.”

“Just do what I told you to do,” Reno ordered. “Cal me back as soon as you secure Trina.”

He kiled the cal.

“What’s happened, Reno?” Sal Luca asked.

“They hit Pop’s compound in Spring Valey.”

“Is Bele okay?” Vito asked. “Everybody okay?”

“Everybody’s okay. We lost a couple of guards. They got away clean.”

“What are we gonna do now?” Sal asked.

Reno ran his hand across his eyes. Sal was astounded at how drained he looked. “I’m not handling any business here, on their turf. I got to get to mine. We al get back to Vegas.” He looked

at Marcy. Then exhaled. “Marcy, come with me. Tommy, tel security to get the plane ready.”

“Sure, Reno,” Tommy said as he and the rest of the room watched Reno take Marcy into the bedroom.

Marcy’s heart was so elated that she had to contain herself. He’d seen her naked and wanted more, simple as that as far as she was concerned.

“Strip,” Reno said to her as soon as they entered the bedroom and closed the door.

She was so excited, she almost just did it. Then she realized how awful that would look. “Strip?” she said. “Why should I strip?”

“I don’t have time, Marce, not now. Strip.”

She realized he meant business and immediately did as he commanded. “Everything?” she asked as she got down to her panties.

“Everything,” Reno said, watching her, angry with his penis for betraying him. Marcy was a good lay, she was always good for that, but this wasn’t what this was about.

After laying her long, lithe, naked body across the bed, Reno got to work. He began running his hand through her hair, and then down underneath her arms, lifted her big breasts, and moved

down to her womanhood. Marcy was beginning to suspect that this was more an inspection than a sex move on Reno’s part, until his fingers slid into her vagina and begin feeling her there. Then she

moaned as she noticed his stiff erection and remembered how it used to be. She wanted him inside of her desperately and wanted for him to undress too.

But Reno wasn’t about to undress. He wanted to fuck al right, he couldn’t deny his erection, but not her. He wanted to be inside Trina. But since he couldn’t have her, he began massaging

Marcy, not for the thril of it, although it was turning him on, but because he knew every trick in the book.

He turned her over, onto her stomach, and Marcy was convinced he was going to enter her now, and enter her up the ass the way she liked it. Only it was his fingers and not his penis that was

up inside of her, as Reno expertly checked her better than any prison guard could.

When he puled out, he removed her shoes and checked them inside out, too. Nothing. Then he headed for the adjacent bathroom.

Marcy, realizing she’d been had, turned onto her side. “What was that about, Reno?” she demanded to know.

“Get dressed,” he ordered as he washed his hands with soap and water. “You’re going to Vegas with us.” He grabbed a hotel towel and began drying those hands. “I had to make sure you

weren’t packing.”

Although she was angry at the way he had just treated her, she was also elated that he was taking her with him. He was doing exactly what Pags said he’d do. But she had her role to play.

“What about my boy?” she asked as she stood and began dressing, trying her best to look worried. “What about Nicky?”

Reno stared at her. He couldn’t dismiss her outright because she could be teling the truth. You never could tel with Marcy. He therefore walked up to her, placed his hands on either side of

her arm. Her heart pounded when he touched her. “We’l find him,” he said, looking her dead in the eyes. “I promise you we’l get him back to you.”

She was about to thank him for helping her, but his cel phone began ringing. When he moved away to answer, Marcy exhaled. Double-crossing Reno Gabrini wasn’t going to be as easy as she

had thought. Especialy if he decided to strip her again, for more sensual reasons.

“This is Reno,” Reno said into his cel phone.

“She ain’t here, Reno,” Carmine said on the phone.

Reno’s heart dropped. “What do you mean she’s not there?”

“She’s not here. When I left her earlier she was here working with Amos. Now he says she left.”

“Left? Left to go where, Carmine?”

“She told Amos she was going to pick up a friend from the bus station.”

Reno frowned. “What friend? What gotdamn bus station? Hold on!” Reno immediately placed Carmine on hold and caled Trina’s cel phone.

“He can’t find your wife?” Marcy asked.

Reno grabbed a barely clothed Marcy by the arm and moved with her back into the living room. His heart was pounding as Trina’s phone began to ring.

***

and laughing about their escapades in the good old days. It was one ring away from going to voice mail when she puled it out and clicked it on.

“Helo?” she said.

Reno breathe again. “Where are you?”

“Reno?”

“Yes, it’s me. Where are you?”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Don’t answer my question with a question, Tree. Where the fuck are you?”

“What are you yeling at me for? I’m at my apartment.”

Reno frowned. “In the PaLargio?”

“My old apartment.”

“What’s the address?” After she gave it to him, asking why as she did, he clicked her on hold, gave Carmine the address and ordered him to take an army over there and get her, and then came

back onto the line. “Lock the door, Tree, is the door locked?”

“Yes, it’s locked. Why? What’s happened?”

“Who’s there with you?”

“A friend of mine. What’s going on, Reno?”

“There was a hit on my family in Spring Valey.”

“Lord no! Are they al right?”

“Everybody’s okay, a couple guards were hit, but I’m not taking any chances. Carmine’s on his way. You don’t open that door for anybody but him, you understand me?”

“Yes, Reno,” Trina said, her heart beginning to pound.

“I wil fucking kick your ass, Tree, if you open that door for anybody but him!”

Trina could just feel his anguish. “I got it, Reno. Please stop worrying. I understand.”

“Who’s this friend you had to pick up from some bus station? Jazz?”

“Jeffrey,” Trina said. “From Dale.”

Reno didn’t like the fact that she was entertaining some man in her old apartment, but he was relieved that it was a man. “Is he a good friend?”

“Yes,” Trina said. “We’ve known each other since childhood.”

“You trust him?”

As a friend, yes. As a lover, no. “Yes,” she said.

“Put him on the phone.”

“Reno--”

“Put him on the phone.”

Trina roled her eyes, then handed her cel phone to Jeffrey.

“What’s this?”

“My husband,” Trina said. “He wants to talk to you.”

Jeffrey’s heart began to hammer. This man was no ordinary husband and he knew it. He was possibly about to talk to a mob boss. He took the phone. “Helo?”

“This is Dominic Gabrini. You’re Jeffrey?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re a friend of my wife’s?”

Jeffrey hesitated. What was this about, he wondered. “Yes,” he said. “We go back a long way.”

“Good because I need you to do me a favor.”

“A favor? Sure, Mr. Gabrini.”

“Keep an eye on her. Some not so nice people may be gunning for her. I need you to make sure she stays put, away from windows, until my people get there. Can you do me that favor?”

“Absolutely, sir,” Jeffrey said, standing to his feet. “Nobody’s getting in here.”

“You’re packing?”

Jeffrey hated to admit it. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Reno said, although he was concerned again that his wife was entertaining some man who had to carry a weapon around with him. “Keep it handy. She’s to open that door for nobody

except Carmine Rossi. Got that?”

“I’ve got it.”

“I’l remember this, al right? Put Trina back on the phone.”

“Yes, sir,” Jeffrey said, handing the phone to Trina.

“Are you on your way back?” Trina asked him as she watched Jeffrey hurry to the bedroom.

“Yeah, I’m going to head on back.” Then he let out an exhausted exhale. “Talk to me until Carmine gets there,” he said.

And she did. She talked with Reno and talked with Reno. She watched Jeffrey come back into the living room with a gun, she watched as he peeped out of the window, as he made sure every

window and door was secure, as he walked around the apartment as if he was her bodyguard. She talked as Reno made other phone cals with other cel phones, as he barked out orders to check

again on the plane.

He even made her talk with him after Carmine and his men arrived and they ushered her out of the apartment, down the stairs, and into the waiting limousine. One of Carmine’s men jumped into

Reno’s Bentley and cranked up. Trina was just sliding into the limo when she heard the explosion. She looked up and saw her husband’s car in flames, saw the bodyguard get thrown to the ground.

Dead.

“Tree!” Reno yeled on the other end, his heart hammering.

“It’s your car,” Trina said into the phone, stil staring at the explosion.

Carmine pushed Trina further into the limo and jumped in behind her. “Go!” he ordered the driver. “Go now!”

The limo driver took off, driving in a swerve away from Trina’s old home. She looked back and could see her former neighbors staring in disbelief. She could see Jeffrey looking out of the

window of her apartment, amazed by the scene downstairs, undoubtedly wondering what in the world had he gotten himself mixed up with. And she looked back at what was once Reno’s very

expensive car, as another door flew from its’ burning frame. And she was wondering the exact same thing.

ELEVEN

It was nearly three am when they arrived at the PaLargio. Reno and Marcy headed up to the penthouse, but Tommy, with Sal Luca in tow, wanted to check out security around the hotel. The

beefed up security wasn’t obvious to the untrained eye, but to Tommy’s considerable trained eye, it stil appeared substandard.

Although Marcy stepped off of the elevator on the top floor ahead of him, Reno left her far behind as he entered his penthouse, caling for Trina.

“She’s in bad shape, Reno,” Carmine said as soon as he entered.

“Where is she?”

“On the balcony,” Carmine said and Reno didn’t wait for him to say more. Normaly he would be concerned with her out anywhere during these uncertain times, but the penthouse balcony was

up so high and had extra security. It was safe enough.

Reno’s heart hammered against his chest when he saw Trina seated in a lounger on that balcony, a drink in her hand. She wore a pair of shorts and a light pink hoodie, and had one of those

shapely smooth brown legs of hers bent up, and the other one straight down. She also wore dark shades. Undoubtedly, Reno thought, to conceal the fact that she’d been crying.

Reno put both hands in his pant pockets and walked to the railing first, where a sweeping view of the Vegas skyline seemed within his reach. This used to be his dream, living on top of the

world. Now al he wanted was for the violence to end, and for al of his loved ones, al of his responsibilities, to be safe.

He moved over to the lounger and sat on its edge. He looked at her drink, a Gin-and-tonic knowing Trina as he did, and then into her face.

“Eventful night, hun?” he said, attempting to smile, attempting to shield his hammering heart.

But Trina would not cooperate. She just sat there, staring forward, her entire body like a steel rod of stiffness.

“It’l get better, Tree--”

“I can’t do it, Reno,” she said in a tone that discouraged debate. “I thought I could, I thought loving you would be enough and I could handle anything. But I can’t. I can’t handle this.” She

rubbed her brow as a frown appeared on her forehead. “I saw a man die tonight, a man who got into a car I was supposed to get into. I saw a man die and it should have been me--”