ROMANCING THE MOB BOSS (14 page)

like he sent us.”

“Oh, yeah?” Reno said. Trina could feel

his impatience. “And what message is that,

Dirty?”

“That he better not fuck with us,” Dirty

said.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Joey

said.

Reno looked at his father. “Pop, wil you

tel these idiots who we’re dealing with?”

“Don’t cal my husband no idiot,”

Francine said.

“We’re dealing with Frank Partanna,”

Reno said, looking at Dirty. “You go out there

half-cocked with that man and he’l bury you

alive. You either hit hard or you don’t hit at al .

You either clean their clock or they’l clean

yours. There’s no middle ground dealing with

savages like Partanna and his people, and the

sooner you and Joey realize that, Dirty, the

sooner Pop can get on with it. But this half-

stepping y’al talking about is suicide.”

“What you say, Pop? ” Dirty asked

Gabrini. “Not what Reno says, but what do you

say?”

“I say,” Gabrini said, “that it’s been a

long, crazy day, and we al need to sleep on it.

But I wil say this,” he added as he stood,

causing everybody in the room to stand, “I don’t

appreciate getting shot at. Message or no

message,” he added.

+++

Reno and Trina slept in Reno’s old

bedroom. They lay there, on their backs, talking

quietly in the quiet room.

“There’s so many men guarding the

place,” Trina said. “It’s kind of scary.”

“I know. It’s just precautionary.”

“You don’t think they’l try again?”

“Not now, no. They first want to see

what kind of posturing Pop does. They first

need to know if their warning shots made him

more wil ing to deal.”

Trina looked at Reno. “He’s not dealing,

is he?”

“Hel no. Ain’t nobody thinking about

that nutcase.”

“You told your father to hit back and hit back

hard.”

“I told him if, and this is a big if, he’s

“I told him if, and this is a big if, he’s

going to hit back he’d better hit back hard.

None of that half-cocked nonsense Dirty and

Joey talking about. You don’t play chicken with

a fox like Partanna.”

“Was it real y that close, Reno? Did he

real y almost kil your father?”

Reno closed his eyes, the thought of it

terrifying him. He pul ed Trina closer. She laid

her head on his shoulder. “Yes,” he said.

Tears began to appear in Trina’s eyes.

“He could come after you too,” she said.

“No, sweetheart, I’m not in the mix. He’s

not coming after me.”

“But he could, Reno,” Trina said, looking

at him. “What’s to stop him?”

Reno looked at Trina. “He don’t want a

piece of me,” he said. “Bet that.”

Trina smiled, laid her head back on his

shoulder. She was glad he was tough. But she

was also knew that toughness in the mob world

probably invited other wise guys to try him, to

see just how tough he real y was.

+++

The next night she was back at work, doing

everything she could to remain focused and not

dwel on Mr. Gabrini and his mob mess, nor her

concern about Reno. Although he drove her

back to Vegas, she hadn’t seen him al day.

That wasn’t unusual, he was always busy, but

she stil couldn’t stop herself from worrying

about him.

Her worry became panic while she and

Amos were in his office going over the inventory

sheets he was familiarizing her with. The

customary three televisions sets were on, two

being close circuit views of the various clubs

and lounges within the PaLargio, and one

turned on a regular TV station. When the eleven

o’clock news cast led with breaking news about

a mob hit, both Trina and Amos’s eyes flew to

the television.

“In what appears to be a retaliatory

strike,” the anchorwoman said, “the home of

reputed mob boss Frank Partanna was riddled

with bul ets tonight. Although there were no

reported injuries, many observers believe it was

retaliation for the failed attempt on the life of

Paulo Gabrini, reputed head of the Gabrini

crime syndicate.”

She went on, talking about the history of

the Partanna crime family and Frank’s own

violent past, but Trina maintained her cool. She

could feel Amos’s eyes al over her, wanting her

to discuss it with him, but she ignored his silent

pleads. She was in for the long haul with Reno

now, and nights like this, where she had no idea

where he was, or if he was even involved in this

so-cal ed retaliatory strike, might be more

common than she would have liked. But she

wasn’t about to tel Amos Logan any of that.

+++

The door to Joey’s apartment at the

PaLargio flew open and Reno hurried in, went

straight for the bedroom where he slept, and

slung his baby brother out of bed.

“What you doing, Reno?” Joey yel ed.

“Are you out of your mind?” Reno

screamed. “Are you and Dirty out of y’al s

fucking mind?” He slung Joey against the wal .

“What you talking about?” Joey wanted

to know, a puzzled look on his face. “We hit

back!”

“You hit back weak, Joey.”

“Weak my ass, we hit him where he

lives. We let him know that he ain’t as

untouchable as he thinks he is.”

“That’s the point you think you proved?

That Frank Partanna ain’t untouchable? And

what now, Joey? You and Dirty figured that part

out?”

“Pop knew about it, and Carmine did

too.”

“I don’t care if the Pope knew about it

you just gave away Pop’s hand before he had

anything in place, Joey! You just escalated this

shit to heights we can’t even imagine right now!”

“We sent that clown a message,” Joey

insisted. “That’s how it works. And we al got

alibis. Pop was on board with it, so I don’t know

why you’re so bent out of shape.”

Reno shook his head. This was a game

to Joey, no different than those video games he

loved to play downstairs. “You don’t know why?”

he asked him.

“No, I don’t know. Pop was on board.”

“No, I don’t know. Pop was on board.”

“You just don’t get it, Joey.”

“I get it. Pop gets it. He was on board

with this.”

“I see,” Reno said, drained. “So I’m the

only one with the problem?”

“You’re the only one, Reno, I’m tel ing

you. Pop ain’t got no problem. I ain’t got no

problem. Dirty and Carmine don’t got no

problem. You’re the only one.”

“Okay, fine. To hel with it then,” Reno

said, released him from his grasp, and left.

By the time he made it upstairs, to his

penthouse apartment, he was ready to crash.

When he entered his bedroom, and saw Trina

lying asleep in his bed, his heart soared. He

needed her desperately tonight. And he had

her.

She was naked underneath his covers,

to his delight, and he removed his clothes and

joined her. Not a word was spoken as he

entered her, as he left al of his worries at the

front door and made tender love to her. He

didn’t pound her the way he usual y did, he

caressed her with his lovemaking, gyrating her

in an almost slow motion, his rob penetrating

Trina so deeply that she squeezed the sheets

as he fucked her.

And when they were finished, Reno

ended up in her arms, crying himself to sleep.

The next day and Trina was seated in front

of the desk in the manager’s office at the

Taffeta Lounge. The manager, Lee Jones, was

seated behind his desk, laughing and talking

with her and explaining how shocked many

patrons are when they realize that he was

indeed the boss of the Taffeta, and not its

bartender.

“Why in the world would they think you

were the bartender and not the boss?”

“I’l give you five reasons,” Lee said with

a grin. “B-L-A-C-K.”

Trina laughed. “I’m sure there’s more to

it than that. At least I would hope it is.”

“And it probably is, but the point I’m

making to you is that, when they elevate you to

management, you can’t get offended. You just

go with the flow. You don’t have to smile, don’t

have to skin and grin, but you just keep doing

your work and getting it done.”

“Understood,” Trina said, gobbling up al

of his good advice. This was her first time

being able to spend any appreciable time with

Lee, and she enjoyed his company. He was a

tal man, wel -built, with the kind of sensual

handsomeness that she knew made him

extremely popular with the ladies. She even

caught his eyes, when he thought she wasn’t

looking, assessing her, which, any other time,

would have actual y been welcomed. But now,

given her relationship with Reno, especial y

after last night, was completely out of the

question.

She sipped her coke and listened to the

brother go on and on about life as a manager of

one of the PaLargio’s most luxurious clubs. But

she couldn’t stop thinking about Reno, and how

he cried in her arms last night. A tough,

powerful man like that crying in her arms. That

was a game changer for her. That made it

clearer to her than anything had before that she

was in this for keeps now.

At first she didn’t know how to handle it.

She was so accustomed to crying on his

shoulders, to depending on him. But not last

shoulders, to depending on him. But not last

night. He was like a man at the end of his rope,

ready to chuck it al to hel and jump, and she

reached out and caught him.

Her cel phone started buzzing as Lee

talked. She pul ed it out. A text from Amos.

‘Get butt here.’ Which was his way of saying for

her to get back to the office, he needed her.

She smiled. “I gots to go.”

Lee smiled. “Amos?” he asked.

“Amos,” she said, rising to her feet. Lee

stood too. “Sometimes he can be such an a-

hole.”

“I know. But he’s a cool dude

underneath the gruff. Sort of like Reno.”

Trina looked at him when he said

Reno’s name. She wondered if he knew about

her relationship with Reno. They hadn’t real y

told anybody, but the way some of management

looked at her, treated her like some queen

some of them, made her know that they knew.

But with Lee it was hard to tel .

“You know Reno wel ?” she decided to

ask him.

“He gave me my first start in

management. Put me under Amos for a few

months and then gave me the reins of one of his

smal er clubs. We became good friends then.

He came to trust me, I think. To view me as a

man he can talk to. Trusts me enough to put me

in charge of the Taffeta here, what he cal s his

ace in the hole. Yeah, I know him.”

Trina’s heart began to race. This was

one of the few times she could get somebody’s

opinion about Reno who actual y knew him. Not

that somebody’s else’s opinion would sway her

one way or another, but it would at least give her

some insight. “So what’s your impression of

him?” she asked.

Lee hesitated. He knew what she

wanted. But he wasn’t sure if she wanted his

unvarnished opinion. “Honestly?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

“I think he’s a straight-up gangster trying

with al he has to keep it legit.”

Trina didn’t expect that level of honesty,

especial y from a man Reno supposedly trusts.

“You make it sound like it’s some kind of daily

battle for him to stay on the straight and narrow.”

“I don’t think it’s a daily battle,” Lee said,

“but I do think it’s an occasional fight. But that’s

just my view.” He smiled. “I don’t have to live

with the guy.”

Trina hesitated. “You sound like you

would disapprove with anyone who would even

try to live with the guy.”

“Not at al . But it’l be a chal enge. I’ve

seen them come and go, mostly go, because of

that chal enge.”

“You mean he’s had many women in the

past?”

“He’s had his share, no doubt about

that. They’ve lasted a couple weeks, three

weeks on the outside.”

“That’s al ?”

“That’s it.”