The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3) (6 page)

“I wasn’t saying anything about bodies,” she said defensively. “It’s just, typically, Cosa Nostra likes luxury SUVs. Makes you obvious.”

“Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?” Tino asked her sharply.

“No.” She shook her head but then glanced around the car again. “But have you swept it?”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Tino growled. “Yes, I swept it. I just drove it back from Miami with Nova in tow. Trust me, this car is very clean.”

“Why were you and Nova in Miami?” she asked curiously.

“For a wedding.”

Brianna finally turned and looked at him. She silently stared, studying the hard line of his jaw that flexed like he was grinding his teeth. He did it in his sleep too, like there were a thousand lies and a thousand more secrets trying to escape.

Tino wore a fitted leather jacket that made his broad shoulders look even more imposing. He had always been unusually good-looking. Most Morettis were, but Tino was something more. So beautiful he’d seemed too handsome to be real, but now he appeared larger than she remembered, stronger and more intimidating. He was very tan, as if he’d found a beach somewhere, and the extra color looked great on him.

Sunshine had always been Tino’s friend.

“What?” he snapped at her, obviously feeling exposed under her scrutiny.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “I was just thinking you look healthy.”

He glanced at her and then admitted, “I gave up blow.”

“Well, it shows. You look good, Tino,” she whispered. “I’m glad.” She had to choke back the sob as tears spilled down her cheeks. “You got out. You got healthy. You found the life you were supposed to have, and now—”

“Bri, don’t.” He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t handle playing this game right now.”

“I’m playing a game? It’s your grandfather who did this!” she shouted when his annoyance got under her skin more than it should. “Stop the car. Let me out and go back to your life. I’m not stopping you. Let me go save Carina. She’ll be miserable at Romeo’s house. That is the worst idea I have ever heard in my life!”

“You’re worried about Carina?” he asked in disbelief. “Worry about yourself, Brianna! Worry about the fact that I should’ve left you back there with her. Ask yourself that question. Why I spared my sister and dragged you along? Sit there and think about that. Carina has always been half your problem.”

“What’s the other half?” she couldn’t resist asking.

“You know what the other half is,” he said with a glare. “You have bad taste in friends. You have worse taste in lovers.”

“Carina dropped everything to come get me.” Brianna couldn’t help but defend her best friend. “She left her gig and—”

Tino snorted. “Her nonno put out a hit on you!”

“That’s not her fault!”

“If you had never met her, where do you think you’d be right now?” Tino asked simply, as if he had asked himself that question a million times. “Where would you be if you never
met me
? If you never came to the walk-up with me that day? You think you’d have a price on your head? You think anyone in the Borgata would give a shit about one Broadway girl from Dyker Heights?”

“But I did meet her, and I did go to the walk-up with you.” She shrugged. “I try not to think about the what-ifs. I’d go crazy if I did that. I just deal with the shit as it comes. This included.”

Tino’s jaw flexed again as if he was gritting his teeth once more. “I should have left you in Garnet.”

“Why didn’t you if you’re so pissed off about it?”

Tino turned and looked at her when they stopped at an intersection, letting his gaze run over her for one hot moment. That look made all the fine hairs on her arm stand on end as a wild rush of need flooded her system.

Now she was the one gritting her teeth to keep from revealing just how much he could affect her. She didn’t want it to still be that easy for him. She wanted to believe she’d gotten stronger in the four years they’d been apart, but she was starting to suspect it was a lie. Not that it should be a surprise.

With Tino, there was always a lie.

So many lies.

And he never did tell her why he took her with him.

He let her sit and think about it instead.

Chapter Five

Somewhere in West Virginia

Four years without seeing Tino.

And over five hours spent in silence with him after they had both abandoned their phones and their lives in Kentucky.

The tension was so thick Brianna felt like she was coming out of her skin. In general, she wasn’t someone used to sitting still. She had a very physical job and was generally a high-energy person, who lived in a high-energy city and hung out with high-energy people.

Driving in silence through the Deep South was slowly making her crazy.

It didn’t help that Tino was every bit as wired as Brianna, jumpy and angry, at whom, she wasn’t sure, but it was affecting her already frayed nerves. Especially with the not-so-minor problem of the mob wanting her dead hanging over both their heads.

And she got the impression Tino knew why.

That didn’t make the trip back to New York any easier.

So when he asked if she wanted to stop in West Virginia for the night, she couldn’t agree fast enough.

“Oh my God, yes.” Brianna practically sobbed in relief. “If I never see another car again, it won’t be too soon. I’m walking or taking the subway from now until forever.”

“I’m actually right there with you.” Tino surprised her by laughing. “If you only knew how much time I’ve spent driving over the past week or so.”

“Was Miami fun?” she asked, noticing his tan again in the dying sunlight.

“Not really.” Tino shook his head. “Miami sorta sucked.”

“But you found a beach.”

“Yeah.” He gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I found a beach. Needed it too. We both did. Nova’s tanner than me.”

“How’s Nova?” Brianna asked, because now that they were talking, she was jumping on it. Anything was better than the silence. “Is he doing okay?”

Tino arched an eyebrow at that. “Do you care?”

“Not particularly.” She couldn’t help the wince. “But I know you do.”

“He’s probably
not
okay,” Tino answered with a sigh. “In fact, I’m almost positive he’s right behind us. That’s why I figured West Virginia would be a good place to stop.”

Brianna frowned. “What’s the significance of West Virginia?”

“We’re about twenty miles out from where Romeo and Jules got caught by the Borgata.” Tino said it quietly, but the impact was huge. “It’s where—”

“Nova killed your father,” Brianna finished for him.

“Yeah.” Tino nodded. “West Virginia is the last place in the world Nova would wanna stop. He nearly went down here. He won’t talk about getting arrested, but I know it wasn’t pleasant. West Virginia, can you imagine? The only place worse would be—”

“Kentucky.” Brianna laughed and then had to ask, “Did you hate it there?”

“Nah, it’s okay.” He laughed with her. “Actually, I’ve been arrested in Kentucky. Just the other week. And it’s been a wild ride ever since. I guess it was a bad omen.”

“What did you get arrested for?” Brianna couldn’t hide the catch of fear in her voice. “Are you out on bond? Were you allowed to leave?”

“He didn’t charge us. I know the sheriff. He’s my sister-in-law’s twin brother. We’re all pretty tight. Wyatt just had to arrest us because me and my friend Chu were fighting in public.”

“Oh.” Brianna tried to process all of that but decided to give up. “Why were you fighting with your friend?”

“He said I looked like I was from Jersey.”

Brianna scowled. “Nice friend.”

“I sorta had it coming.”

“Well.” Brianna gave him a smile. “I don’t find that too terribly hard to believe.”

Tino snorted in amusement. “Thanks, baby.”

Brianna took a deep breath, shocked by the endearment and how naturally it still came to him. She was fairly certain she was mad at Tino, but she wasn’t too sure why.

Had he really done anything except abandon his family and friends to save her from a mafia hit?

“Tino—”

“Bri, no,” he cut her off before she could say anything, as if he heard a lifetime of pain and need in that one word. “You’re supposed to be sitting there thinking about what an asshole I am for taking you with me.”

She pulled back in surprise. “Is that what I was supposed to be doing for the past five hours?”

“Yes.” Tino looked at her as if he thought it was obvious.

“You’re stupid, Tino,” she huffed. “Really stupid.”

“Ditto, Brianna,” he snapped back. “You probably deserve an award for bad life choices.”

It wasn’t like she could argue with that.

So she just held up a hand and flipped him off as she went back to being silent.

After a while, they pulled into one of those small travel stops off the interstate, which was unnervingly empty now that it was dark.

Tino was predictably careless of imminent death at a mostly abandoned, super creepy travel stop as he turned on the dome light. He played with the GPS, searching for a place to stay. Then, after he found a spot and programmed it in, he turned to her. “We need to pool our supplies. What have you got with you?”

Brianna reached down and grabbed the travel bag. She handed it to him without saying anything, because she was still pissed off.

Tino sat back and put it on his lap, but then frowned. He pulled out the camouflage hat, arching one eyebrow curiously.

“Um—” She pointed at it and couldn’t help but laugh despite the tension. “That’s, um—”

“What the fuck?” Tino went back to searching through the bag. He held up the
Straight Shootin’ Country Girl
tank top with a look of true bafflement on his face. Then his eyes widened in understanding, and a bark of genuine amusement burst out of him. “This is Carina.” He stared at the shirt in his hand again. “This
has
to be Carina.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, feeling a strange mixture of joy and sadness lodge in her chest. “We stopped at a place when we got into Kentucky and—”

“Madonn’, I miss my sister.” Tino’s voice was raspy as he looked back down at the bag, as though he was experiencing that same stab of joy and pain. “I’m always choosing between them. Between all of them.”

“I’m sorry.” Brianna reached over and touched his hand before she could stop herself.

He jerked away before she could comfort him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It obviously does.” She tried to hide how much his reaction hurt her. They used to touch so easily. “You love them. All of them. You were always a great brother.”

“I’m not even sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing anymore. I guess it depends on which of them you ask. Probably won’t matter soon.” Tino dropped his head back against the headrest. “I’m tired, Bri. I’m being an asshole to you because I’m just so tired, and I’m sorry about that.”

“Me too. Very tired,” she whispered into the night, realizing he was the only other person who understood. Tino lolled his head to the side and stared at her for a long time after the confession, long enough to make her uncomfortable. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged, his gaze running over her again, hot and possessive. “You look healthy too.”

“I’ve been doing CrossFit before the shows. Helps keep me nimble for the more physical scenes.”

A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. “Do you need help being nimble?”

“There’s always room for improvement,” she reminded him. “You know that.”

“Mmm.” He reached out and caressed her hair, making her shiver against her will when he tucked it behind her ear. “I’m sorry for saying you make bad life choices.”

“Well.” She arched an eyebrow at that. “I did marry a man who tried to kill me. Can’t really fault you for calling it like it is.”

“So cynical.” He sighed, sounding miserable like he had when he thought of his sister. “I’m sorry life’s been mean to you, baby. I would give anything to make it stop hurting you. Not that I’ve had any luck in that department, but if I did, that’d be what I’d wish for.”

“Ditto.” Her voice cracked, betraying her. “I’m sorry I keep running to you to save me. Bad habit.”

“Don’t be sorry for that.” Tino tugged on her hair, forcing her closer. Then he slipped his hand behind her neck and swept his thumb over the fine hairs on her nape. He leaned in and breathed against her mouth. “Never be sorry for that.”

He kissed her like he couldn’t resist, and she eagerly parted to him in an unabashed need she couldn’t hide. She didn’t even see why she should. They both knew this trip could very likely end with one or both of their funerals, but they had this. They
always
had this.

With a low groan of defeat, he pushed his tongue into her mouth.

God, it felt good.

She had forgotten how much a kiss from Tino could make her ache. The way his tongue brushed against hers. The feel of his fingers tight in her hair. It was like being injected with a liquid pleasure that jolted her awake after what felt like a lifetime of unhappiness.

She wasn’t ashamed of the way she ended up grabbing at the lapels of his jacket, because he was breathless too. His chest rose and fell in sharp, hard pants of need, but he was pulling away too soon with a grunt of denial.

Tino fell back against the seat and rubbed a hand over his face. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something. Then he seemed to think better of it and leaned forward to start the car, leaving Brianna frustrated instead.

* * * *

Tino didn’t like staying in shitty hotels.

So he had a collection of fake IDs and credit cards, many of which his brother Nova wasn’t aware he had because he had borrowed his dead father’s identity to get them. That was something Tino and Carina came up with together, because her mother was worse than useless, and Nova wasn’t exactly taking care of the paperwork for the man he’d iced. Tino didn’t like the idea of having to lie to his brother, but after Romeo took off and nearly got himself killed for being too traceable, Tino started plotting for every scenario.

Life had made him paranoid as fuck.

He had a plastic bag full of fake IDs in a hidden compartment beneath Brianna’s feet in the passenger seat. She didn’t say anything as he paged through the drivers’ licenses, most of which were New York IDs because the guy who did them specialized in his home state.