Ties That Bind (13 page)

“Ashli has not copped a plea with anybody. And until you have proof otherwise, keep your fucking mouth shut, do you understand me?”  Mitch had his hands around Danny's throat in a flash, pinning him against the wall. “If she does, it's something we'll handle within the family.”

“If she rats, it is not just a family problem,” Danny choked. “Other people are becoming leery of Vinetti's ability to handle his own family problems. You know that. We all know that. And if he can’t handle her, someone else will.”

Mitch's fingers tightened around Danny’s throat, bouncing him hard against the glass. “You come into my home and threaten me?  Threaten the Vinettis?” he spat. “Get outta here before I choke the life out of you on fucking principle.”

Mitch was thundering away, his fury uncontrollable, when he heard the click. It was followed immediately by another. He stopped, knowing what he was going to see before he even bothered to turn around. He made a slow pivot, calm washing back over him. Finally...something that was in his control.

“Fuck you!” Danny was trembling, his fear making him unable to keep consistent aim.

Mitch’s eyes traveled over Danny, deciphering the threat. He was truly just a kid. A kid sent on a simple errand who unwittingly got caught in a lifelong feud. Mitch raised his hand and lowered it, directing Teddy to lower his gun.

“Is this what it has come to for Nicolai?” he probed. “Sending children out to do his dirty work?”

“You piece of shit, I don't know why Terenari bothers with you.”

“You don't come into someone's home and pull a gun on them. It's not how things are done. Has Nicolai taught you nothing?”

“If it wasn't for that whoring daughter of his-”

Mitch was advancing on him now, ignoring the gun pointing at his chest. He heard the click of Teddy's gun as he cocked it; heard the alarm go off as someone entered the suite without the correct key code. Taking advantage of the distraction, he lunged for Danny, knocking the gun out of his hand and dropping him to the ground with two well placed shots in the jaw. His voice was low, furious. “Don't you ever, ever, put a fucking gun in my face.”

A soft whistle sounded from somewhere behind him. “Things getting a little out of hand in here or what?”

Mitch didn't bother to look up but continued pummeling Danny, blood now staining his knuckles. When Danny finally stopped moving, Mitch sank to the floor, leaning his back against the sofa as he tried to catch his breath. Jimmie's hand reached across his vision, placing a glass of orange juice in his hand.

Jimmie sipped his own glass of orange juice as he nudged Danny with his foot, tilting his unconscious bloodied face to the ceiling. “Was he this ugly when he got here?”

“Not quite,” Mitch breathed, his temper returning to normal under Jimmie's calming nonchalance.

“You,” Jimmie waved to Teddy, “take the trash out, will you?  And get that alarm shut off.”

“Yes, sir.” Teddy nodded and moved to Danny's prostrate form.

Offering Mitch a hand, Jimmie pulled him up from the floor and moved to the counter. “I come up for a normal breakfast-” he joked as Mitch began washing off the blood in the bar sink.

“Sheila called,” he explained. “The strawberry blonde?  She was worried about you.”

“Nice to know.”

“Well, you are nothing if not consistently attractive to the ladies,” he murmured, surveying Mitch and shaking his head. “Although one wonders why when you always end up bleeding all over my furniture.”

Mitch grinned. “Not my blood. Makes me the hero.”

“Do you read literature, Vincenzo?” he asked, opening a bottle of vodka and tipping some into both their glasses.

“Too passive an activity for me.”

“Heroes only appear in tragedies.”

“And your point, scholar?” he asked his voice muffled as his used his teeth to tie the dish towel around his knuckles.

“Heroes always die.”

Mitch groaned. “I've got a half dead guy in my living room, could you get to the fucking point here, Jimmie?”

Teddy couldn't withhold his snicker and he immediately dropped his head, dragging Danny quickly out of the suite.

“Don't be the hero. I kinda like having you around,” Jimmie said and then nodded toward the towel wrapped around Mitch's hand. “You want to tell me what the hell happened here?”

“Terenari sending his reminder about the meeting.”

Jimmie frowned. “You're holding out on me.”

“And you me,” he countered.

“Why is Terenari coming to you instead of me?”

“Why didn't you tell me people are after Ashli?”

Jimmie jerked up, his back straightening and his eyes wide. It took a moment for him to regain his composure. “I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. From everything I've heard about you-” he trailed off, moving to windows in avoidance.

Mitch followed, tipping more vodka into his glass. Nodding his thanks, Jimmie sank down to sit beside Mitch on the sofa and lowered his voice. “She's scared, I know. It makes people talk.”

“Jimmie,” Mitch was quiet, “I can't protect her if I don't know the truth. Rumors fly all the time that people are copping pleas. It's a given in this life. But if people believe it, if they are willing to try and kill her because they believe it to be true, I have to have answers.”

“It's not true. She's under guard 24/7, Mitch. She couldn't even if she wanted to. My men would catch her in an instant.”

“Then she is in danger. Not a simple tightening of security for Coppell's death. There are people making attempts on her life.”

“Threats,” Jimmie corrected. “We've had no attempts. Except that night at the warehouse with you which was just-”

Bizarre? Ridiculous? Bogusly planned by Jimmie's own sister so there was no actual danger?  Mitch shook his head. There was no way to try and assimilate that fabricated evening into the reality they were now facing. “Dismissive,” he supplied and Jimmie nodded.

“She was rebelling for a while. No constantly, before you came along. She'd tried everything in her power to shake my guys.”

“She's over that?”

“Seems to be,” he shrugged. “Was that your doing?”

“I tried to convince her that you were only trying to protect her,” he admitted. “But I sincerely doubt that has anything to do with her decision to accept the new security measures.”

“Probably has a fling with one of them going now,” Jimmie grumbled.

Mitch chuckled. “So, what now?  We going to keep hiding out or is it time to take the offensive?”

A slow, dark smile spread across Jimmie's face. “What do you have in mind?”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

In
the end, it was Jimmie’s plan that made headlines. Once the decision was made, everything fell into place quickly. The east coast families were invited to the casino, a lavish private party allowed everyone peace and security and, with as much fanfare as possible, Mitch was given shares in Vinetti holdings. It was a statement, a promise, and a threat all wrapped in one. Mitch warned the IOC of the intention and warned them to stay away or be deemed an immediate threat to all the families. Mike didn’t like it...he groused for nearly an hour but finally relented. The IOC would not intervene. They agreed, just like Jimmie had, that Terenari was the more pressing issue and nothing was more likely to rouse his attention than a party to which he was ceremoniously not invited.

Now, as the party raged on below, Mitch was keeping silent vigil in his office several floors above. As with daily observations, he could see everything going on but manage to stay removed from it.

“Permanence, then?” Sonny asked, stepping into the office with a single knock.

“That’s your biggest concern in this whole affair?”

“Well, yeah.” Sonny frowned. “It’s a different world for you and I’m just-”

Mitch smiled. Worried. Sonny was worried. “It’s political, Sonny. Nothing more.”

“But-”

“I’ve already signed them back,” Mitch said. “It’s in a locked vault to be pulled out as needed.”

“Vinetti demanded that?”

“No. He and Ashli both were pretty put out by it actually. That was my condition.”

“I should’ve known. You aren’t going to tie yourself to anything ever, are you?”

“You sound disappointed.”

“Well, yeah, I kind of am. I mean, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of it being Vinetti but, yeah, I’d love for you to stop this drifting shit.”

“Your dislike of Vinetti is so perplexing to me. You know that right? The Ashli story doesn’t fly anymore.”

Sonny shrugged. “He endangers you, brother. What more reason do I need?”

Mitch laughed. “And you don’t? Hell, most of the time I manage to find my own trouble.”

“He-”

“What?”

“Nothing. Nevermind.”

“Damn, Sonny, just say it. Whatever it is.”

“I see what you don’t, Mitch. It’s what Palmese sees, too. The two of you are a damn formidable force.”

“Is that what this is about? We aren’t moving to take Atlantic City from you. I wouldn’t be a part of something like that. You shouldn’t even entertain-”

“No, no,” Sonny sighed. “I only meant, there’s few people you would willingly lay down your life for, right? And I see it. Palmese sees it. Vinetti is becoming one of those people.”

“Bullshit.” His denial was quick and unthinking but Mitch felt a tug deep in the pit of his stomach. If it were true, if he had somehow bound himself to Jimmie - things had to change. Fast.

Sonny shrugged. “Whatever you say. But I’ll tell you something...whether you see it or not, no man working for Vinetti has ever been trusted to spend two minutes alone with his little sister. Think about that the next time she’s in your arms, okay?”

“So he trusts me with-” Mitch trailed off, refusing to admit the words aloud. For Jimmie, there was probably no deeper level of trust than that. “Fuck.”

Sonny chuckled. “Yeah, fuck.” He nodded toward the floor, where Teddy and Jimmie were striding toward them. “Heads up.”

Tension etched into Mitch's muscles, unable to shake the curve Sonny had thrown him. He tried to bury it as they approached but when they mentioned Ashli’s name, he finally broke.

“This is bullshit,” Mitch growled. “We have more important things to be discussing than who your little sister is bedding tonight.”

Jimmie surveyed him, picking up on the tension immediately. “What’s happened? What’s the matter with you?”

“Half of
la familia
is here,” Teddy pointed out. “The wrong pick and-”

“War ensues. Yeah, I know it matters but for chrissakes it doesn't require a meeting.”

Stepping away from the men, he took the stairs two at a time. Ignoring the men surrounding her, Mitch grabbed Ashli’s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Dancing with you. Is that a problem?”

“An unexpected occurrence. Are you drunk?”

“I imagine you've downed enough for both of us. Would you like another?”  Rather than wait for an answer he motioned to a waiter and grabbed a glass of champagne off the tray.

“Are you angry? Have I done something wrong?”

Mitch hesitated, suddenly unsure. How she could transform from an independent self-assured diva to an insecure child so instantly was beyond him. Normally he would chalk it up as an act to gain an emotional advantage over him but the glazed look on her face told him she was too intoxicated to think that clearly. Taking the now empty champagne glass away and handing it to a nearby stranger, he looked at her more seriously.

“Did you take something other than alcohol tonight, Ash?”

“It breaks my heart when you call me that,” she whispered. “Jimmie called me that when we were kids. Until my dad was killed. He hasn't called me that since.”

“Hey,” he tipped her chin upward. “What did you take? Can you tell me?”

“I'm not going to pass out on you and make a fool of Vinetti Industries. I do have some scruples.”

“I worry about you so much more than I should,” he mumbled.

“Did you mean to say that out loud?”

“Not at all,” he admitted. He tugged her body into his, feeling her react instantly to the change in his touch. He left his hand drift gently over her bare shoulder, exhaling a breath to let it follow his fingertips.

“Everyone is watching us,” she mumbled.

“That's what I'm counting on.” One hand reached to cup her head, his fingers entwining in her hair. His lips drifted across hers, gently at first, slowly and deliberately tracing around the edges. She was already breathless before he finally pressed his lips into hers. Making a scene was what he wanted, he wanted all eyes on them...where every man in the building took notice. What he didn't count on was his body's reaction to her and the moment his lips touched hers the electrifying need that washed over him. They had been playing with fire for months and now, he had been stupid enough to light the fuse. When he finally pulled away, her eyes were already open and looking at him.