Both Alejandro and Joaquin answer, and they both sound as drunk as the other.
We’ve been back atTíoEnrique’s for the past hour.TíaElle had a buffet waiting for us. It was far better than the sandwiches we usually toss together when we wind up at one of our bachelor condos to debrief. Javier, Pablo, and I briefly spoke to their women after the mission to let them know things were progressing the way we wanted.
The irate calls start just when we expected them. Before I can hold Liesel again, we have to deal with a very pissed-off Salvatore on the other end.TíoEnrique puts it on speaker as we all gather in his office.
“What the hell, Enrique? What did you think you were doing sticking your nose in a fight in Italy? You have no business getting involved. You way overreached on this one.”
I guess he found out about the ship on the way to Germany. Someone at the docks must have told him. The Mafia and mob take turns running them. It depends on the way the wind’s blowing whether we’re kissing one ass or the other to get shit in and out without customs officers harassing us. Working at night means we get around our rivals and law enforcement.
“Cabrón, be glad I didn’t do far more than I did. I merely gave the Camorra an upper hand with some free gifts. If that happens to inconvenience your family, then so be it. I could’ve rained down holy hell on those involved. Consider my restraint a sprinkle gift for Maria and her baby.”
“How the hell is this a gift? What the hell is a sprinkle anyway?”
TíoEnrique chuckles. “Apparently, it’s a party people throw after the baby is born. The women in my family already sent baby shower gifts to Maria, so this is ours to Matteo.”
“I still don’t see how any of this is a gift, Enrique.”
“I didn’t blow anything of yours up, Salvatore. You should’ve intervened and ended all of this once you knew the Torettas and Carosis targeted a woman. You definitely shouldn’t have stood by the moment you found out Jorge was involved with Anneliese.”
There’s a long silence, and I wonder if Salvatore muted the call while he talks to members of his family despite how late it is. There’s a strong probability he’s meeting with his brother and nephews just likeTíoEnrique is with us. Salvatore’s voice is brittle when we hear it again.
“I suppose you expect me to say thank you, don’t you, Enrique?”
“It certainly wouldn’t be amiss. I could’ve taken this far more personally than I did since you sat back and watched. However, since you didn’t actively participate like the O’Rourkes and Kutsenkos, I figured I’d go a little easier on you. But you know better than to believe my graciousness will last long.”
“And I suppose you expect me to thank you for that as well.”
TíoEnrique merely chuckles again. It makes lesser men want to run.
“I suppose we live to fight another day, Enrique.”
“Adios, cabrón.”
“Ciao,faccia de cazzo.”
Testicle face.Caremonde—face of a penis—is the Spanish equivalent.
Both men have been leading their families for more than three decades. They haven’t lived to be in their late fifties by acting purely out of spite and impetuousness. Salvatore knows when to back down and give someone else the win if it means his family doesn’t lose in the long run. I’d count yesterday and today as successes.
The O’Rourkes and Kutsenkos won’t be far behind, butTíoEnrique will field those calls too. This isn’t over with them. Not even nearly. They’ll retaliate against our retaliation. It’ll be just another normal week in paradise. I’m not even worried about that right now. That’s a problem for another day.
“Mis llaves, I’m ready to see Liesel.”
My keys. It’s weird Colombian slang, but it means close friends. We call a group of close friends ourllaveroor keychain.
Javier pushes back his chair as he speaks. “I’ll head over toMamá’swith you. I want to see Madeline too.”
He and I will ride together to Queens while Pablo doesn’t have far to go fromTíoEnrique’s to get to his parents’ since they’re in Jersey too. I’m certain he’s as eager to see Florencia as I am to see Liesel and Javier is to see Madeline. Joaquin and Alejandro will go home to their places, or they may crash here a while longer since they’re both exhausted and jetlagged all over again.TíoEnrique is already walking out of his office, likely to find mytía.
My brother and I are wiped, so it’s a quiet ride in a town car together. I punch in the passcode to the door and let us intoMamá’shouse. Javier goes directly to the alarm system and turns that off before resetting it. We both go up to the bedrooms we’ve had since we were tweens and moved to the States. It surprises me to find Liesel sitting up with the bedside lamp on. She pushes back the covers and scrambles off the bed as I kick off my shoes and slip off my button down.
Then we’re clinging to each other chest to chest since she’s naked. There was time for her to pack an overnight bag, so she has pajamas and a robe lying across the foot of the bed in case someone else woke her and she needed to get up. The tsunami of relief that crashes over me nearly makes me stagger backwards. It’s not just the force of Liesel’s hug.
I lift her off her feet and smatter her face with kisses before our lips meet. We can’t get enough of each other. I realize her relief is just as strong as mine. I carry her to the bed, and she straddles my lap as I sit. We work together to unfasten my pants and push them out of the way enough for to free my cock. Then she’s sliding down it, and we’re kissing again.
“I’m so glad you’re home, Daddy. I’ve been worried sick the whole time.”
“I have too, but I promised you I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of being with you.”
