I brushed my fingers through the long fall of Lany’s silky brown hair, brushing it out of his face. “You need a trim,caro.”
“I have an appointment next week.”
I smiled.
It was such a mundane and insignificant thing to worry about at a time like this.
I leaned forward and in one smooth movement covered Lany’s mouth with my own. I kissed him with a toe-curling determination. I wanted to burn in Lany’s memory this moment, this very second. If things went bad when I went to see VinnieCastellano, I wanted him to have something to hold on to.
“Siete la mia aria,” I whispered once I lifted my head. “Non posso vivere senza voi.”
Lany inhaled a shaky breath. “I can’t live without you either, Sal.” His eyes narrowed. “So, you’d better come home to me or I’ll steal a car and drive it right into city hall.”
There was my Lany.
“Sì, amore mio,” I replied. I was quite amused by the vehemence I could hear in Lany’s voice. I had no doubt he would follow through on his words if I didn’t come home. “It shall be as you have said.”
“Sal,” Clarke said as he walked up to us. “You’d better get out of here. I can hear the sirens.”
I planted one more quick peck on Lany’s lips and then forced myself to turn and walk away from the one thing keeping me tied to this world. Knowing that Lany could be in danger and still walk away from him might have been one of the hardest things I ever did.
No one could protect him like I could.
No one had as much interest in protecting him as I did.
No one loved him as much as I did.
Lany was mine and I intended to make sure no one took him from me.
I made it out to the alley and then to the street just in time to watch several squad cars go blaring past me. I spun around and studied the wall until they turned the corner and then hightailed it down the street as fast as my feet would carry me.
I knew I stuck out like a sore thumb, so I was mildly surprised when a cab actually stopped when I flagged it down. Maybe it was the big white letters across my vest reading SWAT.
It could have been the guns in my holster.
I gave the cabbie the address forVinnieCastellano’s estate, slid off my SWAT vest, and leaned back in my seat. I knew I should call before showing up unannounced, but I really didn’t want anyone to know where I was going, not even Vinnie.
It wasn’t that I was worried he might take off, but more that I didn’t know who to trust and I was afraid Vinnie would say something to someone he shouldn’t. Until I could talk to the man in person, it was better to just not say anything at all.
All too soon the cab was pulling to a stop in front of the large iron gates in front of Vinnie’s estate. I had never been here myself, but I had heard stories.
The place was a fortress set on the outskirts of the city. Ten-feet-high stone walls encircled the entire fifteen-acre estate, right to the edge of the river inlet it was built next to. A place that large was practically unheard of in the city.
As an officer of the law, I would have been a little more worried about the water access to the estate, except there had never been a single instance of anyone discovering anything illegal on the premises. There had been suspicions, of course, but nothing anyone could prove.
I felt as if I was walking into the lion’s den as I grabbed my vest, climbed out of the cab, and approached one of the armed guards who stepped out of a small shack to one side of the gate.
I clamped down on my emotions, knowing that any sign of fear or trepidation could—and most likely would—be used against me. As much as I needed to talk to Vinnie, I knew he was not my friend.
“My name is Sal Delvecchio,” I told the guard, eyeing the man’s very lethal-looking rifle. I doubted it was exactly legal, but now was not the time to bring that up. “I need to speak with Mr. Castellano.”
“Mr. Castellano is not receiving visitors tonight.” There was a slight accent to the man’s voice, which made me think he wasn’t American born. I didn’t think he was Italian, which most people assumed mobsters and their thugs were.
Interesting.
“He’ll see me.” Fuck, I didn’t want to bring this up. “I’m here about Eddie.”
The guard stared at me in surprise.
