“It’s obvious from the way you were hanging all over Freddie when you walked in that you aren’t doing this for love, so don’t even try to give me some sob story about a broken heart, because that’s bullshit.”
“Jeremy wanted a ring,” Vinnie said. “I wouldn’t give him one. That’s why things ended so badly. He started making threats, saying he was going to tell everyone about us. He even promised to go to Carlos Gambino if I didn’t give him what he wanted.”
“Man, you sure escaped that hell hole.”
“I should have expected something like this from Jeremy. He never liked not getting his own way. He’s very spoiled, kind of like a pampered pet.”
“Hey!” Jeremy stomped his foot.
“But you, Freddie?” Even I felt the chill coming off of Vinnie’s words. The man’s eyes narrowed. “I trusted you.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have,” Freddie said.
“I never expected you to take up with Jeremy and stab me in the back.”
“You never treated Jeremy like he should have been treated,” Freddie argued. “He just wanted to belong to someone. If you had truly loved him—”
“I don’t know what in the hell Jeremy told you, Freddie, but he knew the score before we even started fucking. He was never going to be more than a boy toy, and he knew it. I never once promised him anything beyond taking care of him while we were together.”
My eyebrows rose when Jeremy sniffled.
Really?
“He loved you,” Freddie shouted.
“He loved my money,” Vinnie countered. “He loved living in a fancy condo and going on shopping trips that he charged to my credit card. He loved being driven around in my limo. He loved lazing around and doing whatever he damn well pleased, and only having to pay for it when I came by to fuck his tight little ass.”
The second Jeremy gasped, Freddie sprang into action, jumping forward to backhand Vinnie.
I kept my eyes on Jeremy. The smile that crossed his lips when the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the air wasn’t really all that surprising. Jeremy must have been ecstatic to see all of his hard work coming to life right before his eyes.
“You killed Isabella over this piece of shit?” Vinnie snapped, gaining my attention once again.
“I didn’t kill Isabella,” Freddie said swiftly. His tone was pure panic. “I had nothing to do with that.”
“You do if you’re working with Jeremy,” I reminded him. “Kidnapping and assaulting a police officer won’t look good on your record either. You’re going to go away for a very long time, Freddie.”
Freddie’s eyes grew to saucer size. “What in the hell are you talking about? What cop?”
I grinned. “Me.”
I loved the way the blood drained from his face.
* * * *
Lany
My stomach was big knot by the time we pulled off the road and parked next to a large cement building. I had no idea how Sal and the others did this on a daily basis. I’d rather face my mother at a fifty percent off sale at Macy’s.
“Where’s Sal now?” Clarke asked.
“I have him within five hundred feet of our current location,” Lyn replied.
“You can’t get any closer than that?”
Lyn shook his head. “I’ll work on it.”
“Okay. No one do anything until I’ve scoped the place out,” Clarke said as he checked his weapon. He glanced up, making eye contact with each of us. “Everyone got their comms on?”
