“I see you, boss,” Umberto said in Italian, and he grinned at me.
The entire population of Vegas could see me. I was fucking burning for a woman who was so hot, I was lit up like the biggest neon sign along the strip.
At the hospital, Umberto went to talk to the men I’d ordered to watch Angelo’s door since I found out what happened with Jerry Rispoli. It wouldn’t be beneath him to kill Angelo, even Phoenix, if he thought they were ratting on him.
The Rispoli brothers usually kept a low profile, but they could be paranoid. Especially if they saw me or my men hanging around. The only thing worse would be the cops.
I knocked on the door once with my knuckle before I let myself in. Angelo was sitting on the bed. Phoenix was sitting on the sofa, a pull-out bed situation the hospital had. Their bags were packed, and they were dressed. Both of their eyes widened when I walked in and introduced myself as Leonora’s husband.
“Where is Leonora?” Phoenix asked.
“She’s either going to meet us here or at the new house.”
“What new house?” Phoenix seemed like he was starting to get nervous.
“I bought it as a surprise for Leonora. That’s why I came early. I wanted you two in on it.”
“We get to come with her, right?”
“You go where she goes. The three of you are a package deal.”
The entire time Phoenix was shooting questions at me, I could feel Angelo’s stare on my face. I met his eyes.
“I know who you are, Tullio Bigatti. They call you Mr. Big around town.”
“How does a kid your age know who I am?”
He laughed, but sarcastically. “I’m not a fool, Mr. Big, and that’s what it would take not to know who you are. Leonora went to you, right? When she found out who I was working for? Because Rispoli works for you. And you fell in love with her. She should come with a warning sign, but everything in Vegas is a gamble, right?”
“Smart kid.”
“You’re in love with Leonora?” This from Phoenix.
“Yeah.” I looked at him. “I am.”
“Good.” He nodded. “She needs someone to treat her right.”
“Phoenix.” Angelo narrowed his eyes at him, a clear signal to shut up.
“It’s true, Angelo. She’s exhausted because she works too much. She doesn’t even have a bed in the apartment. We stress her out. Linda stresses her out. And for the past couple of years, she’s dated nothing but losers.” He looked at me. “You won’t take off with our crap paper, will you? Because it’s expensive and restaurant napkins feel like sandpaper when you can’t afford it. You dress real nice, though, but so did—”
“Shut the fuck up, Phoenix,” Angelo snapped.
“That really happened?” I asked.
Phoenix kept his mouth shut even while I stared at him. I turned my attention to Angelo.
He sighed and his shoulders came down. “Yeah, it did. Phoenix is right. She’s dated nothing but losers who burned her—bad. I’m not calling you a loser, Mr. Big, but again, I’m no fool. I know what this life means for a woman. Our dad was in it. Leonora doesn’t deserve it. And now it’s my fault she’s…trapped.”
Leonora had never outright told me these things, but I knew she’d been burned to the point where she built a fireproof guard around what was left of her heart. She still had it up, and full entry was something I was going to have to earn over the years. She wasn’t like the rest—she was a hard win. And she was fucking worth it. Just like she thought these kids were.
“I take care of what I love, understand?”
Angelo used his good arm to swipe his dark hair to the side. “You really love her?”
“I do. She’s home to me too.”
Angelo thought about that for a second. “Yeah. All right. But I’m just warning you—I’ll buy your words for now, but all promises come with a return policy. One day I’ll be older, and I’ll be just as dangerous as you are. If you hurt her…I won’t forget it.”
