This fucking kid. I liked him already. Both of them. “Noted.”
“Is Jerry Rispoli going to try to kill Angelo?”
The turn in conversation made me whip my attention to Phoenix. “You’ve been worried about it?”
“Yeah. He’s the only brother I have. And Rispoli left him with the broken arm as a warning. He might have even killed him that night if it wasn’t for someone else showing up.”
“You’re under my protection. No one touches either of you.”
They visibly relaxed, and I took a seat next to Phoenix, questioning Angelo about what he knew about the operation Jerry Rispoli had going. He was reticent, at first, like he was ratting. I knew what I had on my hands for the future—a man who’d find himself in similar shoes to my own. It was already apparent in him. But maybe I could turn his direction some. Keep him on a path to success, but without the bloodshed.
He didn’t know that much, only what he’d put together. He knew he was delivering drugs, but he said he purposely didn’t ask questions, just did what he was told for the money he got in return. If he was late to the meet-up point—
He motioned to his arm. “Lesser of the punishments. I figured it was because it threw everything off, and it made the people Rispoli was delivering to nervous.”
Yeah, that either I or the cops would find out. Either way, a death sentence.
My phone went off. Aphrodite. She was breathless on the other end. “Big? I’m going tokillyou! You shut my alarm off and now I’m late—you have no idea—”
I put the phone on speaker. Phoenix told her to chill out and she grew quiet, though I could still hear her breathing.
“Phoenix?”
“It’s me! Angelo’s here too, but he’s being Angelo. Say something as proof of life so she’ll chill.”
“What up, Leonora?”
“Big, take me off speaker.” She exhaled loudly when I did. “You’re at the hospital?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“It was time I met your brothers. Thought they might need a ride too. Seems like one of them has been released from this joint.”
Phoenix laughed.
“You were on time?”
“Early.”
She grew quiet, but I could tell she was pacing. “Okay. Okay.” I’d never heard her repeat herself before, but I could hear the immense relief in those two words. “Lidia said I should meet you there?”
“Nah, we’re about to leave. Meet us at the address I texted you before I left.”
A second later. “Shit. Okay. I didn’t see this text.”
“Relax, Aphrodite. I got this.”
“Thank you, Big,” she whispered, and hung up.
“That’s a nice name for her,” Phoenix said. “Aphrodite. It’s not cutesy, because she’s definitely not. She’s more like a lioness, though there’s something about her that’s soft, like beauty, and romantic.”
Angelo nodded, agreeing.
I texted Umberto and told him to have one of the men come in and bring the boys’ things out, then I went to use the bathroom. I heard the door open to the room a few seconds later.
At first, I thought it was Umberto or one of the men coming to grab the bags, but Angelo’s voice was loud as he said, “What do you want, Rispoli?”
