“Bigatti.”
I expected him to ask me what was up. I looked down and Leonora started laughing.
“Tullio.” Gio’s voice was completely serious. He rarely called me by my first name. “We have a problem.”
My body went rigid.
“Come see me at Paradiso.” The line went dead.
Leonora looked at me, her brows tight. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know, but we’re about to fucking find out.”
I drove straight to Paradiso and took Leonora’s hand as we walked inside. The doorman greeted us. “Mr. and Mrs. Bigatti.”
Leonora looked down at herself, like she was self-conscious of being in a T-shirt and jeans. I lifted her hand and kissed it. “You look beautiful.”
“This is not exactly the dress code in here, Big.”
“You’re my wife. You have no codes unless it comes to me.”
“Mind if I chill in the bar and grab a bite to eat while you have your meeting? I’m starving. The music sounds really nice too.”
I nodded, then made eye contact with the bartender. He was the same one who was on duty the night I found Leonora. He’d given me the information on her. I nodded to my wife and gave him a look—a look he knew meant he better take care of her, or his luck would run out in Vegas.
I kissed her hand. “I won’t be long.”
“I’ll save you a seat. Should I order you anything?”
I told her to surprise me and watched as she claimed a table close to the stage.
When I made it to Gio’s penthouse, he was pacing in his office, his two dogs staring at him. He was still wearing the tux from the night of the celebration, the bow undone and hanging loosely around his neck. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a five o’clock shadow. He smelled like old alcohol and sweat.
He slipped me a piece of paper across his desk.
Lou Rispoli came into the casino for the meeting. Thought it was going to be too busy for anyone to notice, like I thought. Corrado and I chased him out. He was with the man he’s been having meetings with. Turns out, the guy was a fed. Both are eating sand.
My eyes flashed to his.You killed an undercover agent?
He nodded at the question in my eyes.
“Fuck.” I sat back and took a deep breath. I used the lighter on his desk, next to the cigars, to burn the paper.
Gio sat in his chair, more like plopped, which was unusual for him. He guzzled whiskey straight from the bottle.
“Old man Gio?” I asked.
He felt Bugsy was too impulsive, and this was exactly why. He might even pass him up to officially run the casino after this. All Bugsy ever truly wanted. It all depended on the fallout.
He ran a hand down his face. “Not happy. He gambled with my future, Big. Made me throw the dice, let that decide whether I was in or out of Paradiso’s future. If the dice would have landed a breath the other way, I’d be banished to New York.New York!”
No one could ever accuse Giordano Capitani of fitting in in New York. He was Vegas through and through.
“What happened after you rolled the dice?”
He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Marriage.”
“To who?” Since his eyes were closed, I grinned some. “And when?”
