“I’m really sorry if I hurt you, I just—I freaked out when I saw the way you were looking at me…” Gio rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit. I shouldn’t have done that, should I?”
Watching Gio cautiously, Hudson shook his head. “No.”
“I’m sorry,” Gio said again. “Damn it, I—I got scared, and I fucked up. The Boss is…well, you know how he is. But jumping you like that, it was way over the line.” Gio took a deep breath. “You go on, now. Go up there and tell him what you found in my coat.”
They were still very close together in the tiny passage. In fact, they were standing right about where Gio had just kissed him before.
Gio looked despondent.
“You don’t ever touch me like that again,” Hudson said.
“I won’t.”
Hudson considered. “Without permission, anyway.”
“I wo—what?”
“Give me your gun.”
Gio didn’t exactly hesitate, but his hands moved slowly to his gun, took it out of the holster, and passed it over to Hudson.
“You gonna take me up at gunpoint?” he asked, with that same smirk that always set Hudson’s blood racing, but with an edge of fear and resignation to it.
“Why would I do that?” Hudson asked, grateful that Gio couldn’t see how sweaty his fingers were around the grip of the gun. He checked that the safety was on, remembering the few lessonshe’d had before everyone agreed that maybe Hudson wasn’t cut out to be a gangster.
Gio was watching him closely. “You—believeme?” he asked hopefully.
Hudson shrugged. “Makes no sense that it was you. You wouldn’t have helped me like you have tonight if you’d been setting me up to take the fall. No, I think…” He trailed off, looking back into the cloakroom at the few coats the two of them had yet to get through. “I think it’s someone else. And I think I know who.” Inspiration hit him. “And I think I might even know who that dead guy is, andwhyhe’s lying there dead in the bathroom.”
Gio looked much happier than he had a moment ago. “So if you believe me, why do you want my gun?”
“Because you just assaulted me, and I’d feel safer ifyoudon’t have your gun. You have a problem with that?” Mostly, Hudson had just wanted to see if Gio would do it. He wasn’t planning to keep it long. It was safer in Gio’s hands, for one thing.
Gio had put up his hands in ano arguments heregesture, and taken another small step back to give Hudson some room. Then he smiled.
“What?” Hudson asked.
“Just—you’re real smart, Blondie. Way smarter than I’ll ever be. You really know who did it?”
“I think so,” Hudson said. “Like…ninety-five percent sure. Maybe ninety-six. I still need to find a way to prove it, though.”
Both of them turned as they heard running footsteps, someone coming across the nightclub dance floor.
“Yo, Taylor! Carlucci! The fuckareyou guys?”
Hudson stepped past Gio into the cloakroom proper. “We’re here,” he called.
Nick Fontana, one of the youngest and most powerful Capos in the Morelli Family, leaned over the counter again. “Finch wants you, dumbass. And the Boss ain’t pleased. Some dead shit in the bathroom and the whole night’s takings gone? He’s looking to pop someone.”
“It’s all good,” Gio said, coming through after Hudson. “Blondie’s solved the case.”
Nick raised one eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Hudson said, with a confidence he didn’t entirely feel.
“Then get your asses up to the office,” Nick said, giving them both an up-and-down stare, taking in their rumpled clothes. “And Gio? Boss won’t be happy that you two were canoodling down here while his husband had no protection.” He gave Gio a meaningful look.
“But Mr. Dtoldhim—” Hudson began, but Gio gave him a little nudge.
