Vee, dressed all in black, a smirk on her face and a long, lethal-looking knife in her right hand. She swung it round casually as she said, “... no other choice, asshole. You chose the wrong family to ally yourself with, and now that I control the streets, you’ve put yourself right in my target.”
Giana crept even closer to the railing, and I did the same until I could see who she was talking to. I clapped my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp. Because I knew exactly who that was strapped into the chair. Tom Tucker the fucker.
Looked like Vee’s plan was in motion. “See, I was going to just kill you,” she continued. “It’d be so damn easy, since the Riccis gave up your name and safe house without a second thought, but then I figured… we could help each other.”
Tom stopped struggling against the cable ties holding his arms to the chair and met her gaze full on. “Help each other?” he repeated, and it was fucking clear she had his full attention.
Vee took a step closer and sliced across his arm with her blade. Tom flinched as if expecting pain, but all she’d done was free that hand. “Yes, Tom. You’re a slimy piece of shit who sells out to the highest bidder, and today that bidder is me.”
Tom no longer looked stressed. If anything, he was caught in her web, just like so many other poor suckers.
Vee leaned in even closer. “I have a plan, Mr. Tucker. One that involves you getting the entire Altissimo family to a certain place at a certain time. See, they want to get rid of the Riccis, and you’re going to offer them the chance to do just that. Here’s the plan…” She leaned in closer, and I could no longer hear her. By the time she was done whispering, Tom wore the creepiest, smarmiest smile on his face.
“If I agree to this, what’s in it for me?” he asked, smirk growing.
This creepy-as-fuck opportunist was going to end up dead, and he didn’t even realize it.
“You get a place at my table,” Vee told him. “The table that will rewrite the underbelly of this city. I’m doing things differently, and I’m bringing on those who know how to follow orders and do what needs to be done. With that comes protection, power, and riches.”
She was speaking his fucking language there. Pretty sure I saw a tiny, shriveled-dick hard-on in his pants.
“I’m in,” Tom said with enthusiasm.
Vee leaned in even closer. “If you betray me, Tom, then I will find you and I will carve your balls off and make you eat them. Before I take your dick and fuck you in the ass with it. Do you hear me? I take betrayal very personally, and my idea of revenge will haunt your fucking dreams.”
She never flinched, not even once, still twirling that fucking huge knife around in her hand like it was a lollypop. Tom went paler than usual, before spluttering out his promises to never betray her.
Vee let him go for a beat before she sliced through the final cable tie, allowing the weasel to get to his feet. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” she said as he rubbed at his wrists. “Don’t miss my call.”
“I-I won’t,” he said hoarsely before he seemed to recover some of his cockiness. “I’m the man for this job.”
Vee’s return smile wasn’t nice. “Oh, I know you are. Now fuck off out of my sight.”
Tom scurried from the living room, and when the front door slammed, Vee glanced up to where we were perched on the balcony area above. “Step one initiated,” she said with a laugh. “Now it’s time for cocktails.”
Giana relaxed, even though I hadn’t realized she’d been tense at all before that moment. “Fucking hell,” she sighed. “I need ten shots. That guy makes me super fucking happy that I love pussy.”
Vee snorted out laughter as she dropped her blade on the chair Tom had just vacated, one of the only pieces of furniture in the room. “Come on, bitches. Let’s get out of here, and I’ll explain the rest to you over lunch.”
Something told me this was going to be an interesting lunch. Time to deal with Tom the fucker. Once and for all.
twenty-six
JACE
Brenda’s phone call woke me up way faster than any coffee could manage, and I damn near leapt out of bed before remembering Billie was curled up fast asleep beside me. Slowing my movements, I turned to check whether I’d woken her.
Angelo cracked one eye in curiosity but held our girl closer against his chest possessively, his silent gaze telling me to shut the fuck up.
“Gimme a second,” I whispered into my phone as I slid carefully out of bed and grabbed a pair of pants off the floor. I didn’t wait to put them on, just quietly exited the room stark naked, pants in hand, and hurried down the hallway toward the kitchen. “Okay, say that again. Thelabelwants to meet? Or—”
“No,” Brenda corrected as I hopped on one leg to pull my pants on. Rhett was in the kitchen brewing coffee and pretended to be offended that my dick was out. As if he wasn’t used to it by now. “No, I saidRicci Corpwants to meetatBig Noise to discuss your contract. You know I’ve been pushing to get them to release you from this last album, and it finally sounds like we’ve reached an agreement. This is good news, Jace. Can you guys all be there by ten?”
I glanced at the time on my phone. Nine o’clock. Big Noise was a half hour drive… “Yeah, if I wake everyone up now, we can.”
“Well, hurry up!” she barked down the line at me. “I’ll be waiting in the foyer at ten to.”
Fucking hell, now I had even less time.
