“I don’t want to hear it, Ricco,” she said from the other side. “Nope. No. I said shut it. Not the time. You didn’t see me. I was never here. You say anything, hot chili sauce in your coffee will be the least of your worries.”
So, shewasa regular in this place, enough for Ricco to recognize her. So much for her virtuous act.
The VIP section was crawling with all sorts of peacocks by the time I arrived. Tore, already a few drinks in, only had to cry out my name for the vultures to descend on me for their share of meat. Every single one of my capos was present, each accompanied by at least one of their own men.
All day, everything had been too quiet. Now, as each man vied for my attention, yelling over the others, as the music pounded in my ears, and as women covered in scraps of clothing teased and fondled every man here, it was almost underwhelming. After my encounter with the minx upstairs and her genuine enjoyment and delight, these women’s attempts at seduction felt half-assed and forced.
“So what do you think?” Tore asked me, handing me my fourth beer of the night.
“Overloud music. Drunk men and overeager women. Not much to think about.”
“Peh. You’re a buzzkill, cugi. No other word for it, and without a buzz to show for it. I at least hoped you’d be firmly on your way to drunk by now. Seven years without alcohol should’ve turned you into a monk.”
“It’s not hard to have a higher tolerance than you,” Vinny interjected, still nursing his first drink of the night despite his temper after the board meeting.
I chugged my beer and shoved the glass against Tore’s chest. “I’ve been drinking prison hooch for years. A few beers aren’t going to slow me down.”
Tore slapped my back and wrapped his arms around Vinny and my necks. “We’re finally back together, guys.I tre moschettieri.” The three musketeers. “The trio of mayhem against the world.”
“You haven’t changed a bit.” I jabbed my elbow into the side of his gut.
“Not true. I’m just glad to finally get to revert back to the real me after years of imitating your cold aloofness.”
“We’ve been chasing our tails for years with the Greeks,” Vinny scorned. “Maybe with the boss back, this damn unproductive game of hide-and-seek will finally end.”
“Hey”—Tore swayed in place, finger firmly pointed at Vinny’s nose—“I did what I fucking could with what I fucking had. Not my fault I had the Greeks, the Costellos, and the Giambrones up my ass ’cause this guy got himself pinched. I’ll kill you if you say otherwise.”
I scoffed with a chuckle. “No one’s killing anyone tonight.”
It was good to see they hadn’t changed too much over the years. Vinny now had a wife and daughter, linking us to the Costellos, but remained as faithful to the Iannelli famiglia and its businesses as ever. Tore remained single, too busy with Lou and Boyan to worry about more than work.
“See.” Tore nudged Vinny. “I knew my little gift was exactly what he needed to lighten up.”
“Speaking of which,” I added, “I’d like the woman’s name and number.”
“What woman?”
“The one you sent over.”
“I didn’t send a woman. Man, if you’re seeing imaginary women, I need some of whatever you’re having. That champagne must have been pretty good.”
I frowned. He’d sent the champagne, not the woman? Who was she then? A spy? Ricco knew her, and she mentioned Tore too casually for that detail to be faked. She also hadn’t pried for information.
“Boss, a toast.” Massimo, the famiglia capo in charge of long-term collections, jolted my shoulder to clank his full glass against my empty one. Beer sloshed over his glass and down my hand. One of his calloused hands gripped me to keep hisbalance, fumbling to stay upright. “I did good as underboss. Tell him, Salvatore. Tell him how good I was,” he slurred.
The man was up in his years, closer to his sixties than fifties, with droopy eyes to match his flaccid eyelids and loose jowls. His eyes were red from drink. His legs were as floppy as the extra weight he seemed to have put on over the last seven years. Regardless, he was diligent in his work, effective, and never skimmed funds, which was why I’d kept him on as a capo from my father’s time.
“You did,” I said, shrugging off a random woman’s touch. “Tore mentioned it earlier. It was good that you stepped up. Now the weight’s going to be lifted off your shoulders. How are your retirement plans coming along?”
“Retirement?” He bellied a laugh. “I’m not there yet.”
“Good man.” I slapped him on the shoulder, then walked away, absolutely fed up with socializing. If only that woman upstairs hadn’t left, I would have gladly taken her for another round before sleeping off this otherwise shitty day.
Chapter 31
“Okay,we’rehere.Everyoneout of the car.”
Boyan cheered, throwing his door open. Lou muttered a simple “Great,” tossing her braids over her shoulder with a roll of her eyes, and exited.
