I'm no stranger to mess or casual wear. The majority of my work is done in jeans and hoodies. But Louie is the CEO here, and he is going for rich and successful to woo older money and investors.
This disheveled aura? Not a good look.
Regardless, I have better things to do than spend my time here, looking at him and waiting for him to just get on with whatever this is. I need to get back to poking at Lola, who isso much fucking fun to poke. Not literally, but she is sassy and up for a challenge.
I like it more than I thought I would.
He reaches for the bottle of water on his desk and pours some into his glass. Then he opens a drawer and pulls out some rum, splashing it in.
Louie holds the bottle up to me, but I shake my head.
It's ten fucking twenty in the a.m.
Louie guzzles some of his drink. "I'm in some serious trouble, Enzo."
"What kind?"
"Life and death kind."
I wait.
He takes a deeper swallow and leans forward. "You're the only one I could think to call."
"Get to the point. And don't ask me to get Uncle Gino involved. You don't want that."
Louie shuts his mouth.
I look him in the eye. "You're in trouble now? It will be worse if you owe him."
Advice given. Warning made. His decision.
Uncle Gino is not someone you can play with. The only person I know who can handle the old man is Violet, my best friend's wife. Violet seems to make Gino all soft.
But as far as I know, Louie doesn't have a Violet in his back pocket like Cade does.
"I didn't ask."
I smile and motion for him to continue.
"You know how things are, right?" He refills his glass, this time more rum, less water. "Anyway, one thing led to another and I, uh, found myself in some shady shit."
"Dude."
"I, uh, might have inadvertently double-crossed Edoardo Costa."
Should I laugh or cry? I don't even know.
"How the fuck does someone, in this case,you...mess with one of the most notorious mafia figures on the East Coast, in Cuba, and Puerto Rico without realizing it?"
A dark expression crosses Louie's face. "You don't need to make me sound like an idiot. I know I screwed up. I feel like a fucking noose is hanging around my neck already. If that is how you will be, just take your fancy ass and get the fuck out of my office."
"Okay." I get up, leaving my iPad on his desk.
Panic flutters over his features, but he puts his pout on firmly. "That's right, go back to getting your precious pedicures and manicures at thousand-dollar salons."
I raise a brow. "Not sure those exist. Do they? I guess you would know."
Louie sniffs. "Hot pink glitter nails for you this time?"
