Page 11 of Trina Gabrini: Bring Him Back Home to Me

“How many?”

“None! I didn’t have any drinks.”

“And you’re certain it was her?”

As much as Reno hated to admit it, he nodded. “It was her.”

“Shit. Was he with her?”

“I didn’t see him. But if she’s in town, I guarantee you he is too.”

“Damn.” Sal flung his shoes off of the sofa and sat beside Reno. Then he looked at him. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“I don’t know yet. I gotta find her first.” Then Reno leaned back. “Why did this have to happen now? I’m not up for this bullshit now.”

“Who’s ever up for it? But you’d better get up for it. That bitch don’t fuck around.”

Reno looked at Sal. “What was the last you heard about her?”

Sal had to think about it. “Last I heard she was doing time in upstate New York on some tax evasion fraud kind of shit. But that was like . . . eight-nine years ago.”

“She might have just gotten out.”

“But why would she come here?”

“You know why. I wouldn’t let her ass take the PaLargio away from me. She never got over that.”

Sal looked at Reno suspiciously. “That ain’t the only reason she never got over it.”

“It was business. I would have buttered-up a serial killer if at the end of the day I walked away with the PaLargio in my control and my control only. Lydia knew that.”

“I told you about playing with these young girls’ hearts. And man did you play with hers.”

Reno leaned up. “That can’t be it. She’s as ruthless as I am. She knew it was business. She knew what I was up to.”

“If she knows all that like you claim, then why are you sitting in my house at damn-near midnight looking like your world is about to come crashing down?”

A dreaded look appeared on Reno’s face. “I think she knows, Sal. I think she knows about that other thing.”

Sal’s look suddenly changed. “But how would she?”

“I don’t know! But it has to be that. Why else would she see me and then make a run for it the way she did? Why can’t I find her ass anywhere if it was just that old business bullshit? She’s no sentimentalist. Her ass don’t care nothing about no heartbreaks.”

“But she cares about that other thing,” Sal said. Then a distressed look appeared on his handsome face. “But Reno, if that’s true . . .” He shook his head. Then he looked at Reno again. “Have you told Trina?”

“Hell no!” Reno jumped up and began pacing the floor. “There’s no way she can ever find out anything about that ever, Sal. And I mean that.”

“You stood by Trina when she told you about that mess she was involved in. She’ll stand by you.”

“I don’t want her to stand by me. Are you joking? I wouldn’t be able to look her in the face if she found out. I’ll take out Lydia and fifty more like her before Trina finds out. I’ll take out myself before Trina finds out.”

It was Sal’s turn to exhale and lean back. But then Reno just stood there. Thinking. “Something happened tonight,” he said.

Sal looked at him. “You mean other than seeing Lydia?”

“It was at the restaurant. I ran back into the restaurant to try and find Lydia. Trina was at the valet station still waiting on her car. A drunk driver got behind the wheel of his car and drove straight for Trina.”

Sal was astounded. “What?” He sat upright.