Chapter 8
Cipriana
Oh shit. Oh shit.
I squeeze the arm rests of my chair tight to calm my nerves, but the security guard shouting from the top of the stairs sends lightning bolts through my belly.
The Lucrazis… they’re here for me. They wouldn’t open fire on a group of innocent lawyers though, right?
No. Trino assured me they wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t question me.
Pull me out of here with a gun to my back…
Jacky, Charlie, and Gil start to notice the noise. They all turn toward the steps.
My heart thunders in my chest as I hear a shuffle between two people. They’re coming closer, the struggle growing louder. Should I run?
No. Then I’d be putting everyone in danger. I have to stand up and accept that they’re looking for me.
Pressing one hand tight over the other does nothing to stop my trembling.
You can do this, Capri. It’ll be okay.
Just channel that inner Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill. You’re an assassin samurai bitch who’ll take down anyone—
“Sit. I’ll only be a minute.”
My breath catches when I recognize the deep voice. A pair of black steel-toe boots clunk against the steps, slowly revealing him. Designer jeans peek into view, then a black polo that he’s busting out of.
“Trino ,” I whisper to myself as his gorgeous chiseled face comes into focus. His eyes lock onto mine instantly, like he knew exactly where I was even before he came down the steps.
“Holy sex .” Jacky blinks in quick succession, and even stoic Charlie gasps.
“Capri, let’s go.” He beckons me with two fingers, no room for questioning.
My face is flush with heat. All the worry melts into warmth. I don’t know why. This is so unorthodox and… and… not okay .
I stand up abruptly. “You can’t just burst into my job, Trino.”
He’s taken aback, as are my coworkers.
“Capri?” Jacky’s eyes are wide.
“Say the word and I’ll call the cops,” Gil says.
“You must be Gil.” Trino scoffs as he steps closer to our table. “Yeah, I thought so. That’s about all you’re good for.” He turns to me. “Capri, I’m not kidding.”
Lawyers across from me are starting to take out their phones.
“Why isn’t security down here?” Charlie is in position to pounce if need be. But the truth is, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Who is he? Are you in danger?” Jacky grabs my arm protectively.
“Yeah, Capri. Who am I?” Trino’s deep voice lingers.
I huff. “It’s okay, everyone. He’s my bodyguard because of my Dad’s trial. Please put your phones down. We’ll be out of your hair.” I swallow past a lump in my throat and stomp up to him, whispering, “You couldn’t just text, you dramatic bastard?”
Trino grunts and turns away from me, stepping up to the one lawyer who refuses to put his phone away. “Didn’t you hear the lady?”
“This is trespassing onto private property. You obviously don’t belong here. Time to move along with your gas guzzler so I can call the cops. Meat-eating pig.”
I’m not sure who this guy is, but he sounds and looks like Peewee Herman – R.I.P. – and has a set of ignorant balls that might as well hang to the floor.
Trino stares at him for a good few seconds, the silence deafening.
Vegan Peewee scoffs. “You don’t scare me, thug. Do you know where you— ah!”
Trino kicks the leg of Peewee’s wooden chair in half and grabs his phone as he rolls onto the floor. The room gasps.
“Woops.” He deletes the video and launches the phone into an old-style bookcase, where it bursts into several pieces.
I’m not going to lie… I’m really turned on right now. And judging by Jacky’s blotchy face and Charlie’s bitten lip, they are too. Trino grabs me by the wrist and tugs me toward the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I finally ask as we ascend to the top. My phone is buzzing like crazy in my pocket. A quick glance shows it’s from everyone downstairs wondering if I’m actually okay.
“Word traveled, and we have to move.”
“Can you not be so cryptic? Ack! What did you do to Jerry!” I grab at my hair when I see our beloved security guard propped up against a plant on the floor with his mouth hanging open.
“He’s fine.” Trino tugs at me again. “Just a little chloroform.”
“There are cameras everywhere, you brute.” I’m forced to run to keep up with his long stride.
“Just outside. The ones inside are off, probably because it’s the weekend. I doubt Jerry will talk, considering I left a picture of his little girl in his back pocket.”
My mouth hangs open. “You what? ” I smack his shoulder as we rush to his car. “Jerry is the nicest man in the world! Why would you—”
“Relax. It’s just a fear tactic. I got access to everyone in this building, your team, even the janitor.
Once I’m on a job, Capri… I’m on a job.” He whips open his car door and lingers, staring at the road.
“Besides. I just saved all their lives.” He shields his face as he drops into the seat of his car.
I go to take my seat, but his big hand pushes me back upright. “Wave to them.”
“To who?” A pit forms in my belly as he revs the car.
“Just wave. Okay, now get in here.” He pulls me into the seat by my slacks.
“Trino—I thought you said…”
“I wanted you to feel safe while I got to the bottom of what’s going down.”
I shut the door, noticing my palms are clammy as I buckle my seatbelt. “What do you mean going down ? Hey, Toretto. Stop with the vague—”
He whips the car out of the parking lot as two black Town Cars swerve to follow us. I turn to see a thick-bearded man with a scar down his eye and gritted teeth speeding up to our tail. My head whips along with the car as Trino starts his rollercoaster driving.
I think about flailing and hitting him, but I realize how serious the situation is getting. “They’re after me, then? You lied about them not looking for me?”
“Was mistaken.” Trino is as calm as the summer breeze. “Don Carlo was more tactful about things, even if he was a bit of a scumbag. Seems like the guy who took over is a bit of a hothead who likes to jump to conclusions. Might be a decent leader though… because he was right in this case.”
I rack my brain. Don Carlo… Don Carlo… “Leader of the Barone family?”
“Yeah, until Leandro Rigiano put a bullet in his head. Now it’s Don Vino – owner of Scetto Wine Company.”
“And why again is he sending two cars to J. Witt?”
“To bag you as collateral until Sonny shows up… which obviously ain’t happening.
” Trino pulls out a pistol and opens his window.
“I know Vino isn’t playing around, because he sent imports to get you.
” He sticks his arm out the window and starts shooting blindly behind him, then swerves in front of a Ford Bronco, and again down a residential street.
I’m doing Hail Marys with my eyes closed as motion, gunshots, and screeching overwhelms me. When the car stops bouncing from side-to-side, I take a breath. “Imports? Like, hitmen from Italy imports?”
“Yeah. If you hadn’t waved at them, they would’ve tortured your friends and left a massacre at Witt.”
My eyes widen. “Okay, that’s a lot to take in. So you essentially used me as bait to save my friends. I can’t tell if that’s noble or whether you’re insane— ah!”
Skrrrrrt!
The car swerves so hard it drifts out of the backyard alley onto the next main road. One of the Town Cars crashes into a dumpster and skids into a one-eighty, while the others tails us at high speed.
“I really hate that I’m getting used to my heart exploding out of my chest.” I hold the door handle with both hands.
Trino scowls and steps harder on the gas. “You might be built for this yet.”
“No thank you!” The back of my head plasters to the headrest. My peripherals are just blurs of motion as the trees and residential houses zoom by.
“Hold on.” He lowers his window again when there are no cars separating ours and the Lucrazi one.
Wait. Why is he lowering my window too?
“You think you could wave for me again?”
“What?”
“Just do it.”
I’m scared I’ll lose my arm if I stick it out the window at this speed, and just as I’m thinking it, he slows abruptly, causing the Town Car to slam on the breaks behind us, tires screeching.
“ Now!” his voice springs me into action, and just as I wave, he opens the driver’s side door, leans low out of the car with his pistol aimed, and fires three shots.
Pffffth!
A tire pops and the car loses its traction, swerving every which way.
Holy shit!
He pulls himself back up and slams the door shut. “Good girl.” The enemy car crashes into the concrete divider as we pull away unscathed.
“Dude!” My mouth hangs open in a disbelieving smile, watching the smoking car shrink in the distance. We’re actually going to survive this. I exhale in disbelief, one hand on my chest. That heat I felt when Trino descended the J. Witt steps… woo, it returns tenfold.
He looks so freakin’ hot reloading his pistol when he just outmaneuvered two hitmen – all to save me.
A very small, wet part of me wants to jump his bones, let him put his fingers wherever he wants this time.
Then, as if someone’s playing with the dial of my emotions, reality dawns on me. If imports are after me… if the entire mafia wants me in their custody…
My life is over.
The horny adrenaline quickly wears down, and tears well up to take its place.
Partner track by twenty-eight. Partner by thirty.
Making a real difference by thirty-one. Find a nice man when I’m a heroine of the planet, and have Dad walk me down the aisle.
And when my special day is over, I get to sail the sunset looking for more oil-spillers to put away, with a newborn on each breast. Yes. I wanted twins!
I burst into tears, using my hands to cover my face.
“The fuck?” Trino frowns, disgusted at me.
“I—”
“What?” he growls.
“I wanted to save the world!” Word vomit comes out of me like a spewing volcano. I don’t know why. And I sure as hell can’t control it. So there it is.
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Trino shakes his head. “Pop, you’re a real asshole, you know that?” He looks at the roof of the car.
“Shut up!” I slap his arm. My ugly cry is in full force – I can tell by the disgust on his face. “I know!”
“You know what? I didn’t say anything.” He inches away from me.
“I know how I look when I cry!”
“It’s pretty awful,” he growls.
“Ahh!” I turn away.
“I don’t know what you’re crying about. I’m the one who lost a Supra.”