19. LifeDeath
NINETEEN
Life or Death
ALLEGRA
J ust when I think I can’t love Zano any more than I already do, he gives me more reasons to love him. The sex is fantastic, but we have more than that, or, well, for me, it’s more than sex. Every morning, he greets me with a fabulous smile, and today is no different.
Only today, along with the fabulous grin, he’s made breakfast. It’s only Pop-Tarts and coffee, but they’re my favorite strawberry-flavored ones, and my coffee has the perfect amount of milk and sugar. Zano remembers I prefer milk to cream. And next to my plate with Pop-Tarts is a stack of magazines.
That’s new!
“Are you going to stand there watching me all day, or do I get a morning kiss?” he asks slyly.
I walk right to him; my hand comes to his chest as I reach up, offering my mouth to his. He moves his sensuous lips over mine, and I melt into him.
“You made breakfast.” He chuckles.
“Pop-Tarts is the breakfast of champions,” he says with a wink. He guides me to my chair, then sits opposite me. I glance at the magazines.
“What is all this?” I pick up the one on top and leaf through the glossy pages.
“It’s to give you ideas.” I’m confused, and my expression doesn’t hide that fact. He explains, “You want your own salon, and you want to take courses to include makeup and stuff. The magazines on the top might give you some thoughts on what you want your shop to look like. Under those are courses offered locally that might interest you. And because it would be a sound investment, Dad, Elio, and I are willing to invest in a storefront to get you started. That’ll come later, of course, once we sort out the other stuff.”
Zano is keeping my mind busy. He told me last night that we’re moving forward together, and this is his way of taking my mind off the lurking danger of the Skulls and the Triad. He’s looking after me, again. I scan his face, unable to formulate the words that are swelling in my heart. He makes me feel too much. I get up and slide onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I don’t know what to say,” I say honestly. Then the words come to me. “I never thought I’d meet a man like you. I stopped thinking of falling in love and fairy-tale endings because everything in my life went dark. Then you came, and suddenly, I have hope. That’s the greatest gift you could ever give me.” I press my lips to his. He immediately takes over, our mouths fused together, his hand caressing my back, the other sliding up under my skirt, resting on my upper thigh. But Zano stops there, ending our kiss and staring into my eyes.
“Baby, I’d like nothing better than to continue this moment of heaven, but my brother will be here any second, and the last thing he needs to see is my boner. But keep that thought, and tonight, we’ll take it from here,” he says with a grin.
“It’s a date,” I whisper, brushing my lips over his, then going back to my chair.
Zano only manages to take two bites of his Pop-Tart before his phone rings. Although two bites add up to half a Pop-Tart. He quickly swallows before answering. “Hi, Sebastian. Is everything okay?”
There’s a long pause, and Zano drops his gaze to his plate, focused on what Sebastian is telling him.
“Where do you want me to meet you?” Zano asks. There’s another pause before he says, “Right. I’ll wait for Elio, and we’ll meet you there.” Sebastian must be talking about me, because Zano lifts his head and looks right at me. “Reno? Really?”
I wish I could hear what Sebastian is telling him, but I don’t have to wait long. “Reno is picking you up, and you’ll be staying with Anna today.” He takes a deep breath. “We found the Skull member who was injured from the shoot-out. He’s alive and at the hospital. Reno wants you safe at his place. Sebastian, Elio, and I are going to go see if he’s conscious and can give us some answers. Go get what you need. Reno will be here any minute.”
Zano goes to get ready while I quickly clear the dishes, gulping down my coffee and devouring my breakfast for extra fortification. Reno’s been very nice to me lately, but he still makes me nervous. I gather the pile of magazines and place them in my oversized tote bag. Anna has great taste, and I’m sure she won’t mind giving me her opinion.
As Zano walks back out, the doorbell rings. He walks straight over, peering through the peephole, then yanks it open. It’s Reno at our doorstep, with Samuele on his hip. Samuele wriggles, wanting to be put down, and as soon as he’s on his feet, he races over to me and wraps his little arms around my legs, looking up at me.
“Well, hello, my handsome boy,” I say.
“Zia Ally. I come to get you!” he exclaims excitedly.
“Where’s your sister this morning?” I ask. The twins are very close, and Samuele has his father’s temperament when it comes to protecting his sister.
“With Mom. They’re making us muffins.” Samuele’s face lights up.
With great exaggeration, I exclaim, “Oh my goodness, muffins! I hope they make blueberry.”
“Chocolate chip!” He giggles.
“Even better.” I look up and finally greet Reno. “Hello, Capo. Thank you for coming to get me.”
Reno has a hint of a grin on his face. “My pleasure. Samuele was very happy to hear you’d be spending the day with him, and Simona has already chosen her new pink nail polish for you to put on her,” he says. “Zano and I are stepping into the hall. Perhaps you can entertain Samuele. We’ll be but a moment.” Reno nods to the door, and both men step out. Samuele makes sure I don’t have time to contemplate what they might be talking about and takes me over to the KerPlunk game.
* * *
Zano
J ust as we step out, Elio comes out of the elevator. Reno waits for him to join our huddle. “Sebastian is at the hospital. He’s had to pay off a few cops on the payroll to get time alone with this kid.” I raise my brows at the mention of the word kid . Reno nods, looking from me to Elio. “Tony Von Garter is a sixteen-year-old punk. The Skulls abandoned him in an alley a few days ago. He was in bad shape. The doctors weren’t sure the kid would pull through. But the police were able to match his prints and DNA to the evidence found at the scene.”
“Has he said anything to the cops?” Elio asks.
“Tony said that he was at the wrong place and the wrong time. He hitched a ride with a bunch of guys, none of whose names he can remember, when a gunfight started, and he got clipped in the midst of it all.” Reno gives a shrug. “Sebastian says the kid is scared shitless. Dante’s pulled up all he can about Tony. His parents are junkies. He has two kid sisters, and they’re freaking out because apparently Tony is their only source of stability.”
“Fuck! The kid joined the Skulls to be able to feed his sisters,” I say.
Reno quirks a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. “This can work in our favor.”
“Leverage to get him back to his family?” Elio says.
“It’s possible. It’s Tony’s choice: life or death,” Reno declares. “Get going. I’ll make sure Allegra stays safe.”
* * *
T he Skulls don’t know how to look after their own. Tony Von Garter is a skinny young man, bruised and beaten, on top of having a gunshot wound. Some of the black and blue on his body are faded, but others look fresh. According to the doctor, Tony’s lost a lot of blood and is lucky to be alive. The police have him handcuffed to the hospital bed, not that we give a shit. Besides, Tony is in bad shape and wouldn’t make it out of the building.
Sebastian is the first to walk into Tony’s room. Tony grows pale, or paler, because he didn’t have color to begin with. He goes from pale to freaking out when I walk in. He must recognize me, because I recognize him. He’s the guy from the back of Allegra’s apartment building I saw when I went in after Victorio.
“You…you…” Tony’s voice wanes, and he swallows deep.
“Yeah, Tony, it’s me,” I say, pulling up a chair next to his bedside and taking a seat. “It’s been a while. I see you’ve been busy.” I look over the tubes and equipment he’s attached to.
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it,” he whispers.
“It’s not going to go that easily,” Sebastian says. “You know who Zano is, now let me introduce myself. I’m Sebastian Viale, consigliere to Reno Viale, capo of Nostra Casa . The Skulls have waged a war with our family. It’s a war they can’t win. The result will be the destruction of the Skulls, including their leader.”
“Good,” Tony whispers, clenching his jaw in anger. “I hope they burn in hell.”
Elio narrows his gaze on Tony. “You seem pissed, kid. Want to talk about it?” Tony looks over at me.
“That’s Elio, my older brother. He can either be your friend or your worst enemy. Your choice how you want to place this,” I tell him, sitting back in my chair.
“I got no love for the Skulls. Especially after they left me to die in an alley and I’m probably going to jail because the cops aren’t going to let me off with a slap on the wrist. I’m the only one they can blame for what happened,” Tony says, staring down at the sheet.
“You can always rat them out,” Sebastian offers.
Tony whips his head up. “I’m not a rat. And besides, Drake knows I’d never talk. My sisters are the ones who will pay if I do. As it is, I’m not sure how they’re going to survive this mess.” His voice cracks. He’s really worried about his sisters.
Sebastian eyes him carefully. Sebastian isn’t easy to fool. “What are your sisters’ names?”
“Why?” Tony asks cautiously.
Sebastian steps closer to his bedside. “I’m checking out your story. If you’re telling the truth, your sisters are in trouble and Drake probably already has his men circling to keep watch.”
Tony pulls on his cuffs, trying to get free. “I have to get out of here!” he shouts. He’s yanking so hard that the cuffs are cutting into his skin.
Sebastian reaches out and grabs his hand, holding it steady. “Names! And if it checks out, we’ll keep your sisters safe,” Sebastian tells him.
“Lucy and Lisa,” Tony replies immediately, then rattles off his address. Sebastian glances at Elio.
“Call Dante. He’ll know what to do,” Sebastian says as he turns back to Tony. “The price for your sisters’ protection is your help with the Skulls.”
“Look, I don’t care what you do to me. But I have some money put away, and the girls will need it. It isn’t much, but it’ll keep them fed for a while. Could you please make sure they get it?” Tony asks.
I’m a tough bastard, but I can see how much this kid is trying to hold it together, and I have to say I’m beginning to like him. He shows integrity and genuine concern for his sisters.
Elio comes back, holding out his phone. “Dante wants a word.”
Sebastian takes it and barks a quick “Hey,” then listens attentively.
“Reno agrees?” Sebastian asks. He’s quiet for another minute, mutters a quick goodbye, and hangs up. He turns to Tony. “This is your lucky day. Reno has decided not to kill you yet. He’s going to give you a chance to bring down the Skulls as well as the men who are bankrolling them. In return, we’ll set you and your sisters up in a safe place, far away from Drake. Although, when we’re done with them, the Skulls won’t exist anymore.”
“A deal? Lucy and Lisa are in trouble now,” Tony starts.
“We have soldiers heading to your sisters. You say the word, and we take them to a safe place until this is over,” Sebastian says.
Tony glances over at me. “Is he for real?”
“Take him up on it. Reno doesn’t have patience, and the Skulls will soon find out that you’re alive and kicking. What do you think they’ll do to you then? You’re a liability, a loose end. You’re either with us or a dead man,” I tell him.
“What do you want me to do?” Tony asks, directing the question to Sebastian.
Sebastian tells me to get the key from the police waiting outside. We’re taking Tony with us to meet with Reno.
An hour later, Tony is dressed and sitting in the back seat of Sebastian’s car. Elio is following behind us in his car. We have the doc on standby because Tony is leaving the hospital against the doctor’s orders. His injuries are pretty serious, and he shouldn’t be out and about yet.
We reach the main warehouse, where Reno called for us to meet, and find Leo and Dante pulling up behind us.
“The gang’s all here,” I murmur, and Sebastian chuckles.
Tony’s meds are wearing off, and he winces and grimaces all the way inside. “He looks like shit,” Dante states.
“He’s lucky to be breathing,” Elio replies.
“Reno’s waiting,” Leo announces, and takes Tony gently by the arm and guides him down the long hall leading to Reno’s back office. Reno’s sitting at his desk waiting for us.
“Tony, sit down before you pass out,” Reno says. Tony literally drops into the chair in front of Reno. “Call the doc in,” he says, and Leo goes to do his bidding. “Dante, make the call to the others. I want Marco, Raffaele, and Alessio to hear this all at the same time.”
The doc takes a few minutes to check Tony’s pulse and take a look at his bandage. He gives him a couple of pain pills and tells Reno he’ll change the dressing later.
“We’re all on the line, Reno,” I hear Alessio say.
“Then let’s begin,” Reno replies.
“I’ll start,” Raffaele begins. “First, I want to reassure Tony that his sisters are safe. Say hello to your brother, girls.”
“Tony? Are you okay?” a soft, girly voice asks.
Tony leans forward. “Lucy, I’m fine. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, Lisa is scared, but I told her you’d come back for us.” Lucy sounds more cheerful.
“Hey, LeeLee,” Tony says softly. “It’s going to be fine. I’m going to see you both really soon. In the meantime, please be good and don’t give my friends there any trouble.”
“I’ll be good. Cross my heart,” an even younger-sounding voice says.
“Francesco, take the girls to play with Adriana,” Raffaele says. There’s silence for a moment, then he continues. “They’re out of the room. Shall we move on? Your parents are pieces of shit, Von Garter. They were completely stoned when we got there and told us they’d be happy to sell the kids to the highest bidders. You and your sisters are now orphans,” he growls.
Tony looks stunned at Raffaele’s words. “Dead?” he says in a harsh whisper.
Reno quirks a brow. “Don’t tell me you’re going to get emotional over two deviants who were willing to sell off their two daughters, not caring what the hell would have become of them, to finance their meth habit?”
Tony straightens as best he can in his seat, then in a firm voice, says, “No, sir. Lisa and Lucy wouldn’t have stood a chance if I weren’t around. With me gone, who knows what would have happened to them.”
“Good. Now, let’s move on to more pressing matters,” Reno decides. “Raffaele has your sisters safe and out of sight until this situation is over. We’ve discovered that the Skulls are only one of four gangs or clubs that have been approached by a larger mob organization. The target is the alliance of our families. This will not be tolerated.”
“Shit!” Tony gasps. “I don’t know anything about other gangs.” His eyes flit around the room. “I swear.”
“Relax. We don’t expect you to. What we’re looking for is the location of the leader of the Skulls. Drake, I believe is his name,” Reno tells him.
“I can get you to Spike, but Drake moves from place to place on a regular basis. Spike’s the only one close enough to know where he’ll be,” Tony confesses.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” I hear Marco jump in. “Tony, that’s your name, right?”
Tony leans forward, looking at the conference phone and speaking clearly into it. “Ah, yes, sir.”
“You were asked to come for Allegra. You need to start with why. And what was the plan?” Marco asks.
“Drake found out that Vic got out of the building. All the guards got a beating for letting that happen. JoJo ended up dead because of it. That was the only time I saw Drake, besides the day I was initiated into the gang. Drake was fucking pissed. He pointed his gun at each of our heads and said that if we failed again, we’d all be dead.” Tony glances up at Reno. “I knew he’d do it. I wanted to run, but I knew that they’d be watching Lucy and Lisa. I didn’t know what to do, so I agreed.” Tony shakes his head. “Drake said Spike would be in touch and to make sure we were ready to move when he called. Then Drake got this phone call, and the guy on the other end was yelling and cursing. Drake was shouting back, and he was so mad, he forgot we were all there. Spike was moving us out of the room, but I heard Drake call the guy. Wan Kwok. That was the name he called him. Drake said his name and told him not to threaten him or there would be hell to pay. Then Drake told him that he was pissed too because he didn’t get what he wanted out of the deal either.”
Reno asks, “What did he want?”
“Allegra,” Tony responds.
“Why?”
“For information about some family she belonged to and because he wanted to, uh…” Tony looks at me, then back to Reno, and in a low voice says, “fuck her and use her for whatever he wanted. He’s obsessed and deranged.”
My fists clench by my sides. Rage burns in the pit of my stomach, and the desire to storm out and find Drake myself is overwhelming. Elio leans in and murmurs, “Shut it down.” Easy for him to say.
“The plan?” Reno prompts, and I turn my attention back to Tony.
“We got the call from Spike, and he said we were going on a road trip. Drake heard that Reno was going to a wedding. Spike said the info was good. It was from a low-level dealer for Ultimo Morte. Spike said the plan was to get Allegra before she got to the church. We saw Allegra get into the limo with Vic and another woman. Spike says the plan changes. We take both the women, and Vic dies. He’s considered a traitor,” Tony confesses.
It’s Dante’s turn to lose his mind. He steps forward and grabs Tony by the throat. “That other woman is my wife,” he growls into his face.
“Dante, let him go,” Reno orders. Reluctantly, Dante shoves Tony back into his seat. “How did you know where Allegra was?”
“Drake called and said he got word from the Black Hawks telling him where Allegra was staying,” Tony says.
The Black Hawks are a local gang that has never given us any trouble. They’ve always stayed on their own turf, and out of respect, we’ve left them to it. Gauging by the look on Reno’s face, they’re all as good as dead.
“Go on,” Reno mutters, clearly on the edge of fury.
“We got made. The next thing I know, we’re the ones in trouble. I got shot, but we got away. Spike wanted to dump me out of the car, but he didn’t have time. I was in and out of consciousness, but he called Drake and told him what happened. Drake knew that he was in trouble because he said this Wan guy was running out of patience.” Tony pauses, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know anything else.” He turns to me. “That’s how he controls us, you know. He preys on guys with sisters, then threatens to hurt them. I’m glad Vic got away. When he figured it out, he was looking for a way out. He wanted his sister safe.”
“Leo, can Lucia take care of Tony? He’ll have a guard at all times until I decide what to do with him,” Reno says.
“Please don’t hurt Lisa or Lucy,” Tony begs.
“I don’t hurt children,” Reno grits out. “If you’re being honest, you will be free. If you’re leading us into a trap, you will pay dearly.”
“Sir, I might gamble with my own life, but this is a matter of life or death for my sisters. I’m telling you everything I know,” Tony says.
Elio helps him out of the room and into another space where the doc can examine him before Leo puts him on house arrest while we sort out where we go from here.