50. JOEY
JOEY
I parked outside Ben’s house, the driver’s side window rolled down as I took a slow drag from my cigarette. A moment later, the front door swung open, and Ben walked out, straightening the collar of his crisp button-down. “Decided to get dressed up?” I teased, smirking as he approached.
Ben shot me a look as he slid into the passenger seat. “Aren’t you the one who said if you’re gonna be killed, make sure you go down in your Sunday best?”
I let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, guess I did say that.” I flicked ash out the window before glancing at him. “Then again, maybe you were hoping Lucy would be there. Just a piece of advice—don’t let him in on that dirty little secret you’re harboring. You know, the fact that you’ve been screwing his daughter for years now.”
Ben let out an amused snort, shaking his head. “You know what? I think you’re in the wrong profession. With all this warmth and wisdom, you would’ve made a wonderful psychiatrist.” I scoffed, pressing my foot to the gas as we pulled onto the road. “Never thought you’d be the one chauffeuring me to my potential execution,” he muttered as I drove toward Christopher’s house.
“Need some advice from someone who hasn’t been executed yet?” I shot him a glance. “It’s all in how you think. You tell yourself you’re gonna make it out alive—you probably will.”
“Hmph,” Ben grunted. “Are we talking manifestation here? Because if that’s the case, I’m manifesting myself a bulletproof vest.”
“Now that’s the spirit, Benny!” I teased, giving his shoulder a shove. “Come on, show me a smile. First impressions mean a lot to the boss.” He tried to stifle a grin, but that one got him. He let out a chuckle, shaking his head.
To be honest, I had no idea if either of us would be walking out of that house today. But I sure as hell wasn’t gonna tell him that.
I pulled up in front of Christopher’s estate as Ben and I got out of the car. We made our way to the front door and knocked. Christopher opened it almost immediately. His mouth didn’t move, but the cold, calculating look in his eyes said everything we needed to know. He turned and led us through the house. We followed him out to the back patio, where he settled into a chair and began lighting a cigar, the smoke curling up into the hot air.
He studied Ben with a hard, calculating stare, as though he could see through him—strip away the layers and find the truth beneath.
“So tell me, officer—can you be trusted?” he asked.
Ben leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Christopher’s. “My badge might not mean much to you, but it can open just about any door you need it to. It gets me information others can’t touch. And I’ve been doing business with Joey for a decade—I’ve made no mistakes. So, yes, I can be trusted.”
“Joey trusts you, but that doesn’t mean shit to me,” Christopher spat. “I’m not concerned with what’s been. I’m concerned with what’s coming. This family’s built on trust and loyalty, and I don’t need someone who thinks they can play both sides.”
“Well, that’s great. Because I stand right where you need me to. I’ve been walking the line for years, and I’ve never crossed it. Not a single time. I’m trustworthy because I know where my loyalties lie.”
Christopher exhaled a cloud of smoke. “How am I supposed to believe that? You were supposed to be loyal to your badge, but you’ve done nothing but the opposite. How do I know you won’t turn on us, too?”
Ben leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “You don’t. You don’t know, just like I don’t know if you’ll decide tomorrow that I’m more of a liability than an asset. Trust is a gamble. But what you do know is my track record. Ten years, not a single misstep. Not one reason for Joey—or anyone—to doubt me. I don’t play both sides.”
Christopher’s eyes flickered between Ben and me before settling back on him. “Well, I suppose you’ve got a point. But just know this—one mistake, and there’s no coming back. You fuck up, even once, and you’re dead.”
Ben nodded. “As I should be.”
Christopher took a slow drag of his cigar. “And when I call for you, you come. No questions. You don’t work for Joey—you work for the Giordano Crime Family .”
I’d seen this conversation play out a hundred times before—loyalty being measured like it was something that could be weighed on a scale. Christopher was testing Ben, pushing him, but I already knew the outcome. Ben wouldn’t crack; he was made of steel.
I’d spent a decade trusting Ben, relying on him to walk the tightrope between law and lawlessness without falling. But Christopher didn’t know Ben like I did. Ben wasn’t just some disposable errand boy. He was a necessary piece of the puzzle.
Times were changing, and the rules had to change with them. When I rose to my rightful rank, I’d be the one to make that happen. But for now, Ben and I had been given a second chance. We were too valuable to be disposed of—at least for now.