Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
NICO
I adjusted my bow tie with shaking fingers and once again straightened the lapels of my tuxedo jacket. I kept wondering if it was a mistake for me to be going with the team on this particular mission. I wasn’t sure I was cut out for badass superhero work. Gabe stepped up behind me, his big, tuxedo-clad body filling the mirror. “How are you holding up?”
“Not gonna lie, I’m pretty nervous.”
He kissed the top of my head. “We’ll keep you safe. You won’t be alone.”
I let out a slow breath. “I know. But what if I mess up and cause a bigger problem?”
Gabe wrapped his arms around me. “I think you underestimate yourself. Remember your first job with us at the Count Basie? You had no idea what you were doing, yet you managed to contain a potential threat without causing harm.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “Yeah, I remember. I also remember the team asking if I was out of the closet yet about a million times.”
His chuckle vibrated against my back. “That’s one of the joys of being part of this band of misfits.”
I turned in his arms and put my hands on his chest. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He bent his head and took my mouth in a warm, tender kiss.
A knock on the hotel room door interrupted us. “Time to go,” Gabe said.
Marco and Liam were waiting outside our door, also dressed in tuxedos. “You all set?” Marco asked.
I nodded. “Let’s get this done.”
The rest of the team met us in the lobby. Dante and Pete were both in tuxes. Andrea wore a dark-red velvet gown with a deep V-neck and a full skirt, no doubt to hide the gun she carried.
Last to join us was Tony D’Angelo, the head of Angel Security. While he was in a black tux jacket like the rest of us, his vest was dark-blue velvet. He came up to me and squeezed my shoulder. “Thanks for joining us on this one, Nico. You deserve to see it through to the end.”
“Thanks, boss.”
Tony was joining us for this mission because he took it personally that someone had attacked one of his people. Tonight, we were going after Bobby Kendrick.
It had taken me almost three weeks to feel one hundred percent after getting stabbed. In those weeks, the team stopped five attempts to get to Cody or me. All that managed to do was piss us all off even more. Bobby Kendrick had no idea what was heading his way.
A huge black stretch limousine was waiting for us outside the hotel. “Holy shit,” I whispered to Gabe. “That’s the biggest limo I’ve ever seen.”
He kissed my cheek. “Only the best for you, baby.”
The driver opened the back door, and all eight of us got in. One seat stretched along the entire side of the car with a shorter bench directly behind the front seat. There was a fully loaded wet bar along the other side of the limo stocked with some very nice bottles of high-end whiskey.
Gabe rubbed his hands together. “Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.”
“No,” Marco barked. “You’re not getting lubed before a mission.”
“But I thought we all liked lube,” Dante said.
“It’s like herding fucking cats,” Marco muttered.
To my surprise, instead of sitting next to Liam, Marco took one of the two seats facing the interior of the limo. A moment later, Tony took the seat beside him.
As soon as the car started moving, Tony raised the privacy screen between us and the driver. I realized this was the first time I’d seen the brothers right next to each other, and I was struck by the resemblance between them. They had the same build, though Tony wasn’t as tall or broad as Marco. Tony’s dark hair was longer and starting to show flecks of gray at the temples.
“Listen up, everyone,” Marco said. The low rumble of voices halted immediately.
Tony cleared his throat. “What I’m about to tell you now stays in this vehicle.” We all murmured our assent. He glanced over at Marco, who gave him a quick nod. “As you know, we’re about to meet with Bobby Kendrick, head of the gang that tried to kidnap Gabe’s nephew and has targeted Nico.”
“Motherfucker,” Gabe muttered. “I’d love to go old-school mobster on his ass.”
Marco sighed. “We are not going old-school mobster on anyone, Gabriel.”
“Oh, that was mean, Chief,” Pete snickered.
“Can we get back to business here?” Tony snapped. We all shut up because Tony never raised his voice. After a moment, he went on. “Three things motivate gangsters: money, power, and respect. We have the ability to threaten his money and possibly his power, but bringing him to the table with threats would have been difficult and risky.”
He shifted in his seat, his brow furrowed. “Our cousin on our mother’s side has a family business in Manhattan.” He paused, allowing his words to sink in. At first, I was confused. What did his cousin’s business have to do with anything? Then the lightbulb went on. He meant a family business. “Oh shit,” I whispered.
“I do not want to hear even one Tony Soprano joke,” he grumbled. Snickers and snorts sounded throughout the car. Even Marco’s eyes danced with amusement.
“How does that tie into what we’re doing tonight?” Gabe asked.
“Respect,” Tony replied. “Bobby Kendrick thinks he’s meeting with a member of the Vitale family tonight.”
“Technically, he is,” Marco quipped.
“Don’t let Pop hear you say that,” Tony retorted.
“I still don’t get how this is related,” Gabe said.
Tony sighed. “Our parents are not and never have been involved in the family business. My mother was adamant about that. However, from time to time, the Vitale family asks us for a favor that is not illegal. In return, our family is granted an equally legal favor.”
“So this was your favor?” Gabe asked.
Tony nodded. “Gabe’s family has been members of the Metropolitan Club for several generations.” He glanced at my boyfriend and smiled. “He used his family name and a little extra cash to get them to let us use one of their meeting rooms tonight. We got Kendrick there thinking he’ll be meeting with one of my cousin’s people. My cousin was pissed that Kendrick was getting out of line, so he was happy to help in our little subterfuge. Bobby boy better be careful, or he’ll find himself at the bottom of the Hudson. Cousin Sal doesn’t mess around.”
“But that’s none of our concern,” Marco added. “What happens to Bobby Kendrick after tonight is all on him.”
A chorus of “Yes, Chief” and one “Yes, Sarge” went around the limo.
I leaned closer to Gabe and asked, “Why does Andrea call Marco Sarge?”
“Because she was in the Army and likes to mess with him. His rank as Senior Chief Petty Officer in the Navy equals Sergeant First Class in the Army.”
The limousine pulled to a stop in front of a white stone building with a courtyard protected by wrought iron gates gilded with gold along the tops. A doorman hurried to open the door to the limo. Pete got out first and held out his hand for Andrea to exit next. We all followed suit, with Tony being the last out.
The doorman led us underneath a dark-red awning, through one of the gates, and into the courtyard. We were met by a dark-haired man in a black tuxedo, who spoke briefly to Gabe and then indicated we should follow him.
The inside of the Metropolitan Club was so beyond bougie I couldn’t think of a word for it. We walked into an entry foyer with forty-foot-high ceilings decorated with paintings like the Sistine Chapel. Red velvet curtains framed the large windows. Everywhere I looked, something was gilded. I caught Gabe’s eye and mouthed the word “bougie.” He stifled a laugh and nudged me with his elbow.
We were led up a curving staircase into a smaller room set with several round tables spread far enough apart to offer privacy for each group. Dark wood paneling covered the bottom half of the walls while the upper half was painted a rich cream color. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave us a view of Central Park at night. A huge fireplace with an ornate mantel dominated the center of the back wall.
Gabe thanked the concierge, and Tony motioned for us to gather in a corner of the room near the door. “The plan is the same. Nico is going to join me at the table with Kendrick. Marco will come with us as muscle. The rest of you will be at another table within eyesight.”
Gabe grumbled something under his breath, and I squeezed his hand. “It’s okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll be safe with Tony and Marco.”
“Protecting you is my job,” he insisted.
“Easy there, Captain America,” Dante said. “Bucky will be fine.”
We both sighed and rolled our eyes. I glared at Liam. “This is your fault.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied with a grin.
“Let’s go,” Tony said gruffly. “Kendrick will be here in ten minutes.”
Gabe leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. “I won’t be far away.”
I squeezed his hand. “I know.”
I followed Tony and Marco to a table in the far corner of the room near a tall window overlooking Central Park. Behind it was a built-in bookcase full of leather-bound volumes. Tony took a chair that faced the room and indicated I should sit on his right. Marco took his place behind us. I noticed he’d unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket so his shoulder holster was just visible. I scanned the room until I found where Gabe and the rest of the team were sitting. They had a table diagonally across the room from us in line of sight of our own. I felt better knowing they were there. I hoped we wouldn’t need them.
Tony leaned toward me and asked, “How are you holding up?”
“Okay. I’m nervous, but I know you all have my back.”
He nodded. “We do. This will be over soon. I promise.”
Movement at the front of the room caught my attention. It was Bobby Kendrick. I knew him from the pictures Michael had shown us when we were preparing for this encounter. He was flanked by two men, both large bodyguard types. The concierge who had escorted us here directed them to our table, then left the room, closing the door behind him.
I watched the trio approach, noticing that the bodyguards stared straight ahead and didn’t once look around the room to check who else was there. Stupid. I saw Gabe roll his eyes from across the room.
When Kendrick and his guards reached the table, Tony motioned for the other man to sit. “Please join us, Mr. Kendrick.”
Bobby Kendrick was a walking stereotype. It was clear he enjoyed reaping the benefits of the money his organization brought it. His pasty complexion was not helped by a double chin and thinning blond hair. He had large, expensive-looking gold rings on several fingers and a gold Rolex peeking out from beneath his jacket sleeve. He paused before he sat as if waiting for Tony to rise to greet him. When that didn’t happen, he scowled and took his seat. His two goons remained standing. Now that I saw them up close, I gave them zero chance against Marco alone, never mind the rest of the people on our team.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Vitale?” Kendrick asked.
Tony didn’t correct him on the name. “Let me get right to the point, Mr. Kendrick. You’ve been making a bit of a nuisance of yourself in this part of the city. Attempting to kidnap the son of a superior court judge was just the cherry on top of a shit sundae. You are encroaching on Salvatore Vitale’s territory and he is not happy about this.”
First of all, holy shit. Tony sounded just like any movie mob boss I’d ever heard. Second, I hadn’t thought Kendrick’s face could get any paler, but he was ghost-white now. “M-Mr. Vitale, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Tony slapped his hand on the table. “Are you new? You don’t go into another man’s territory without asking and without a damn good reason. And quite frankly, if your second in command is stupid enough to get caught in a drive-by, he deserves whatever is coming to him.”
Kendrick’s face reddened, and for a moment, I thought he might lash out at Tony. But to his credit, he kept his cool. “I was trying to do right by him,” he muttered.
“Do it somewhere else,” Tony snapped. “Now,” he continued, putting his hand on my shoulder, “This is Nicolas Galinas. You might recognize him.”
Kendrick frowned, looking at me as if he’d just noticed my existence. Confusion turned to recognition and his mouth opened before his brain could kick in to shut it. “You! You ratted out Cliff!” I assumed Cliff was the man I knew as Russell Smith.
The two men behind Kendrick reached for their guns, but Marco’s low, dangerous tone stopped them in their tracks. “I’ll drop you both before you can get to your weapons.” I chanced a glance behind me and saw his gun was already in his hand and aimed at them. “Stand down now.” The rest of our team now stood beside their chairs, waiting for a signal.
Both men slowly raised their hands in surrender. Tony waited a few beats. “Are we finished grandstanding?” Kendrick clenched his jaw but nodded curtly. “Good. As I was about to say before you so rudely interrupted, Nico here works for an associate of Salvatore Vitale’s. They tried to solve the problem in-house, but when you wouldn’t back off, they brought it to his attention.” Kendrick swallowed hard as beads of sweat popped out on his forehead.
Tony drove on relentlessly. “It’s bad enough you assaulted Nico. But then you threatened to hurt his four-year-old son. Mr. Vitale has a soft spot for little kids, you feel me? He hates it when kids get hurt. It makes him very angry. Do you understand?”
“Y-y-yes, Mr. Vitale,” Kendrick stammered.
“Good.” Tony leaned forward to emphasize his words. “Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna let this go. You’re gonna walk away and pretend you never heard of Nico or his son or any of his friends or family. You got me? Because we’ll be watching.”
Kendrick nodded frantically, like some kind of insane bobblehead doll. Tony waved a dismissive hand. “Now get out of my face.”
Bobby Kendrick got out of his chair so fast he almost knocked it over. The three men hurried out of the room like their asses were on fire. Once they were gone, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Holy shit, Tony. I think you missed your calling. You should have been an actor.”
He chuckled. “Eh, it comes from growing up in a very dramatic household.”
The rest of the team came hurrying over, with Gabe in the lead. I rose and went around to the front of the table to meet him. He threw his arms around me and held me so tightly I had trouble breathing. “I’m okay, baby. I’m okay,” I reassured him. “You need to let me breathe though.”
He loosened his hold and pulled back to look at me. “Sorry. When I saw them make a move…”
“I know. But Marco had our backs. I wasn’t worried.” I cupped his cheek with my hand. “It’s finally over.”
“Thank god.” He kissed me fiercely. “I love you, Nico.”
“I love you too. Now let’s get out of here.”