Chapter 28
Ainsley – twenty-two / Renzo – thirty-five
The prison’s high fence rattled shut behind me as I tilted my head back and sucked in the foggy air. My first breath of freedom in a long time. Hard to believe it had only been seven years when it felt like a lifetime. I glanced around.
The parking lot was quiet. So empty. So wide and open, it jarred my senses. It felt wrong.
Tore grinned at me, teeth on display, and tugged me into an embrace. I almost flinched away—a prison habit—and caught myself at the last moment. He swung us around a bit, squeezing tight, and laughed.
“You’re out. We did it!”
I forced a smile. His excitement was overwhelming.
It somehow seemed to overshadow mine. I was the one stuck in a six-by-eight-foot cell for seven years, not him.
I was the one constantly watching my back, working deals, fighting, negotiating with little worldly contact, while he lived free.
Why was the triumph and elation I felt this morning, while waiting for my name to be called to sign the release paperwork, so insignificant compared to his reaction?
I unshackled myself from his embrace and held him back at arm’s distance, enough space to avoid the swipe of a shank. It was never a good idea to let someone too close, friend or foe, especially out in the open like we were. Anyone could stab you in the back with enough incentive.
“So, how does it feel?”
I tittered at the simplicity of Tore’s question because there wasn’t an easy answer.
Elated, relieved, maybe even a little anxious to be out, conflicted as to what I’d find on the outside, bitter at the years stolen from me, wary of what lay beyond my carefully crafted prison persona, and cautious of betrayal.
There was no one specific emotion for me to settle on.
I tugged on my suit lapels, then slipped my right hand into my pants pocket again to fist the fabric.
It gave me something to grab onto when nothing else was available.
Why was it so damn quiet? Even the sound of traffic and honking, insects and birds chirping, and the far-off buzz of construction were nothing compared to the daily noise I’d grown accustomed to.
“I feel…like the next round has just begun.”
He laughed. Everything was always a joke to him, even seven years later.
“Where’s Vinny?”
“The board of investors demanded a meeting that couldn’t be rescheduled.”
He waved one of the two Iannelli guards forward to grab my duffel bag and shoulder it. I let it go, my jaw tightening. Years of letters hid beneath a blanket, a razor, and my old suit. I hadn’t had the heart to get rid of them. I should have.
“It’s good to see you again, boss,” one guard said. It took me a moment to match the voice to the face. My eyes widened when I realized who it was.
“You’ve grown up.”
Ricco Nerin wasn’t so lanky anymore. His shoulders and build had filled out, transforming that weak kid I knew into a decently imposing young man.
His face had lengthened a little. His features were sharper, almost severe, even though his golden eyes remained kind.
His responding half smile, however, demonstrated some restraint and maturity he previously lacked.
“Here’s your new phone, sir,” Ricco said. “Everything’s been programmed and set up already.”
The sleek, ultrathin piece of tech weighed less in my hand than a chunk of hard prison bread.
It felt odd to hold one again. Before prison, it had been an extension of myself, an addiction I never went more than a few minutes without.
Now, it was as unfamiliar to me as decent food.
Uneasy, I pocketed the thing without turning it on.
“How much did my freedom cost us?” I asked Tore, ready to jump back into business and keep busy.
“Why? Would you rather be back inside?” Tore’s brows rose. Side by side, we walked. Bits of gravel on the asphalt crunched underfoot.
“You’ve gotten cockier.”
“You made me step in for you and carry out your demands. What did you expect?”
“Don’t tell me you expect to keep the position.”
“Not for a second. It’s yours. Don, boss, capo di tutti capi is all yours.” Boss of all bosses. He held up his hands and shivered for effect. “I’ve had enough of that shit and responsibility. I’ve enough of that at home. Massimo will make some noise about his demotion though. Better expect it.”
“Like I give a shit. He did decent work, but he was never meant for anything higher than capo. How are the kids?”
“Nuh-uh, nope, you can’t have them.”
I cocked my head. “Didn’t ask. Wouldn’t want them.”
Seven years ago, maybe, when I was young and foolish, but not anymore. I had no intention of being a father, not unless I had kids of my own.
He sighed and smiled with a nod. “Good.”
“Don’t tell me you like fatherhood.”
Tore shrugged. “It grew on me. They’re good kids.
Not my kids. More like my little brother and sisters, even through the headaches.
I’m the fun brother. Lou just celebrated her fourteenth birthday and is getting far too much attention from boys.
” We reached the car, Ricco opening the back door for me.
“And Boyan, I swear that kid finds trouble on purpose. Thank the saints for Anzy. She handles them better than I ever could.”
I frowned, not recognizing the name. “Anzy?”
“Yeah, Ainsley. You remember her, don’t you?”
At the mention of her name, my eyes flicked to my bag as Ricco placed it in the trunk, without the slightest hesitation or curiosity about its contents.
My shoulders loosened. Good, it was best it remained that way.
Ainsley was supposed to be a stranger to me.
She had to be. No one could ever know any different.
“That woman is something,” Tore continued.
Yes, she really was…persistent, hardheaded, obstinate, caring, sweet, beautiful, sexy…
I climbed into the SUV, trying to expel that last thought from my brain, as he rounded the car.
Too many times, on lonely nights, I’d taken out that photo of her at the beach.
“She’s not the kid she used to be when you knew her.
You know, she’s on a fast track to a medical degree.
Can’t believe you called it seven years ago. ”
I kept my smile to myself. It was hard not to be proud of her.
“She and her hacker friend’s help was crucial in getting you out. I know you two had your differences before, and you haven’t had much of a chance to talk”—that he knew of—“but she’s become an asset, just like you predicted.”
He slammed his door, and I followed. So my piccola rompiscatole really managed to do it, just as she planned all those years ago.
“Anzy’s mouthy and opinionated, but she means well.” His hand landed on my shoulder. “I need you to promise me that when you two meet again, you’ll be tolerant of her, no matter how she says things or how rash she can be. Do this for me?”
I regarded the tight grip of his fingers bunching my suit, then the grim set of his features. My jaw ticked. My fists tightened, fingers digging into my palms, as I fought the urge to punch my cousin before strangling him.
“What does she mean to you?” I asked between gritted teeth.
“Just as my sister.” I exhaled. Ainsley had said the same.
The car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road away from the prison and the nearby town. He gestured at my outfit.
“We need to get you settled and ready for tonight.”
I shook my head, leaning back. The gentle rock of the car was soothing. “What have you done?”
“What did you think I’d do? My cugi hasn’t had his dick wet in seven years. It’s my job as your second to fix that.”
“I don’t need or want you worrying about my dick.”
He shoved my shoulder. “Nah.”
“I’d rather get straight to work.”
“About that…Micah had some interesting things to say after we found him. Turns out he’d been hiding in Sacramento this whole time. The little rat didn’t even leave the state. I still think you should have had him killed before the trial.”
“My princ—”
“Yeah, your bloody principles. Lot of good they did you.”
The scenery blurred past the windows, a constant mix of shapes and colors, different yet the same. Familiar yet alien. I sighed quietly. Tore wasn’t wrong. Leaving Micah alive to falsely testify despite the accuracy of the information had been a mistake. I hadn’t expected to get convicted though.
“Where is he?”
“Ready for some conversation. Don’t worry. No one knows we have him. We arranged a plausible suicide weeks ago after his video testimony was made. Witnesses saw him climb into a kayak at Lake Natoma. The kayak was found. He wasn’t.”
“Who’s we?”
Tore relaxed back in his seat. He twisted his watch around his wrist, his fingers twitching, probably with the need to reach for his lighter.
“You got Ainsley involved in this?” I seethed.
He licked his lips, then sighed. “Like I said. When Anzy gets something in her head, it’s hard to get it out. You’ll see.”
I would rather not. It’d be better for all of us if I never had to deal with Ainsley in person outside of formal family affairs. There was no place for her in my life, not as anything more than an adopted cousin.
“I’ve kept him on ice just for you. My little homecoming present.”
“I’m sure Ainsley had something to say about that.”
“She can hold a grudge better than anyone. She probably hates him more than you do.”
“Don’t you worry, Mr. Iannelli.” Ricco twisted in his front seat. “Ainsley’s not squeamish. She’d probably pull the trigger for you if you let her.”
I frowned. How close exactly were the two of them? Had they slept together? I stiffened my arms to keep from lashing out. “Interesting,” I ground out. “Take me to him. We’ll deal with this now.”
“Don’t be the party pooper, Renzo. The family and men have gathered.
It’s been a hard few years for all of us.
They need this. You need this. Live a little.
Party tonight. Work tomorrow. It’s not every day a man’s record is cleared.
” I stared at him deadpan. “I’ve got your every indulgence waiting. ”
I wasn’t amused by his pun. Our nightclub, Indulgence, was one of the businesses I had him purchase during my incarceration. It had been a way for us to diversify the outfit’s assets during the ongoing territory disputes since I got locked up.
“It’s completely safe and reserved. As our company policy states, nonrefundable reservation.” He waggled his finger at me. “And nonnegotiable. You’re going. It’s going to be fun, and you’ll enjoy yourself.”
I glared out the window at the passing scenery, running my thumb over my lower lip. Seven years I’d waited for revenge. Seven years locked up and unable to defend what was mine. It felt wrong to wait another second.
“You know,” Tore started, “I never did figure out who your informant was.”
“Let’s leave it that way.”