15. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Ronan
“ O h, I meant to tell you I handled dessert for the party Saturday,” I said, wrapping spaghetti noodles around the tines of my fork. Giaco looked up from his plate, setting his fork down and cocking his head to the side.
“What does that mean?” He reached for the wineglass in front of him, swirling it once before he took a long sip.
I mirrored the action, chasing the bite I swallowed with a gulp of wine. “It means I got dessert catered.” I thought that was obvious.
“From your new favorite bakery?” Not surprisingly, my brother didn’t sound amused. He was more interested in the plate of spaghetti in front of him than he was the cupcakes he most likely wouldn’t eat.
I nodded. “Yep.”
Giaco set his fork down, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the edge of the table. “I don’t get it.” He shook his head. “What is your obsession with the place? You don’t even like sweets.”
“It’s Nellie,” I said, expecting that her name would fill in the blanks for him. Instead, he cocked his head to the side, lifting his brow.
“Who?”
I sighed. “Dickie’s sister.” Recognition crossed his face. I knew he was picturing the innocent little girl who adored her brother and wanted to follow him everywhere—she didn’t seem like that innocent little girl anymore. Did she? “She’s having a tough time. I just want to help her.”
“ Marone ,” Giaco groaned, pressing his first two fingers to his temple and closing his eyes. He shook his head disapprovingly.
I rolled my eyes, reaching for my wine and taking a gulp. “What?” I knew he was going to complain about something—it was to be expected with Giaco these days.
“Nothing. Don’t get attached,” he grumbled, pushing his plate away from him. I narrowed my eyes, not responding, and Giaco sighed. “Fuck. You’re already getting attached. That’s why you rushed out of here with your ass on fire the other day.”
I thought about how quickly I’d run out of the room when I heard that a brick had been thrown through the window of Nellie’s bakery. Even though it had happened the night before, I felt the instant need to get there as quickly as possible. There was no denying that I was in a hurry—or that I had left without more than one thought. Get to her.
“Good thing I did too.” I thought about the picture Nellie had shown me of the note. It was a clear warning, and even Nellie knew it was referring to me.
Giaco didn’t look amused. He laced his fingers together, squeezing tightly enough that his knuckles turned white. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“The brick thrown through her window had a note warning her. It has the Cassidys written all over it. Even Stanton was there, asking questions.” That caught his attention.
“Great.” Giaco’s voice oozed with sarcasm. “Just don’t get distracted.”
Then, his phone rang, cutting through the sudden tension. Giaco dug it out of his pocket, ruffling his brow and staring at the screen. “Yes?” he answered, keeping his eyes narrowed in my direction.
He pulled the phone away from his ear a couple of inches, and I could hear the familiar shrill voice. I couldn’t make out anything she was saying, but I knew exactly who it was.
“Nikki, calm down,” Giaco said, putting the phone back against his ear and holding his hand up like she could see him. “I can’t understand a damn thing you’re saying when you’re so worked up. Start at the beginning.”
I sat on the edge of my seat, trying to hear anything her now-muffled voice said, but I didn’t make out a single word. Giaco just nodded, and every once in a while, he’d tilt his head or widen his eyes. Then he pinched his nose between his finger and thumb and took a deep breath.
“I’m listening to you. Don’t do anything. We’re on our way.” He was standing before he’d hung up the phone. “We need to go.”
“Where are we going?” I didn’t hesitate getting up and following. I knew by the way he puffed out his chest and was so quick to leave that something bad had happened.
We were through the door and headed to the parking lot before Giaco stopped. He turned around, scanning for bystanders before he lowered his voice. “Nikki said another stripper is in the hospital.” He pulled out his keys, unlocking the car and opening the driver’s side door. “Apparent overdose.”
I shook my head, sliding into the passenger seat. “Fuck!”
The streets surrounding The Full Spread were quiet when we pulled up, but we could hear frustration rumbling from inside the building before we opened the door. When we walked in, the tension was thicker than the smell of old smoke, and I blinked to adjust my eyes. I scanned the room, settling on the conflict at the same time that Giaco grumbled next to me. “Oh, give me a fucking break.”
Enzo was standing, facing Mickey and Luca Cassidy, each backed by a couple of their as-always overly armed friends. He didn’t seem phased by the way they outnumbered him, and he rolled his shoulders back, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. “I said, I think it’s time for you to leave.” He gritted his teeth when he said the last few words, as if to emphasize how serious he was.
I stepped forward, closing my hand over Enzo’s shoulders. If he didn’t calm down, he was going to explode, and I wasn’t so sure that wouldn’t include a real explosion. Giaco moved forward, standing just in front of us. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said coldly.
“We aren’t doing anything wrong,” Mickey said, bracing his stance. Behind him, his friends put their hands on their poorly hidden weapons. They were ready for anything. Enzo stiffened next to me, fidgeting like he might try to pull out of my grasp or do something if I let go of him.
Giaco held his ground, ignoring the less-than subtle side glances from the strippers who tried to pretend they weren’t paying any attention. I felt the stare of the men who slipped out of the front door as quietly as they could, as if any of us cared whether they stayed or left. Luca stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother, and Giaco steeled his spine.
“This is a protected, drug-free zone.” The collected coolness in Giaco’s voice conflicted with the distrust in his posture.
Mickey laughed, and Giaco clenched his jaw. He ground his teeth together so hard, I could almost hear it. “Well, it’s not completely drug free, now, is it?”
Enzo snarled, talking a sudden step forward and drawing attention from the group of men, including Giaco. I tightened my hold on his shoulder, tugging back slightly until he stood down. “Why don’t you guys leave?” I suggested, nodding toward the door behind me. “There’s no need to start trouble.”
“Okay, fine. We’ll go, but we’ll be seeing you around,” Mickey promised, pointing to the door.
His brother chuckled and followed behind him. “We’ll be seeing that sweet little cupcake you’ve been keeping your eye on too. I hear she’s got a bit of a mess to clean up at that bakery of hers.” Luca stuck his tongue out and wiggled it. The composure I had been maintaining snapped, and a foggy filter clouded my vision.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I asked, dropping my hold on Enzo’s shoulder and stepping forward. I clutched the collar of Luca’s shirt with both hands, snarling in his face.
Luca laughed, and the trigger-happy group behind him pulled their weapons. I barely noticed the barrels of the guns pointed at me or Giaco’s look of disapproval. “Oh, struck a nerve with pretty boy here,” Luca taunted.
“You son of a—” I shook him, letting go with one hand and rearing back. I was ready to feel the crack of my knuckles against his cheekbone, but Giaco grabbed my arm instead. He guided my arm down, stepping forward to put his arm over my chest while Mickey grabbed Luca’s shoulders and pulled him back too.
“Now is not the time,” Giaco scolded. “You were just leaving.” Mickey scoffed, heading toward the door.
I turned, following their movements. “Stay away from here and stay the fuck away from Nellie, or I’ll take care of the problem, whether it starts a war or not.”
Luca chuckled, looking back over his shoulder. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. We’ll see you around.”
When the door to the club closed behind them, Giaco spun around, glaring at me. “You need to get that under control,” he snapped. “Whatever this thing is you have with the baker, stop letting it go to your head.”
“Nothing is getting into my head.” I shrugged. “I meant every damn word I said.”
Giaco shot me a look that told me he didn’t believe me. “If you say so. We need to find Nikki.”
“I’m right here.” Her heels clicking against the floor got louder as she approached us, swaying her hips with each step. If you ignored the dark circles under her eyes that said she’d been up all night, she looked like a bombshell. “Thank you for coming.”
“What the hell happened, Nikki?” Giaco asked, skipping any pleasantries. “I thought we told you to stop letting them come around here!”
She leaned back slightly before regaining her balance and lifting her chin. “They’re paying customers. I’m just supposed to turn away business?”
“When that business is bringing in the drugs killing your girls? Yes! That’s the exact business you pay us to protect you from, Nikki!” I was seething, no longer caring if anyone heard me yelling but glad to have seen most of the customers walk out before things escalated.
“I know that.” Nikki rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest like a protesting child. “I’m not stupid.”
Giaco leaned forward until her stare widened and she held her breath. “Then stop acting like you are. Keep the drugs out of the club, or you’re on your own.”