22. Chapter Twenty-Two #2
Justin laughed. “I’m not trying to be judgmental, but he seems like a man who thinks with his dick. His uncle owns the restaurant, but I’m not sure what the future holds for him. I mean, Ramon is his father, so there’s that.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I get it. I think we’re going to have to lead the guy on until he gets drunk and passes out. Give me a safeword, darlin’ in case we get into an area where we’re uncomfortable going with Nico.”
“As long as I’m with you, I won’t be uncomfortable.” Justin reached into the bag and grabbed a lime before he sliced it into wedges. He squeezed the juice down the sink before turning on the garbage disposal.
“What’s that about?”
He smiled. “Masks the vodka smell and adds a bit of freshness into the closed-up house. Let’s open a few windows to let in some fresh air. It smells like Ben-Gay and rosewater.”
I couldn’t help but guffaw, and when Justin joined me, we held onto each other. He’d figured out Betsy’s signature scent pretty easily. It was going to be a hell of a night.
We rushed through the house opening windows since it wasn’t hot out. Justin turned on the ceiling fan in the kitchen and opened the kitchen window before he turned off the oven where the tortilla chips had been warming.
Everything was placed on the island. Justin paced the kitchen, wringing his hands. “Do we think he’ll bring a gun?”
“I hope not, but if he does, head for the closest way out. As a matter of fact, I’ll open that back door in case we need to make a quick exit.” I went onto the back porch and unlocked the door, twisting the screen handle to be sure we could get the fuck out of there if we had to.
I walked back into the kitchen. “I have a shotgun in the toolbox of the flatbed. Do you want me to bring it inside?”
Justin leaned his head back and closed his eyes. After a moment, he turned toward me. “I wanna say no. I understand why you might need to have a weapon because of where you live. I’m not a fan of guns, but in this instance, it might not hurt.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back. I’m gonna move the truck onto the street so we don’t get blocked in by Nico’s car when he gets here.
” I headed outside to the truck and opened the chrome toolbox on the back, pulling out my Remington and a box of shells.
I glanced at my watch to see it was about half an hour before Nico was supposed to show up.
After I parked the truck in front of the house, I hurried inside through the back door and placed the gun on the countertop. I turned toward Justin. “Come here, darlin’. I know you might not like it, but I want to show you how to use this thing.”
Justin held up his hand. “Oh, no, babe. I don’t—”
“What if your friend Nico shows up with a gun? We deserve a fighting chance, Justin.”
He sighed. “Fine. Show me.”
I talked Justin through how to load the shells and pull the trigger, ejecting the spent shell to load the other into the chamber. Justin even held the gun and went through the lesson again. I put the shotgun in the broom closet with the box of shells next to it before I closed the door.
“It’s there if we need it. Come here.” I held my arms open and was beyond happy when Justin stepped into them. I wrapped him up and kissed his neck. “We’ll be fine, Justin. I won’t let Nico hurt either of us.”
As Justin kissed my cheek, the front doorbell chimed, so I stepped back and smiled at him. “Find some glasses, please?”
My guy nodded, and I went to the front door. When I opened it, I grinned at Nico. He was a good-looking guy, and under any other circumstance, I might give him a twirl, but I had a wonderful man in my life that I didn’t want to lose, especially over some guy who meant nothing to me.
“Come on in. Pardon the décor. My grandma had her own unique tastes.” The house was like an old lady’s paradise with crocheted doilies on every flat surface and enough floral fabrics to trigger an allergy attack.
Nico came inside and took off his shoes like a well-mannered young man. I succumbed to the pressure and slid off my boots, leaving them on the rug by the door.
“Follow me. Teddy’s in the kitchen. Would you like a drink?”
“Hi, Nico.” Justin had a beautiful smile on his face as we stepped into the kitchen.
“Hey, Teddy. You and Danny have a nice place here. Did your grandmother leave it to you?” Nico asked.
“It’s still in probate. The family hasn’t decided what to do with it yet. So, do you like working at your family’s restaurant?” Someone had to kick off the discussion, and knowing my boyfriend, he’d get flustered if it was left to him to do.
“Eh, it’s the family business. My uncle is a powerful man, and he controls everyone in his orbit. So, how did you two meet?”
Instead of talking, Justin poured a shot of tequila into an old Fred Flintstone juice glass for Nico before shoving the bowl of limes and the saltshaker to him. He picked up the water-filled Tito’s bottle, pouring the “vodka” into the Barney Rubble and the Dino-the-Dinosaur juice glasses for us.
He shoved a glass my way before he picked up his own. “Here’s to new friends.” We toasted and drank, Justin and I downing our water and making faces as though it was strong alcohol.
Justin looked at me and winked. “So, I feel I should tell you why I revisited the restaurant earlier today. I’ve decided to write a book about the history of organized crime in St. Louis over the years, and I’d like to ask you some questions about your family’s place in it.
“I mean everyone knows that it’s not relevant any longer, but the history is fascinating. Have you heard anything about—oh, would you like another drink?” Justin poured another tequila and offered a small plate for the chips and salsa on the counter to Nico.
Justin was a fucking genius.
“I’ve heard some shit over the years, but it’s hard to tell if it’s just family bullshit or if it really happened. How about you guys?”
I glanced at Justin and smiled. Seemed maybe our boy was gonna dish.
“Oh, don’t get me started with family bullshit.
My family business was bootlegging back during Prohibition.
My grandpa was chased by the sheriff’s deputies across three counties.
He was arrested several times for running moonshine.
That’s how our family farm started growing corn.
We still grow it to this day, though we don’t tell anyone that we... Another drink?”
Nico nodded, so Justin filled his glass before he poured fake vodka into our glasses. The three of us toasted and gulped down our drinks before Nico stared at the two of us and asked a question. “So, can I watch you kiss?”
I pulled Justin into my arms and kissed him as I had when we made love. It was no fucking chore to kiss the man. I hoped Nico could see that we were solid.
“Damn, that’s sexy as fuck.”
Justin and I broke apart, and my guy turned to Nico. “Tell us about your family, and we’ll give you a little show if you want.”
It was a surprise he got those words out without getting nervous, but I wouldn’t say no. This trip had a purpose, and we needed to get on with it so we could get back to the part where we were going to plan a life together.