CHAPTER TWO
The big gray Infiniti SUV parked next door, on the side of a sushi bar, as Trina stood at the valet station outside of the fancy restaurant waiting for her car. A tall, black, businessman-type who appeared to be waiting for his car, too, saw her and walked over to her.
The woman on the middle row of the Infiniti looked on enviously. “What do they see in her?” she blurted out.
The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. The big Italian male seated on the middle row beside her didn’t hesitate. He was staring at Trina too. “She’s got a nice figure. A beautiful face. Big boobs. What’s not to like?”
“I got all those things and then some,” said the busty blonde seated beside him. “But I still wasn’t good enough for Reno Gabrini.”
“Don’t start.”
“It’s true.”
The man sat upright. “Here he comes now.”
They watched as Reno came out of the restaurant.
“Just forget that why her, why not me bullshit and go do your job,” the man on the middle row said. “We get this right then you won’t have to worry about why not you. He’ll be the one begging you.”
She smiled. “You know how to make a girl blush,” she said, they both laughed, and then she got out and began to slowly, inconspicuously make her way toward the parking lot next door.
Next door, Trina was small-talking with the tall black guy. Although he was doing most of the talking. “That’s their m.o.,” he said. “They always declare it’ll be partly cloudy whenever they haven’t a clue what the weather is really going to be.”
Trina was still reeling from Reno, but she still knew how to smile and be polite to people. “True that.”
But the man could pick up on her anxiety. “My sister, are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” Reno said from behind them, causing the businessman to look. Trina didn’t bother.
“And she ain’t your sister,” Reno added. “I should know. She’s my wife.”
Trina rolled her eyes. That man!
But the businessman continued to stare at Reno. Both men looked each other up and down as if it was a pissing contest. Then the gentleman smiled, as if he had won, and then moved away from the couple.
Although Reno felt slighted somehow by the man’s coolness, he knew Trina didn’t like it when he was overly-aggressive with her admirers. So he let it slide, too, and stood beside her. When he looked at her he could tell she was still pissed with him. “You going home?”
“No, Reno, I’m going to the moon.” She looked at him. “Where else am I going to go this time of night?”
“You didn’t have to say it like that damn!”
Then they both calmed back down.
“I’ll follow you,” Reno said.
Trina looked at him. He always said he was going to follow her home, but ended up going wherever he had to go the way he always did. And where he had to go was never home.
She decided to call his bluff. “Instead of following me,” she said, “you can ride with me and let one of your goons come and pick up your car. They’ll be happy to do it.”
But Reno was already squirming his way out. “No thanks. Why would I let somebody else drive my car when I’m perfectly capable of driving it myself? I’ll follow you,” he said again.
But he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
When he looked over by the entrance and saw that familiar face standing there, he, at first, couldn’t believe it.
But as soon as he made eye contact with her, and she made eye contact with him, she slipped inside the restaurant.
But that couldn’t be her. It couldn’t be! Or was it?
“Give me a sec,” Reno said to Trina as he began hurrying toward that entrance. Trina just shook her head. That man!
But Reno had to make sure. He sprinted into that restaurant.
The ma?tre d, who knew him well, dropped everything and hurried over to him. “Is everything alright, Mr. Gabrini?”
“I thought I saw somebody.” Reno was looking around.
“Oh. Perhaps I can help you, sir.”
“Did you see a tall blonde with big boobs wearing a miniskirt just walk in?”
“Ah . . . no sir.”
“She just walked in.”
“I’m afraid I don’t recall seeing her, sir. But as you can see we have a full house tonight.”
Reno was flustered. “Then why you bothering me if you can’t help me?”’
He hurried further into the restaurant, looking everywhere.
He even peeked into the ladies room and asked the lady inside if she’d seen a woman with that description he’d given to the ma?tre d.
But she didn’t see her either. Reno looked down, under the stalls, but saw no feet.
And that was the last place he could look.
By the time he made it back outside, Trina’s car was just coming up. But he also noticed how that same tall black guy was by her side again, talking to her again. Which pissed him off gain.
But what he didn’t notice was that a patron who had had way too much to drink had just gotten into his car, which was parked in the parking lot. He had apparently put his car in Drive rather than Reverse, floored the gas petal, and sped straight ahead without braking.
His car sped across the sidewalk and headed straight for the valet station. Only Trina was standing in between the valet station and that car, which meant that car was heading straight for her!
Reno’s heart dropped as soon as he saw the car coming, and he began running as fast as he could run. “Trina!” he cried as he ran. “Tree! Lord no, Tree!” But he was too far away.
But the black guy Reno had previously dismissed was right beside her and he shoved her out of the path of the car one way as he leaped the other way and that car flew past them, slammed into the valet desk, and then crashed through the huge glass window of the upscale restaurant.
Two valets were knocked aside, but they were okay.
It wasn’t clear who was hit inside the restaurant.
And Reno didn’t care. All he cared about was getting to Trina. The black guy that had saved her life was hurrying to her side too. He got there first and was helping her to her feet.
But Reno took over when he arrived. “Tree, were you hit?” He grabbed her two arms and looked all over her for injuries.
“I’m alright,” a frazzled Trina said.
“Were you hit?” Reno asked again.
“No, I’m alright,” she said again. Then she looked at the businessman. “Thank you,” she said heartfelt. She knew how close a call it was.
“That drunk bastard almost took us both out,” he said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah thanks,” Reno said.
The man gave Reno a tacit nod, and then he looked around and went to check on the valets.
But Reno felt like hell. He left to go chase after some ghost from his past, and his wife almost died. What kind of man was he?
Trina had a different question. “Where were you?”
“I thought I saw somebody I knew. I was coming right back.”
“Was that somebody a woman?” Trina asked him.
Reno didn’t answer. But he didn’t have to. She already knew.