My lips quirk at his dry sense of humor before I drag my focus back to Rienzi, continuing to dish out orders. “And I want Richie shadowing Violet”
His eyes narrow.
“The dancer?”
This motherfucker.
Keep digging your grave.
“My girlfriend.”
Rienzi’s shoulders straighten.
“I didn’t realize—”
I cut him off.
“Of course you didn’t. I like to think if you had, you wouldn’t have called her a fucking whore,” I say pointedly, turning my back to him. I pat Johnny on the shoulder and slide into the backseat of his Mercedes. Once I’m situated, Johnny closes the door and I roll down the tinted window. Rienzi bends to meet my gaze. “I’ll meet you at Mickey’s at six o’clock.”
I don’t give him a chance to respond. Instead, I dismiss him by rolling up the window. Johnny gets behind the wheel and his eyes find mine through the rearview mirror.
“Everything okay, boss?”
Leaning against the plush leather, I pull another cigarette out and quickly light it. I take the first pull and blow out a ring of smoke before meeting his concerned eyes.
“You can’t trust anyone,” I say.
“You can trust me.”
He pops open the console and twists in his seat, handing me my gun.
“It’s locked and loaded.”
Maybe I can trust him.
There’s always one good egg.
~*~
“What the hell are you doing here? Gina hisses, tightening her grip on the door.
Rolling my eyes, I rake my fingers through my messy hair.
“Nice to see you too, sis. Now, let me in or I’ll start a scene and we both know you’re too proud to be the talk of your apartment complex.”
“I’m on my way out,” she argues.
“Not anymore,” I clip, pushing open the door. She huffs out a breath as I stride past her and into the apartment.
“Look, I don’t know how long you’re in town for, but call my office tomorrow and maybe we can catch up before you go back home.” I quirk an eyebrow.
I find it hard to believe she has no idea I’ve been in New York for a while now. After all, my mug was on the front page of the papers for a solid three days. But never mind that—did she just make a civil attempt to ‘catch up’?
“You want me to call your office,” I say, unbuttoning my suit jacket. I shove a hand into my pocket and narrow my eyes. I’m not taking the bait, sis. Not this time. “Look at you, all grown up, thinking you’re holier than thou.” I pause and cock my head to the side as I bite the inside of my cheek. “I wonder if mommy would be proud of the little bitch you became.”
“I’m sure as proud as she’d be knowing you became a low-class thug,” she sneers.
Ah, that’s what I thought.
Gina doesn’t have a shred of decency when it comes to me. All that talk about catching up is just a pathetic attempt to make me leave.
“I’m sure,” I agree. “I didn’t comer here to catch up, lil’ sis, and contrary to popular belief, I didn’t come here to swap insults either. I think it’s safe to say our mother is probably rolling in her grave, displeased with what we’ve both become.”
That strikes a nerve.
“I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” she snaps. “I have made a damn good life for myself.”
“Yeah,” I say, tipping my chin. “If fancy fucking clothes and a fat bank account will keep you happy for the rest of your life.” I angle my head and smirk. “You should look into getting a car or something.”
“Fuck you, Rocco. What do you have? A nightclub and a parade of whores who throw themselves at you?”
“I’m not in the nightclub business anymore,” I reveal, leaving out that I’ve also retired from engaging in the parade of whores. I’m not ready to share Violet with Gina.
I sigh and shove my free hand into my other pocket. Lifting my chin, I stare at my sister for a moment.
“You know what mom would hate most? She’d hate that we can’t stand one another.”
She doesn’t have a response to that, and I take her silence as agreeance. After a long pause, she crosses her arms against her chest.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m here because even though I can’t stand you, you’re still my sister and I made a primise to our mother on her death bead that I’d always look out for you.”
It’s as simple as that.
“I’m a big girl, Rocco, and I’ve been looking out for myself for sometime now, but thanks anyway.”
God, she infuriates me.
“For fucks sake Gina, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me too,” I hiss, pulling my hands from my pockets. In a flash, I close the distance between us and grab her shoulders. If only I could shake some sense into her. “Check your fucking ego and listen to what I’ve got to say.”
“Take your hands off me!”
I drop my hands and shake my head.
“Stubborn as shit you are,” I sneer before taking a step backward. “You turn on the news lately? Maybe grab a fucking newspaper on your way to the office? Or are you too wrapped up in your bubble to pay attention to anything else?” She remains silent and that just tips me over the edge. Blowing out a wrangled breath, I continue, “Uncle Vic is about to start a riot in prison and when he does…” My voice trails as she opens her mouth to interrupt, but I step closer. “Shut it, Gina. For once in your goddamn life listen to what I have to say. When that happens there is a possibility of retaliation, a real fucking strong possibility and everyone associated with the organization will be at risk.”
“Why are you telling me this? I have seen that side of the family in years. I sincerely doubt any of Uncle Vic’s goons even know that I’m a branch on the family tree.”
I nod.
Time to unleash the truth.
God, help me.
“You’re right, no one will connect you to him, but they sure as fuck will connect you to me.”
She quietly stares at me, absorbing my words and connecting the dots.
“You,” she whispers, pausing to swallow. “You’re not just visiting this time are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Jesus, Rocco,” she rasps. “What the hell did you do?”
Unable to look her in the eye, I lower my gaze and focus on my pristine loafers. She starts to talk about our mother again and I force my eyes back to hers, cutting her off.
“Mommy hated the mob because they killed our father, but our father was a low-life criminal who deserved everything he got. I’m the asshole who has been carrying humility of his name and I’m sick of being associated with the legacy of shit he left behind.”
There is a long list of hardships associated with inheriting Uncle Vic’s empire, but clearing myself from my father’s misdeeds makes it all worth it.
“So that’s your plan? You take Uncle Vic’s place, become a high-profile criminal, a glamorous mobster, and then what? You say I’m not happy, well, what about you? You’re delusional if you think this ends well. No, I take it back. You’re not delusional, you’re pathetic, because for someone who tries so hard not to follow in his father’s footsteps you’ve slipped right into his shoes.”