Page 24 of The Associate

“I’ll live.” Vic bowed his head, growling. “Just put on some fucking pants, please?”

Gio thrust his groin forward, flopping his soft dick in Vic’s direction, before snatching up his clothes. Leaving his feet bare, he sat on his unmade bed and called Don Salvatore’sconsigliere—procedure for disputes within the family. He began the story at Aldo’s request to lean on Conor to give up the pub, and covered his volunteer shift as Lonnegan’s server as well as Vic entering his apartment uninvited.

Explaining how he came to shoot Vic required Gio to tell the whole truth. With Vic as a witness, it would be impossible to hide anymore. “Vic found me with another man,” he said.

“Another man?”

Gio swallowed, glaring at Vic. “We were intimate at the time.”

The don’s right-hand man gave no audible reaction. He advised Gio to keep Vic in place until a car arrived to collect him. If anyone in earshot of the scuffle had called the cops, he would check with their people on the inside and make the reports go away.

“Much appreciated. I’ll speak with mycapoat first opportunity about the Lonnegan’s situation,” he said.

“Sooner the better.” Theconsiglierepaused. “Giuseppe, I’ll have to speak with the boss about the other thing. Maybe if you’d been up front about yourself from the beginning, this could have been prevented.”

Doubtful.“I understand.” Gio thanked him again and rang off. Sighing, he gave Vic’s raised knee a light kick and stood when the man twitched. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

Vic huffed. “I’m lucky your boyfriend can’t shoot straight.” He flashed a cruel smile. “That’s to be expected, I guess.”

“Just sit there and keep your yap shut.” Gio retrieved all the guns and, steeling his nerves, stepped over Vic into the living room. He dreaded this confrontation more than the one with Aldo. Conor sat on the couch, fully dressed, staring into space. He could have walked away, defied Gio and called the police, but instead he’d stuck around. Gio thought at first Conor feared retribution, and he wanted to give his assurance that no harm would come to the Malloys. Not while he breathed.

Whether Conor believed it or not, Gio thought the world of him. That Conor had left behind the small gun gave Gio hope that they’d come out of this well, and at the very least remain friendly.

“Why didn’t you kill him?” Conor asked, flicking his gaze in Vic’s direction.

“It’s against our family’s code.” Gio twined his fingers, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “Only the don can make that call. You might not believe this, but I’ve never killed another human being.”

“No?” Conor relaxed, shifting an inch or two in his direction. “It certainly looked as though he was about to ignore said code.”

Gio couldn’t argue with that. “As you’ve probably heard, the mafia will gladly take gay money but the institution itself isn’t LGBTQ-friendly,” he said. “At any rate, being connected isn’t about how many people you can kill. It’s about having control.”

“If what you call control equates to preying upon innocent businesspeople and driving them to life-threatening illnesses, then I agree.” Conor’s voice turned cold. Gio reached out but Conor shied from his touch. “Answer this one question,” he added. “Did you invite me to JT’s last night with the intention of swaying me to agree with your boss’s plan of cheating my family out of their pub?”

“I asked you out because I thought you were hot as fuck, and I was horny as all hell.” Gio ignored Vic’s exhausted groan. Let the fucker hear all the gory details. He expected Conor to pucker in disbelief but his spirits surged when he instead raised an eyebrow. To him, it meant Conor discerned his words for what they were—the truth. “I had no idea you were Hugh Malloy’s son until I saw you in the pub and you confirmed it yourself.”

“Nonetheless, you were involved in the plan to take Lonnegan’s as payment for my parents’ inability to pay protection.” Conor stood and arched his back. He looked tired and shaken. To think not an hour ago they were tangled together in bed without a care in the world. What Gio wouldn’t give to have that again. “Is my life in danger?”

“No.” Gio had kept Conor’s name out of his conversation with theconsigliere, though once word spread he knew he stood to suffer more punishment. In hiding his sexuality from the family, he’d committed a grave offense. As for Conor, the San Gaetanos wanted the Malloys’ main asset, not their blood.

“I don’t want to be here when the rest of your goons arrive,” Conor told him. “Do you plan to keep me here?”

“You’re not a prisoner. You didn’t witness a murder. The family’s sweeping this part under the rug so it’s no big deal.” Gio checked his texts. “You have time. They’re about ten minutes out.” Conor was almost to the door when Gio asked him to wait. He leaped from the couch and moved as close as allowed, reading Conor’s body language.

“Con,” he said, keeping his volume low, “I want you to know everything between us happened because I wanted it. You weren’t an assignment from my capo or anybody else. I really liked you. I still do. I wish there was a way we could be together.”

Conor lifted his gaze and locked with Gio’s. His heart panged on seeing the dullness in his eyes.

Gio added, “I’m at a huge risk here. I have to formally come out to the head of one of the biggest crime syndicates in the whole damn country. He is definitely not a ‘love is love is love’ kind of guy.”

“I’m sorry, Gio.” Conor’s expression radiated sincerity. “Is being gay in the mafia really punishable by death?”

He shrugged. “At best, I don’t get made and I’m an associate forever. At worst…I can’t say.”

“Good luck to you, then. I definitely shouldn’t be here,” Conor said. “If they’ll harm you, a non-connected male witness who sucks dick doesn’t stand a chance.” He left the apartment as Gio called his name, closing the door on words unsaid.

Unable to leave Vic unattended, Gio pressed his forehead against the door and mourned his loss. Conor didn’t say it outright, but no way would the man want a relationship with him after this. Not like they had a chance in the first place, and with his sexual identity about to go public Gio doubted the San Gaetanos would let him walk away. He imagined theconsiglierewaking Don Salvatore in the small hours with this pressing news, and feared what tomorrow would bring.

At the threshold of his bedroom, Vic coughed out a hollow laugh. “Sorry you two had to break up,” he said, sounding the complete opposite. “How wild would it be if that was the last thing you ever heard that Irish fairy say?”

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