Page 145 of The Slayer
“Yes, you did,” Tino said with such icy-cold confidence it gave Alaine chills. “You are choosing to be like him. You have no hope. You have no faith. She raised you to believe in love. She named you after it. You’re like him instead.Tu sei morto per me.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen, saying to Chuito, “Come on. Let this motherfucker waste away downstairs. I’m going to find a place to sleep.”
Chuito didn’t follow after him. Instead he stepped up to Nova and said, “I fucked up. I’ll admit that, but you know if you try to hurt her—”
“Get the fuck out of my face, Chuito.” Nova arched an eyebrow at him. “My brother just told me I’m dead to him because of his fucking bromance with you. You’re gonna kill me? Go ahead.” He held out his hands to Chuito. “You’re strapped. Shoot me. I don’t give a shit anymore, ’cause I don’t want to be in gangster’s paradise tonight dealing with this bullshit. I did this thing with Angel to help you, because it mattered to Tino. Now where are we?”
“The Russians are not here because Angel found them,” Chuito said with unflinching confidence. “They found Angel. They are looking for allies to go against you. They are building an army to fight you, and they would be doing it with or without Angel. Whatever this is, it’s bigger than my issues, but I am still gonna help your family deal with it because that’s what I promised to do. You told me to go to the mattresses if you needed me. Here I am, motherfucker. Thanks for paying me back for it.”
Chuito pulled away and grabbed Alaine’s hand. “Come on, mami.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
They found Tino upstairs, straightening up what Alaine assumed had once been the master bedroom. A bed was in the corner, devoid of sheets, but the room was mostly clean, probably because Tino was throwing anything he found on the floor into the closet, using the light of Alaine’s phone.
“The rats will probably stay downstairs,” Tino said as he used an old shirt to wipe off a dresser. His handsome face was illuminated as he coughed from the dust. “They like to stay where the food is. There’s probably food left over downstairs. Old food.”
“I don’t think there’s rats,” Chuito whispered as he studied Tino. “Tino—”
“You can sleep here. I flipped the mattress for you. It looks clean. I checked it,” Tino said as he looked over to them. “It’s the only bed. The other rooms are empty.”
“But that’s not fair,” Alaine argued.
“This used to be my job. I’ve dealt with a lot of bullshit for the Borgata,” Tino said dismissively. “I can sleep on the floor. You have your own bathroom. There’s another one down the hall Nova and I can use.”
Alaine looked to Chuito, whose face was lit up by the moonlight coming in through the curtainless window. He seemed at a loss, and Alaine didn’t know how to fix it.
Tino moved to walk past them. For one horrible moment, Alaine thought Chuito was going to let him go; then Chuito caught Tino’s arm.
Tino’s dark eyes glistened in the moonlight as he said, “He’s not gonna take her out. Being vulnerable scares him, but he’s not heartless. Sometimes he thinks he is, but—”
“I won’t let him take her out.” Chuito sounded so confident about it Alaine believed him. “It’ll be okay.”
“You could take the money. I have it for that. Insurance, I guess,” Tino explained as he looked away. “In case.”
“We don’t have to run,” Chuito whispered. “We’ll make the Russians and Angel go away, and then we’ll figure it out.”
“Maybe you should run,” Tino countered as he looked to Alaine. “Take her and go. Get out.”
“I made a promise, Tino.” Chuito sighed. “Nova got Marcos out.”
Tino rolled his eyes at that. “Fucking loyalty. I hate it. All these favors, they cost so much. Blood and pain and—” He looked to Alaine again. “They’re too expensive.”
“Where is she?” Alaine asked him softly. “The love-story ticket you spent?”
“New York.” Tino shrugged. “She got married. Some fucking accountant. Like arealaccountant. The kind who doesn’t need insurance.”
“Penny loafers and a Corolla,” Chuito supplied for him.
“Yeah.” Tino nodded as he gave them a sad smile. “I keep her playbills. I order them online. It’s stupid. Bad habit, since I can’t watch the shows anymore.”
“She’s an actress?” Alaine asked.
“And a dancer.” Tino gave her a genuine smile. “Amazing dancer. Broadway dancer.”
“Wow,” Alaine whispered in surprise. “That’s something.”
“Legs for miles.” Tino raised his eyebrows. “Great legs. Dancers have great legs.”
“Of course.” Alaine laughed as she said it. “I’m sure she’s beautiful.”
