Page 196 of The Slayer
But then she paused on the next envelope, staring at it in complete shock as she pulled out a check. “Is this a joke?”
Chuito reached over and took it from her, looking at the anonymous cashier’s check for five million dollars.
“Is that a joke, Chu?” she repeated as she pointed to the cashier’s check in his hand. “Who put that in there? Is that from Nova? Did Nova give us that much money?”
Tony had swept the room for them when they went down to the beach a few days ago, so they both knew there were no bugs, which made it a lot easier to speak freely. Chuito was almost positive Nova didn’t put anything in the bag, because Nova had pulled Chuito aside privately and given him his envelope, assuming Alaine would probably panic seeing the price tag for their loyalty.
Turned out he’d been right.
Chuito wondered if the brothers had planned it like that, to split the cost down the middle, or if the Morettis thought alike more than they realized.
“We’re definitely gonna have the Feds on our ass,” Chuito whispered as he studied the cashier’s check.
“We can’t take that,” Alaine argued. “You have to give it back to him. We can’t just put a cashier’s check for five million dollars in the bank.”
“Nova said he was gonna set up some different accounts for me. Foreign accounts. I’m gonna have to let him start managing my money, ’cause I don’t know how to hide this shit like he does.”
“Are you considering taking that much money?” Alaine asked in disbelief.
“This isn’t from Nova. It’s from Tino,” Chuito told her with a look of knowing. “This is his blood money. He suffered for it, Alaine. This is his apology to us. Wehaveto take it.”
Alaine cupped her hand over her mouth as she stared at the check in Chuito’s hand. Her eyes got glassy, and she shook her head. “We didn’t need this from him.”
“I know,” Chuito told her with a shrug. “But I don’t think it’s about us. He needs us to take it. He’s trying to buy a clear conscience. That’s what they do. It’s the only way Tino has ever learned to make things better. To pay for it. With money or blood or pain. If we don’t take it, that would be bad, Alaine. It would leave him obligated in a way we don’t want for him.”
Alaine was quiet for a long time before she took the check back and slipped it into one of the envelopes. “Can we put it in the safe until Nova can help us figure out how to manage all this? I’ll never be able to leave the room if it’s not locked up.”
“Yeah.” Chuito nodded, keeping to himself that there was already another check in there. Instead he just admired Alaine, taking a moment to appreciate that she understood just how important keeping the gift was. “I love you, mami.”
She gave him a watery smile. “I love you too.”
Epilogue
Garnet County
Their honeymoon wasn’t long enough.
Just one week at the beach, which made Alaine more pink than tan, because she enjoyed the novelty of the ocean a little too much.
She was very freckled and rosy by the time she, Chuito, Tino, and Nova were forced to say good-bye to Chuito’s family because they had decided that they needed to go back to Garnet. One small side trip, alone and free of the mafia entourage, before life got crazy again.
Jules had a fit when she found out they’d gotten married, especially after seeing all the pictures that had been posted to social media of Chuito and Alaine arriving at the hotel.
Eloping was a decent excuse for the mad dash to Miami. The wedding had provided an alibi for everything else.
But they all knew no one in Garnet believed it.
So the big party Jules threw at the Cellar had banners that said congratulations, but everyone there knew it was really a good-bye party…for all of them.
And no one was doing a good job at pretending.
“I don’t understand,” Jules sobbed in the ladies’ room as she leaned against the sink and put her face in her hands. “Can you tell me? I know they won’t, but I need to know why we’re losing all of you.”
“We just want to see the world a little,” Alaine lied as she felt tears sting her eyes too. “I’ve never been to New York and—”
“Oh my God,” Jules cut her off with another sob. “Just don’t. If you can’t tell me why my babies are losing Tino, and I’m losing one of my best friends, and the Cellar is losing Chuito, then I don’t want to hear the bullshit.”
“I’m sorry,” Alaine whispered as she wiped at her cheeks. “It’s not forever.”
