Page 125 of The Enforcer's Revenge
“I mean, we heard things, Maria and I, and we’d talk about it. Honestly, we figured it was bullshit. You know how Borgatas hype their shit up,” he went on, looking at the dead Brambino over Tino’s shoulder. “Because we knew you, a different you, I guess, and it never seemed right, you being this intimidating enforcer—now, I see it. For being such a nice guy, you’re a scary motherfucker with that 9mm in your hand. If anything, the rumors didn’t do you justice.”
“Been doing this job since I was seventeen,” Tino reminded him. “And sucking at it isn’t really an option.”
“You think you could teach me how to shoot like that?” Tony asked him seriously as he walked up and held out his hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I can fire a gun. I wasn’t lying to you. I’ve put some motherfuckers down, but nowhere near as efficiently as that.”
“Yeah, sure.” He let Tony help him up. “Least I could do. You taught me a few things once upon a time.”
Tony snorted and agreed, “Just a few.”
“More than a few,” Tino had to admit, and walked past him. He took a breath with the reminder that he used to put so much trust in this man. “You’re sure she’s okay?”
“I’m sure.” Tony sounded confident. “I heard the Zu say it with my own two ears. She’ll live.”
Tino nodded and walked out of Carlo’s room to look for any other threats. Tony didn’t say anything else, but he did follow close at Tino’s heels as Tino prowled the house, looking for more Brambinos.
Back and forth, over the huge mansion, because there were so many places a gangster could hide—it was like playing fucked up hide and seek, with a really unhappy ending.
“Tino, I think you got them all,” Tony said, not for the first time, as Tino checked in the cabinet under the sink, which was probably too small for a human.
He looked anyway.
“We should go check on your brother,” Tony went on cautiously. “There’s no one else, and don’t you want to see how your girl is? The ambulance took off. Let’s find out what happened.”
Tino didn’t want to go back to the basement.
He fuckinghatedbasements.
And he didn’t want to hear that Brianna was gone.
So, he kept looking.
Under all the beds, in all the rooms, even though he had already checked them twice. He needed just one more Brambino, and then he’d feel better.
The world would be a little safer.
No one’s girls needed to die, and no one’s children needed to be abused for something as absolutely hideous as money. Or arrogance. Or needing to feel stronger or more desirable than someone else on this horrible planet—even if that someone was twelve and he never once fucking asked to be his father’s son.
Tino couldn’t let it go.
He kept looking, wondering where the rest of the family was. The Don didn’t have Nova protected while Tino was gone? He found four of the guards dead outside when he and Tony got there, but still. No other Morettis, dead or alive, in this big fucking place?
Something occurred to him, and Tino left Tony standing there as he dashed back to the staircase. He was quick but quiet, being sure to keep his footsteps light this time as he followed thefamiliar path back to Nova’s room, even though he checked it twice—but he’d forgotten one spot.
He made the long step from the doorway to the decorative carpet beneath Nova’s bed, avoiding the wood floor as he crept around to the spot closest to Nova’s bathroom and listened.
There was a faint whisper of, “I hear something again.”
Followed by a quick, “Shut up.”
Tino arched an eyebrow and looked to the side, seeing Tony standing in the hallway with his gun out. Tino shook his head slightly in warning, hoping that was enough to keep him quiet until Tino made his move.
All his muscles pulsed with that familiar bolt of adrenaline right before he jumped forward, shoving his way into the bathroom. After one quick, instinctual shot… a body thumped against the bathroom tile.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Gino shouted.
Tino spun around, gun level at his cousin’s head. He blinked, seeing two people standing in the bathtub.
“Tino!” Gino said more pointedly, hands in the air like it was a reflex. “Hey, it’s us! Just me and Monte! That guy was the one watching us. There’s no one else in here.”
