Page 126 of The Enforcer's Revenge
Tino looked from Gino Moretti to Monte, who was the Don’s nephew and next in charge behind Nova. Both of them were standing in the old-fashioned, claw-foot bathtub. Gino still had his hands in the air like a dumbass.
Tino glanced down at the dead man bleeding on the tile in front of them, the one he shot blindly, when it could’ve easily been Gino or Monte standing there instead.
And Tino was pretty sure they knew it, too.
Nothing but sheer dumb luck saved them because Tino had taken a leaf out of Gino’s book tonight and wasn’t paying attention to faces in the dark.
“Why didn’t you shout when I came here looking three fucking times before? Gimme some hint you’re in here,” Tino asked them suspiciously. “Maybe you’re working with them, huh? Maybe you’re just trying to take down Nova—playing both sides against all of us.”
Tino thought about his last three bullets in his clip—two for Gino and Monte, one left for his headache.
“Tino, man, he had a gun on us,” Gino said slowly. “They had us hostage in here. What the fuck were we supposed to do?”
Monte was just glaring, doing that Zu thing, like he was too boss to answer to shitstain enforcers. “Put your gun away, Tino.”
“This gun fucking saved your life. You would’ve ended up in a Brambino basement without me,” Tino reminded him sharply. “And what the hell, neither of you could overpower one guy in all this time? Are you fucking gangsters or not?”
“You better remember who you’re talking to and show some respect,” Monte warned him in a low, dangerous voice. “Where the hell were you when this motherfucker had a gun to my head? What exactly is it you’re supposed to be doing here, Tino, besides snorting all the good blow with Carlo?”
Tino stared hard at Monte in response, letting the fury and insult show on his face to the point that the smaller man seemed to wilt in front of him, hesitating on the attitude he was flexing.
He should, because Tino had an answer for him, and he didn’t even have to think about it. He was going to kill Monte, let Gino live, and then handle his headache.
Problem solved.
Tino hadn’t lowered his weapon, but heavy footsteps in the hallway stopped him.
“Tino! Answer me!” The echo of Nova’s voice, manic and terrified, was too hard to ignore. “Where are you?”
Tino dropped his gun in defeat and turned around, seeing that Tony still had his back as he stood at the door to thebathroom. Tony had his gun out too, like the good team player he was, looking intent on shooting Monte if Tino didn’t.
“In here,” Tony called out for both of them and then lowered his gun while giving Monte another dark, intimidating look of warning, doing it much better than Tino could ever do.
Tony didn’t say anything, but it was written all over his face, and Monte looked away rather than deal with two of them.
“Oh, grazie. Jesus, fuck. Thank you, Ma.” Nova walked in wearing only his white tank top and gray suit pants since he’d sacrificed his dress shirt to save Brianna. It made him look extra gangster, even for Nova, especially since all of it was splattered with blood, and the tattoo on his back was showing when usually he kept his ink covered around the rest of the Borgata. He didn’t seem to care as he grabbed Tino to kiss his forehead like they both weren’t standing with a dead man at their feet. “Are you okay?”
Tino shrugged because he wasn’t, but he didn’t want Monte and Gino to know that.
“She’s gonna make it, I promise.” Nova kissed his temple once more. “Te lo prometto. She just passed out, but she was lucid by the time I got her to the ambulance. It’s fine, everything’s gonna be fine.” He looked from Gino to Monte, who was crawling out of the tub. “You guys okay? No one’s hurt?”
“We’re fine.” Gino looked embarrassed at being caught by the Brambinos and held hostage, but he still shrugged it off. “Tino had our back.”
Monte dusted off his suit once he was out of the bathtub. “Lucky we had him to save the day.”
Nova looked at the Brambino lying dead on the floor and said distantly, “Yeah, that was lucky.”
Monte had the balls to pat Tino’s cheek and said, “Thanks, pal,” as he walked past.
Tino looked at Monte’s back. His feelings must have shown because Nova grabbed Tino’s face, forcing Tino to look back at him as he barked in his Zu voice, “Hey.”
Tino tilted his head and gave his brother a look. He knew Nova understood because Monte always treated them like shit.
Tino was tired of it.
Monte seemed oblivious to the very real danger he was in as he pulled his phone out of his suit pocket. “I gotta call the Don.”
“I already called him.” Nova shook his head at Tino, his eyes narrowed in warning, and then turned to Monte. “He’ll be here?—”
