Page 4 of The Enforcer's Revenge
Tony was invisible instead.
He seemed to turn off when they were alone, and it was almost strange how effectively he did it. He rarely talked, and never needed any sort of attention. She had her own demons, and the two of them could go all night without saying a single word. Anyone else and it would feel awkward, with Tony, there was zero expectation either way.
He made himself easy to dismiss, which was no small feat, considering how tall and powerfully built he was and, more so, how absolutely gorgeous. Yet Brianna had been watching him. Even Chuito and Alaine, who had been stuck with him almost as much as she had, didn’t seem to reallyseeTony.
Brianna saw him.
There were too many scars like Tino’s, ones she spent years trying to heal. She failed miserably with most, but she couldn’t seem to stop seeing them, to stop trying, even if Tino was gone and Tony was stuck in his place as her mock-up best friend. Maybe that’s why Tony tended to say the things he did to her. She knew his past—Chuito and Alaine didn’t—and she wasn’t one to cringe away from his dark history. It didn’t scare her like it did others, and he clearly enjoyed testing her about it.
They probably weren’t the best set of roommates for their misfit crew, but it was either Tony or Nova since Chuito and Alaine were newlyweds, and there were only three safe apartments in the building. Choosing Tony was a no-brainer. No matter how much attitude he had when he wasn’t turned off, Tony was still light-years easier than Tino’s brother.
There was just way too much baggage with Nova.
Too much pain… for both of them.
The memories were still so vivid for Brianna. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Nova. The post-traumatic stress was enough to do either of them individually; combined, it was apotential disaster they couldn’t afford. They needed buffers from it and each other.
She was better off with Tony. He’d been in the first war but didn’t lose to it as intensely as Brianna and Nova.
Nova’s penthouse didn’t require a key. It had a code access. Tony typed the long code into the pad, and when he opened the door, a quick, sharp alarm blared inside.
“What happened?” Nova barked, appearing sweaty and shirtless at the door in only his karate pants, showing off his tattoos that were unique to a Sicilian gangster. He looked to Brianna, who was supposed to be on stage in an hour. “Cazzo.”
Brianna used the excuse of closing the door to look away.
“Heat showed up at the theater.” Tony took off his sunglasses. “Her husband had an accident.”
“What sorta accident?” Nova’s voice was a rasp of fear. “Did they question you? Did they ask you about Tino?”
They were all honest questions since Brianna’s tie to the Moretti Borgata was well known. There were a dozen articles on the internet about it, most speculating that Brianna’s connections helped further her career. It used to make her mad, but lately, she was starting to wonder if they were true.
Brianna took off her sunglasses rather than answer Nova, stalling for time. She wiped under her eyes, knowing her stage makeup was probably a disaster.
“It was the jack her husband used on his car.” Tony clearly grew tired of waiting for Brianna. “He got a flat tire, and it gave out. Car came down on him.”
“A jack?” Chuito walked up, also sweaty and shirtless, wearing only MMA shorts and showing off his tattoos like Nova. The two of them had obviously been training to work off stress. “Is he dead?”
“Yes,” Brianna whispered. “They gave Tony a card for the coroner, and?—”
Nova held out his hand. “Give it to me.”
Tony pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Nova. That was one of the benefits of being in a Borgata. Things like that were usually taken care of. The mafia was very experienced at planning funerals, and the organization usually handled all those unpleasant details when someone in the Borgata lost a family member.
Nova was still the Capo Bastone and easily the one who would at least take the card and make sure things got done. They were all stuck in this game of pretending that none of them knew the organization likely wanted them dead.
The Moretti Borgata handling the funeral wasn’t unusual.
Brianna wiped at her eyes again. “I should notify his parents. His brother.”
“Carina’s an appropriate person to do that. She’s your best friend, and you’re too distraught. I’ll call her.” Nova looked at the card rather than meeting her gaze. “But I don’t want her to come back for the funeral. That’s just another target to worry about, and the complication of her with the Don? It’s too much. The Don’s buying her fresh air story about Kentucky. She’s flighty enough that an unexpected trip to Garnet makes sense, and the Don doesn’t know Tino’s not there. It’s a double alibi. Let’s stick with it instead of tempting fate.” Nova headed toward his bedroom, looking dazed, but then turned to stare at Brianna. “I understand this is difficult for you for a lot of reasons. My condolences. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” she said numbly as Nova walked away.
“The cops believed it was an accident?” Chuito asked once Nova was gone.
“Yeah.” Tony sounded shocked, too. “Said it was in a rural area. By the time they found him?—”
“Wow.” Chuito raised his eyebrows and looked to Brianna. “Am I supposed to say sorry too?”
