Page 47 of The Enforcer's Revenge
If Romeo wanted to spend time with him, he could come to Brooklyn and hang out on the water with the rest of the guidos.At six in the morning, Tino was still sucking down coffee and wondering why the fuck he was awake.
“Who wants eggs?” Carina asked from her spot by the stove.
She spoke loudly because she had music blaring and, up until then, had been happily singing along to it.
“Please,” Brianna said quickly, without even the slightest hesitation. “No cheese, though.”
“I’ll take some.” Nova kept looking at his phone and then gulped his coffee like he needed it as desperately as Tino did.
“Me too,” the Don agreed.
Don Aldo Moretti was seated next to Nova, looking worse for wear with his salt and pepper hair standing up at odd angles. He was bare-chested, showing off his gold crucifix and a broad, cut build that proved Nova would age well as long as he didn’t develop Frankie’s bad habits. This morning, his chest was tanned and smooth, but usually, the Don, like Frankie, just let it all go.
Tino knew those signs.
And he hoped to God he didn’t knock up whatever newcomarehe was waxing and shaving for.
The Don had coffee in front of him, too, and he was drinking it like Nova was. Even old Morettis with young comares weren’t supposed to be up before the sun.
“I’m happy you’re cooking.” The Don’s voice was gravelly with sleep. “You remind me of your nonna, but why so early,niputina mia?”
“’Cause it’s the Fourth of July!” Carina said it like all of them should agree after she woke up the entire house at five-thirty in the morning. “We need to beat everyone out on the water. Boys.” She pointed to the three soldiers who followed the Don from Dyker Heights. “Eggs? Bacon? Toast?”
They all dutifully agreed and gave Carina their orders.
“Where’s Carlo? It’s been half a friggin’ hour,” Carina asked and with her back to him called out from the other side of the huge kitchen, “Tino? What’d you wanna eat?”
“Please don’t make me,” Tino mumbled under his breath, but then Brianna kicked him. The Don glared. Nova gave him a look of warning. Carina turned to him expectantly because it was obvious she hadn’t heard him say anything over the blare of the radio. Tino just shrugged in defeat. “Whatever you wanna put in front of me, sweetheart.”
If he could eat dog food for her mother, he supposed he could choke down Carina’s attempt at cooking.
He was so burned out that he actually gave up pretending and laid his head on the table. He pressed his cheek against his forearm and let his eyes close heavily. Carina was singing again, which was soothing. The other voices that drifted in and out of his consciousness were hazy. He was halfway toward falling asleep when Carina wandered out of the kitchen to get more eggs from the fridge in the garage.
“What the fuck is she taking?” the Don barked once Carina was out of earshot. “It’s like she’s on amphetamines.”
“She’s always hyper on holidays,” Nova reminded him.
“Not like this. It’s six o’clock in the fucking morning. What is she on?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Nova sounded too sleepy to kiss the Don’s ass properly.
“You’re supposed to be my eyes, Nova. That’s your job.”
“Look, I doubt it’s amphetamines.” Nova sighed like his well-honed survival instincts had kicked in. “She likes downers. Liquor. Weed. Absinthe, merda like that.”
Benzos.
Tino silently filled in the last one, but then just as quickly, it hit him. He sat up and glanced at the kitchen door in shock. Then he turned to Brianna, who was biting her lip and slidingdown in her chair, as if hoping everyone would miss her sitting at the big kitchen table next to them. Unfortunately for her, everyone turned on Brianna at the same time.
“What’s she on?” the Don growled at her.
“I think she’s comingoffsomething,” Tino said before Brianna had to.
“What?” The Don narrowed dark eyes at him. “Don’t you fucking lie to me, Tino.”
Tino quirked an eyebrow at him, thinking he lied to the Don all the time. Then Brianna and Nova each kicked one of his legs in perfect timing, and Tino shrugged. “I gave her shit for taking benzos like her mother.”
Nova winced. “That would do it.”
