Page 65 of The Enforcer's Revenge
Tino stared at him skeptically.
“I don’t want you to have to go back into that room,” Nova explained, still looking sick. “Plus, Brianna. What if she finds out?”
Tino had to admit, he wasn’t super thrilled at that idea either. It would make more sense for Nova to go back since he was the single one, especially with someone like Carmen, who was used to selling it like a motherfucker.
The waitress showed up with their drinks before Tino could respond. Her eyes grew wide when Nova pulled out his money clip. He tilted his head toward the stage where Carmen was still dancing, but he didn’t say anything as he handed her two bills.
So, Tino spoke up. “She speaks Italiano?”
“Yeah, she speaks a lot of languages. She used to live in Europe.” The waitress looked at the money in her hands. “He wants me to give it to her? Two hundred bucks?”
“Sì.” Tino gave her a broad smile, even if his stomach was churning. “He thinks she’s beautiful.”
It wasn’t bullshit, except Tino was the only one who saw how uncomfortable Nova was about that little development.
“You have to pay at the bar for a private dance.” The waitress spoke slowly, as though concerned that the two of them were confused about how things worked. “He would have to pay again for a private room. This is something separate. It’s just a tip for watching her.”
Tino looked to Nova, who was watching as Carmen finished her dance. Now completely naked, she fell to her hands and knees and started picking up the money on the stage. Nova wasn’t hiding the blatant interest in his dark gaze. It was supposed to be an act, but Tino knew it likely wasn’t, especially considering how terrible Nova had been at undercover thus far.
“I think you overdid it with the tip,” Tino said dryly in Italian, since the waitress didn’t know what he was saying anyway. “Even for her, it looks weird.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Nova answered without looking away. One man threw a bill on Carmen’s bare back, and Nova’s eyes narrowed. “She shouldn’t be crawling around for ones and fives. That’s a fucking insult to God. What the hell is wrong with this Borgata?”
Nova pulled another hundred out of his money clip to prove his point and put it on the table. He didn’t look away from Carmen, and Tino was going to have to correct himself about Nova being bad undercover because he looked pretty fucking captivated.
“Okay, baller.” Tino had to refrain from rolling his eyes before he turned to the waitress and switched back to English. “He understands.” He picked up the extra hundred and handed it to the waitress. “He enjoyed her dance.” He glanced back to Nova, who was still watching Carmen, and added in a conspiratorial voice, “My brother’s lonely.”
“Oh.” The waitress tilted her head to study Nova. Handsome, rich, with an air of power he couldn’t hide if he wanted to, most women stared at Nova like that. “He doesn’t look like he should be lonely.”
The best lies were the ones closest to the truth.
Tino didn’t have to fake the pain in his voice when he said, “But he is.”
“Then I guess it’s her lucky night.”
The waitress turned away before she could see Nova blanch, like he might actually be sick in this club.
“You should wait to break the news,” Tino suggested because he wasn’t certain Nova was up to it. “Tell her what you need to get her out of the club for safety reasons. Then we’ll talk to her about Lola—together.”
Nova nodded and rubbed a hand over his forehead.
The music ended.
Carmen met the waitress at the base of the stairs and looked around when she was handed the money, obviously searching for the one who thought she was worth so much. Then the waitress said something else, and Carmen’s features softened, making her look a little more vulnerable. That’s when he saw Lola, the kindness she couldn’t kill, no matter how much it would help her if she could.
Tino was sort of disappointed.
He realized right then that he had been silently rooting for Carmen for years now, drawing power from all those stories of rebellion. He wanted her to own it without getting hurt.
But it had hurt her—in ways she didn’t even know yet.
Carmen disappeared into the back without spotting them, which was a very seasoned thing to do. It didn’t really matter what the client looked like. All she knew was there was a nice guy with money who wanted attention.
Tino wanted to run away.
He didn’t want to be anywhere near telling someone their sibling was dead, especially knowing it could still destroy her as utterly as it would destroy him.
“Cazzo.” Nova sighed and confessed Tino’s fears out loud, “I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to do this. My hand to God, I’m going to burn that whole Borgata to the ground if it kills me.”
