Page 73 of Forgotten Comeback
I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you later, Kitty Kat.
“Say cheese.” I snap a pic of an enraged Kat, my thumbs flying over the phone.
Aww, what a cute nickname.
The picture is sent for emphasis before I type more.
I’ve got your Kitty Kat all tied up at the moment. She can’t talk right now either, but I’m in a chatty mood. Give your boss the phone if you want your wife to remain breathing. This is Gavin, btw.
I hit call, and am greeted with, “So you’re the dead man who wanted to speak to me. Go ahead, let’s hear those last words,” Romeo Parisi booms.
“Big talk, considering you’re there, and I’m here. With your capo’s wife. Let’s see if honor is part of the Parisi family’s code now that you’re at the helm.” Rage bubbles in my chest. “It certainly wasn’t when your old man was boss.”
“Put Katerina on the phone to prove she’s alive,” Fabio interjects, and I put the call on speakerphone.
“Fabio! Gavin and Dominic grabbed me and Taylor from her house. I’m in a warehouse, probably close to AC because?—”
“That’s enough.” I take the call off speakerphone, pressing it to my ear.
“So you’ve got my capo’s wife,” Romeo says impatiently. “Let’s cut the bullshit—what is it you want?”
“Prisoner swap. Give me John, and I’ll give you Mrs. Mazza and her friend. A two-for-one bargain.” Kat will ensure Taylor’s protected from the Parisi family, and my connection to Taylor will remain under the radar.
“Who is this man to you?” Romeo demands.
“That’s not your concern; do we have a deal, or do we have a dead newlywed?” I threaten.
Romeo says something in another language; maybe Greek? There’s a commotion, and he comes back on the line. “Here’s my counteroffer. I’ll agree to that trade, with one caveat: John agrees to watch me put a bullet in his lover’s head first.”
Lover? Enzo?
John doesn’t swing that way, or so I thought…
“No, wait!” John shouts. “Gavin, let the women go!”
My eyes nearly bug out of their sockets. Inferno didn’t prepare me for this curveball. “Don’t be a fucking idiot!” I shout at John through the phone.
“Let them go. I’ve got this,” John says firmly.
“Gentlemen, it seems you have a house divided,” Romeo interjects. “What’s it going to be?”
What’s it going to be?
I don’t fucking know! I’m not the mastermind of this family!
In a panic, I hang up and sprint out of the room, Kat cursing at my back. Tracking down Inferno, I relay the message.
Inferno’s silent for a beat. “Let the women go.”
“But we’re losing our bargaining chip by letting Kat walk,” I argue.
He holds up his scarred hand. “John made his decision; we’ll let this play out.”
Taylor
“Hey, man-eater,” Gavin says gently.
I blink my eyes open, looking around. It wasn’t a hallucination; I’m in a warehouse, tied to a chair. “You really burned down my house,” I say, my voice sounding far away.
