Page 79 of Street of Dreams
Mac had seen a lot of things in his life but standing face to face with the notorious Salvatore Finestra made his blood run cold. “I’m Reid Mackenzie,” Mac offered his hand. “My friends call me Mac.”
“He’s a famous singer,” Jake offered, as the two shook hands. “But I don’t think anyone recognized him tonight.”
Mr. Finestra scrutinized Mac through narrowed eyes. “Never heard of him. I made sure to keep both your names out of the press, so it’s not an issue.” He walked to the end of the bed and addressed Jake. “This is the person you were protecting? The reason for all the trouble?”
“Yes. Now you know why my old man didn’t approve.” Jake hesitated. “I wasn’t sure if you’d approve either, but I really needed your help. I had no one else to turn to, Mr. Finestra. No one with your power.”
Mr. Finestra weighed Jake’s explanation. After a moment, he said, “It doesn’t matter who you love. And we protect those we love. At all costs.” He looked directly at Mac, his stare heavy with accusation. “Your unexpected visit tonight caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people. Especially me. It cost me a very large sum of money to work things out with that biker gang.” He nodded once. “But it’s done.”
Mac remained silent, but he felt heat cover his cheeks and knew his face was beet red.
“Again, I apologize,” Jake said. “I’ll pay you back whatever money you lost tonight. I swear. I won’t take another dime. I’ll continue to work for free until my debt is paid off.”
“You lost your father,” Mr. Finestra replied. “Your debt is paid. Our arrangement will continue as previously negotiated.”
Jake’s mouth opened with shock, but he quickly recovered. “Thank you, Mr. Finestra.”
Mac let out a breath that made him shrink two inches, and his heart rate slowly returned to normal.
The mob boss nodded. “I’ll be in touch. Take a few weeks off and heal. Send one of your brothers to take care of the store.” Mr. Finestra’s gaze drifted to Mac and settled there. “You need a haircut.” Then he left.
