Page 16 of Tommy Gabrini: All Fall Down
Grace’s heart fell through her stomach. It wasn’t possible. Grace knew it and Trina did too. That was why they both said “TJ?” at the same time, and with shock in their voices.
The officer grabbed Grace by the arm. “I’m sorry, but you have to come now, ma’am.”
Grace, her heart hammering, her brain unable to compute what they were claiming, hurried with the officers. Trina grabbed Grace’s purse and phone and her own stuff and hurried behind them too. Because the wait staff knew that Grace was the big boss, they didn’t try to pursue her for payment.
But when Grace and the cops got outside to the patrol car, and Trina tried to follow her, the second officer stopped her. “Just her,” he said.
“But how do we know this isn’t a snatch and grab?” asked Trina. “Show me your badge.”
The officer quickly showed his badge. Trina had seen more than her share since she married into the Gabrini family. It was legit.
They hurriedly placed Grace in the backseat as if she was a criminal for being the shooter’s mother. Which Trina was certain had to be a mistake. TJ? A school shooter? No way! “Grace, I’ll be right behind you.”
“Call Tommy,” Grace was saying anxiously as fear gripped her eyes. “Trina, call Tommy!”
“I will,” Trina said, fumbling to pull out her phone. “Don’t you worry about that, I’ll call Tommy right now. I’ll call everybody. You just make sure TJ is okay!”
And then both cops got onto the front seats of the patrol car, turned on the sirens, and sped away.
Trina was making the call as she ran to Grace’s car. Since she had the keys in Grace’s purse, the door opened, she was able to start the engine, and she took off behind that patrol car.
But just like Grace, she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding either.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When Reno finally walked out of Ingrid’s house, Tommy was seated, with his legs crossed, in the backseat of that limousine far longer than he thought would have been the case. “About time,” he said out loud to only their driver and bodyguard since Reno was still coming down the steps.
When their bodyguard opened the back door and Reno got into the limo, he leaned his head all the way back as if he’d just been traumatized. Then he closed his eyes.
Tommy looked at him. He looked stricken. “Go,” he said to the driver.
“Where to, sir?”
“Airport.”
They both knew they would be leaving Alberta after the meeting, so going straight to the airport wasn’t a concern. But the length of time Reno remained in that house after Tommy had had it and walked out was. “What took you so long?” he asked him.
He could tell Reno didn’t want to discuss it, which concerned Tommy even more. “Reno?”
“Alright already,” Reno snapped at Tommy. “Whatta you clamping down my throat for?”
“What happened in there?”
Reno looked at his cousin and best friend. “Why your ass couldn’t just charm that psycho for a few minutes longer? That’sall it took! But nooo. Not Dapper Tom. He’s too cute to get his hands dirty.”
“Fuck you, Reno! I told you I hated that shit before we got out of this limousine. I told you that!”
“And I told you we’ve got to have her buy-in or we’re out. I told you that!”
“Just tell me what happened after I left.”
Reno shook his head as if it still disgusted him. “It was simple. Since she can’t have your ass, she decided mine would have to do. She decided since I got a big-ass rod, even bigger than yours by the way, and yours is huge--”
“Reno! Enough of that macho shit and just tell me what happened.”
“She propositioned me,” said Reno.
Tommy stared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
