Page 12 of Sal Gabrini: Man on Fire

Then Sal felt bad for jumping all over the kid. “You done good by letting me know, James. You did right. Thanks.”

He could feel Jimmy’s smile. “You’re welcome, Uncle Sal. Family first, right?”

“Always right,” Sal said. “Oh, and Jim? Can you shoot me a picture of him? I know your slick ass took one.”

Jimmy laughed. “You know I did, Uncle Sal. I’m sending it to you right now.” And they ended the call.

Robby looked at Sal. “All is well?”

“Maybe,” Sal said as he began heading for his SUV. “Maybe not. Just do what I told you to do and get spies in Dela’s camp.”

“What are you gonna do?”

Sal hated to admit it. “I need to head back to Vegas.”

“Head back? But what about that other thing, Boss?”

They never spoke the word. But they had a new shipment coming into Chicago from Spain. Sal always oversaw the first shipments from new suppliers to make sure all went smoothly.

“You handle it, Robby,” said Sal.

“Me?”

“Yeah you, what’s your problem? That’s what I’m paying your ass to do.”

“But you always handles the first one with a new supplier.”

“You handle it,” Sal said again as his bodyguard opened the door, and he plopped onto the backseat. And then Sal began looking at the photo Jimmy had just sent to his phone as the SUV drove him away.

Another capo, who had been hanging back, walked over to Robby. “Boss leaving?”

“That’s what it looks like.”

“But what about the other thing?”

“None of your business, that’s what about it,” said Robby, frustrated too. “Just clean up the mess like I told you.”

“We’re cleaning it, Robby. What you going off on me for? We’re cleaning it already!”

But Robby was worried. He’d never known Sal to be so out of tune.

But Sal was more than out of tune as he sat on the backseat of that SUV and stared at the picture Jimmy had sent to him. And just as he feared, it was a polished, well-built, great-looking black dude with a smile to match his good looks. A guy that made Sal look frumpy. Just the kind of guy Gemma had always been attracted to. Just the kind of guy Sal was not.

He leaned his head back and tossed his phone aside. All he needed, he thought.

CHAPTER FIVE

As Gemma walked into Pilgrim’s Pond restaurant and headed for his table, her bodyguards further behind her but paying close attention, Mason stood up like a man who knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. Since meeting up with Gemma, he was ready to begin phase two of what he considered to be the perfect plan. A foolproof plan to utilize her skills as a lawyer and to keep her in his life far longer than she could realize. It was all set up: A friend has agreed to assert an outrageous claim. Gemma will become his lawyer and spend many days (and hopefully nights) defending him. The friend will recant. But by the time his friend recanted, Mason was willing to bet his career that he’d have Gemma forevermore.

But the fact that she was married was a problem. The fact that she was married to Sal Gabrini, a man his P.I. said was the most powerful mob boss in America behind Mick Sinatra, was a major problem. But he didn’t own one of the largest talent agencies in Hollywood by being coy and cute. He was ruthless and cutthroat too. And now that the fate he manufactured had brought them back together, he was not letting the one woman he knew could make him deliriously happy get away again.

“Thanks for being on time,” he said with a smile as they gave each other a slight hug and he assisted her to the booth seat across from him. She smelled wonderful, he thought.

“I had a deposition I had to attend that wrapped up just in time,” said Gemma as she sat down. Then she looked at him smiling.

“What?” he asked.

“I see why they call you Kidd Curry. You haven’t changed a bit.”

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