Page 37 of Sal Gabrini: Man on Fire

“I’m married,” Sal said.

“Wanna go upstairs?”

Sal looked at her as if she was deaf. “What do you people have no morals around here? I said I was married.”

“I’m married too. But a girl’s gotta have her fun. Wanna go upstairs?”

“No,” said Sal standing up. “Hell no!”

He left her side and began making his way back toward Gemma. He wanted to go upstairs, alright, but in his own home and with his own woman!

But when he saw one of those A-list stars place his hand on Gemma’s butt and squeeze, he hurried over to her side. But she had already slapped the man hard across his face.

But when Sal got over there he slammed the man with a punch so hard it knocked him out cold.

Mason, angry, pushed Sal. “Why would you do something like that?”

“Don’t you dare blame Sal for that,” said Gemma. “You saw what that man did to me!” She placed her arm around Sal’s arm. “Thank you, Sal. He got exactly what his ass deserved.”

“He was just having a bit of fun,” said Mason.

“That’s what a sexual assault is called around this town?” asked Sal as Reno and Trina came over. “Everywhere else it’s a sexual assault. But around here it’s a bit of fun?”

“What happened?” Trina asked. “Gemma, are you okay?”

But as soon as she spoke those words, they all heard what sounded like a car backfiring outside, and then a hail of bullets began sailing through the big front window that caused Sal to jump on Gemma and knock her down, and Reno to jump on Trina and knock her down, and Mason Curry to drop down himself and began scurrying on his belly for cover too.

“Reno!” Sal yelled.

“Go!” Reno said as he moved, with Trina, closer to Gemma. He stayed to protect them while Sal jumped up and began running toward the front door. Toward the action.

“Is he insane?” Mason wanted to know.

But by the time Sal made it outside, the bodyguards surrounding the estate had everything well in hand. They were firing on the car that had hoped to do a quick drive-by, and they had apparently succeeded as the car appeared to be steering itself as it ran off the road and half way into a ditch.

When the shooting stopped, Reno told the ladies to wait there and he got up and ran outside too. Sal and two of the bodyguards were running toward the wrecked car, while four others stayed back, and Reno ran toward the wreckage too.

When he got up to the car, Sal and the guards were just able to force the door opened. And that was when they were all able to look inside.

Just one gunman. He had what looked like seven bullet holes in his body and an AK-R7 on his lap.

But Reno saw Sal’s face when he saw the lone gunman. Reno looked at the bodyguards. “You guys can go back to the house,” he said. “We’ll wait on the cops.”

The bodyguards made their way back up the hill.

“What is it, Sal?” Reno asked him.

Sal slumped against the car.

Which worried Reno even more. “What is it?” Then he thought the unthinkable. “You know this guy?”

Sal exhaled. “I know him.”

“Who is he?”

Sal looked at Reno. “One of my guys. One of my capos,” he said. “One of my made men.”

And Reno, who was rarely shocked in this life, was stunned.

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