Page 5 of Sal Gabrini: Man on Fire

But the car had contracted from the explosion and Lucky was trapped in his seatbelt. He was trying, but it wouldn’t give way. “I can’t get it loose, Mommy.” He was panicking, which made it even harder for him to unbuckle it. “I can’t get it loose!”

As Sal ran up to the car, Gemma, instead of crawling out of that shattered window, began to crawl toward the back seat to save her child.

But Sal wouldn’t let her. He saw those flames. He knew Gemma and Lucky both would be consumed in a matter of seconds. And instead of letting her save Lucky, he grabbed her before she could turn her body and snatched her through that shattered window and out of that burning car.

“No!” she cried, reaching hysterically for Lucky. “I gotta get my baby! What are you doing? I gotta get my baby!”

“Get her away from here, Robby!” Sal yelled, and Robby grabbed a hysterical and screaming Gemma and held her back.

Sal knew Lucky was still inside, in that backseat, and he could hear him screaming that he couldn’t get out. “Daddy! Mommy! Help me! I can’t get out!”

“Lucci’s in the backseat, Sal!” Gemma was screaming, too, as a distraught Robby fought with all he had to hold her back. “Our baby’s in the backseat!”

Sal was removing his suit coat as fast as he could. With the fire now consuming the front seat, and there was no time to even shoot out another window, Sal knew he had no choice. He threw that suit coat over his head, and jumped into the flames. He jumped into that burning car to save the life of his beloved child even if it cost him his.

CHAPTER ONE

SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER

Sal Gabrini parked his Bugatti in the parking lot of the Vegas courthouse, buttoned his double-breasted suit coat, and walked slowly toward the entrance. Two of the bodyguards from his security detail were walking with him, too, something he hated, but so much shit had been going down in his organization that he knew he had no choice. He shouldn’t even be anywhere near a courthouse at a time like this, given the heat that was on, but it couldn’t be helped. He’d just gotten back in town and he had to see her. Couldn’t wait until she got home. Couldn’t wait another second. He had to see his wife.

It didn’t used to be that way. He’d never been sogotdamn needy in his life. But Sal Gabrini was changing. The second most powerful mob boss in America was losing his grip. And everybody were beginning to notice.

As he entered the courthouse and wormed his way through various metal detectors, and as his bodyguards, who were loaded down with metal, had to wait for him on the other side, he was at least relieved that he would have a moment of freedom. But it wasn’t a relaxing moment as he could feel that surge of panic come over him again. Sweat was on his forehead. His heart was racing again. And it annoyed the shit out of Sal. What was he panicking about like some old lady? What was his problem lately? Even one of the cops standing guard at the elevators asked if he was okay.

Sal frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be okay? What you asking me a question like that for?” That was the outside Sal. Still as cantankerous as ever. But inwardly, as he got on that elevator, he was sinking fast.

It didn’t make him feel any better when he walked into the courtroom and saw Gemma standing up front laughing and talking with the good-looking District Attorney. They were on opposite sides of the case and should have been sworn enemies if you ask Sal, but they were acting like besties.

Sal sat down in the back of the courtroom and watched her standing there. She wore one of those skirt suits seemingly every female attorney wore in that building, but because Gemma was this tall, sleek, black woman with perfect curves and legs for days she stood out from the crowd. It didn’t help, either, that her skirt was so far above her knees that it was practically up her ass, something Sal constantly told her he didn’t like. But she thought he was being absurd.

But despite his jealousy, his heart raced with joy when he saw Gemma standing there. Something about her calmed him down and made him certain everything would be alright. Everybody had a pound of Sal’s flesh. Everybody was depending on Sal to be there for them, to do all the heavy lifting for them, to stand in the breach when nobody else would stand for them. But Gemma made no such demands on Sal. She worked as hard as he worked, but when he came home in the evenings she always had his bath ready. She had dinner ready. She had her body ready, willing, and able to make love to him whenever he wanted her to. Which, he hated to admit, was every chance he got.

Lucky was growing up fast. Marie was doing her own thing. Tommy and Reno had their own families to worry about. And Sal’s father had moved to Florida. In a lot of ways, Gemma was all Sal had.

But when Gemma saw the DA looking toward the back of the courtroom as if he was looking at something good to eat, she turned and looked too. When she saw Sal sitting there, she could hardly believe it. She told him not to come. She told him!

She broke away from the DA and made her way out of the well of the courtroom to its galley where the public sat. She headed toward the back.

It was becoming her life’s work trying to protect Sal. Trying to do everything in her power to make sure the law never caught up to his shady ass. Now she was defending one of his guys, one of hismademen no less, and the DA would like nothing better than to tie her client to Sal. There was no proof of any ties, at least none the DA knew about beyond speculation, but Sal’s presence just gave them all the “proof” he needed.

Sal smiled when he saw Gemma heading his way, something that was never easy for a stern man like him. But Gemma didn’t return his smile. She was pissed he could tell.

“What are you doing here?” She spoke in a lowered tone, but an angry one.

And Sal did what he always did when he felt he was under attack. He attacked back in that tough Italian voice he could never suppress. “What you think I’m doing here? Since when it’s not a free country anymore? Since when a man can’t come and see his wife do her thing? What your ass asking me a question like that for?”

A few of the other spectators looked their way when Sal’s voice was slightly higher than Gemma’s low tone.

Gemma leaned as close as she could to him. So close that he could smell her fresh scent. So close that he could see those juicy black breasts he still remembered sucking for an hour straight the night he left town. He was getting horny. Gemma was getting angrier.

But before she could say another word, the Bailiff proclaimed, “All rise,” and Gemma had to hurry back to the defendant’s table as the judge made his way onto the bench.

But when Sal and everybody else in the courtroom sat back down, and before any proceedings could begin, the DA stood back up. “Your Honor, before you bring the jury in for our opening statements, the State wishes to be recognized.”

“As you wish,” the judge responded.

“Your Honor,” said the DA again, like the patsy he was, Gemma thought. But the DA didn’t mince words: “The prosecution, sir, wishes to file a formal complaint on behalf of the people of the state of Nevada.”

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