Page 58 of Sal Gabrini: Man on Fire

Sal didn’t respond to that, which answered the question for Gemma. Then she smiled. “And here you are jumping all over me just because, ages ago me and Mason hooked up.” Then she pushed Sal’s almost immovable body. “Hypocrite,” she said playfully.

Sal smiled too and yelledouchplayfully when she pushed him. But then his smile turned into that pensive look that Gemma knew meant he still had something on his chest that he needed to release. “What is it, buddy?” she asked him.

“That videotape,” he said.

“What was on it?”

“Somebody sent it to Robby, and he showed it to me. It was a tape of you and Kidd Curry kissing passionately,” Sal said and then looked at Gemma. “And you weren’t resisting him at all. You were kissing him back as hard as he was kissing you. And his hand went down your blouse.”

Gemma frowned. “Who recorded it? The bodyguards you had protecting me?”

Her response caused his anger to momentarily flare. “Your ass worrying about who recorded it? Fuck who recorded it! Why were you kissing that guy? What is he to you that you can go around kissing him like you’re his woman?”

“Oh, Sal, it was nothing like that. I was relaxed and my guard was down and I let a stupid kiss go on too long. It was my mistake. But that was the end of it. I was wrong. But I’m still shocked you’d let your bodyguards go around live-streaming my life like that.”

“It wasn’t my guys,” said Sal. “I wouldn’t allow them to do some underhanded shit like that to my wife. Are you joking? They didn’t even tell me it happened.”

“Then who was filming it?” Gemma asked.

“Mason’s ass, who else? Probably films all of his conquests. I just never thought my wife would be one of them.”

“I’m not one of them, Sal, now just stop.” She looked at him seriously. “I made a mistake, and it was a big one, but it wasn’t like you meant. It went no further than a kiss.”

Sal exhaled. “It better not go in direction with any other man ever again,” he said.

Gemma didn’t respond to that. Sal was always tossing orders around like he had that right. Like she was one of his underlings too. “And you think it was Mason who sent that tape to Robby?”

“Either him or one of his staff who has access to his tapes and may have been trying to make you look bad. I don’t know that yet. Haven’t had a chance to even consider the possibilities. Just after I got that tape, I was at the ballpark. And then what happened with you and Lucky happened and . . .”

“I got it,” she said. “But I knew nothing about that tape, Sal, no matter who sent it to Robby.”

“I know, babe,” Sal said, pulling her into his arms. “I know.”

“What do we know so far?” asked Gemma as he held her.

“What do we know about what?”

“About all of it. Who planted those explosives in my Bentley. Who sent that tape. Do we know anything about any of it?”

“Uncle Mick took me out of the loop,” said Sal. “He’s all over it. Before that explosion he told me he wasn’t going to get involved. Just gave me a name and told me to deal with it myself. Which was fine by me. You know how Uncle Mick can be when he’s in charge. But while I was in that hospital he took over the investigation and my syndicate. Fired all of my top brass, from what Robby told me.”

Gemma was shocked. “Without your permission?”

“Or knowledge, yeah he did.”

“You aren’t surprised?”

“Fuck no. That’s how Uncle Mick operates. There’s never any nuance with him. It’s all black and white.”

“So who’s left in your outfit?”

“Robby’s left. Mick knew he’s untouchable. And the rest of my foot soldiers in the field. But all of my made men, except for Robby, are all gone.”

“Including Gucci?”

“Yep. I told Mick Gucci’s ass so ambitious he’ll probably go to work for one of my rivals.”

“Or start his own thing,” said Gemma. “You aren’t upset about Mick reorganizing your outfit like that?”

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