Page 50 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

I shrug. “I know each of you. I give everyone what they need. It’s for you to decide how to use it after.”

“When I get back, I’m going back into training. You left some shit out.”

“You don’t have the heart for torture. You’re too kind. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“We’ll revisit this,” she says and pulls me into a hug.

Chapter 21

Not Part of the Plan

Gio

I smile at the video from the Silvio hit. Ny may not be back in my bed, but she’s doing her part. This is how I need things to be, the way Ma always saw it. With Ny back home things can run smoothly—like clockwork.

She was able to assign the ladies as Jace came along with me for a visit I needed to make. Everything needs to look the same for now. I can’t afford to move pieces from where they belong.

“There she is,” Jace murmurs as we walk through the Paramus Park Mall.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

Jace snorts and chuckles. “I remember when she shuddered in disgust when someone mentioned shopping here.”

“Now she’s here for Pilates and Starbucks. Oh look, she’s going into Macy’s. We’ll get her in there, she’s going to have a coronary.”

We head for the store and give her space to browse for a bit. I look at my watch and see we can’t mess around here for too much longer. I need to set this in motion and get to my next appointment.

“Hello, Bertice. How you doing?”

“Oh, Gio. I…um.” She places the dress she was looking at back on the rack.

“It’s good to see you. What brings you here?”

“I was returning a gift a friend gave me. Thank God for gift receipts.”

I wink at her and whisper. “I know. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve come in handy when you and your husband give that gaudy shit for Christmas. I get it, you guys need to keep up pretenses and all, but you truly can lay off the gifts you can’t afford,” I say with a smile.

“Excuse me,” she sputters and looks around.

“No need to be excused. Kaling really needs to stop with the bad business investments with that stolen money he uses. It’s going to come back to bite him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gio.”

I wink at her. “Sure, I understand. I wouldn’t involve my partner either.”

She snorts and looks at Jace. I school my features before I can snarl at her. She has a lot of fucking nerve. The knowledge I have on this one and her husband.

I wonder if she’s still threatening to run away with her lover since finding out about Kaling’s transgender affair. I’ll have to look into that. It might become useful.

What I do know is that money is getting tight, even with Kaling’s money laundering and embezzling. Life as they knew it has changed in the last two years.

“I’m sorry, I have a dinner party to plan for. I was just on my way to the caterer after exchanging that gift.”

Bullshit, she hasn’t been near a register. She was probably looking for a gown for her dinner party right here. However, a light bulb goes off. She just made this easy for me.

“Wow, isn’t this a small world? I came here to get something Bella asked for. On the way here, an event was canceled, and now I’m stuck with the order.

“How about I cater for you? Free, of course, you’d be doing me a favor,” I offer.

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