Page 4 of Bite Marks

They headed down to the floor and watched the girls dance for a while. As the club filled, the crew got down to business. No Neck and Caps mainly kept their ears open for info, but Nunzio and Ginger made rounds to the tables, greasing palms, talking deals, and seeing select members back to the card tables.

As the night wound down, Nunzio invited a few of the girls back to his place for an afterparty. The group walked through the doors as a limo pulled up into the near-empty parking lot.

Two heavy enforcers stepped out of the passenger and back seats. The one at the back stayed at the back while the one from the front walked up to the group.

“Sarducci, Don would like a word. Now.”

Nunzio disentangled himself from a trio of ladies and nodded to Ral. The two were old friends, but Ral had risen to the top faster since he didn’t have any brains to put behind businesses. He was a meat shield and a gun. The end.

Nunzio walked around the back of the limo to the side where the open door waited for him. He stepped into the limo where Dante Moretti sat. He knelt in front of the Don and kissed the old man’s signet ring.

Dante had been much like Nunzio in his prime … he’d said as much when he’d named Nunzio a made man … but age had taken its toll. His hair was still slicked back like Nunzio’s, but it was shock white rather than jet black, and his eyes were gray, but they no longer held the sharp edge of steel like his younger counterpart. They peered down at Nunzio with a jaded dullness.

“It’s an honor that you would come to my club, sir. I would have gladly come to you.” Hopefully, sweet talking would get him out of whatever shit he was in. “Is there a problem, sir?”

Dante motioned for him to sit on one of the seats. “There is a problem, Nunzio. Every other night I get word that you keep coming out ofmyclub with girls sucking on your cock since you’ve been a made man. And now I see it for myself. I think, ‘Did I pick the right man for this?’”

“Yes, sir. I am the right man.”

Dante waved a dismissive hand. “See, I think you are, Nunzio. I think you are. But some of the other higher-ups of the family don’t share my sentiments. Look at me, son. What do I have that you don’t?”

Nunzio wasn’t sure if this was a trap or not. He was the Don. He had everything. “Sir, you have more power, more money, more …”

“More, more, more. But what do I have that you havenoneof, Nunzio? Think.” The Don tapped the side of his head as his eyes narrowed on Nunzio, gaining a hint of the sharpness they once held.

Shit … Nunzio thought for a moment. Cars, houses, goons? He had all those things too. For some reason, he thought of Alonzo all those years ago, hugging Vanessa on her birthday. “You’ve got kids.”

Dante clapped his mitten-like hands together. “That’s right. And what do you need to have kids, Nunzio? What in this world gives you afamily?”

Holy shit. He wants me to get… “A wife.”

“Bingo! You need a single woman, not a half dozen of these upscale whores. I’m talking a real class act here, too, not a dressed-up floozy. You’re a leader, Sarducci.” He pointed a finger at him along with hard eyes. The combination somehow made Nunzio think of a hammer striking an anvil.

The only question was, what was in between that the old man was hammering into shape? “You want your family name to die with you? You want to work your whole life and have your family’slong-earned namefade away on a tombstone? Get out of here. Nobody wants that.”

Nunzio shrugged. “Of course, boss, but none of the high-class dames want anything to do with me. And even if they did, if they found out I’m a shifter, they’d split faster than a banana on a sundae.”

“You wanted a bike? Eh? Now, pedal. This is what it is to be a made man. I’m telling you this to your face, Nunzio. You get a woman, therightwoman, and you set an example for your three stooges and all the rest of the family. This club,” he jerked his thumb at his window, “myclub. It has been very successful since you took over, but trust me, Nunzio, if you do not find a good woman fast, I will have to consider your stay as unsuccessful. And you know very well what happens to those who are unsuccessful.”

“Yes, Don. I won’t fail you. And thank you for such hospitality to come to me with your advice.” Nunzio bowed his head to the older man. “I am very honored that you have such faith in me.”

“All right, my boy. I do have faith in you. I look forward to meeting yourItalianwoman very soon.” He pointed at the door, and Nunzio bowed again before taking his leave.

Nunzio walked around the back of the limo, headed for the club entrance, when the window rolled down, revealing the Don’s sly grin.

“In bocca al lupo,” the old man said.In the mouth of the wolfwas an old way of saying, “break a leg.” It was an interesting turn of phrase, given both men were wolf shifters and given the normal response.

Nunzio nodded. “Crepi il lupo.” May the wolf die.

The Don smiled, and his eyes flashed gold as the window rolled up. The limo took off, leaving Nunzio alone in the parking lot.

Damn! What the fuck am I going to do?He paced back and forth for a moment.Maybe I met up with Vanessa for a reason. She’ll never date me, though.Still, something about her hooked in his mind. There was something there that still presented some use to him.She’s a high-class broad. Maybe she could give me some pointers on what women like her want. The worst she can say is no.

THREE

VANESSA

“This is an absolute train wreck!” Vanessa plopped down in her chair as Maria chewed her lip. The pair were in her office at the gallery, and she’d just gotten off the phone with the owner of her crown jewel for the exhibition. “We can’t have an impressionist gallery and not have a Monet! He’s the most recognizable impressionist in history. We’ll be laughed out of town.” She slid out of her cardigan, the thick wool somehow restricting her breath. “Out of the whole damn industry.”

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