A meeting. Those could be good or bad. There was a fifty percent chance that a meeting between Crime Families could end up in bloodshed. If the Solanos had been responsible for Mia and Eric’s deaths… “I agree to nothing until I’ve spoken with my uncle,” I said quietly. “But I also agree that I’d like to see matters settled before they get messy, yes.”
“Then by all means, call Joseph,” said Tony. “I and four of my men will be at Carmine’s tomorrow at eight p.m. I sincerely hope you will join me there.”
I said nothing in response, and after a moment, I heard the click of the receiver.
22
Gwen
When Law put down the phone, he stood there a moment, staring at the receiver.
I took a deep breath. One last try. “Law,” I said, “I really think we should just go to the police.”
I watched Law inhale and then exhale. He turned. “If it’s really that black and white, Gwen,” he said, his voice soft. “Go ahead, and go to the police. The world will know that Mia Mathers was working for the mafia, that your sister was a thief and a liar. When Nikki is old enough, she will learn all about her mother. Black and white, Gwen. What category does Mia fall into? Was she a Robin Hood? Robbing the rich and giving to the poor? Or is stealing stealing? How will the police see it? How will Nikki see it when she’s old enough to learn the truth?”
“Law, that’s not fair.”
“Life’s not fair, Gwen. It’s messy. In your line of work, you know this. There are bad people in the world, Gwen. I’m not one of them. I wish you’d trust me.”
He met me stare for stare, and he waited. He waited for me to make a decision. “I’m tired of fighting you, Gwen. I’m tired of fighting you when all I’ve ever wanted was to love you.”
He was serious. He would call the police if I asked him to. But he was also right. I didn’t want Nikki to know that her mother was a thief. I didn’t want Nikki to know that she wasn’t Eric Henry’s daughter. But just because the truth was terrible didn’t mean it wasn’t the truth. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you to stop looking at me like I betrayed you,” said Law. “I never did, Gwen.” Silence. “Who am I calling next? The police?”
I took a deep breath and shook my head. “No.”
Law didn’t look back over. Instead, he picked up the phone and began making phone calls. I listened with half an ear, while the other half of my brain spun. I heard Kim’s voice in my head. He’s one of the good ones.
But as I listened to his phone calls, as he called friend after friend, all mafia, explaining the situation, I couldn’t help but become more and more upset. This was the world I’d never wanted to be a part of. The world that had destroyed my family. My niece would never be a part of this world. I would see to it.
Eventually, Law hung up the phone. When he turned and looked at me, his face went blank. He shook his head. “I can see it in your face,” he said.
“What do you want from me?” I asked him. “You associate with criminals, and the longer I’m around you, the more evident it is that you’re not nearly as separate from them as you’d want me to believe!”
“They’re my family, Gwen! They are important to me! And I am important to them. Were you at the same funeral I was at? You had a grand total of two people on your side of the aisle. Eric’s side was full to bursting with people who loved him. And before you go around judging everyone, there are twenty people – twenty people – who want to help you. Because you’re Mia’s sister. Because Eric loved Mia. Because I’m asking them, and they love me. They’re willing to risk their lives for you, Gwen. And what have you ever done for them other than judge them?”
Nikki stirred on the couch, and Law lowered his voice. “I’m done, Gwen. I’m done defending myself to you. Actions mean nothing to you. Well, fine. I hope your ideals keep you warm at night. They’re all you’re ever going to have in life.”
He strode from the room, leaving Nikki and me sitting there as the end of the credits rolled across the TV screen.
23
Law
“Dawg,” said Andre, coming up to me in the locker room. “You were animal out there today!”
I nodded at him, stripping off my jersey and chucking my practice pads onto the bench.
“That tends to mean two things with you,” Andre continued, plopping himself down onto the bench beside me. “Either you gave it to someone good last night, or you’re pissed off. Given that hot brunette hanging around the weight room yesterday, I’m going to guess it’s the former.”
I inclined my head. I liked Andre a lot. He was a great guy. But I didn’t need him in my business. “Can I ask you a favor?” I said, stripping down and grabbing my towel from my locker.
“Yah, no problem,” said Andre, suddenly serious. “You know I’m here for you.”
“Can I drop Nikki off with you again?”
“Sure. She’s a sweet kid, and we’ll be around.”
“Thanks, man.” I headed to the showers.
“Hey, Law.”
I turned.
“You okay, man?”
No. Gwen had refused to apologize. She’d slept in the guest bed with Nikki. I wasn’t okay. But I would be. I’d spent six years without Gwen Mathers in my life. I could move on again.
I didn’t rush home. Gwen was taking care of Nikki, and I needed to make sure I was still going to have a job after all this drama was behind me. We had a game on Monday to prep for. So I hit the weight room, then the trainers, and it was six o’clock by the time I got back to the Topaz. I half expected Gwen to not be there when I got back. We hadn’t discussed plans for that evening. I’d left the apartment this morning before either had gotten up.
And yet, when I got home, she was there, sitting at the kitchen table with Nikki, eating mac and cheese. Fuck. I wished my heart would stop hurting at the sight of her.
She looked up as I walked in and gave me a small smile. “The meeting is at eight, right?”
“So you plan on going?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral. But I was surprised.
Gwen nodded. “She was my sister. This is my mess, not yours. I’m going.”
“All right. Andre said he’d watch Nikki. I’ll take her over there.” I turned to the little girl who had bright orange sauce smeared all over her cheeks. “Want to go play with Lamar?” I asked. Lamar was Andre’s two-year-old son.
Nikki nodded and scooped another spoonful of mac into her mouth. Gwen cleaned up the kitchen while I ran Nikki over to Andre’s house. I was back in an hour.
As I exited the elevator and strode into the hall, I could hear voices coming from my apartment. My stomach hitched into my chest, and I all but threw the door open. Then I breathed.
The Garcias had arrived early. Tito, James, Jorge, and Raul were telling jokes and trying to engage Gwen in conversation. Gwen looked anxious. She sat on the dining room chair, trying to smile at all of them. They pretended not to notice her awkwardness and raised a ruckus when I walked through the door. Tito was my first cousin. The others were more distant relatives from his side of the family. They liked me because I got them tickets to games.
Another half hour saw the Julianos arrive. Joey and Arthur showed up with Sonny and another large man I didn’t know, but who was introduced to me as Johnny. I introduced everyone to Gwen and was shocked speechless when Gwen thanked them all for helping her.
It was Arthur who stepped forward first. “If the Solanos are responsible for Eric Henry’s death, they’re going to hear from the Julianos.”
“And the Garcias,” said Tito, not sounding nearly as friendly now as he had a moment before. I saw Gwen swallow her fear and nod. We left.
24
Gwen
We rode with Tito and Jorge, and Tito explained to us the rules of these meetings. “The Solanos have chosen the place they wish to meet, which means that we’re allowed to bring double the amount of men that they bring, as they are on home territory. But the Garcias aren’
t allowed to come in.”
He explained that the Garcias would wait outside while the Julianos, Gwen, and Law went in to talk business. That the Solanos were allowing the Garcias to come meant that they weren’t likely planning to do any double crossing. By the time we drove into the parking lot of Carmine’s, my palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding in my chest.
As we joined the Julianos and walked through the door of Carmine’s into the empty body of the restaurant, Law made sure I was in the middle of the group. The restaurant was closed and, from the looks of it, had been closed for some time. Tables had been pushed out of the way, and there was space in the middle of the floor. Four men stood there, one who was considerably older than the others and was seated in a chair, and one I recognized as the man who’d taken Nikki and dropped her off at Mia’s apartment.
I tried to keep my spine straight and tried not to flinch when Joey Bones appeared out of nowhere and moved to pat us all down. Once it was confirmed that we were not carrying anything, the man who’d introduced himself as Sonny went over and patted down each of the Solanos. We were all clean.
“Now that we’re all here,” said the older Solano from his seated position, “we can deal with this issue like civilized people.” His eyes fastened on me, and I tried not to flinch. How responsible was he for my father’s death? How responsible was he for the drugs my mother bought? How was responsible was he for my sister’s…
“It’s good to see you, Arthur, Joseph…”
“Is it, Tony?” murmured Arthur. “I’m a little perplexed at this whole situation. It seems like you are missing some money. And we’ve little to do with it. So why are we here?”
Tony inclined his head to Arthur but directed his next comment to Law. “We know that you erased the computer at Mia’s apartment,” said the older Solano. “Which means you were able to access her files. I think you know where the money is.”
I wanted to reach out and hold Law’s hand. But Law crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the older man, studying him as if trying to figure out what to say. Finally, Law spoke.
“Did you have Mia Mathers and Eric Henry killed?”
25
Law
Tension filled the room. Tony Solano’s eyes grew round with surprise. Then irritation. “Are you suggesting that I had something to do with their accident?”
“I am asking,” I said. I wasn’t scared of Tony Solano. I had Julianos standing around me and Garcias guarding the entrance. If this man was responsible for my brother’s death…
“Answer the question, Tony,” Uncle Joe’s voice was deadly soft. I saw Gwen suppress a shiver.
“I’m insulted that you even have to ask, Joe!” Tony said, and indeed, he looked insulted. “You asked for peace, and I have maintained it! We didn’t even learn about Mia’s sticky fingers until her death left her job half done. We had to hire a new accountant, and it was he who discovered the missing money. Had I known earlier, I might have done something about it. No one steals from the Solanos. But I would have never, ever hurt Eric Henry. The kid was an innocent. A good kid. He taught my great niece’s seventh grade history class.”
Silence descended as the Julianos weighed whether or not to believe him. I didn’t know Tony Solano well enough to tell if he was lying or not, but I watched Arthur squint at him and then shrug. Joe relaxed, too.
“You’ll excuse our mistake,” said Joe Juliano. “Val was overheard suggesting that perhaps Joey Bones might have had something to do with the accident.”
Tony snorted. “Valentino has a boulder where his brain should be. He made an assumption, and it was a wrong one. But just because we were not responsible for Mia’s tragedy doesn’t mean we don’t want our money back,” Solano continued.
I took a deep breath. “Mia has six million dollars in an account that Gwen will transfer back to you as soon as you tell her where it needs to go. Mia had already donated 400,000 dollars to charities – that money I cannot get back for you.”
Tony licked his lips and looked at Gwen. “We’re not interested in getting anything less than the entire amount she stole from us…”
“My sister is dead, and that money was already donated to charities. I have the receipts to prove it. The best I can do is make sure the charities know that you were the actual donor and not Mia.” I was shocked that Gwen had spoken up and winced inwardly as Tony’s eyes swerved back to her.
“I’m afraid,” said Solano, licking his lips, “that will not be acceptable…”
“It’s going to have to be, Tony,” said Uncle Joe. “It was your own carelessness that allowed Mia Mathers to get the money in the first place. And that will not be on Gwen Mathers’ head, nor will it be on the Julianos or the Garcias. And I think you understand what we mean. The girl will give you the receipts. If you can make the books clean, you’ll get a tax write off.” He shrugged. “Take it, Tony, and let’s be done with this.”
As if to emphasize Uncle Joe’s words, Sonny cracked the knuckles on his left hand. I saw Joey Bones look over eagerly. I braced myself.
But Solano just stood there coolly a moment before shrugging. “It doesn’t make me happy, Joe,” he warned.
Nobody said anything. The tension in the room thickened a moment before Solano sighed. “Fine. I want the money and the receipts immediately. You’ll send it to this account.” One of the Solanos stepped forward, and I did too, taking the slip of paper from him.
“And,” said Solano suddenly, “I want tickets to Sunday’s game. I want to take my niece.”
I inclined my head to him. I’d see what I could come up with.
Slightly mollified, Solano got to his feet with the help of Joey Bones. “Arthur,” said Solano. “Joe. I hope we don’t have to do this again.”
We had to exit first. If the Solanos left before we did, the Garcias would start shooting. I kept my hand on Gwen’s back, and I didn’t relax until we were in Tito’s car and driving away.
26
Gwen
The Solanos hadn’t killed Mia.
Val Solano hadn’t ordered Eric killed.
It was all just a terrible coincidence.
Mia had stolen from the Solanos, and all they wanted was their money back. The only reason they weren’t coming after me for $400,000 was because the Julianos had told them to drop it.
No blood had been shed; no threats had been made. Mia was the one in the wrong. Mia was the one who’d stolen money. I owed the men around me a debt that I couldn’t accurately repay. The thought humbled me to speechlessness.
Tito had volunteered to feed everyone at The Cubano, but Law suggested that we all go somewhere more neutral and said he’d be happy to treat everyone to dinner at The Mangroves.
When we arrived at the restaurant, Law was greeted by a beautiful blonde, who turned out to be one of the owners. The Mangroves wasn’t the same type of place as Benevento’s, or The Cubano, or Leonie’s, or Carmine’s. This was a family place. The menu was traditional south Florida and boasted items like gator fritters and mahi mahi.
The owner saw me staring and winked at me as she led us to a large table in the back. “Law owns a good deal of this restaurant, too.”
“The owner’s name is Courtney, and she’s engaged to Ryan Mcloughlin,” Law explained after the woman left. I didn’t know whether I was more shocked that Ryan Mcloughlin was engaged or that Lawrence Henry was part owner of a family restaurant.
As we all sat down to eat, it was as if the tension that had existed in Carmine’s had never been. The Garcias and the Julianos seemed to know each other and had a few stories to tell about Eric. Arthur shared one or two about Mia and me from when we used to work for him.
At one point in the night, Law even laughed and reached over, almost without thinking, to take my hand. I let him. We kept coming back to this place. We just couldn’t help ourselves.
While Law had been at practice, I had gone home to check on my mother and had found her passed out on the couch again. I’d t
ried to stage an intervention with her, and she’d screamed at me. Like Law, she’d accused me of being judgmental, of thinking that I was better than her. She’d locked herself in her room and hadn’t come out to talk to me again. I had sat on her couch, trying to imagine what this whole nightmare would have been like if Law hadn’t been here to help me sort through everything. And I’d treated him terribly.
So when he grabbed my hand, I squeezed his back, and when he wrapped his arm around my chair, I let him. As they told their stories, it was easy to imagine that these men who were sitting with us were just regular, ordinary men. It was easy to believe that they weren’t violent racketeers, drug-dealers, or fraudsters. They were men who’d known Law since he was young, who considered him family, and who followed his career.
It was close to midnight by the time Tito dropped us back off at Law’s apartment, telling Law, “I hope I don’t have to see you for a little while! You stay out of trouble, and focus on your game. I have money on you this week!”
As the car drove off, Law and I stood outside the hotel. Law took my hand in his again and met my eyes with his too-beautiful, turquoise gaze. I swear, a girl could lose herself in those eyes and never be able to find her way out. “Do you want me to take you back to your mother’s?” he asked softly.
I shook my head. No. I didn’t want to go back there.
“Do you want to come up?” he asked, and his voice held a wealth of meaning. Did I want to go upstairs with him? Yes. I’d wanted him since the last time I’d had him.
Together, we walked in and took the elevator up to his apartment. This time, we didn’t touch, and the tension was electric. By the time we entered his apartment, my skin was singing, begging for his hands.
Bad Ballers: A Contemporary Sports Romance Box Set Page 35
