by Bethany-Kris
Without a word, Serena fell into the closest kitchen chair with a loud sigh. She fiddled with some of Tommas’ papers on the table, never meeting her son’s gaze as he came to sit in the chair across from her.
“But Adriano is my nephew,” Serena said quietly.
“Sober up and you can come with me. Simple as that. Otherwise, my choice is firm.”
“Fine.”
Tommas was surprised his mother had given up so easily.
Standing from the table, Serena waved at the large kitchen. “When are you going to fill this home with a wife and children, Tommas? It’s empty.”
“When I get around to it,” he lied.
He had someone to fill the house with. It just wasn’t the right time.
“Sure,” Serena drawled, a slight slur sticking at the end of her tone.
“Go home, Ma. Get some more sleep.”
Thankfully, Serena went without an argument. Tommas walked his mother to the front door, said his goodbye, and opened it to watch her leave. A running cab waited out front for her. It made Serena’s sudden appearance all the more confusing. Clearly she hadn’t meant to stay for long.
Once Serena was gone from the driveway, Nate poked his head around the corner of the house. Nate’s most important job was to keep an eye on things when Tommas was at his house, and even when he wasn’t, unless directed to do something different.
“Sorry, boss,” Nate said. “I was going to stop her from going in, but she’s your mom and all.”
Tommas frowned. “It’s fine, Nate.”
“What did she want?”
That was a damn good question.
Tommas wasn’t entirely sure of the answer.
“Maybe she wants attention,” Tommas settled on saying. “Without Laurent, her house is full of nothing but her.”
“And alcohol,” Nate added.
“And that.”
“You good, boss?”
“Great. You want something to eat?” Tommas asked his enforcer.
“Nah, I picked up a sub on the way over.”
“All right.”
Tommas closed the front door, shutting out the early April wind, and made his way back to the kitchen. The cell phone in his pocket rang as he sat back down at the table. Pulling it out, Abriella’s new burner phone number flashed across the screen.
Smiling, Tommas picked up the call as he reached for the note that he’d kept. The note Abriella had written for him the day she came to his house and then left before he’d woken up. He liked to have it close, because it reminded him that Abriella was there in one way, even when she wasn’t.
“Hey,” Tommas said.
“Do you miss me?” Abriella asked.
“Always, baby.”
Tommas’ hand came up empty as he dug some more under the papers for the note. Confused, he flipped the pile over and began looking through each one in case he missed it. He hadn’t.
The note was gone.
“You there?” Abriella asked.
Unsettled over the missing note, Tommas brushed it off. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“You sound … different. Something happen?”
“No,” he said, hoping that was the truth.
The only person who had touched the papers was Serena.
Why would she take his note?
“Tommas?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you.”
Tommas forgot about the note and his mother. Abriella was more important.
“I already told you that I miss you,” he replied, chuckling.
“Have you figured out a way to steal me for the day yet?”
“Working on it.”
Quite literally.
Maybe for longer than just a day.
Tommas chose not to tell Abriella that, however.
“Joel is trying to keep us from the baby shower on Saturday,” she said sadly.
“Us?”
“Mom, Dad, and me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said honestly. “I know you want to go for Alessa.”
“Oh, I’m going,” Abriella replied, a fierceness that he loved coloring up her tone. “I’ll be there, Tommy.”
Tommas laughed. “Is that so?”
“We’re going. Mom, Dad, and me. It’s not for Joel to decide. He’s not ruining this for Alessa. Simple as that.”
He filed that information away, knowing Joel would probably be alone. It was the best time to strike a man.
“I’ll be there, too,” Tommas said.
“Sneaking me extra pieces of cake, huh?”
“Goddamn right.”
A few days later, Tommas strolled out of his home to meet Nate waiting with the Mercedes. Just as he pulled open the back passenger door to get in, two familiar figures came up behind him.
“Tommas, we should talk, old friend.”
Tommas scowled at the voices of the detectives. Delog and Crown just wouldn’t get the damn hint. In no way would Tommas talk to police. Not about the bombing, not about the Outfit, and not for fun, either.
They could go to hell.
“Kind of busy today, boys,” Tommas said, slipping into the car.
Detective Crown grabbed the car door before Tommas could close it. “Wait a sec, Tommy.”
Tommas eyed the man with as much disdain as he could manage. “Tommas. It’s Tommas.”
“We don’t know one another well enough yet to be on a nickname basis?” Delog asked.
“I would prefer if we weren’t on a first name basis, asshole.”
“Ouch,” Crown said. “Nasty today, are we?”
Tommas pulled on the door slightly, just enough to tell the man he wanted to close it. “As I said, I have a party to get to. My cousin’s baby shower. Nothing that you need or want is more important, I can assure you.”
“Now, now,” Delog drawled, shaking his head. “You still haven’t come down to the station again for a follow up interview about the footprints at your club or the other things we found. It’s been a month since the bombing happened.”
“And in another month, you’ll be here demanding I go down to the station again. Talk to my lawyer, it’s what I pay him for,” Tommas growled.
These damned investigators were seriously getting on his nerves. Tommas had noticed them following him more often, and they’d even question some of his employees at his businesses that had nothing to do with the club.
It was getting out of hand.
Tommas was going to have to handle these assholes at one point or another.
“You’re actively impeding our investigation, Tommas. Just make it easy on everyone and tell us who was with you that night at the club,” Crown said.
“As far as I can remember, no one was with me.”
“That’s what your lawyer keeps saying, too,” Delog stated, cocking a brow. “Funny, we don’t believe either of you. See, the problem we have is that whoever it was cared enough about you to be directly beside you when you were bleeding on the ground. We found smudged handprints on the inside of the exit doorjamb, which means whoever she was had been inside the club. She was also carrying your bag.”
“So maybe I hooked up with a girl that night and was going to take her home. It is a club, idiot. Beautiful, young women are a given. But, I can’t say for sure. I can’t remember. Ask the doctors.”
“We know you paid the man off to say whatever you wanted.”
Tommas smirked coldly. “Prove it.”
Delog’s cheek twitched.
Cops didn’t like being outwitted.
“We’ll get the info one way or another, Tommas,” Crown said lowly.
“I don’t see what difference it makes,” Tommas replied. “Other than the fact you two fools have been on my case for years, and you’re still trying to find something valuable enough to make me turn rat. Newsflash, boys, it isn’t going to happen.”
Crown held tight to the door. “I guess the boss’s seat is looking pretty damn fine from where you’re standing, isn’t
it?”
Tommas’ shoulders stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Delog waved two fingers at Tommas. “Have a good day, Tommas. Enjoy the party. See your people. We’ll be around, looking into things like always.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Crown let go of the door, finally. “It means the more you ignore us, the more we gather against you to use. We’d much rather have you work with us, than someone else.”
Someone else?
Tommas clenched his teeth and slammed the door shut. From the driver’s seat, Nate watched his boss warily in the rearview mirror.
“You okay?” Nate asked.
“Drive.”
“Tommas—”
“Drive!”
Nate pulled away from the detectives, letting the Mercedes tires squeal on damp pavement. Once they were far enough away that Tommas’ anger had faded, he relaxed into the seat and took a deep breath.
“Fucking bastards,” Tommas said to himself.
“They’re just digging for nothing, boss.”
“They’re looking for something.”
“They’ll still get nothing.”
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Tommas simply wanted to protect Abriella.
“It doesn’t matter,” Tommas said, waving his hand as if to shoo the problems away. “We have to focus today.”
“Right,” Nate agreed.
“Are you good to do the job? Can you do it?”
Nate scoffed. “Have I failed you before?”
“No.”
“And I won’t this time.”
Tommas smiled, knowing that was true. “Make sure you arrive back at the baby shower in lots of time to pick me up after you’ve finished the job.”
“Will do,” Nate said. “I’ll make sure it’s done, get out clean, and come back in lots of time to get you, boss. By the time they hear what happened to Joel, you’ll be back at your house planning the meeting for the Capos so you can take the seat. Simple.”
The remainder of Tommas’ stress melted away at his enforcer’s assurances. Nate was a good man—loyal to Tommas like nobody could ever possibly understand.
“One step closer,” Tommas murmured, staring at the buildings passing them by as they drove.
“Hmm, what’s that?” Nate asked.
“This is just one step closer to where I need to be.”
“Being boss?”
No, having Abriella.
Tommas didn’t correct the enforcer.
“Well?” Damian demanded.
Tommas brushed his cousin off, continuing his stroll around the food table. He picked from several desserts to fill the plate in his hand, and kept an eye on the woman across the room all the while. Abriella sat beside her sister, smiling and happy.
She had made it to the baby shower, as she said she would. Tommas had called the day before, just to make sure she was going to be there.
“Tommas, quit ignoring me,” Damian growled.
Setting his plate aside, Tommas said, “Nate will call me when it’s done.”
“And you’ve thought of everything.”
“Yes.”
Damian’s lips drew thin. “How can you be sure—”
“I’m sure that everything will go fine because I trust that Nate has been watching Joel enough to know the man’s habits. It’s a done deal, cousin. Leave it alone.”
“A done deal,” Damian echoed. “Then why do I feel like something bad just crawled up my back?”
“I don’t know. You always were strange like that.”
Leaving his grumbling, scowling cousin behind, Tommas strolled across the restaurant floor to greet the hosts of the day. Adriano had opened up one of his restaurants for the baby shower. There were no games to be played and no silliness happening. It was just a dinner between families and friends to celebrate the upcoming birth of their child.
“Oh, come on,” Abriella groaned when Tommas was close enough to hear her sweet voice.
“We don’t know, Ella,” Alessa said, laughing.
“Don’t know what?” Tommas asked, butting into the conversation.
Adriano bent down to press a kiss to his wife’s cheek before he stood, and offered Tommas his hand. Tommas took the handshake, and handed his plate to Adriano.
“Here, feed your wife,” Tommas said. “I hear she’s craving sweets.”
Abriella shot Tommas with a pointed look. She had let that little fact slip about Alessa’s pregnancy the last time they chatted.
“Thank you,” Adriano said.
“Now, what am I missing about knowing something?”
Alessa flashed a smile. “The gender of the baby.”
“She won’t tell anyone,” Abriella complained. “How are we supposed to buy the right colored stuff if she won’t tell us?”
“You buy me things all the time for the baby!”
“But cute girly or boy things, Lissa.” Abriella sighed. “You don’t get it.”
“If I knew the gender, I would tell you,” Alessa said.
“You know.”
“I do not.”
“You do,” Abriella muttered.
“She doesn’t,” Adriano said quietly. “But I do.”
Abriella’s smile turned almost predatory as her sights landed on Adriano. Tommas had to hold himself back from laughing. If his girl wanted something, she would get it come hell or high water.
“Do tell,” Abriella said.
Adriano chuckled. “I—”
“Adriano!” Alessa said loudly, smacking her husband in the thigh. “Be quiet. That was a mistake and you sneaked a look in the file. Now shut your mouth.”
Adriano made a zipper motion over his lips, shrugged, and then said, “I’m just gonna … go find Theo.”
“He’s being pestered by Lily at the bar,” Tommas said.
“She worries about him all the time,” Alessa put in.
“No, she loves him,” Adriano argued. “There’s a difference.”
“He has a wife, now,” Tommas said quietly.
“Eve says Theo owes Lily, for whatever reason.” Abriella smiled, adding, “So, I don’t think she cares what Lily bugs Theo about as long as he’s alive, you know.”
“You coming for a drink?” Adriano asked, his hand landing on Tommas’ shoulder.
Subtly, Tommas passed a look in Abriella’s direction. She was chatting quietly with her sister, seemingly oblivious to his attention. It was likely that she did know he was watching her, but they had always been damn good at this game.
There were far too many people at the baby shower. The restaurant was filled with family, friends, and last minute people who had heard about the party. It wasn’t the kind of event where Tommas was willing to risk being caught with Abriella. He’d done it before, sure, but today he was trying to watch his cards a little more carefully.
“Sure,” Tommas finally said. “But I’m not drinking.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Tommas stiffened at Adriano’s casual use of the term, but hid the reaction quickly enough. It had been said so easily that even Adriano didn’t catch his slip. Or maybe he knew exactly what he’d said, and he meant it.
Either way, Tommas liked it.
He just wasn’t the boss.
Yet.
A round of drinks later—minus Tommas—and laughter was shared between Capos and old friends of the Outfit. The men had gathered around the bar, snacking on whatever had been brought into the other side of the venue, while the women relaxed in the restaurant side with baby gifts and all that nonsense. An MMA fight played on the large flat screen television, earning bets from Damian, and Theo.
“Three grand on Jarv,” Theo said. “The man is a fucking beast. I had the pleasure of seeing him fight in Vegas a couple of years ago. Damn he’s good.”
“Yeah, but Louis has skills that Jarv doesn’t,” Damian noted. “Consider that. He’s what, Kung Fu, Mixed Martial Arts
, and Kick Boxing, right?”
“Jarv is still a beast.”
“Take Jarv, asshole.”
“I am,” Theo said. “Get that cash ready.”
Damian tried to smack his brother-in-law in the back of the head, only to be dodged by Theo’s defensive maneuver.
“Ha, you’re getting too slow for me,” Theo taunted. “Age is working against you, D.”
“Let’s go outside and see you say that,” Damian said, cocking a brow.
Theo smirked. “Later. Right now, I’m working on making you go broke.”
Amused by the men, but not wanting to get in on their bet, Tommas rested his back to the bar and watched the fight begin on the television. He was thankful for the invitation from Adriano to the baby shower. While it might seem like a small thing, it was anything but. Now that Joel was in one of his rages because of Theo and Evelina’s recent marriage, and Adriano was supporting his sister, Joel felt like Adriano had picked a side.
Tommas’ side, of course.
Offering Tommas the invitation to the baby shower only added to it all.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tommas caught sight of a smiling Abriella stand from her chair. She looked like she was getting ready to greet someone, but Tommas couldn’t see who it was. Alessa tried to stand as well, but Abriella waved her sister down.
Curious as to who it was that had the sisters looking as happy as they did, Tommas moved between the entryway of the restaurant’s two sections. He didn’t think the men would notice his absence considering how involved they were in the television.
Abriella’s smile made a lot more sense as Peter Trentini walked across the restaurant with gift bags in hand to greet his daughters. He set the gifts on the table as he hugged Abriella, and then bent down to kiss his younger daughter on the cheek.
Briefly, Tommas wondered where Sara was. When he talked to Abriella, she made it clear both her parents were coming. A trickle of concern ran down Tommas’ spine. His plans did not factor in someone else being with Joel today other than the man’s enforcer. Joel often left the Trentini mansion to do the most mundane things like run to the store, or make a trip for coffee. Nate had been watching. Tommas’ plan had been an easy, clean route of taking Joel out when his family wouldn’t be in any way involved and Nate could get out quickly.
