BABY FOR A PRICE: Marino Crime Family

by Kathryn Thomas

  “Tonight,” I replied. “By yourself. It’s only good for one person.”

  “What time?”

  “Midnight,” I managed. “After hours. Or else everyone will want one!”

  He laughed, a pleasant, easy sound.

  “I’ll be there.” His eyes flashed with amusement, and I could tell he thought he had my reasoning figured out. Well, he was in for a surprise.

  Finishing off his wine, he got to his feet and stretched. I noticed for the first time the defined muscles beneath his shirt, toned and strong. I felt that flutter in my chest again but tried to ignore it.

  “I guess I should take your number,” I said. “Let you know what’s happening.”

  “No problem.” He pulled out a card from his pocket and slid it across the table to me. “Just call me when you need me.”

  “Will do,” I breathed.

  “See you later.” He flashed me a smile and turned to leave the restaurant. As soon as he was out, the kitchen door opened, and Lily came out with her hands on her hips.

  “Did I just hear you offer that guy a free meal?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Care to explain why?”

  I leaned in close, making sure none of the other staff could hear us. “I think he might be the dude who saved me last night. I just need more time, that’s all.”

  “So, you kissed him, and now you’re inviting him out for dinner?” She grinned, teasing me. “You’re such a romantic, Sab.”

  “Oh, fuck off,” I shot back, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Yeah, maybe there was still a little bit of the old romantic left in me.

  Chapter Six

  “… yeah, thanks, Tom. You’ve got my number if you find out anything new. Thanks for the help, anyway.”

  I hung up the phone, ending the call I had been on with one of my old partners, Tom. We had worked together quite a bit when I first fell into the assassin game - it was tough work, emotionally and physically grueling, and Tom was there to pull me through it when it got too tough to handle. He was always on my side, treating me like a surrogate son. When he retired, he promised me that if I ever needed anything, including help getting out of the game, he would be there.

  He’d been one of a series of calls I’d made that day trying to figure out what had happened in the Marino side of town that had led to Sabrina getting involved. I was certain of it - it had been Marino men who’d been sent out to hurt her, if not worse, but I just couldn’t figure out why. I hadn’t heard her name (or her family name) in connection to any mob stuff, and I just couldn’t put the pieces together in my head. Luckily, my investigative instincts were still as strong as they’d ever been, so I put them to work trying to piece together the truth.

  From what I could gather, the Marino’s were finally getting round to expanding their empire. I had always known this was coming. After all, Leo Marino wasn’t the kind of man who would just sit on his ass, content with what he already had. No, I had worked with him briefly, back in the day, and he had been the scariest kind of mobster. The kind who you didn’t even really want on your side because he would turn on a dime and have you taken out before you could figure out what the hell you did wrong in the first place.

  And Leo wanted to expand their business operations out into Sabrina’s part of town. Her restaurant was prime real estate - good price, good location, good size, just the kind of place they would need to run operations from. Most people I knew of wouldn’t go down the route of chasing out the previous owners just because they had a good spot in town, but Leo was the type of guy who wanted to make an impression on everyone around him whenever he arrived somewhere new. Obviously, scaring away Sabrina (or worse) by sending his vicious little goons after her was his way of spreading the news that he was now part of that part of the neighborhood. Setting his guys out to assault her was a way for him to demonstrate that no-one was safe from his machinations.

  It had taken a lot of calling around to figure out exactly what was going on, and I was still holding off on getting in contact with a few people. I didn’t want my name to get mentioned too much in the same sentence as Leo’s, if I could avoid it, so I would space out my investigating to be sure that I didn’t get in any trouble. The last thing I needed was to put myself on his radar as the guy who had killed both of his men. Shit, if I’d known the attack was related to him… I wouldn’t like to think that I would ever leave someone in that kind of danger, but I had potentially dropped Sabrina and myself into a whole world of shit by saving her and killing the two of them. As far as she was concerned, they were just a pair of violent assholes who were now long-dead, and she could begin to put the whole thing behind her. Me, though? I knew that this was very likely just the beginning. As soon as Leo figured out what was going on, things were going to take a very nasty turn.

  I put my feet on the windowsill and stared out into the watery mid-afternoon sky. Where did I go from here? I knew these people; I’d worked closely with these people. I knew that they would stop at nothing to get Sabrina out of the way- they’d already threatened her with rape, for Christ’s sake, and they would have gone through with it had I not been there. How do I not put myself in their way and defend her from this?

  I stared at my cell for a moment. Well, there was a way to keep an eye on everything. From the inside. I had promised myself that I would never go back there, but… if it was to keep her safe. Yes, I had no decent recent to be so attached to her so soon after meeting her, but after saving her once, I was committed to keeping her safe. And I guess most importantly, she didn’t deserve any of this. She had done nothing wrong. That was maddening to me, especially now I was on the outside. But it didn’t have to be like this.

  I tapped through the contacts in my phone and came across the codename Leo used to keep in touch with his hitmen, the name of a Chinese takeout place. He had insisted I kept the number on my phone even after I left; I had thought it stupid, hoping I would never have to bother getting in touch with him again, but he seemed insistent. In fact, it was the last thing he asked of me. And you didn’t say no to Leo, even though I had quit at the time and had one foot out the door, I knew that saying no would only end with me becoming victim to one of my former co-workers. I was pretty sure is was a culpability thing; that I’d be less likely to hand him in when his number was still fresh on my phone. Whatever it was, I had hoped that I would never have to use it again. Every time I scrolled past the number, I felt a little shudder of horror as I remembered all the terrible things I’d done for the person at the other end of the line. And now, here I was, thinking about calling him again.

  I hovered my finger over the “call” button for a moment or two, hesitating. Did I really want to do this? If I went back, it would be even harder to extricate myself, and I had the blood of two of Leo’s men on my hands. I couldn’t be certain that they were Leo’s men. Hell, assholes did asshole shit every day of the month, but it they were, I needed to get on the inside. And besides, if he figured out that I was the one who had put those two assholes in the ground, I wouldn’t be far behind them. It would be smarter to get him back on side before he figured out that I was the one who took the two of them down. If I could gain his trust again, I might be able to drip some poison about someone else into his ear and throw the suspicion off me.

  I pressed the button before I could back out. I wasn’t sure what compelled me to do it, but it happened almost without a second thought. The phone buzzed a couple of times, during which I had to fight the urge to slam it back down, and eventually, Leo’s voice came down the line.

  “Golden Wok Takeout, how can I help you?”

  “Leo, it’s me, Anthony,” I muttered. I could already feel the dark, sticky awfulness creeping up on me once again, lapping around my feet as it had done all those years ago. His voice was familiar, in the way that nasty little voice in the back of your head that hates you and wants you to know it is familiar too.

  “Anthony? Anthony Dor
ello?” He sounded dumbfounded. “What the fuck are you doing getting in touch with me?”

  He sounded pissed, but then, Leo never exactly sounded full of the joys. He had told me that if I ever wanted to come back, I could, but I knew that would come with some element of groveling. He wasn’t the type who worked on reasonable boundaries; no, he enjoyed twisting the knife, making sure everyone knew why he was the one in charge of this operation. How long had I worked for him? Ten years, maybe? And he still talked to me like I was an affront to his very existence.

  “I… I want to get back in the game, Leo,” I told him. I couldn’t believe the words were coming out of my mouth - not after all the times I’d sworn to myself that I was done, that there was nothing anyone could do to drag me back in there. I closed my eyes, pressing my fingers to my temples. I tried to still my brain, but it wasn’t working. It was begging me to stop, to slam the phone down and write it off as a dumb prank.

  “What in the name of holy fuck are you talking about.” Leo didn’t phrase it as a question. “You serious?”

  “Deadly.”

  He laughed coldly down the line at my accidental pun. He always had had a twisted sense of humor.

  “You best not be fucking with me here, Ant, because I could really do with someone like you on the team again.” His voice was measured and calm, though I could hear the hint of a threat beneath the cool surface.

  “I’m not fucking with you,” I promised. “I need the money.”

  There was a pause down his end of the line as if he was considering my offer. Then, with a small snort, he replied, “I never thought I’d be saying this, but yeah. Come back. You can still find me at the same place… just come by tomorrow sometime. I’ll fill you in on everything.”

  “Okay.” I tried not to sigh. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was going back to Leo, to the Marinos, to everything.

  “Oh, and be careful - some guy’s been asking around after us, apparently, so don’t tell anyone that you’re back with me,” Leo warned before he hung up.

  I tossed the cell onto my counter and ran my fingers through my hair. So, I had already aroused some suspicion. I was off to a flying start, clearly.

  Much as I tried to make light of the decision I had just made, I knew there was no getting away from it. I had gone backward. I had started out taking on jobs for people like the Marinos when I was sixteen, a full-fledged hitman by twenty, and retired and out of the game six years after that. And now, less than twenty-four months beyond my retirement, I was back. Not just back, but aligning myself with one of the most deeply unpleasant men I’d ever had the lack of pleasure to meet.

  And what for? For her. I could tell myself all I wanted that this was out of curiosity or a sense of adventure or whatever, but I would have kept my nose well out of it unless she was involved. Sabrina. I tested her name in my head as if trying it on for size. What was it about her? I stared up at the ceiling and tried to figure out if I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life. Because it felt a hell of a lot like I did.

  Chapter Seven

  Everyone else had cleared out of the restaurant, leaving just me. I felt a little stab of nervousness - this is how it had been the night before when the attack had happened. But one of the chefs had offered to stop by and walk me home if I wanted him to, and I wasn’t planning on wandering the streets late at night anymore anyway. No, I had a plan tonight, and none of it involved leaving this building.

  I focused as best I could on cooking - it was what had got me into this business, after all, and I still loved it after all these years. My mom had taught my sister and me to cook when we were pretty young, and we’d bonded over putting together meals for the whole family. Every Sunday night, everyone - all four of us, plus my grandparents on both sides and my aunts and uncles - would pile into the house and Mom would need help putting together enough food to keep them all fed and happy. The amount my family ate, that alone was a herculean task, and I was usually the one roped into helping her out. But I didn’t mind. I had always loved to cook for people, whether it was the calm peace I found putting together a simple meal for one person or the gloriously messy panic of cooking in a professional restaurant kitchen. Either way, it was my happy place, and I was glad to have the distraction before he got there.

  I didn’t want anything too fancy, just enough to keep him eating for a while so I could ask him all the questions I had in mind. I lit candles, went the whole nine yards. Part of me felt like this was a date - if I was being honest, a lot of me did. That kiss was lingering in my mind, and I couldn’t figure out why. The situation had been so… ugh, the worst I’d found myself in a long time, but being with him as I had earlier that day made me want to do more. There was that mix of attraction and confusion mixed with more emotions than I could get a handle on by myself whenever I laid eyes on him, and I wasn’t sure what to do with them.

  Just as I laid out the plates, a knock came on the door. My head whipped around, and I felt a sudden jolt of anxiety - but it was him. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, then went over and let him in.

  “Evening,” he greeted me with a half-smile. I nodded towards the table.

  “Your dinner’s ready.”

  As he walked across the room, I realized something.

  “I don’t even know your name,” I called after him, still standing by the door. He glanced over his shoulder, smiling slightly. My heart fluttered in my chest, and I tried my best to keep my obvious attraction off my face for the time being.

  “Anthony. Anthony Dorello.”

  “Well, good to meet you, Anthony. I’m Sabrina.”

  He paused for a moment, waiting for me to join him. I finally made my way over to him, and lit by the candles, his features looked ever softer and sweeter than they had before. He was dressed smart, in a suit jacket and a tie, and he pulled the chair out for me so I could sit down. I did so, and he took his place opposite me.

  “This looks amazing,” he commented, picking up his knife and fork.

  “Carbonara, it’s the house specialty,” I replied modestly. “My mom taught me to cook it. One of the first things I ever learned to make.”

  “I’m starving.” He glanced up at me. “Lucky thing I won this meal tonight.”

  “Yeah, lucky,” I breathed. It was him. I was certain of it. Before, his presence had taken me by surprise - I hadn’t been ready for him. But this time, knowing what I was expecting, there were no two ways about it. I was looking at the man who had saved me, and that only made my attraction to him grow. Why was that? I mean, he would forever be associated with one of the worst things that had ever happened to me, but for some reason, I found myself drawn to him. I realized I was leaning slightly towards him over the table, and quickly checked myself. I was practically throwing myself at him already, and I needed to hold back. After all, I couldn’t forget what this man was capable of, what he’d done to those men. There was a good chance he was seriously dangerous, and I didn’t want that in my life if it might affect me.

  We began to eat, and he asked me about the restaurant - when it opened, how my staff were, and if we had any regulars. Whenever I tried to ask him a question about his past, he deflected neatly, answering in vague half-sentences that didn’t seem to come to much. The more he avoided my questions, the more determined I became to pull some answers from him. I assumed he must have something to hide - people didn’t usually just stumble into having the talents he did by mistake. I wondered what he did to get them. Was he a personal trainer? Some gym nut who decided to play the hero? Or was it something darker than that? I couldn’t shake the questions from my brain, and as we finished up our meal, I simply observed him in silence for a few seconds. I needed to know what this guy’s deal was, but I didn’t know how to get a straight answer from him.

  He dabbed his lips with the napkin and took another sip of the wine I’d opened for us. He let out a small, satisfied noise, and flicked his gaze up to meet mine again. The silence betw
een us felt comfortable but also loaded as if each of us were waiting for the other to do something.

  “That was amazing, thank you,” he smiled at me across the table, and I felt a small flip in my stomach. My scalp began to prickle. I recognized the feelings for what they were - attraction. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been attracted to someone the way I was to Anthony. Generally, my love life went on the back burner so I could take care of the restaurant. I’d had a few boyfriends since I moved to the city, but not many - I guessed I came with too much baggage, what with my sister and the restaurant and everything else. For most of the guys I met, I was simply too independent; I didn’t need anyone to get by, and that threw a lot of them for a loop. They wanted me to need them, and I just wanted to want them. But Anthony… he didn’t seem put off by the fact that I was in control of my own life. And that just made me more attracted to him.

  Here I was, sitting across from a man who had saved my life and who also may or may not have been seriously dangerous, trying my hardest to ignore the fact that all I wanted to do was lean across the table and kiss him again. I touched my fingers to my lips without thinking, trying to recreate the feeling of his mouth against mine, then blushed and looked away. God, I was acting like a teenager with a crush. I had forgotten how to flirt without just crawling into his lap and asking him to take me there and then.