His Dirty Bargain

by Fiona Murphy

  “I know, I’m sorry. Still up for going out for lunch, or do you want me

  to make you something?”

  “Out, I want some gnocchi from Dom’s place. I’ve been thinking about it since we had it.”

  “Sounds good.”

  It only takes me a few minutes to change. Lunch is just as delicious as I remember it. I think Enzo is as surprised as I am Dominic isn’t there. We both shrug, neither of us willing to wonder aloud where he might be.

  After we eat, we take a relaxing stroll down the main street, window shopping at a few places, going into others. I stop at the window of a used bookstore. It’s plain, but those are my favorite type. “Ah, it’s closed.” Enzo laughs. “What?”

  “This is Tony’s bookstore.”

  “Tony as in your uncle Tony? He has a bookstore?” Out of everything he could have said his uncle operated a book store was not what I was expecting.

  Nodding, he chuckles. “Yeah, he’s had it forever. His bookie business, where men come to lay bets is downstairs around the back. He’s a huge reader, Dominic too. Apparently my grandmother loved reading, she wanted to be a writer.”

  “Wow, that is so weird Nonna wanted to be a writer. She wrote a few stories and even tried to get two published but nothing ever came of it. She still writes but hasn’t tried to publish anything else.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Enzo, seriously, you don’t think it’s kind of weird?”

  “Not really, I’m sure there are millions of people who wanted to be a writer. I would venture to guess it’s as common as wanting to become doctors.”

  “You know I keep meaning to ask Bethany, but I’m worried it would offend her, why did she quit practicing after only two years? She doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest about going back either.”

  He stiffens as he looks down at me, then back up to the light we’re waiting for. “Something happened that changed her mind about working for the mobile clinic. She decided she’d rather take the time to have and raise the kids her and Dante want. Then once they are grown she’ll figure out using her degree later.”

  It hurts he doesn’t trust me with what happened. “You’re seriously not going to tell me?”

  A hand goes through his hair, something he only does when he’s frustrated. He tugs me to the edge of a sidewalk. “The clinic had been robbed once before, but when it was closed. Which was stupid, they didn’t keep anything worth stealing, no drugs or anything on site. Then there was an actual robbery, someone stuck a gun in her face. Dom got involved. He’d wanted to get involved the first time but Dante said no; this time Dante said yes. I’m not going to go into it, but Dom doesn’t...he sent a message. Bethany felt guilty about what happened even though Dante tried to explain the people who died, none of them were innocent of a damn thing.”

  I suck in air fast. Holy shit. People, as in more than one, as in—I get it now. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—I don’t know I’m just sorry.”

  He shrugs as he grabs the back of his neck. “You couldn’t have known. Although this time I think it’s better you asked me rather than Bethany. She still gets upset if the clinic even gets mentioned.”

  “So Dom, it’s real like...”

  His eyes narrow. “You don’t know much about Tony and Dom, do you?”

  My stomach drops at the quiet words, at the way they imply so much more. Shaking my head, “When I moved here I shrugged off the whole Outfit talk. I don’t watch television, don’t even have one. Maybe you should tell me what I need to know to not look like an idiot in front of your family.”

  Taking a deep breath, he nods. “Let’s go take a seat in Lincoln Park.”

  I slide my hand into his as we cross the street. It’s not far, and as we walk we’re both quiet. People are everywhere with the beautiful weather we’re having. We manage to find an empty park bench.

  “The Sabatinis, the story goes one of our forefathers was a founding member from Sicily. My great-grandfather came from Sicily straight to Chicago. After Capone went to jail, the family was in chaos. One of his tenants though was they don’t make waves. His business was pretty basic, book making, booze, and loan sharking. He carved out four blocks by three and they’ve been Sabatini ever since. My father, he hated everything about his family, the whole hit man thing is movie shit. When someone needs to be taken care of, it’s whoever can get close to them. For my grandmother’s brother, that was my grandfather. I don’t know how it happened, but my father found out my grandfather killed his brother-in-law because business said he had to. My father was only seventeen, but he walked away from his family.”

  Enzo sighs. “He wasn’t too good to take their money though. Dad got into Yale but he couldn’t pay for it. His father could and did, but still Dad trashed the old man any time he could. Tony, he married young, had two kids. Anthony Junior and Dominic. Tony has always been careful, and I believe he tried to instill that in his kids. But Tony’s wife died of an overdose, she got hooked on prescription pills after a car accident messed up her back. Anthony Junior blamed Uncle Tony, and he tried to go out on his own. He got involved in moving guns; the only problem was he didn’t vet who he was dealing with. When he opened the back of the truck, it wasn’t filled with just guns, it was filled with women. Tony and his father before him were always insistent: they don’t run women, they never deal with trafficking, hell they don’t touch drugs or guns, the hardest they’ll go is liquor.”

  His elbows go down on his knees as he leans forward. “Anthony said, no. He didn’t want any part of it. Maybe if he had just walked away...but he didn’t. With all of one backup against five other men, he put a gun in a guy’s face, Michael Corsia, and told him to let the women go. Corsia could take the guns, but the women walked away. The women were worth more than the guns though so Corsia said no, he pulled his own gun and shot Anthony dead.”

  I lean against him, laying my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t know him. I wish I did. I only met Tony four, maybe five times before my father died, when my mother took me with her to go see Tony for money. Our father was determined to keep us from his family. And everything I’m telling you, it’s in the court transcripts, or if you dig a little deep into the newspapers. Tony, he went a little nuts. There were five men there that night, and a guy behind the wheel of the truck. All of them were dead within seven days.”

  “He got five years for killing six men?”

  “No, there was only a witness to one of the murders. None of the others could stick because of a lack of witnesses or evidence.”

  “Dom, he said everyone went through something. I thought he was just being a dick but fuck, he wasn’t. His mom, his brother, then his dad all taken from him one after another.”

  “Yeah, it was rough. There he was only fifteen and fighting to keep Tony’s business together—”

  “Fifteen?” What the hell?

  “Yeah, we’re the same age, only a few months separate us. His mom died when he was fourteen, then Anthony the next year. Then men in the Outfit were hungry for Tony’s business, for his cut. He refused to back down. Dom was the one who started the underground fighting, he lined up college kids too dumb to know better. He also got poker games going in the dorms, frat boys who watched too much television and thought they were the next poker star.”

  I’m still in awe. “Fifteen.”

  “He didn’t look it, no one would guess he was younger than his twenties. No one questioned him, ever. Tony was sentenced to five years but he only did three, and in those three years Dom made Tony’s business stronger. It also helped he moved into less illegal business, but he still handles gambling, loans, and illegal booze. And before I forget, I should tell you about one thing you won’t find in a newspaper. Tony does handle women, but he doesn’t run them. They came to him for protection. They work when they want to out of a building he owns. The whole economic downturn has women with master’s degrees barely making enough to pay their rent, and s
ex always sells.”

  I sag against Enzo. “Man, I think I need a drink. It’s all a lot to take in.”

  His arm goes around me. “Is it a problem?”

  “What? No. I mean I knew the mob, the Outfit. I guess I thought it was...I don’t know, somehow removed, though. Ignore me. I get it. It isn’t a problem. Dante mentioned the street fighting one time when he told me how Cesare had his nose broken, that you both fought for money when you were younger. Even if I didn’t know Tony and Dominic, I can understand why they have done the things they’ve done. I’m not here to judge anyone when I haven’t been forced to make the same decisions. I’m glad you told me though. I would have hated to stumble into something so sensitive. About Dominic’s mother, was it really an accidental overdose?”

  A nod. “From everything Dom has said about his mother, there was no way she would have died in her bed in the same thing she’d been wearing for three days straight with her hair a mess. Apparently she was a tad dramatic, and prized looks above everything else.”

  “I’m glad you guys finally got Tony and Dominic in your lives. It sounds like you all needed each other.” I mean it. Even with all the daunting things about the two men I’ve learned today.

  “There were all of four people at my parents’ funeral, and Dom was one of them. He gave his number to each one of us, not just Che, and told us if we needed anything, money, a place to stay, to call him. No one else told us that. The important thing is he meant it. Dante has had asthma since he was a kid, then he got pneumonia and medicine was expensive. Che went to Dom for a job where he could make money without going to jail, our social worker was at our place every damn week for those first few months. Dom put him in the ring. It wasn’t pretty but it paid the bills. Then when the time came, he increased the payout. By the time Tony was out there was enough money saved that Tony could sell Che a property for what he paid for it.

  “Tony checked up on us, made sure we had what we needed, but he kept his distance to protect us. We only met up once or twice a year, we had dinner and drinks at the club. Other than that it was pretty casual, some calls in between mainly about property to buy and that kind of thing. You know how Dom keeps saying no family discounts? He does it to protect us, that way it doesn’t look like we’re doing a deal with a mobster and it could look bad against us. When Tony didn’t hesitate to help if needed for a situation with Che and Alicia, Che said fuck it and made sure Tony and Dom got invitations for every family gathering.”

  “Bethany said Tony visits Alicia twice a week to help with Matteo.”

  “Yeah, he picked up on her being lonely out in the suburbs while Bethany was at school and Che at work. Tony loves playing grandpa.”

  “Do you think Dominic will ever make him a grandpa for real?”

  “Never say never. Why, got a friend you want to introduce him to?”

  I laugh. “Not anyone I hate enough to inflict him on. Who am I kidding, Russell is my only real friend.”

  “Speaking of Russell, let’s get home to get changed.”

  “Sir, yes, sir.”

  ***

  Chloe

  I’m trying, I really am, but I do not like Adam. It could be the way he pats Russell as if he were saying “good dog.” Or it could be the way he seems to talk down to both me and Russell, as if what he’s saying is too complicated for us to understand. I want to be happy for my best friend, who is looking at Adam as if he’s found his every wish come true.

  For the umpteenth time I bite my inner lip to keep from responding with sarcasm. Damn, I’ve been doing it so much my lip hurts. “Wait, Russell, you’re going to quit your job?”

  Adam answers for him, the way he has almost every time I asked Russell a question. “It makes sense. I make more money. Besides, why have children if you’re going to have someone else raise them? Russell and I believe at least one parent should be home. Especially if we’re going to adopt from the foster system. Those kids have been through all sorts of trauma they need to come into a stable environment with someone they know is always going to be there for them.”

  I want to stab him with my fork. He annoys me even more by making sense. To avoid arguing, I sip my wine. “It’s just, Russell really loves what he does. I understood Russell does pretty good financially too. Why can’t you split working so both of you can be with the kids, while Russell can also keep a foot in a profession he’s worked so hard to advance in?”

  An annoying laugh that grates on my nerves. “Russell does okay, but I make far more. I mean, that’s like saying Enzo is going to become a stay-at-home dad. There’s no real comparison.”

  “Actually, Enzo is becoming the stay-at-home parent. I’m not going to quit my job to stay home.” The shock on both Russell’s and Adam’s faces flicks the realization in me. I might have opened my big mouth too damn wide. I look to Enzo; oh shit, he’s made of stone, something he hasn’t been in weeks. “I mean, Enzo is working from home. He’s not going to stop working or anything.”

  Enzo’s hand comes down on my wrist; his grip is tight, signaling me to shut the fuck up. “I will work from home. We’ll have a nanny. I simply want to be around my child. Since it doesn’t matter if I work from home or in my office, I would rather work my fourteen-hour days at home where I can see my children for more than an hour out of the day. I would appreciate it if you didn’t repeat what you learned tonight.”

  Both Russell and Adam stumble over themselves to reassure Enzo of course they won’t, but I wither inside as I can see Enzo isn’t sure he can believe them. Dinner doesn’t get any better, everyone is stiff, and only ten minutes later it comes to an end.

  Russell hugs me close, whispering, “We’ll talk later.”

  I nod as he gets into a cab.

  Enzo hails a cab then opens the door for me. Everett doesn’t drive him on the weekends. The moment the door is closed, I reach for him and I wilt when he avoids my touch. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t think. Russell won’t say a word.”

  “But you don’t know if Adam will or not. Not now, at home.” He raps the words out.

  I curl into the door on my side. I’m praying Russell can keep Adam from spilling it. Would Adam’s loyalty to Russell outweigh his need to share insider information people would pay millions to know?

  Enzo keeps the impression of a stone statue going all the way up the elevator and into the condo. He doesn’t look at me even once we’re in the condo. I can only watch, helpless as he goes into the home office. Leaning against the doorframe, I look on as he barks into his phone a request for a background check on Adam, everything from today to his teens, including known associates of note. Then he’s disconnecting his laptop before sliding it in the bag. Which means he’s going into the office.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You said that already. I need to go into the office.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to rework my schedule so I’m high profile in full work mode. Next weekend is cancelled.”

  “Enzo—”

  “Do you really not understand what that information could do to the fund? If it gets out that I’m not a hundred percent invested in working on it every damn day, fourteen hours a day, we’re talking losses up to fucking billions. Trillions, Chloe, I have over a trillion dollars in assets under management. If even a few investors get shaky, it could cause a run that could sink the whole damn fund and all the investments in it.” Shaking his head, he pushes past me into the hall and walks out without looking back.

  21

  Chloe

  I wake up alone, the same way I fell asleep. I check Enzo’s pillow, and my heart sinks; there isn’t even an indent. Where did he sleep? Even though I tried to stay awake, the last time I checked the clock it was a little after midnight.

  How the fuck can I fix this? It’s fixable, right? My phone ringing yanks me out of my misery. Thank fuck it’s Russell’s ringtone.

  “Pussycat, you okay?”

  “No, Enzo
is pissed, like next level pissed. Please tell me Adam can and will keep his mouth shut?” Silence, oh fuck. “What, Russell? Tell me.”

  Russell sniffs. “He swore he wouldn’t tell, swore on his mother and he’s a real mama’s boy but then he...” Another sniff. “He wondered if Enzo could hook him up with Anton and Burton or at least write him a reference. I’m sorry. I thought he was better than that.”

  God damnit, Anton and Burton is the number-one financial advisory firm in Chicago. They handle the one percent and have been around since the birth of Chicago. I have to tell Enzo. “We all fuck up, like, you know, saying your fiancé isn’t going to helm his trillion-dollar hedge fund over dinner with someone you’ve met all of once before. This is all on me.”

  “I’m sorry, pussycat.”

  “Me too. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Hanging up, I take a deep breath and call Enzo. I’m not sure if I’m relieved or not when it goes to voice mail. As quickly and succinctly as possible, I repeat what Russell said, and because I can’t think of anything else I say I’m sorry, again.

  It’s noon and I should be going to lunch, but I’m not hungry. All I can do is stare at my phone, hoping for something from Enzo. My work phone rings.

  “Hello?”

  “This is Pauline, Enzo’s assistant. He asked me to let you know he’s gone to England to check out an investment. He expects to be back in a few days.”

  “Gone? As in, he left already?”

  “An hour ago, yes.”

  “Fucker.” I exhale, then realize she hasn’t hung up yet. “I’m so sorry—”

  She starts laughing. “He’s in a snit, give him time. He’ll be back you can make him pay then.”

  Blushing, I mumble a thank-you and hang up. God, how embarrassing. It’s even more embarrassing Enzo had his assistant call me. Anger overtakes my guilt, and I pull out my cell phone.

  Don’t you dare have your assistant or anyone else do your dirty work again. This fight is between me and you. Keep everyone else out of it. Next time grow a pair of balls and text me or call me yourself. I’m going home if you’re going to run away.