Page 45 of The Enforcer

“She’s at her father’s house in the Hamptons.All summer.I have no one else to play with, and you—”

“Fuck,” Frankie groaned. “Just don’t let your mother catch you.” He snapped his fingers and pointed to the door. “Come on, pal.”

Nova gave him a look of annoyance. “Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah. Let’s take a ride.”

“I’m gonna pass on that.” Nova turned back to the paperwork on the table in front of him.

“Look, smart-ass, I’m being real nice right now.” Frankie’s voice was low in warning. “I signed your papers. Twice. Now you do me a favor. The boys are downstairs and—”

“No,” Nova said simply. “Whatever it is, fuck, no.”

Carina screamed with how fast Frankie moved, but Tino’s voice was trapped in his chest when he saw the way Frankie fisted Nova’s hair and jerked his head back over the edge of the couch.

“I’m not used to people arguing with me when I ask for something,” Frankie growled, getting in Nova’s face. “Capisce?”

“I guess you’re gonna have to get used to it.” Nova raised his eyebrows, not bothering to fight the hold Frankie had on his hair. “I’mnotdoing it.”

“You think you’re smart?” Frankie laughed, as if a part of him was genuinely amused.

“Yeah,” Nova said without wincing. “I think I’m smart.”

Frankie pulled a gun out from the back of his jeans. He shoved it against Nova’s forehead so hard it made athunk. Every muscle in Tino’s body tightened. His pulse was thundering, but he couldn’t jump at Frankie when he had his finger on that trigger.

“How smart are you now, you little shit?” Frankie asked with a dark smile.

“Do it.” Nova kept his eyes open, staring unflinchingly at Frankie as he kept his head wrenched back over the side of the couch. “Idareyou.”

“Casanova!” Tino shouted.

At the same time Carina screeched, “Daddy! NO!”

“DO IT!” Nova screamed when Frankie seemed to waver. “Shoot me! Blow my brains out, motherfucker!”

Tino’s pulse was still thundering in his ears as Nova’s pain suddenly exploded in the room. For that one instant, Tino could almost feel how heavy Nova’s brain felt inside his head. He wanted out so badly none of them, not even Frankie, knew how to respond to it.

Carina, who probably had more stugots than anyone, whispered, “He’s my brother. You can’t kill my brother in front of me. I’ll be traumatized for life.”

Frankie pivoted, and Tino thought he was pointing the gun at Carina. At some point in the confrontation she had crawled Tino like a tree and was practically sitting on his chest.

“Get up, Tino.” Frankie’s eyes were narrowed. There was a vein pulsing on his forehead, making it obvious he wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t used to people arguing with him. “Right now.”

Tino didn’t say anything, just kept completely still. If someone told him a week ago this would be his life, sitting there with his father pointing a gun at him while the sister he didn’t know existed sat on his chest like a human shield, Tino would’ve told them to stop smoking so much.

“Daddy,” Carina whispered. “Please.”

“Get outta here, Carina!” Frankie gestured to the door with the gun.

He really wasnotsmart.

He’d forgotten about Nova.

Who was apparently suicidal.

Very angry.

Andcrazyfast.