Page 89 of The Enforcer

Pain pills worked much better.

They made him euphoric enough that it all sort of felt okay, but kept him clear enough that he could do what he had to do.

With Mary, he had to take two.

’Cause, yeah, there just wasn’t enough synthetic euphoria in one pill.

Nova held out Tino’s backpack to him when he walked up to the warehouse with Bobby in tow. Nova had been talking to the bouncers, both Moretti muscle provided by the Borgata.

Again, as far as drug dealing went, Tino didn’t have it so bad. They liked to have someone young selling. What party girl wanted to buy ecstasy off some thirty-year-old creeper? It seemed to go a lot faster coming out of Tino’s hands, but at least his father had the place guarded.

Chances were they’d make sure Tino and Nova got away, ’cause that was what button men did. They took the fall. They took the bullet. They were the walls to protect the family, even secondhand Lost Boys from the family like Tino and Nova.

Tino opened the bag as the music from inside drifted out to the street.

He handed Bobby one bottle of water, one glow stick that had the ecstasy taped to the side, and then dug a large plastic bag out of the bottom and fished for four more individually bagged pills.

“Are you giving those to him?” Nova barked at him.

“That is my issue.” Tino lifted his head and glared at his brother. “I’ll cover the cost.”

“You give them to him every week. I’m your captain, motherfucker. You come up short, and it’s my ass.” Nova acted like it was a personal affront. “Or maybe he’s paying you in different ways.”

“Maybe he is.” Tino reached in his backpack and grabbed Nova’s poppers and handed them to him.

Bobby laughed at Nova. “You do poppers?”

“They make the roll more intense,” Nova explained without shame. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

“They make your dick soft,” Bobby reminded him.

“Bobby.” Nova got in his face and quirked a dark eyebrow. “Nothing makes my dick soft. I could go all night if I wanted to.”

“Is that true?” Bobby asked in surprise.

“Unfortunately.” Nova shoved the poppers into his back pocket. Then he took out a money clip with way too much cash in it, considering where they were, but someone would have to be certifiable to rob him. Nova was the don’s favorite pet genius, and everyone knew it. He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and reached over to shove it in Tino’s pocket, obviously deciding to contribute to the cost of Bobby’s ecstasy. Then he helped himself to a glow stick. “Grazie.”

“Don’t take the glow sticks. Take one of these.” Tino held out the bag of extras. “I only have a hundred glow sticks.”

Nova took one of the loose pills too, but he kept the glow stick.

“You’re gonna do two and the poppers?” Tino asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I am.”

Speaking of someone who wasted drugs.

“Fuck if I’m giving you three,” Tino growled at his brother. “I’m serious. Make ’em last, Casanova.”

Nova didn’t acknowledge him. He just opened the door and exposed Tino, even though Nova knew he wasn’t ready.

“Tino!”

“Fuck.” Tino growled and reached in his bag for another bottle of water. “Give this to my brother.” He handed it to Bobby. “Go now.”

Bobby pushed his way in even as everyone else came out to meet Tino.

“Don’t touch my bag. The first motherfucker who touches my bag gets thrown out,” Tino growled at the crowd and pointed to the door. “Inside. Go. No one gets anything on the street!”