Page 104 of The Enforcer's Revenge

“Well, I’d have to change again.” Maria looked down at her outfit. “It’d help if I were more glitter right now. Soft filter isn’t tragic enough if I’m playing a game with the Feds.” She reached out, grabbing the edge of Tino’s jacket, her fingers slipping toward his inside pocket. “Is she really dead? It’s not a game?”

Tino knew what she was looking for because he spent three years putting pills in Maria’s open hand. Tino grabbed her wrist this time and kissed the inside of it with pure adoration.

“I would never play you like that, mama. You’re one of my favorite people in the world.” Tino said it like he meant it,because he did. “Stay soft filter for both of us. It looks good on you. I like it.”

“Yeah?” she asked him as tears rolled down her face.

“Lola would dig it. Kinda reminds me of her.”

“She was always very soft filter,” Maria said distantly. “She’s the one I learned it from. No matter what, she kept it beautiful.”

Tino swallowed hard, the knot in his throat making it impossible to say more.

“Did your zio make him suffer?” Maria asked, sounding heartbroken in a way that Tino knew wasn’t an act.

“I’m sure of it,” Tino promised. “He worshiped her.”

“Well, then fuck the Feds, keeping their wall all to themselves.” Maria got back to her feet. “I do need to change, and I’ll have to call my father, and get some contact information.” She pointed at Tino. “In the meantime, it doesn’t matter how dirty Tony likes it, a shower is a necessity for you. I wasn’t lying about that.”

“I’ll take a shower,” Tino promised as Maria walked out like a woman on a mission, and for the first time in a long time, Tino actually felt genuine pity for the Feds.

When she was out of earshot, Tony whispered, “Did that work?”

“That worked.” Tino breathed a sigh of relief. “Maybe she’ll get good intel. Something Nova could actually use.”

“Besides the pictures.” Tony smirked again. “How much do you think I could sell them to Bobby for?”

Tino flipped him off and then reached in his pocket for his phone. “You wanna see what my girl looks like? She’s got this new role at her school inA Chorus Line. She’s looking really good.”

“Yeah, sure.” Tony seemed to be pacifying Tino, playing his game, whatever it was.

The truth was, Tino’s hands were still shaking from nerves, and he needed to see Brianna himself. He ignored the huge list of notifications and texts on his phone and went to his photos.

He found a set of pictures he took of her at rehearsal, dancing, and picked his favorite. Tino zoomed in and handed his phone to Tony. “See, legs.”

Tony nodded, looking at the picture. “She’s tight.”

Tino reached over, sliding his finger up the screen to give Tony the full tour. “Ass.” He moved the picture higher. “Cute, right? Doesn’t even need a bra. They’re that fucking pert.” He zoomed into the top of the screen, feeling his chest almost hurt as he stared at Brianna. “Face.”

Tony looked to him with an arched eyebrow. “I thought she was a redhead.”

“Man, that’s a wig.” Tino took his phone back and paged through his photos again. “I’ll show you one with her hair down.”

Tino found a picture he took of Brianna on the beach in Seaside Heights. She was smiling, looking happy, with sunglasses pushed up on top of her head and the sun glinting in her hair. He handed his phone to Tony and just sat there, looking at her from a distance.

Tony was staring at Tino instead of Brianna. “Tino, you’re wired.”

Tino felt the back of his neck burn with embarrassment, but his hands were still shaking, and he couldn’t hide it. “I know.”

He pulled out the glass vial he got from Carlo’s Jersey Palisades house and handed it to Tony. Then he took his phone back, staring at Brianna while Tony washed the blow down the sink drain, even though they both knew Maria wasn’t going to stay on her cleanse any more than Tino had stayed on his—not after this.

“I really do have to get out of here,” Tino confessed as he thought about everyone he cared about not nearly protectedenough at the Don’s mansion, especially if their Borgata was being hounded by the Feds now. “But do you have a burner? I need to make a call first.”

Tony snorted, sounding almost insulted as he said, “Man, who’re you talking to? Of course, I have a burner.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Brianna sat in the chair next to Nova’s bed because they had talked Carmen into lying down after Dr. Acciai adjusted Nova’s medicine. Before, he had been restless, but now that Nova was sleeping, it gave Carmen a break, too. Even if she hadn’t loved her father, finding out he was dead had to be a shock, especially after Lola.