Page 142 of The Enforcer's Revenge

“How fine?”

“Oh my God.” Tino made a face when he said it. “You wouldn’t believe, and all of them are in their twenties. Occasionally, if she’s exceptionally hot, maybe thirty-something,but rarely, Carlo and I dread it ’cause they’re all over our asses when we show up. Hungry for that young dick, like we gotta death wish or something, and we both have girlfriends.” Tino paused at that. “Orhadgirlfriends before.”

His voice cracked when he said it.

“Speaking of.” Tony cut into his thoughts by asking, “Does your friend Tony still like dick?”

“What?”

“Does he get dick?” Tony raised his eyebrows when Tino frowned at him. “I mean, Maria’s friend Tony has always been primarily a pussy guy, unless he’s got a side hustle going, and I figure Tino’s friend Tony is, too, but if he’s feeling it?”

Tino shrugged. “Yeah, why wouldn’t he?”

“Cosa Nostra’s kinda backward. He wouldn’t want to embarrass the Zu or?—”

“He gets dick,” Tino assured him. “He gets whatever the fuck he wants. The Zu doesn’t give a fuck. I don’t either. I dare someone to give him shit about the dick on his menu. They’re not that brave.”

Tony gave him a look, seeming pleased. “Okay, cool.”

“Yeah.” Tino nodded and took another deep breath. “You’re good at making terrible shit easier. That’s a cool skill. I always really appreciated that about you. I don’t know how I’m gonna do this without Brianna, but I gotta find a way to sleep and reset, or I’ll never be able to find my zio.”

Tony pulled off the road, parking on the street with practiced ease. Tino tilted his head, looking out the window, realizing that they were at Tony and Maria’s place.

“I thought you were taking me to a hotel.”

“Are you fucking crazy, Tino? I’m not dropping you at a hotel with two weapons and a pocket full of blow. You just told me you’re on the edge of blowing your brains out.” Tony turned off his car and hit Tino’s thigh. “You can take a shower. Eatsomething. The two of us will get it wet with Maria for a little while, and you can take a nap. You’ll reset. It’ll work.”

Tino just stared at him and mentally searched for a reason why that plan wouldn’t work like Tony said it would. The only argument he had against it was Brianna.

Except that wasn’t a thing anymore.

And he was going to have to find a new way to reset.

“I guess.” Tino shrugged. “But it’s been a while, and I’m probably not in a place to dazzle Maria. I’m dead tired.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll do the heavy lifting. You just gotta lie there tasting like dark roast and chocolate. She’ll love it.” Tony put his keys in his pocket and opened his door. “Leave your blow.”

Tino reached into his back pocket, pulling out the glass amber vial of blow he found in Carlo’s bottom drawer. He tossed it in the glove compartment and followed Tony.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Wearing only a fluffy white towel, Tino leaned against the back of the dining room chair he set up in Maria and Tony’s bedroom, having straddled it backward while he drank his coffee and watched the news on a small vintage television beside the window.

“A manhunt is now underway for Carlo Giovanni Moretti in connection with the string of murders that has terrorized Brooklyn this week. The authorities are appealing to the community for help, but they asked us to remind our viewers that the suspect should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him. Immediately call NYPD or the number on the screen.”

Tino took a sip of his coffee and stared at an old mugshot of Carlo while the news reporter droned on. Tino guessed he was an older teenager in it, or maybe early twenties. His hair looked like shit. It was all over the place, and his gaze was hard—even for Carlo.

Tino would guess he was a little strung out, though he knew Carlo went down for Felony Battery back in the day, not drugs.The Don’s fancy lawyers had gotten him off with nothing but parole. It wasn’t a big deal, especially in their world. It wasn’t like it was going to hurt his job prospects. If anything, it helped.

But it was a fucking awful picture of him.

Nothing about that image made it difficult to believe his uncle was guilty of the crimes they were accusing him of. Tino was sure Carlo was really pissed that this was how he was being represented to the world—wherever he was.

“If I ever go down, I’m gonna make sure I fix my hair first before they get that mugshot,” Tino mused to himself. “And I’m gonna smile for sure.”

Maria leaned against his bare back, wearing only a thin silk robe that she left open. She caressed his wet hair. “So, how do you want it?”

“None of that old New York shit, that’s for sure.” Tino glanced at her over his shoulder. “I want motherfuckers to know the second they look at me not to fuck with me. We’re in a war now. I have Tony with me. I’m not fucking around with this enforcer thing. I need to look intimidating.”