Page 97 of The Enforcer's Revenge

“Help you get made? No, Tony, I won’t. Even if it wouldn’t piss your brother off, which, incidentally, it would, I’m not helping you sign your fucking life away to a Borgata you’re not even indebted to. I can’t believe the Savios are willing to do it. They’re breaking the deal with me and using a motherfucking De Luca to do their dirty work. They’re nuts. How’d you get in?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yeah, it fucking matters. What? Did Maria Mazza get you in? She got you a sit-down with Daddy Mazza, the Consigliere? She probably told him all about how you protected her on the inside, using it as leverage to get you a job with the Savios,” Nova guessed, and something in Tony’s look must’ve confirmed he was correct. “You’re not doing Maria any favors by giving Dante one more reason to hate her Borgata. Things are already tense between the Savios and the De Lucas.Very tense.”

“Look, Zu, all I know is that the day’s gonna come when the Brambinos are at war with someone.” Tony made it obvious he was very serious about his vengeance hobby. “And I plan to be on the team I’m fucking certain will be on the other side. The Savios don’t like them either, not even a little, but the Morettis are the front line.”

“So, this is revenge against the Brambinos? You’re planning ahead, getting ready, putting all your pieces in the right places to strike?”

Nova had the balls to sound indignant about it, and something about that really grated on Tino. If he wasn’t neck deep in Moretti bullshit every fucking day of the week, Tino would be working on an anger hobby and long-term Brambino revenge plan too. He understood completely, and he honestly couldn’t believe Nova didn’t.

“Maybe he has a reason for it? Ever think of that?” Tino asked, knowing his voice sounded sharp. “’Cause you’re standing pretty fucking tall on that soap box, Casanova.”

“Okay, this is personal.” Nova sighed. “And I don’t want to play, I really don’t.”

“Yeah, how inconvenient for you,” Tino snapped at him. “Sucks when business gets personal.”

“You’re siding with him ’cause he used to wear a band? That’s how it’s going down?”

Tino shrugged, realizing right then that he’d already done it.

He was siding with Tony against Nova.

The truth was, on both sides, there was an unabashed, unfailing loyalty carved into his soul because of what they’d been through together, and that was what really made Tino uncomfortable around Tony.

How indebted Tino felt to him.

There was a time when Tino and Tony depended on each other very deeply. To survive, the two of them had to be unfailingly reliable for each other, and that level of loyalty didn’t go away, no matter how much time had passed. He didn’t have any control over it. It was just there, which Tino had mostly been okay with.

Lola wasn’t the only one Tino worked with to endure the Brambinos’ cruelty. They had a team—a crew—who would do just about anything for each other in the name of survival. Tony had been, without a doubt, a leader of that crew, and it was for a very good reason.

Like Lola, he’d been born into that life, and he was built differently because of it. He was one of the few who managed to stay sane, to keep his cool no matter what, and his ability to deal with bullshit was epic. He used that big, broad De Luca build and stoic presence to shoulder a lot of abuse so the rest of them didn’t have to. Nova may have gotten them out, but they survived it all because of Tony.

Even if Tino avoided that old life like the plague, he wasn’t going to turn his back on his past when it was sitting at the table asking for help.

“I’m not an accountant, but if his father was okay with letting him rot away with the Brambinos, that makes Tony a free fucking agent now, right?” Tino said to his brother with a low growl of protectiveness in his voice. “Fuck the De Lucas and fuck you if you don’t get it.”

“Fine. Side with him, I don’t give a shit.” Nova folded his arms. “I’m still not doing it, and it’s not ’cause of the politics. It’s the principle. I’m not signing him up for this life if he can avoid it instead. I have enough shit on my conscience.”

Tino grabbed his ten dollars out of the ante pile and shoved it back in his pocket. “I’m out.”

“You’re leaving?” Nova asked him incredulously. “’Cause I won’t let him get made to be a fucking criminal for the rest of his life? That’s why you’re walking away? Are you shitting me right now, Valentino?”

Tino didn’t even turn to look back.

He just left.

And he was going to have to take the motherfucking bus to the subway because Nova drove, and there wasn’t a station nearby. He could walk. It wasn’t that far, but still

“Hey,” Tony called out when Tino rounded the corner.

Tino turned to him, feeling embarrassed to face him. “He doesn’t understand. He thinks he does, but he doesn’t. If he did?—”

“Don’t fight with him.” Tony grabbed his shoulder. “Not over me.”

“Don’t say that.” Tino shook his head. “You matter. I hope you know you matter.”

“Your brother’s good. Don’t let an asshole like me pull you two apart. Go back and finish the game. I’ll figure my shit out.”Tony used his hold on Tino’s shoulder and shook him lightly until Tino looked at him. “Okay?”