Page 49 of The Enforcer’s Revenge (Untamed Hearts #4)
Maria rolled her eyes before she squeezed Tino’s shoulder again because she hadn’t let him go.
“At least now he’s getting paid for all his pain and suffering.
Ten thousand a month. I don’t mean to drag you into our shit, Tino, but if you two are fucking, I’m definitely playing.
That money is going to something useful. ”
“I’m sorry, man, bad timing. This is a thing right now.” Tony rubbed his hand over his forehead, looking sick before he rounded on Maria. “Lola’s dead! Someone got her, and you’re bitching to Tino about checks from your father?”
“What?” Maria looked back to Tony and then turned to Tino in horror. She seemed to wilt before his eyes as she rasped, “Is that true?”
“Fuck, now I’m the cunt,” Tony groaned and then walked past both of them to sit heavily on the living room couch. His leg was shaking, and he stared down at the rug distantly. “Did she suffer? I mean, I know that’s uncool to ask, but?—”
“Not that much,” Tino managed to choke out.
“It was probably quick for her. If they were decent, but maybe they weren’t.
They dropped her phone. That was pretty amateur.
Honestly, it wasn’t a great way to go,” he finally admitted to Tony and Maria what he wouldn’t to anyone else.
“I would’ve picked something different.”
“Oh my God,” Maria whispered in front of him. “Tino, baby.” Her hug this time was tighter, completely genuine, and it was easy to return it. She turned to Tony with her hand over her mouth. “We lost one.”
“I know, mama,” Tony whispered miserably. “I’m sorry about the checks.”
Maria shrugged. “It’s okay. He should probably be paying you more. You do step on my game enough to really impress him.”
“I don’t step on all your games, just the dangerous ones, because old habits die hard, and I don’t like to see you hurt.
You step on plenty of mine, too. It’s a two-way street.
I just took the checks your father offered because I needed the references.
You know Moretti’s a pain in the ass. No offense, Tino. ”
“It’s fine. He is a pain in the ass,” Tino had to agree before he apologized to Maria, too. “I’m sorry about Lola. It feels like my fault.”
He was still feeling his confession to Tony, and when Maria used her hold on him to pull him closer, Tino let her. It was easy to be weak in front of people who had already seen him at some of his lowest points. Much easier than it was in front of his own family, or even Brianna.
“It’s not your fault.” Maria cupped his cheek lovingly. “Let’s do a spa day for old time’s sake. I’ll make it lovely.”
“No, I have to go. You don’t want me here.
The heat’s coming down on us. Someone torched the Brambino compound.
The news said Carmine’s dead.” Tino said it like an afterthought, but then he realized who he was speaking to and repeated it again for all three of them, “Yeah, so I guess Carmine’s dead, too. ”
Maria just slipped her hand into her robe and stared at him with a stunned, warm brown gaze before she looked to Tony, still sitting on the couch. She took a shuddering breath and whispered, “Holy shit.”
“Just like that?” Tony sounded pissed off about it. “Now he’s fucking dead.”
“Yeah.” Tino nodded, understanding more than he wanted to.
“Or maybe not. Maybe it wasn’t just like that.
We don’t know. It was a fire. It probably destroyed most of the evidence.
That’s definitely not amateur. Whoever did it knew how to really drag it out, and he was angry enough to actually do it. ”
Maria and Tony both looked at Tino hopefully.
“It wasn’t me,” Tino almost felt sorry to admit, and then confessed, “But I haven’t heard from my zio in a while.”
“Are you in the middle of a war, Tino?” Maria asked him, her voice still low and stunned.
Tino nodded once more, even though it killed his head. “Pretty dead center. You should definitely tell me to get the fuck out.”
“Feds were following him. I spotted three teams.” Tony looked back to Tino. “What do they have on you?”
“God, who the fuck knows?” Tino rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m serious, you two should kick me out.”
Maria ran to the window instead, lifting the curtain gently to peer out with a keen gaze. “Look at that. Right here on my doorstep, trying to scare the kids. That won’t do.” She dropped the curtain and turned back to Tony. “This feels very Untouchables . I need a hat.”
“Maria,” Tino started hesitantly.
“You and Lola picked us.” Maria’s voice became icy. “That means we get to play, too. We’re a crew. We protect each other, and hiding from us doesn’t change the rules. You’re still under my umbrella, baby boy.”
Maria didn’t wait for an argument. She just breezed past Tino, leaving him to deal with the consequences of his past and current choices.
“At least you aren’t in lock-up,” Tony offered once Maria closed the bedroom door at the end of the hall. “I need you to flush your shit, Tino. She can’t see it.” He pointed to the opposite side of the apartment. “There’s a shower, too. We have plenty of extra towels in the cabinet by the sink.”
“Thanks.” Tino nodded, feeling embarrassed in a way he hadn’t for a long time. “I was clean for a little while, but then?—”
“No one’s judging you. Bad week. You’re safe,” Tony whispered. “Just flush it.”