Page 71 of The Enforcer’s Revenge (Untamed Hearts #4)

“I don’t think you should keep looking for him,” Nova whispered as tears rolled down his face. “Everyone knows you two hang out. I’m sure there are a thousand pictures of you together at the FBI. And if you’re with him when they take him down?—”

“You think they could get something on me?”

“I think it’s possible. This is a known war we’re having.

If you get arrested, it’ll be very hard to get you out.

They’ll pin something on you. Something serious.

” Nova looked at him and wiped at his cheeks.

“Think about where you’ve been when all those murders went down.

You’ve got no alibi. You’d be in very real danger of going down with him.

I can’t let that happen, Tino. I can’t lose both of you.

I need you to stay very under the radar. ”

Tino laid back against the lounge chair and put a hand over his eyes again, thinking about the news report. All of New York City was looking for Carlo, and if anyone in law enforcement caught him, he was going down for life.

It was every gangster’s worst nightmare—dying in prison.

“We gotta hide him somehow, right?” Tino whispered as his heart rate picked up. “Like, get him outta the country. Send him back to Sicily or somewhere else where he can blend.”

“Yeah, it’s all we got left. I’ve been working on that. We have a strong hold on the port in Baltimore. There’s a lot of international shipping going out from there. We can hide him in one of the large containers and get him out that way.”

“But you’d have to find him and get him to fucking Baltimore,” Tino finished for him. “I checked several of his houses, but I haven’t looked as hard as I should’ve. I got sidetracked with almost going down and everything at the Don’s place last night. This war is really fucking distracting.”

“It’s not your fault, Tino.” Nova sighed as he said it.

“I feel like I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.

” Tino kept his eyes covered as another wave of misery crashed over him.

Once more, it felt like he’d never be happy again—like every ounce of joy had just been sucked out of his reality all at once.

“Just let me try and find him. Forget lying low. None of it fucking matters anyway.”

Nova was quiet after that, and Tino lifted his head to see his brother staring at him pensively.

“What?” Tino barked at him.

“You want to tell me why you’re hooking up with Tony and Maria instead of staying with your girlfriend at the hospital?”

“I broke up with my girlfriend.” Tino shrugged and looked away. “’Cause I didn’t feel like opening a door one day and finding her cold and dead in a pool of her own blood.”

“You don’t know?—”

“Please, fucking spare me,” Tino cut him off before he could say something they both knew was a lie.

“You and I both know enforcers shouldn’t have girlfriends.

We fucked off with that rule. We thought we were too boss for something bad to happen, and look at where we are.

I gotta tell Tony he has to move out of Maria’s place—they’re too close. ”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. They’re a different situation. Everyone knows Tony gets around.” Nova took another long drag of his cigarette and then arched an eyebrow at Tino. “A lot more than I thought, apparently.”

“I didn’t fuck Tony,” Tino explained since he could see the open question on Nova’s face.

“And it’s not the first time the two of us have shared a woman, so don’t stand there looking so fucking shook over it.

Ask Mary about it sometime if you don’t believe me.

She and Carmine made a lotta money selling the idea that two Siciliani were a lot more fun than just one. A lot of money .”

Nova was quiet for a long time before he whispered, “I didn’t know that.”

“Now you do.” Tino shrugged after he said it. “It’s not a big fucking deal, Casanova. Two Siciliani is more fun.”

Nova opened his mouth but didn’t say anything.

So, Tino went on, “It’s your fucking issue. It’s your macho, gangster, old-fashioned, old man, Siciliano fucking bullshit. Like if your dick touches another dick, you’re gay forever—fuck off.”

“Look, I don’t care, Valentino. It’s your dick.

Do what you want.” Nova said it like he meant it.

“What about Brianna? I get why you’re scared, but I’m worried about what you’ll be without her.

You’ve been very loyal to her all this time, and I think that loyalty makes you careful. It keeps you clearer and cleaner.”

“So, Brianna is supposed to risk her life and put up with all the Borgata’s bullshit because I can’t handle my shit? Is that what you’re saying? She just fucking owes it to you.”

“We can’t afford to have you fall apart, not right now,” Nova whispered anxiously. He ran a hand over his face, still looking like he was on the edge of breaking down. “I can tell you’re strung the fuck out. I get it, but please, I’m begging you to somehow hold it together.”

“Why? What’s the fucking point?” Tino held up his hands. “You should’ve sunk us in Tampa, but my dumb ass?—”

“We’re here. We chose this, and I need you to keep it together so I can keep it together. Just make up with her, and we’ll figure out the rest later.”

“Casanova.” Tino looked at him with intensity.

“What the fuck went wrong in your life that your ability to hold your shit together in a crisis is based on me? Like seriously, where the fuck did you make a wrong turn? Pick the other brother. Pick Carina. Pick literally anyone else besides me. I’m barely alive over here. ”

“It is unfortunate. It’s like some sort of shared trauma bond or co-dependency issue. Probably both,” Nova mumbled like he’d spent real time asking himself that same question. “But I do need you to pull yourself together. You cannot just snort blow until you die over this Brianna thing.”

“I don’t even want you to say her name,” Tino snapped at him because just hearing it stole his breath. “You need to form a shared trauma bond and be co-dependent with someone else. Leave me out of it. Now’s the time.”

“God, please don’t say that,” Nova mumbled more to himself than Tino. “It’s the last fucking thing I need right now.”

“What?” Tino scowled and then decided he didn’t care that much. “I’m not risking her. No way. She’s already in the hospital because of Cosa Nostra’s bullshit. She nearly died, and it’s the last time. Never again.”

“I think you’re going to regret this. We don’t have to tell anyone about the Maria thing. Just go back to Brianna, say sorry, and don’t mention the rest of it. You’re stressed, she knows that?—”

“You’re not listening to a fucking word I’m saying.” Tino threw his hands up. “I will tell her straight to her face about Maria and Tony. There’s no way I’d lie to her about it. I know that about myself, and that’s part of the reason I did it.”

“Cazzo, Tino, come on,” Nova pleaded. “You don’t want to do this just because things are hard right now. I think you could actually love this one.”

“Really, you think so? Thank God I have you around to figure that out for me,” Tino barked at him incredulously. “I will eat a bullet right fucking now before I put her in danger again. Don’t try me.”

Nova took another deep breath and then smoked more rather than talk. Tino just watched him as he stood there on the roof, wearing the misery he couldn’t hide like a veil. His dark eyes were still glassy in the late afternoon sunshine, making it obvious the tears were right there.

“Can you really take the Capo Bastone spot?” Tino asked him curiously.

Nova shrugged. “If I wanted to force the old man’s hand, then yeah, probably, but?—”

“But?” Tino repeated before he could finish. He raised his eyebrows when Nova looked at him. “What the hell are you waiting for? Force his hand. Push Frankie out. Take it.”

Nova looked away and flicked at his cigarette with this thumb several times nervously. Then he dropped it and stomped on it with his shoe. The tension in him seemed to change but was no less potent.

“It’d be a dick move,” Nova finally whispered under his breath.

“The Feds are coming down on him now. He just got arrested for blow. One son’s in prison, the other’s…

” his voice cracked again. It was obvious he couldn’t talk about Carlo without breaking down.

“And I’d be using what you did yesterday as leverage.

I’d be sending a message that you’re dangerous to him. ”

“I am dangerous to him. Does he not know that? Is he that fucking stupid? I don’t think so.

” Tino got up and walked over to his brother.

He leaned down and spoke in a low voice.

On some level, it still made him nervous to talk about, but he had to say it.

“It’d only take one bullet, and all his problems would be solved.

Is that how you wanna play it? ’Cause I’m game if you are. ”

Nova actually looked shocked. “Are you serious?”

“Dead ass,” Tino assured him, making sure Nova heard the honesty in his words. “I won’t even make you write it on a piece of paper. Give me the word, Zu, and I’ll make that issue disappear for you.”

Nova looked away from him and seemed to glance around the roof, as if waiting for their grandfather to come out from hiding.

Tino understood because it scared him, too.

They were so brainwashed by the Borgata that talking about mutiny was terrifying, but Tino was done being scared of them—very done.

“We could blame it on the Brambinos. We’re in the middle of a war, and shit happens,” Tino whispered to his brother. “It’s the perfect time. No one would know. He’d be out of our hair. We could just live our lives, and you’d be don. Everyone wins.”

“This is what I’m talking about.” Nova’s voice was lower than Tino’s. “You need to make up with Brianna. She obviously kept you grounded because this is some dark shit, Valentino. I want my old brother back.”

“Well, too fucking bad. He died in a basement like all the others.” Tino tilted his head and gave Nova a hard look. “I had to clean up her blood for him last night. You think he gives a shit? You think he cares about my feelings or yours?”

“I hear you.” Nova reached into his pocket.

He pulled out his cigarettes, clearly looking for an outlet for the anxiety.

“I understand it’s all very black and white from where you’re standing, but I still have to work with him.

If I do it like that, I’ll be a threat. There will always be a part of him that won’t trust me—forever. We won’t be able to go back.”

“He shouldn’t trust you. You are a threat to him,” Tino reminded him as Nova lit another cigarette.

“If he doesn’t realize that, then he’s a terrible Don, and he deserves to die.

You’re a legit, real-life motherfucking genius, and he’s been treating you like his bitch since you were fourteen years old because you were a kid who was terrified of his sadistic father.

I can’t tell you how fucking done I am with this.

It’s an insult, and it offends me as your brother.

It’s offended me for a long time. The only difference is I can do something about it now.

I got nothing to fucking lose. Cosa Nostra’s taken everything from me, and I’m the motherfucker with the gun.

So, I suggest you show up, be a fucking gangster about it, push Frankie out, and take the Capo Bastone position, or it’s going to turn into an enforcer problem instead of an accountant one. ”

Nova tilted his head back and blew out the smoke. “That must be some really good blow.”

“Morettis’ finest,” Tino agreed. “You know I’m right.”

Nova nodded and took another long drag off his cigarette.

He blew out the smoke as he considered Tino for another long moment.

“Fine, but if I take it, you still gotta show respect. You can’t be this openly hostile toward him.

We just brought Tony on, and the old man doesn’t trust him either—not at all. He will have all of us taken out.”

“Not if I take him out first,” Tino reminded him. “We have friends too—we have a lot more than he does.”

“He’ll start conspiring against us, and we don’t need that in our lives.”

“You’re making him sound like a threat to you,” Tino warned him. “And if you really believe?—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Nova cut him off before he could finish. “Just let me think about it. Give me a couple of days to figure out how I want to spin it.”

Tino studied him, seeing that he was serious, and then nodded. “I love you, Casanova. Sorry about your brother dying in a basement—again.”

“It’s okay.” Nova wrapped a hand around the back of Tino’s neck and tugged him down. He kissed Tino’s forehead. “As long as you’re still here, I’ll take it.”

Tino had to point out, “That’s probably fucked up.”

“Probably.” Nova took another drag off his cigarette. “Did you use something with Maria? I know it’s been a long time since you were a free agent.”

“Yes, I used something.” Tino snorted in disbelief. “I still remember how it’s done. Besides, Tony’s the one who taught me about it the first time around. He’s more serious about condoms than you are.”

“That’s some shit, Valentino. I didn’t know you two had that kind of history. Did we make a mistake bringing him into the fold?”

“Aside from completely fucking up his life?” Tino clarified and then shrugged. “It’s okay. We actually work well together.”

Nova let out a small laugh. “So, I hear.”

“We traded one Cosa Nostra game for the other, but it’s pretty much the same.” Tino sighed in defeat. “It’s all just getting your hands dirty and selling your soul for the Borgata.”

“It sucks,” Nova agreed with him. “I’m sorry too—for everything.”

“Just make it worth it,” Tino pleaded with him. “He really believes in it. He’s so loyal to you. He thinks he’s making the world a better place fighting for your ship. I owe him so much. Please don’t let him regret trusting us.”

Tino thought Nova was going to say something sarcastic, but he just nodded and said solemnly. “I won’t.”