Page 79 of The Enforcer’s Revenge (Untamed Hearts #4)

“Yeah, I guess he did. She kinda is one, right?” Tony went on.

“Going from you to that guy was a massive downgrade, even if he wasn’t a cunt, which he was.

She didn’t love him. I’m sure of that. She and Carina always called him broccoli in a way that made it obvious Brianna did not like it, but ate it anyway—because she had to. ”

“I kinda wish I’d known that broccoli thing before now. That’s something you probably should’ve told me,” Tino said, knowing Tony was telling the truth. “I would’ve helped her before he tried to kill her.”

“I didn’t think to tell you. It’s not really a weird thing, women being miserable with their husbands,” Tony reminded him.

“I think that’s how all marriages end up.

Most of the women we hooked up with in Nashville were married and just getting away from the misery of their lives for a weekend.

That’s why they like us so much. We have the same scars. ”

“No,” Tino argued. “I know lotsa happy married people. They still like each other. Just because the ones we hooked up with were unhappy doesn’t mean everyone is.”

“Name one couple.”

Tino shrugged. “Chu and Alaine.”

“Doesn’t count. It’s been less than a month, and Garcia is secretly in love with you.”

“Motherfucker.” Tino sighed tiredly. “I’m already over this shit. It’s not cute.”

“You’re just sad ‘cause I’m right,” Tony countered. “About all of it.”

“No, you’re not. Romeo and Jules. They’re still happy.

Wyatt, the Sheriff who helped Nova get outta lockup when he killed Gino, he’s crazy about his wife.

Sometimes, he sits there and looks at Tabitha across the room like he can’t believe she’s real.

I’ve seen him do it. Clay Powers and his wife like each other.

Hey, you know, Chu’s cousin in Miami. He’s been married for a little while, and you saw, they were all over each other at the wedding. ”

“How the fuck would I know which one was his cousin?” Tony asked. “I deliberately did guard duty at the wedding to save myself. That marriage shit is such a fucking con, especially normie marriage. I don’t get it at all.”

“I get it. I’ve always gotten it. People can be happy together.

Brianna just got married for the wrong reasons.

” Tino shook his head, hating himself on every level.

“It kept her safe. I knew that was part of why she did it, but I always thought she liked him. I thought they were at least friends. Carina told me she was happy, but I don’t think she ever was.

She is a circle girl, and it’s all my fault. I did it. I’m as bad as the Brambinos.”

“Look, Tino, whatever happened, it’s over.

Sitting around slitting your wrists over it won’t change anything now.

Just come home,” Tony pleaded. “Brianna needs you to come home. I’m worried about her.

I’ve seen enough circle girls spiral to know she’s in trouble.

You dragged Garcia all the way here to be your backup and help with this exact problem that you’re having now.

Take him up on it. Stop hiding. Come home and let your family take care of you.

No one cares if you fell off. We don’t judge each other.

We take care of each other when we’re down, right? That’s how it works.”

“You’re acting like they’re part of the circle.”

“They are,” Tony said quickly. “I feel like they are, and Maria says?—”

“No, this is different,” Tino cut him off. “I don’t want to hurt one more person with this bullshit. And babysitting me is not Chu’s responsibility.”

“Here we go,” Tony said knowingly.

Tino didn’t fucking care.

He said it anyway, “You have to send him away. He doesn’t deserve this. Alaine doesn’t either. I’m not going to let them be criminals for the rest of their lives because I can’t handle my shit, Tony.”

“I think you are making out with him, ‘cause I heard all this the last time you were in love with a normie that you decided to break up with against their will,” Tony said sharply. “And look at how well it turned out. You pushed Brianna away to save her, and what happened? Now she’s got scars like the rest of us.”

“Ouch, motherfucker!” Tino grabbed his chest pointedly. “I mean, seriously, ouch!” He held onto his chest, still hating himself. “I should just eat a bullet.”

“Yeah, that’ll help everyone. We both know how well the Zu would handle that.

We’ll lose him for sure, and fucking forget Brianna.

It’ll be like Carlo and Lola all over again.

She’s already not eating. You kill yourself, and she’s as good as dead.

She’s been staying in my apartment. I know what I’m talking about.

She is not doing well. At all . Maria says?—”

“I don’t care what Maria says,” Tino growled, because he couldn’t talk about it anymore. “I gotta get Chuito out of New York. We don’t need him to get this job done. I’m not adding one more stain on my soul.”

“We do need him!”

“I thought you were jealous!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that we need him!

” Tony yelled back. “We have to bring him in before it gets worse for you. Brianna isn’t the only one not doing well.

You’re doing worse than she is. Watching addiction from the outside is fucking awful.

It’s a real illness. It just sneaks up, and it starts making the people you care about sicker and sicker until they can’t fight it anymore.

I’ve been doing it my whole life. I can’t do it again, especially with you.

You kill yourself with this bullshit, and I might not make it either. ”

“You still have Maria,” Tino reminded him. “And you have?—”

“It’s not enough,” Tony cut him off before Tino could start listing all the reasons why Tony didn’t need him anymore.

“Tino’s friend Tony does important shit.

He’s my default Tony. He’s the guy who shows up every day to work for the Zu and fights for everyone in the circle.

I’m proud of that guy, but what if there’s no Tino?

Do I totally turn off? Do I follow Maria around like a zombie, carrying the shopping bags for her, with nothing to do and no problems to solve, like I was doing before you came back?

I don’t know what happens, but I don’t want to find out. ”

“I haven’t been here for over two years,” Tino reminded him. “And you’ve been fine. You just told me you’re an awesome enforcer without me, and I believe you.”

“Why’d we start meeting in Nashville, then? If I’m so fine?”

“For fun,” Tino lied. “Nashville’s a party.”

Tony glared at him. “I know she called you, Tino. She told me, so stop fucking lying. Just because you don’t need me anymore, doesn’t mean I stopped needing you.”

Tino sighed heavily and admitted honestly, “I didn’t do it because she called me.

I missed it too. I fucking love being on a team with you.

It’s the only thing that kept me alive after I broke up with Bri.

I had times when I could barely breathe without you around, so don’t sit there acting like it’s a one-way street. We’re equally dependent and fucked-up.”

“I know, but she did call you and tell you I was turning off without you,” Tony said sadly. “Cry all you want, but if you go down, it’s very possible we all go down with you.”

“I am literally the last man on the fucking planet who should be responsible for this many people’s ability to cope with reality.

” Tino covered his face with his hands to hide because he knew how right Tony was about it.

“Important people. Bri’s fucking glorious.

She’s literally art in human form. People pay tons of money every night just to watch her be herself.

You protect the Borgata and the circle. My family.

The people who matter. The one’s who’ve been stepped on their whole lives until you and Maria started taking care of them.

Nova literally makes the entire world a better place, and probably keeps the stock market standing in the process.

Let’s pin it all on this fuck-up in the corner.

I feel like God is playing a joke on all of us. ”

“No one’s playing a joke. There’s a good reason.

You just can’t see it because Mary’s a soulless demon cuntrag who fucked up the way you see yourself.

She only cracked the reflection, Tino, not the man,” Tony assured him as he sat there completely unmoved by Tino’s misery.

“And just because Mary fucked up what you see in the mirror, and you walk around hating yourself most of the time, doesn’t change the fact that you’re important too.

There’s a reason we all need you like we do. You matter.”

“Look, I love you, Tony. I do. You’re my original ride or die, and you always will be, but I don’t want this to hurt Chu either,” Tino tried to explain in a way that he understood.

“And maybe we should try to untangle this shit between you and me. Really, if we look at it, I’ve hurt you the most. I’m still hurting you.

You dropped a car on a motherfucker yesterday because of me, and you’re about to do some really creative shit to a whole crew of Russians next week.

That’s fucking ugly. Just because you don’t care, doesn’t mean?—”

“Nope,” Tony cut him off. “Don’t use me as an excuse.

I’m not part of your pity party, and don’t give me that shit about Garcia, like he is some innocent, no cherry, fragile Southern flower.

I’m the one who cut the bullets outta that Puerto Rican’s balls in Miami, and I Googled what that tattoo on his arm means.

Your buddy is a cold-blooded motherfucker, and we both know it.

You’re not trying to save him. You’re trying to save yourself.

Like I said before, you can’t hustle a hustler.

It’s not about him, it’s about you. We both know why you want him to go, and it has nothing to do with his non-existent cherry. So, choke on it.”

Tino was quiet after his speech. Finally, he settled on, “It’s not a lie. I don’t want this life to hurt him or Alaine.”

“But that’s not why you want him to go.” Tony wasn’t going to drop it.

“Either you say the real reason, or I’m pulling over and getting outta the car.

I’ll take the subway home, and it won’t be to East Harlem.

You’re about to be on your own with this whole shitshow if you’re going to try to lie and manipulate me every five seconds like I’m some fucking normie on a different team. It’s an insult.”

“Fine.” Tino swallowed hard, feeling exposed and hating it worse than admitting to the blow.

“You’re right.” He held up his hands in defeat.

“Is that the point of this? I have to be miserable and uncomfortable and admit it to you even though you already know the reason. You want me to say it out loud? You have to hear it?”

“Yeah, actually, I do, ‘cause this lying bullshit sucks. How the fuck am I supposed to play the game if you can’t be honest with me about it?”

“I can’t handle him finding out about the Brambinos.

Happy now?” he choked as he said it. “He fucking freaked in Miami over what happened. He lost his fucking mind. I watched him do it. He was going to let them kill Alaine rather than let her live one day in a reality I lived for five fucking years! He’d rather Alaine be dead than walk out of that house with the same scars we have.

Do you think he’ll ever look at me the same again?

Because he won’t. I’ll be disgusting to him forever, and I can’t deal with that. ”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Tony shook his head. “Just marry this motherfucker already.”

“Even our little bro Canner knows the Brambinos used to sell us. Everyone in the underground knows. He’ll find out. Think I’m selfish. I’m stupid. Whatever. You still have to help me get outta this situation because I can’t deal with the alternative.”

“I can’t help you, because you’re right, someone is going to say something to him.” Tony shrugged. “And we can’t do it without him.”

“We could,” Tino argued. “You could just stop busting my balls and help me send him back to Kentucky. Everything could go back to the way it was before. You’ll have nothing to be jealous about.”

“Except it was fucking awful before,” Tony reminded him. “It almost killed you. As bad as it was for Brianna, it was a thousand times worse for you. Did you forget how hard it was, Tino? Are you that tapped out right now?”

Tino stared out the window, wishing he’d done so many things differently, but all he said was, “I didn’t forget.”

Pull back another veil to the dark, secret world of the Moretti brothers and their crew and hang on for a wild ride. Check out a sneak peek from Enforcer’s Requiem, Book 5 in the Untamed Hearts Series.