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CHAPTER THREE

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.”

~ Hafiz

Saros

I couldn’t tear my gaze from the shorter man with the worried expression. Whether he was afraid of me or what happened I couldn’t determine, but this stranger had no doubt saved Benny’s life and mine.

He stepped back, turning to check out Benny, but the man was resting against the wall. I needed to get Benny medical help and make a call to get Marco’s body out of here and the rest cleaned up, but all I could do was stare at this angelic stranger.

“What’s your name?” I asked, and the man jumped. “I won’t hurt you; you saved my life. I would just like to think of you other than boy, man, or guy.” I smiled, hoping it would put him at ease.

“Oh…” He cleared his throat. “Em, my name…it’s Em.”

Em? Like Emmett or something? I figured this wasn’t the time to have a get-to-know-you.

“Thank you, Em.”

“Uh, you’re welcome. Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking.” He ran his fingers through his light ash-brown hair. It was a little wavy, no gels or anything in it.

“Sometimes we just do things, and I’m grateful you did.”

He nodded and motioned toward Benny. “He needs help. I’d offer to call 9-1-1, but something tells me that would be a dumb idea.”

If a regular man or woman who worked a nine-to-five job, who was far removed from anything sinister, had stumbled upon what happened here they wouldn’t have helped, and they’d have already run and called the cops. Em here wasn’t regular. In the depths of his brown eyes there was a knowing glint. He was familiar with the darker side of things.

“I can get my man some help, and I’ll take care of everything here. But you, are you okay?”

“Me?” he squawked. “Yeah, fine, no big.”

“I’d like to properly thank you. Unfortunately, I need to handle this situation.” I removed my cell phone from my jacket. “Can I have your number?”

“My, like, phone number?”

I chuckled. “I mean, you could tell me your favorite number, but I can’t call you with that. I’d like to thank you, as I said, but time isn’t on my side right now.”

“No, no, please. I’m fine, really. No need to thank me.” He backed away, palms up.

If I didn’t know better. I’d think the offer of gratitude terrified Em more than what had just happened here.

“Boss,” Benny groaned. “We gotta get out of here. There’s no way someone didn’t hear all this.”

He was right. “Em, your number, please?”

He shook his head, darted his gaze between me and Benny, and then before I could say his name again, he was running down a narrow alley. Gone.

“It’s going to be fine, Cosmo. Marco is plenty, go to your daughter’s recital, nothing will happen .” Cosmo stood beside the medical exam table, where Benny was getting stitched up by the house doctor, Paulo.

While Cosmo was being slightly disrespectful, he wasn’t wrong. I’d been lax about my security and as my number two, it was his job to make sure that didn’t happen, so I let his snark slide.

“We had the help of a stranger.” Benny hissed when Paulo slid the bandage over the stitches.

“Great, who? What do we know about the person? I’ll make sure to take care of it.”

I darted my eyes to Cosmo. “Did you miss the part where Benny said he helped us?”

“Still, witnesses aren’t good.”

“I don’t want him dead, but I do want him found.” I stabbed a finger at Cosmo. “Alive and unharmed. I’m fuckin’ serious, Cos. He’s not the enemy.”

“Then who is? Do you think it was Frazee?”

I shook my head. “He was getting what he wanted, and so was I. It was a solid deal.”

“Who’d do this? It’s insanely stupid—not to mention, a death sentence.” Cosmo cocked his head. “But you’re saying that if this stranger hadn’t been there, you’d be dead.”

“Pretty sure that’s how it would have happened,” I agreed.

“So whoever did do this knew they’d come out on top. They didn’t have fear of retaliation. And none of the guys lived, so it’s not like we can ask.” Cosmo sighed.

“I made sure everything on them was taken. I have people sorting through their phones and wallets. That’s actually not my immediate concern, though.”

“How is that not the main worry? Marco is dead, Benny shot, and someone wants to put you down completely.” Cosmo’s face was red. He was always one to enact revenge immediately.

“That guy, Em, is out there. He stopped this and if whoever ordered it finds out, they’ll go after him.”

“What?” Cosmo laughed. “You’re worried about a stranger?”

“Cos,” Benny whispered.

“No, hold on. Someone is out there who tried to kill you, who will have to keep trying because if you figure it out before they take you out, they know they’re fucked, and you’re worried about some impulsive nobody who ran away?”

“Yes,” I growled. “It’s because of him you aren’t burying three of us. He put his neck on the line without question, and I feel obligated to protect him for his unknown loyalty.”

Cosmo stared at me for a couple of seconds, sighed, then hung his head. “You’re the boss. What do you know that might help me find him?”

“He’s about five nine, brown hair and eyes, goes by the name of Em.”

Cosmo’s mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out for a beat. “That’s it? How the fuck am I supposed to work with that?”

“Fernando.” Benny flinched when he tried to sit up, and Paulo helped him. “He has security cameras surrounding The Sky. Maybe they’ll help.”

I patted Benny’s foot. “Even shot, you’re using your brain.”

“He deletes them after twenty-four hours. He told me once, ‘With Saros around, I know the cops will ask me for something eventually, so I don’t want to be involved.’”

“Well, Cos.” I looked at my watch. “It hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet—maybe go give him a call.”

Cosmo furrowed his brow but left the room to do just that.

“He’s an ass,” I said to Benny.

“He worries. You’re more than just his boss, you know that.”

I scratched my chin, bristles tickling my fingers. “Speaking of, Dafni called Gina. She’s on her way over to tell her about Marco. I’m gonna go upstairs. I need Gina to know we’ll take care of her and her boys.”

“He’s going to be okay, Mr. Tancredi,” Paulo informed me. “I’m going to give him something for the pain and to help him sleep. He’ll need to take it easy for a few days.”

I pointed to Benny. “You’re off for the week.” I made to leave.

“Someone is trying to kill you, I can’t take a week.”

I shrugged. “I’m the boss. You do as I say, or a week becomes a month.”

I chuckled as I walked out, listening to Benny’s grumbling. I sobered up as soon as I reached the main floor and heard Dafni and Gina talking in the living room. I held back while Dafni explained what had happened. Gina didn’t wail and scream like so many Hollywood mafia wives do on TV. She knew the life Marco was in.

She did cry, though—quiet sobs, and I listened as Dafni comforted her. After a few minutes, I stepped into the room. Both women turned to me.

Gina stood, and I went directly to the woman and hugged her. She sniffled.

“I’m so sorry, Gina.”

“I know, Saros. He loved you like a brother; he didn’t see this as a job.” We sat, her hands clutched in mine. “He was a good man.”

“He was a great man,” I amended. “You and your boys will never want for anything, I promise. I will take care of you. Like you said, he thought of me like a brother, and I felt the same way.”

Gina nodded. Then her bright-green eyes looked up at me. “You gotta find out who was responsible.”

“I will, and it won’t be quick for them like it was for Marco.”

She squeezed my hand and released it. “You’re a good man too, Saros.”

I wasn’t. But I loved my family, and for them I’d do anything. That thought spun around my head for hours after Gina left. That, and Em.

Where was he? Was he safe? Why would a perfect stranger risk his life to save another? Before I tucked in for the night, the last thought I had was to find Em and make sure he didn’t pay a price for what happened tonight.