Page 24 of Vincenzo (The DiMaggio Crime Family #3)
VINCENZO
“ E verything’s all cleaned up,” Rocco says to me while I stare off into space, sitting at my desk, deep in thought about everything that just happened, and still stuck in the same damn pants I just fucking came in like a teenage boy.
“You want me to get you a new couch?” he asks, and I finally turn my attention to him.
“Well, since you so graciously offered, yes. That couch holds some dear memories of mine, but yes, I would love a new fucking couch. The meathead had to go and ruin that one.”
“I’ll get one ordered in the morning,” Rocco says. “Gianni’s meeting me out back so we can bring the body to the incinerator. Call me if you need anything, alright?”
I nod and say, “Yeah, good, thanks,” still distracted by the ramblings in my brain.
What the fuck is going on with Amalia and her uncle. And even more importantly, what the fuck is going on with her and me?
It’s clear her uncle is a piece of shit who wants her dead, but this uncontrollable protective instinct that comes out in me at the thought of her being in some sort of trouble is not so fucking clear to me.
Yes, I’ve had this insatiable need to get my fill of her since the moment I laid eyes on her, but now that I’ve had a taste of her, I need more. So much more.
I’ve spent the duration of the time I’ve known her going from being attracted to her, to hating her, to fucking with her, to still feeling this need to protect her, to fucking making her come on my lap, and to now what?
Something isn’t adding up. It’s clear it was never her intention to kidnap Izzy and Lux, and it’s clear Carlos set her up to be taken out by us, but why? Did her uncle send her here just to set her up? What the hell has Amalia gotten herself into?
Taking my phone out, I dial my brother’s number. It’s late, but with the shit that’s gone down tonight, he needs to know what’s going on.
He picks up after the second ring. “What’s wrong?”
“Why do you assume I come bearing bad news?”
“Because it’s after midnight, and you’re just now calling me after all the shit that’s gone down with Velasco and Montoya. Plus, nothing good happens this late at night.”
“On the contrary, plenty of good things happen this late at night.”
“Enzo,” my brother says, exasperated.
“Right, well, straight to business. I should’ve known you wouldn’t make this fun,” I grumble.
“Enzo,” he snaps. “If you don’t have anything important?—”
“The meathead’s dead,” I say, shutting Teo right the fuck up. There’s a long pause on the other end, then Teo lets out a long sigh.
“And Velasco?” he asks.
“She’s still very much alive.”
“What happened?”
I fill him in on Amalia meeting me at the club, confronting her about the text to his phone, then the events that unfolded after Rocco brought Carlos to the club, making sure to leave out the details of what happened between her and I.
“Well, shit. So she really wasn’t the one behind that message?” Teo asks, the shock in his voice evident.
“From what I’ve learned about her, it’s not her MO to send a text like that.”
“Why would he send it off her phone, though? Was he trying to get her killed?”
“That’s something else I need to speak with you about.”
“Oh?” Teo says with intrigue.
“Yeah, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it and figure out what’s going on, but I can stop by tomorrow and fill you in.”
“Alright. Did you get the body cleaned up?” he asks.
“Rocco did. He and Gianni are bringing it to the incinerator now.”
“Good. Let that be a lesson to anyone that tries to fuck with our family.”
I don’t respond to that comment because there’s one thing that has my mind swarming with endless possibilities. Now that Carlos is out of the picture, what will Teo want me to do with Amalia?
“What about the girl?” he asks.
“She left the club in a hurry.”
“And you let her?” he asks, the suspicion in his tone heightened at what seems like a blatant disregard for cleaning up this mess on my part. We don’t usually let witnesses go, especially when they’re associated with the problem.
“She’s not going to be an issue,” I say.
“And what makes you so sure?”
“I don’t think she’s the problem, Teo,” I say with a sigh, running my hand through my hair. The frustration of not knowing exactly what the fuck is going on with Amalia is starting to get to me. “There’s something going on between her and her uncle.”
Teo lets out another sigh, and I can practically see him running his hand through his hair the same way I did a few seconds ago.
“Alright. It’s fucking late, so come by the house tomorrow, and we’ll talk about it. We need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say, then hang up.
Tossing my phone on the counter, I fold my arms across my chest and lean back in my chair.
I have to talk to Teo in the morning, but I need to talk to Amalia and figure out what the hell is going on.
She was sent here by her uncle to gain port access from us with a man he also sent to have her killed.
It doesn’t make any fucking sense, and I’m beginning to think the two of them coming here had nothing to do with forming an alliance with us in the first place.