Page 82 of Loving the Enemy
“If I gave a fuck about the CIA or the FBI, Romeo, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My family would have died out a long time ago. You are not as untouchable as you think you are.”
“So what, you’re gonna shoot me down in your own office?”
“Of course not. That’s not the way I do business.”
He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a gun and aims it directly at me. Within seconds, Ricco, Gio, and Alex move in on him and his men, each having a gun to each of their heads, including Romeo.
My life with Zaira flashes in my mind. I can’t die—not now. I take an exasperated breath as I look around the room to each of my men. The seconds pass by slowly, and I know I don’t have much time to make a move. But then I smile when I realize we got him. My men are good, and without a second thought, I know he won’t pull that trigger. The odds are against him. Knowing this gives me the calm I need to get Romeo to lower his gun. “You can’t shoot me without dying, Romeo, and I believe your ego is too big for you to allow yourself to die.”
Romeo drops his gun, but my men continue to stand ready. “Okay, okay. Let’s call a truce. You give me back my money and my wife and niece, and I’ll walk away never to bother you again.”
I look at Ricco. We had no idea what to expect from him, and frankly, I’m winging it right now. I also know Benny is planting a bomb on his car as we speak, so I’ll give him what he wants. I’ll give him a bogus address where he can find Marina and Katie as well as his precious money, and he’ll be dead before he ever gets there. “Fine,” I say and nod at Ricco, who then stands down, followed by Alex and Gio. “And do I have your word that if I give your possessions back, you will leave me and my family alone?”
“Yes, you have my word.” His word isn’t worth shit to me, but I’ll play the game.
“You can find them in a safe house in Brooklyn. Ricco will give you the address on your way out.”
He smiles as if he’s just won a Nobel Peace Prize. “See, I knew we could come to an understanding. That’s why I wanted to see you face-to-face.”
I walk to him and look him in the eye. “Let’s get one thing straight. We’ve come to no understanding except this: You will crawl back into your Mexican hole and never—and I mean never—come into contact with any member of my family or associates, including any members of the other four families of New York, again. Understood?”
“But I do what your government tells me,” he says sarcastically.
“Fuck my government! Do you understand my terms?”
He nods.
“Now get the fuck out of my house!”
Ricco, Gio, and Alex grab Romeo and his two men and escort them from my office.
Just as they’re walking out the doors, Romeo says to Gio, “I had high hopes for you, son. It’s a shame because we could have done great things together, but now, you’re nothing but a fucking rat. And you and I both know what happens to a rat in our world.”
“Oh, Romeo, I wasn’t a rat. I was a plant to get you exactly where we wanted you. Don’t you ever forget I work for Michael Vitali, and you aren’t fit to stand in his presence. Now get the fuck out,” Gio says.
Ricco returns a few minutes after they leave my office.
“Is the bomb in place?” I ask, hoping we detained Romeo long enough for Benny to do what he needed.
“Yeah, right before he pulled the gun on you, Benny messaged me and told me it was all set.”
“Good. It won’t be long now, and our hands remain clean.”
“I have to say, boss, that was some quick thinking on your part.”
“I couldn’t have done it without the help of you and your men, Ricco. Once again, you’ve saved my ass, as well as the family.”
“It’s what you pay me to do,” he replies, and Alex and I both laugh. Truth is, I couldn’t ask for a better bodyguard and friend. Ricco and I were friends before he ever worked for me, and luckily for me, we’ve remained friends.
Ricco’s phone beeps. He looks at it and says, “The bomb detonated. Benny and his men are going to check it out to make sure the bastard is dead.”
“Good.”
Thirty minutes later, my phone beeps, it’s from Benny.
All dead.
I reply:
