Page 77 of Time Served in New York
“Bug, I want to apologize for what happened,” Zach started. I shook my head, and he put his hand up to stop me from saying anything. “We thought we had this taken care of, and we were wrong.”
“We thought by keeping the old men alive, it would show good will to the rest of the organization, and we were wrong,” Matteo conceded.
“My grandfather is dead, but their uncle is holding on for now. We’d give you and your men the opportunity to take care of business, to try and make up for what happened with your women, but there’s no way he’s going to make it long enough for us to get through this wedding and get to him.”
I nodded at Zach and asked, “Is he in pain?”
“He’s conscious and gasping for air. Somehow, he’s still functioning even after Jenn hit all the major parts and lost nearly all of his blood,” Luca explained. “I have no fucking idea how the man is still alive.”
“I’m not sure either. The carpet was absolutely saturated,” Boss said.
“They bled out inside the suite?” Captain asked.
“In the foyer,” Boss clarified.
“How are the women going to get out without getting blood all over them?”
Luca let out a nervous laugh at Captain’s question, and his brother said, “We got some plastic tarps from maintenance. They’ll be able to get out of the room and down the hall to dry carpet without ever touching any blood. We checked on them before we came down, and Sis was bandaging Bernadette and Jenn. They’re the only two that weren’t dressed.”
“It shouldn’t take them long then,” I mused as I looked at my watch.
“Rodeo and Soda are already downstairs on usher duty. We’ll get dressed really quick and join them. Bernadette said the wedding is going to start 20 minutes late, and if anyone has a problem with it, she’s going to unleash Frankie on their ass,” Zach told us with a grin. “I swear, when I talked to her earlier, it was like having a conversation with her brothers. She had that same fire in her eyes that Rico, Ziggy, and Relio get when they’re pissed.”
“Is everyone decent?” I heard Sis call out from the doorway. There was a chorus of “Yes!” from around the room. “I’m here to get you all herded downstairs.”
“How are the girls?” Stamp asked as he finished tying his shoes.
“They’re good. We got Jenn and Bernadette bandaged up, and they’re already dressed,” Sis explained. “I just got off the phone with August, and she’s taking Freddy and Olivia down now.”
“Zach, Luca, and Matteo are getting dressed. It shouldn’t take them long at all,” Boss explained.
“Okay, good. All of you look dashing, but I promised Bernadette I’d do a quick inspection, so line up and let me look at ya,” Sis said as she motioned toward the door.
“We’re grown men, you know. We can dress ourselves,” Kitty argued.
“Your tie is crooked, and you have crumbs in your beard,” Sis snapped. “Line up.”
“God, she’s just as bossy as her mama,” Preacher grumbled as he walked toward the door. “She used to be such a sweet little girl and now . . .”
“She’s a sweet young woman,” Chef growled.
“Since y’all are leaving, I’m going to take Boo downstairs and hang out with Jared,” Hammer said as he stopped in front of me so I could kiss my little girl. “I think I’m gonna teach them a few songs, maybe even see if they can pick up a dance routine or two while you guys are busy.”
“Do not corrupt the children,” Preacher warned. “Bug, are you sure he’s trustworthy to be around your kid? Kitty? Come on!”
“This coming from a man who taught my son to check for listening devices in our house,” Kitty said drolly.
“You did that?” Captain asked.
“He did,” Sis answered as she slowly shook her head. She walked from one man to the next, adjusting ties and smoothing lapels until she got to Chef. She looked up at him and smiled. “You’re the handsomest man in this room.”
“In this state,” Chef argued with a grin.
“No, my man is downstairs. He’s the handsomest guy in the state. You win this room.”
“Burn,” Chef said before he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“Okay, we’re ready!” Luca said as he walked out of the bedroom and sighed. “Check me out, pretty lady.”
