as the lingering memory of the gunshot went off in my head. It was a sound I couldn’t escape; every bang of a door or exhaust backfiring, I was back in that room, standing over my father’s dead body.
My fist clenched against my thigh again and I ground out, “I need another drink.”
“Sure thing. Then you grab the nearest piece of ass and go fuck some of that anger out of you. Best medicine there is.” Gino nodded around a smug smile, as if he had all the fucking answers.
He’d done a lot of fucked up shit in his time. You didn’t become the Family’s number one enforcer without getting your hands bloody and your soul dirty. But I doubted that he’d killed the man who had given him life.
The waitress brought over another tray of drinks. “Courtesy of Zander,” she purred, running a hand over my shoulder. Her thick lashes fluttered in my direction and Gino gave me another nod.
“Thanks,” I said thickly, before removing her hand.
Gino tsked under his breath and the girl sauntered away with dejection in her eyes. “If you’re not going hit that, then don’t mind if I do.” He let out a hearty laugh, clambering from the booth.
“No way she’ll want a shriveled dick like yours, old man.”
“You’d be surprised what this shriveled dick can do.” He winked, taking off after the waitress.
I leaned back against the booth, letting out a heavy sigh. A bar like this was usually my kind of place. Good liquor and even better pussy. But everything was off.
My cell phone vibrated, and I dug it out of my pocket, half-expecting another text from Nicco.
It wasn’t Nicco though.
It was Matteo.
Hope you’re staying out of trouble.
Rolling my eyes, I texted him back a quick reply and stuffed my cell phone in my pocket. I knew my cousins meant well, they always did, but this wasn’t something a couple of texts and a few nights away from Verona was going to fix.
Downing my drink, I ran a hand over my jaw and stood, making my way to the restrooms. Gino was working his magic on the waitress, whispering into her ear as if she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Dirty old dog.
With a chuckle, I shouldered the door leading to the restrooms. But the sound of gentle sobs caught my attention, and I went left down the hall inside of the right.
“Hello?” I called, knocking on the door to the female bathroom.
“I, uh… I’ll just be a minute.”
I heard the faucet run, followed by the whirr of the hand dryer. I should have moved on, doubled back around and gone into the men’s bathroom like I’d planned to. But curiosity got the better of me.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open and emerald eyes stared up at me. “Can I help you?”
“You were crying,” I stated, backing up to give her room to step out into the hall.
“No, I wasn’t.” She steeled her expression and rolled out her shoulders.
My eyes narrowed. The faint mascara tracks down her cheeks weren’t fooling me. But there was something else, a bruise blossoming along her cheek.
“Who did this to you?” I demanded, reaching for her.
“No one.” She jerked back, letting her red hair fall around her face like a shield. “Excuse me, but I have to get back to work.”
“You work here?” Anger zipped up my spine. If DiMarco was letting guys put their hands on his girls… fuck, I thought that shit had been dealt with last summer after he and Nicco got into it.
“I-I really have to go.” She slipped around me and hurried down the hall.
“Fuck.” My fist collided with the wall. I might have been a cold bastard, but I didn’t tolerate violence toward women. Back when we were kids, I’d seen how much it had messed with Nicco’s head watching his old man lose his temper one too many times with Aunt Lucia. He was a reformed man now, but it didn’t change history.
I liked my women submissive, sure. But they were always more than willing to accommodate my rough touch.
My dick twitched behind my jeans, and I shook my head with mild laughter. At least one of us still had our priorities straight.
Because although I’d put space between me and Verona, there were some things you couldn’t escape.
Chapter 10
Nora
“What do you think?” Lucii yelled over the music.
“It’s… loud.” I grinned, slurping down my sugary cocktail. I was three drinks in and feeling all kinds of sexy.