Keep Her Close - Jenika Snow Page 0,5

a jealous, raving bitch at times, possessive and controlling. She might know what he was capable of, but her psychotic episodes left much to be desired. So, he had dropped her, because he had enough shit in his life right now without her drama.

“Yeah, but sex is all I had in common with Angie, even after knowing her all of these years.” Joey wiped his mouth after finishing off his espresso. “Besides, fucking Angie isn’t going to get Marra out of my head, and I sure as hell don’t want to open that door with Angie again.”

“So what, you think asking her to fuck you again will have her jumping in bed with you?” Alex asked and then shrugged. “I may have not been around for the last ten years, but Niklo filled me in on this obsession you have with the bakery chick.”

“I admit she’s a bella donna for sure, but you need to get your head out of your ass,” Niklo said in good fun. These three men were the only ones that talked to him like this, but they also told him how things were. They were his most trusted allies in everything. He had men in his crew that he relied on, but these three knew him.

He glanced at Marra again, saw her look over at him, but then she quickly looked away. “She’s afraid of me.”

“I’d be afraid to fuck you, too.” Alex and Niklo started laughing, and Little Johnny sat there with his ever-present stone-cold expression on his face.

Joey pushed thoughts of Marra away for the time being. He’d get her in his bed one way or the other, but right now they needed to discuss things that didn’t have to do with sticking their dicks in willing pussy. “Let’s talk about why we really met up today.”

Alex and Niklo sobered.

“The rat’s body was found and the message received, although there is talk that the Gondalo crew is talking about revenge toward us because Michael was close to one of the capos in their crew,” Little Johnny said right after he finished his cannoli. He gestured for Henrietta to bring him another.

“What about the rat in our own circle?” Joey asked and leaned back in his chair. He glanced at Marra as if he couldn’t help it, and although he was in control in every aspect of his life, for some reason when it concerned her he felt out of control.

You want her, but can’t have her, and it is the one thing that drives you mad.

“I don’t know if we have a rat, but someone with a loose tongue instead,” Niklo said. “Some of the guys have been saying Mario has been going to Tinno’s to get trashed since Kelly left him.”

“He’s been running his mouth when he has too much to drink, talking to the girls that hang around trying to earn a few extra bucks on the side,” Little Johnny said. “He’s been saying things that may not really be construed as anything to the average John, but there have been a few of the Gondalo crew at Tinno’s when Mario has been running his mouth,” Little Johnny said.

“Are we sure Mario was saying things he shouldn’t have?” Joey asked. The man could be a little uncertain at times, but he did as he was asked without hesitation, and he was loyal without a fault. But then his wife had left him, and Joey had seen a decline in the stability of the man. Mario had let that shit consume him, and slowly had been drinking his liver away. It seemed like he was putting everyone in the circle at risk, too.

“As sure as if I had gone to Tinno’s yesterday and spoken with Andre myself,” Little Johnny said, and glanced at Joey.

Andre, the owner of Tinno’s, knew when to give up information, and keep his mouth shut, but that was the price to pay with running a business in Joey’s town.

“Well, then that’s settled. Find Mario, and bring him to the bar.” Joey wanted this done relatively silently, but he also wanted to make sure Mario knew what was happening. The bar they owned was one of their “legitimate businesses”, but it was on the edge of town, rundown, and asking Mario to come to them wouldn’t have the boccalone freaking out before they knew what the fuck he’s been running his mouth about.

“And you think Mario is going to come clean that he’s been running his mouth?” Alex asked.

“He