some desperate housewife. But no. He’d wanted to play spy. So here he was, screwin’ around with the fuckin’ Moretti family.
“Had to bail at the club she landed in,” he explained to Furio, at the same time reciting what he remembered from the prayer his mother—may she rest in peace—had taught him when he was a kid. “She met up with the redhead and they tagged me. Didn’t want ’em gettin’ suspicious. They’re ’bout six blocks over.”
“Give me her home address.”
Man, he really didn’t like this guy. But seeing no other way, Ian took out his pad—no electronics for him—and rattled off the girl’s addy. The girl he kinda had a crush on. The one who reminded him of that chick from those Transformers movies.
An innocent girl who didn’t deserve to have this fuckin’ guy knowing where she lived. What if he hurt her? Did some weird sexual shit to her?
Furio’s eyes met his, and Ian really had to work hard not to take a step back. “Go home, tubby,” the underboss drawled as he turned away. “And go on a fuckin’ diet before you drop dead where you stand.”
Ian’s lips thinned, his face burning with humiliation. A humiliation he’d lived with for too many years; ever since he was a kid sitting in that doctor’s office with his worried mother, listening as they talked about something called a thyroid. He hadn’t known then that the malfunctioning little fucker in his neck would cause him nothing but abuse from guys like Furio Abella, the bully who’d just climbed into a sweet ride and driven away.
Ian pulled out his puffer. As he pushed down on the pump and inhaled the meds, he couldn’t help but think that payback wasn’t as much of a bitch as people thought. He kind of liked her.
Not as much as he liked the Transformers girl. She was a nice one. Even as pretty as she was. Didn’t seem stuck-up at all. She’d even held the door open for him when he’d followed her into a Starbucks a couple of weeks ago on Broadway.
The Morettis should go at it, he thought as he pumped the handle to reach an even number on the gauge. Gabriel could kick Stefano’s ass for getting the girl involved in whatever shit they had planned for her. Although, neither of the brothers seemed to be a threat to her. It was Furio that Ian worried about.
And he was rarely wrong. He knew how to read people. Always had.
Stefano was a follower, even though he was boss. Was tough but not much of a threat unless provoked.
Furio was a cruel wannabe, the type one had to watch out for because they stopped at nothing to get what they wanted.
Gabriel Moretti? Now he was a smart one, and dangerous. But fair. Ian had seen that in the first week he’d tailed the guy. You didn’t fuck around with him, because he’d bust you up, but he didn’t bust anyone up unless they fucked around with him. Fair.
And it seemed like all three men wanted one thing.
The pretty Transformers girl.
Ian smiled as he looked at the couple staring out from the folded page of the Times that sat on the front passenger seat of his rental. If he’d chosen for her, he’d have gone with that brother, too.
Hopefully Gabriel didn’t have a crew like Stefano’s. Otherwise the girl was fucked.
† † †
Eva had just taken a sip from her second Cosmo when she nearly sprayed what was in her mouth all over her and Nika. A clearly pissed off Kevin was pushing his way through the crowd toward their table.
He’d gained some weight and cut his light-brown hair to the wood since the last time she’d seen him, but his hooded brown stare was as cold as ever.
“Hey, girls.”
Nika’s head swung around so fast Eva was surprised she didn’t snap her own neck. Dread swamped her friend’s features. “Kevin! What are you doing here?”
“Tubs and Junior are at the bar. Thought I’d meet ’em for a drink, since you took off.” He stepped closer to the table, looming, like he was trying to intimidate them. Evidently Nika had come out against his wishes. “You mentioned a new club. Didn’t think you meant this one,” he added through tight lips.
Nika’s gaze met Eva’s and her eyes said it all: Sure he didn’t.
“You don’t look happy to see me, Niki.” An odd edge roughened his voice. “Is it a problem that I showed?”