Page 43 of Blood on Ice

“I went to the arena to convince him, but he wouldn’t talk to me. I followed him to the players only area. I was going to drag him out of the locker room if I had to.”

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Vito. Marchesis don’t make a scene. All you had to do was wait for him to come out.”

“He would’ve been with other players, just like in the locker room.”

“Yeah, but then you might not look like a fucking psychopath.”

Pops had a lot of nerve to call me a psychopath. The man was a legendary assassin. There were people who thought he could literally disappear like a puff of smoke. He’d killed with ease and precision, and he’d started when he was only a kid. But mentioning anything like that would only make this go worse. Much worse.

“So, instead of talking to Zeke or protecting him, you ended up in jail with your brother having to bail you out.”

God, he knew how to make me feel small. “Yes, sir.”

“You said there was information I would need to know.”

“That’s right.

He waved a hand at me. “Continue.”

I glanced at Vito, and he gave me an encouraging nod. This was where things could really go off the rails. We’d avoided a scandal thus far. All I’d done was sign a contract with a client who would be able to pay, but I was about to drag us into something much bigger.

“I tracked Zeke down at a bar. There was a guy there watching him. It was Loony. I scared him off, figuring he’d been hired by the men in Vegas.”

“It’s not your business to mess around in?—”

“Yes, it is. I’ve promised him my protection.”

“Jesus, son.”

“Just listen, please.”

He nodded. “Go on.”

“As we were leaving, I saw someone watching us from an alley. At first, I assumed it was Loony. But it was Benito Abati.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Val shook his head. “He’s not. I’ve confirmed Benito’s back in the city.”

“How long have you known this?” my father asked.

“A few hours. We need to get on this,” Val said. “We need to find out why he’s here and eliminate the problem.”

I chimed in. “Zeke says Benito was there when he met with the loan sharks in Vegas. He also showed up at Zeke’s apartmentthere to make him understand how important it was to pay him back.”

Anger flashed in Pops’ eyes. “Is that how Balogh broke his fucking arm last year, because he was beaten by Benito?”

I nodded.

“And now that motherfucker is here.”

“Yes. I think he’s using Zeke as an excuse to come to Boston and do more damage while also having the thrill of eliminating a high-profile client, but we need to look into it. Knowing why he’s here will help us figure out the best way to kill him once and for all.”

Val nodded. “I agree, and I think he’s worked his way into some position of authority with the guys in Vegas. Otherwise, why would he have been the one to threaten Zeke initially.”

“I want to know everyone who’s working with him. None of them will be welcome in Boston again.” So far this was going much better than I’d expected. “But I need you to stay out of it.”

And there it was. He’d take any chance to sideline me. “That’s not possible.”

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