Page 49 of Blood on Ice

I gasped. “It’s me. Zeke.”

“Fuck, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“You don’t have to stay awake all night for me.”

He stretched and sat up. “Somebody needs to be aware of what’s going on.”

“You really think Benito would come here?”

He nodded. “I don’t doubt it for a second.”

“I know I owe them a lot of money, but how can it matter that much? Why would he follow me himself?”

“Come sit down. We need to talk.”

I narrowed my eyes. “There better not be more shit you’ve been hiding from me.”

“I was never holding anything back from you. You didn’t ask who I was. I didn’t ask if you needed money. Turns out we were useful to each other.”

“For more than fucking.”

“Obviously, but you happen to be top notch at that too.”

Heat rushed through me, but this wasn’t the time. I needed to know what he was hinting at. “Vito, tell me what’s going on.”

“So, I told you I knew Benito.”

“Yes.”

“He did some work for my family a few years ago and fucked us over. We…ran him out of town. He blustered about getting revenge on us, but we haven’t heard from him since. I didn’t know he’d ended up in Vegas, and I still don’t know the extent of his involvement there, but I suspect he’s back in Boston so he can work some revenge while extracting money from you.”

This was all too much. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No, my family is as wrapped up in this as you are.”

17

VITO

“How’s your man?” Lonnie asked as I headed out the office door, already running later than I meant to. I was absolutely not going to miss the start of Zeke’s game.

“I don’t have a man. Don’t have a woman either. I like to keep my options open. You know that.”

She huffed. “The hockey player. The one you’re obsessed with. You’re going to his game tonight, right? I heard you were his bodyguard now.”

“Does anyone in this family know how to keep their mouth shut?”

She laughed. “Not really. But most of the time they also don’t realize I’m listening.”

“You’re always listening.”

She grinned. “Got that right. I like to stay well informed.”

“Damn good thing you’re not trying to blackmail us.”

“I wouldn’t dare. Other people though….”

“Other people aren’t my concern.”

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