Page 23 of Devil's Deal

The weariness in his voice made me wonder if we were still talking about the Family he’d been chosen to rule over or if it was a little closer to home. “Are we talking about your blood family or the Family who’s made vows to you?”

“It’s…” He hesitated. “One unfortunately has affected the other. That’s really all I can say about that.”

Shit. “And what do Vin and Rocco think?” I asked.

He barked out a harsh laugh. “I told you, Vin trusts no one. Half the time, I’m not sure he even trusts me. Rocco wants me to go off halfcocked, splattering brain matter on the streets and leaving it for an example. I want to work smarter, Romeo. The way you taught me when I was a kid.”

“I understand.” And I did. Whether the Buccelli siblings knew it or not, they’d grown up in one fucked up, dysfunctional home. Their grandfather had been a good Don, though, to the Family at large. But his own kids, especially the grandkids, they’d suffered. Inside the house, behind closed doors, the adults in their family had torn at each other with barbs and petty deeds in a way that made their souls bleed, if not their flesh.

“Listen, I’ve been driving around during the day within the territory lines. I spent some time at the Port Authority, too, watching how your guys are dealing with the other crews over there. Let me creep around at night a little and see what else I can come up with, okay? I know waiting is hard. But in my line of work, patience isn’t only a virtue, it’s what keeps me alive. Trust me to do the same for you. I won’t head back out of town until I’ve cut the heads off a few snakes on your behalf, Don Buccelli.”

He stayed silent, collecting his thoughts. “Thank you for your discretion, Mr. Caputo,” he said formally.

I smiled. After my initial dishonorable behavior, it had taken two tries for him to hear me, but he’d been raised for this position. I didn’t know a better man for it. And so, he heard my words. I was no longer speaking to the sad, lonely boy who’d had to be the brave protector for his siblings. I would no longer address him that way. He’d never be my Boss. The life of the Family wasn’t for me. But he was Don, and he had my respect.

“No problem.” I had a concern, though. “What reason did you give Vin for sending men to The Gin Mill?”

“I told him I was thinking about investing in some businesses. Maybe buying that place,” he said matter-of-factly. I could hear him now. His brother would’ve bought that hook, line, and sinker and was probably ragey about it.

Amused, I asked, “And how did he take that?”

“About like you’d expect. Vin has big plans on ways to bring in money. Big plans. And he’s not appreciative of me going around him.” He chuckled softly.

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. It didn’t matter to me what Vin had planned, or if they were legal or not. Two things I knew aboutthisFamily: no drugs, no human trafficking. That’s all I cared about. The rest, well, who was I to lecture anyone on how they made a buck? “Your brother’s smart. You should listen to him.”

“I am, but I’m not making changes fast enough for him. I’d be happy to accommodate them, but first, I need to know who the rat is.”

Rat? As in singular? Nah. His problems were bigger than that. “I got your back, Nico. We made a deal, and you’re holding up your end. I’ll hold up mine.”

“I never doubted that. Keep me posted.”

The phone went dead.Fuck.I ran my hand through my hair. It was a big deal—an honor—that Nico had entrusted me with his fears and concerns. It wasn’t something he should do. Hell, his own siblings didn’t really have a clue about the worries weighing him down.

But I’d gotten him through a hard time when he was a kid, and that meant something to him. Not that I’d ever tell him, but it meant something to me, too, and that was why I was still here.

Well, that and Cory. I hadn’t intended to leave him high and dry with some petty criminal sneaking around his hotel, but I hadn’t worked out a way to help him yet when I’d met with Nico. He’d made a request that had given me the perfect solution. Two birds, one stone, and all that. But I’d underestimated Nico’s needs, and I wouldn’t be around long enough to help him get his house in order. I’d get rid of some of the riff raff before I moved on. I’d promised him that.

This left another question, though. Was I making too light of Cory’s issue at the hotel? Not liking the implications of that, I pulled up the app attached to the camera in his office and peeked in to make sure the boy—no, the man, was okay. Couldn’t start thinking of him as a boy, or I’d end up in trouble on that front, too.

I found him in his office, frowning as he stared off into space. Worry creased the space between his eyebrows, and his hands were red from how tightly he gripped the arms of his desk chair. It appeared as if someone needed some more stress relief. The display on my dash read five-thirty PM. I might as well head back to The Gin Mill to play with Cory. There was nothing else to accomplish out here right now anyway. Tomorrow was another day, and I’d take a new tactic.

Chapter

Nine

CORY

My nerves were fraying.I appreciated Bosley working out security for my hotel, except for one important thing. The men were all mobsters. I was sure that Bosley didn’t think I knew or that I’d realize, but I did. I knew way more about the underbelly of Takoda than he’d ever expected.

Now the problem was, how did I let him know that I wanted them out of here? Since there hadn’t been any rival Family-type run-ins so far, I guessed that these men were all part of the same outfit. Maybe. My brother-in-law didn’t come around here because this was Buccelli territory. Did that mean Bosley was in business with the Buccelli Family? Was he one of them? I didn’t know, but I was wrecked and something had to give.

The other issue I was facing was that I didn’t want Bosley to go. It had been…nice having someone to work out and chat with, to laugh. The orgasms didn’t hurt, either. It had been so long since my dick had any action that wasn’t my own right hand. If I brought this all up, would he want to stay around? Would he be allowed to spend time here with me knowing he was a made man? Everything about this was such a mess and it had me shaken.

On top of that? There’d been no break-ins in the five days since these guys had been around. That was good on the one hand, no more unhappy guests. But if something would just happen, and they caught the perpetrator, then I’d never have to breathe a word of what I suspected—what I knew in my heart of hearts—to Bosley. For me, that would be the best ideal solution. Then he’d stay around. Or would these so-called security guards leaving mean he’d be going, too?

A knock at my door pulled me out of my morose musings, and I called, “Come in.”

Harlow stuck his head through the door. “Cory, we have a problem.”

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