Page 85 of Burn this City

“Good. Battista will be happy about how all of this is going.” Spadaro looked around. “No massacres necessary. I haven’t done an airport yet. Though it’s pretty small.”

“Just don’t.”

“Joking.” Spadaro scoffed as if Sal couldn’t have possibly thought he was serious. “I’ll get going. I’ll be around for a few more days. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume all is well. If you need me again, call me. Enzo’s got my number.”

Sal offered his hand and Spadaro shook it. “Much appreciated.”

On the way to the exit, Spadaro put the helmet on and then he was already through the door. Sal gestured to Enzo, who joined him. When he turned to leave, he heard, “Final call for passenger Mr. Jack Barsanti at Gate 8” through the loudspeakers. He exchanged a look with Enzo, who looked a lot calmer than Sal felt.

“You drive. And before you get sassy with me, there’s something else we need to talk about.” It was a distraction for himself, but it was also long overdue.

Enzo lifted his eyebrows and gave a small nod. He’d coordinated those parts of the clean-up that Sal hadn’t, and taken out a couple capos himself. Those first thirty-six hours had been some of the bloodiest in Port Francis’ history, and after his killing spree, Enzo had settled in with a bottle of nice old cognac—not to deal with the blood and murder, but to tamp down on the adrenaline and exhaustion. Spadaro had roamed freely around the city, tying off “loose ends”.

“Seems we’re growing a lot after this, so we’ll need to fill some positions” Sal said softly when they sat in the truck. He noticed how Enzo’s shoulders relaxed. “Wait, what were you thinking I was going to say?”

Enzo shook his head and started the engine. “I don’t know, something about sex, I guess.”

Sal blinked, but decided to stay on his original track. “It’s time to fill a certain position. We haven’t needed an underboss, but it’s becoming necessary.” He’d also shied away from filling the position because that had been his own launching pad to take over the family. With the low profile he’d kept, it hadn’t been necessary to have somebody handle the day-to-day.

Enzo kept his eyes on the road. “You do know I’ve never played for that.”

“But would you take it?” Sal lifted a hand. “No, I mean, will you take it?”

“Well, we can’t have some other douchebag doing a shit job,” Enzo growled softly. “And I have a soldier who can take over my crew, and won’t fuck it up.”

Sal laughed and patted Enzo’s thigh. “Congratulations on the promotion.”

“Yeah, and fuck you too,” Enzo muttered. “Thank you.”

“You earned it.” Sal shook his hand. “And now, since we’re nice and alone in the car together, what was that about sex?”

“Jack’s a good guy. He’ll look after you.”

“If we can work this out, yeah. But I don’t feel like I’m completely in the clear yet.”

“You can be very convincing.” Enzo glanced in the mirror and changed lanes. “And you can always count on me in the life and outside of it. But I don’t think you need me the same way anymore.” He left that hanging between them. “That role’s been filled by a guy who’s better at it than I am. And I’m okay with that, just in case.”

“Setting boundaries, are you?”

“Just in that way. It’s time for me to move on.”

Nothing about Enzo suggested he hadn’t thought long and hard about it. Or, really, short and hard. Enzo wasn’t the type who ruminated over these things. And he was right, he’d served as Sal’s lifeboat too long already. “I respect that. So, you’re going back into the dating game?”

“Soon.” Enzo shrugged. “A week or so. I’ll give it until Saturday.”

Until Saturday? How oddly specific. That little piece of information connected with another one in Sal’s head. Silvio Spadaro’s departure date. “Comparing notes with the Barracuda?”

Enzo jumped a little. “Nothing serious, but he’s very good at what he does.”

Holy shit. The things that happened under pressure in life and death situations. He couldn’t see those two together, though they’d clearly gelled well when it came to planning and executing a mass killing. “Welcome to the bisexual club. We have the hottest members and plenty of choice, but the heartache is pretty much the same, just saying, sorry.”

“I have no fucking clue what he is, but I don’t think it matters. Might widen the field. Might not.”

“Take it one day at a time,” Sal said, echoing what Enzo had told him so often.

“Yep.” Enzo smirked. “You think you’ll join us for dinner tonight in the restaurant? Boys might want to see your face.”

“Won’t promise it.” Sal patted Enzo’s arm. “You cover for me,sottocapo.”

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