Page 54 of Taking Care of the Target

He grunted and then walked over to a giant SUV a few parking spots down and leaned against the hood.

Stern-front in place, Cassie spun to Bobby. “Maybe I’m wasting my breath, and look, I know you had a lot of shitty things happen with your parents and all. I’ve had my fair share, too, as have a lot of people in life. There are other ways of dealing with it than drugs. And how many times do you think Vince can swoop in and bail you out before one of these meetings goes bad?”

Her throat tightened.Please don’t let it be this meeting, please don’t let it be this meeting.

“You know what’s really funny? I moved to New York to try to get clean. I thought if I got away from our—” Bobby suddenly clamped his lips.

“What?”

Bobby put his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t want him to get hurt, either. It’s good he found someone like you who cares about him. Maybe he’ll do a better job breaking away than I did.”

“Don’t just give up. The first step is wanting to change, and I’m asking you to…want to. To try. You need professional help and a strong support system. You’ve got Vince, and I know you barely know me, but I can help, too. At least I know people who can. There’s a good person in there somewhere. It’d be a shame to lose him completely.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s already gone.”

“You and your brother! Just accept you’re good guys and prove it. And when people want to help you, just let them. But not like this. Like—”

“I get it,” Bobby said with a smile.

“Good. So that’s my speech.” Despite her best attempts to keep up her strong front, it cracked and tears sprung to her eyes. “Now, do me a favor and bring Vince back to me. I won’t be okay if you fail, you understand?”

Bobby surprised her by hugging her. It apparently surprised Vince, too, because he was suddenly two feet away, looming and seeming conflicted as to intervene or not.

As they neared the entrance to the club, the bouncer eyed their clothes; apparently they were underdressed. Vince identified himself, and he let them through.

Since it was fairly early by clubbing standards, the dance floor was sparse, the bar area only faring a bit better. Vince gave Cassie’s hand one last squeeze, and then she split off toward the bar as he and Bobby made a beeline for the back.

A giant bald guy met them and led them out of view.

Then all Cassie could do was wait.

***

Carlo did another sweep, even though he’d already made sure he wasn’t followed. The constant checking took time, but it was better than sitting in a cell.

He pushed intoMcCarthy’sSteak and Seafood restaurant in downtown Trenton and took in the joint. Ritzier than Rossi’s, but there wasn’t any of that old country appeal that made the place feel like a home away from home.

The hostess seated him, and he lifted the menu, watching over the top of it for Cassie. So far, he’d seen two waitresses and one waiter, but none of them were his former employee. He also noticed another man seated alone. The guy had a hard edge about him that made Carlo give him a second look. Dark hair that was graying at the temples, probably about his own age, maybe a little older.

The man glanced in his direction and then dropped his gaze to the table. A little too quickly.

Carlo narrowed his eyes and studied him closer. He didn’t look familiar. His clothes were older, nothing tailored or fancy, but he supposed that wasn’t a crime. Not everyone took as much pride in their appearance as he did. The guy had been here first, too, so that ruled him out as being a tail.

Carlo hadn’t told anyone he was going to check on Cassie. Come to think of it, the guy had probably looked away because Carlo was staring him down. People tended to be uncomfortable when he did that. Smart people, anyway.

Man, I really am getting paranoid. Staring down some man who just came in for a quiet early dinner.A waitress came over, and Carlo ordered their most expensive wine. He was about to ask about Cassie when his phone rang.

Most likely it’d be Allegra.The past few days had been rough, so instead of continuing to deny her accusations, he brought home a diamond necklace and earring set last night. It cost him a pretty penny, but things on the home front had cooled, and she’d been calling to whisper dirty things in his ear all day, so it was worth every cent.

Carlo frowned when the display identified the caller as Big Al Ferrigno, one of the underbosses in New York he occasionally did business with. They were friends—well, the kind of friends who drew territory lines, scratched each others’ backs from time to time, and other than that, stayed the hell out of each others’ way. Carlo’s territory might be less populated, but he had more square footage and plenty of firepower. Plus, he was tight with the don who owned the larger section of New York.

Lately Big Al had taken to calling to complain about Bobby, and he was the first person Carlo had called when he’d retracted Bobby’s protected status. Instead of answering his cell, he took out his burner and called back.

“Your nephews just got to the club,” Big Al said. “Not just Bobby, but Vince, too. Bobby agreed to come in and settle his debt.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted? I told you if you shook down Bobby you’d get paid. You lay hands on my nephews while they’re making good on that promise, and you’re going to have a hell of a fight on your hands.”

“Hey, I respect the family. I was more calling as a courtesy. And to make sure it is just a meeting about the debt. I didn’t expect Vince.”

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