Page 80 of Salvatore
Lucca, dressed in his all-black suit, took his Zippo and cigarettes from his front pocket and lit one up. “It seems you have collected quite the winnings, Valerie.”
“Mmhmm.” She nodded nervously, adjusting her hair over her earring.
“I didn’t know you gambled,” he said, expertly blowing a cloud of smoke in her direction. “I didn’t even know you played.”
“First time,” she squeaked out after inhaling the intoxicating scent. The slight rush of nicotine made her heart rate calm enough to say her usual go-to. “Beginner’s luck, I guess.”
“That’s some beginner’s luck,” he agreed, taking in the stash carefully to count how much she had accumulated.
Her hand drifted a little bit closer to his cigarettes. “Are you going to play or …?”
“Let’s see …” He mulled the thought over before looking at Sadie. “How much did she put in?”
Sadie quickly ratted her out. “Five hundred.”
Lucca picked up five hundred dollars’ worth of her chips and took them for himself, putting them in the designated circle on the table all in one hand. It was a measly little stack in comparison to the amount she had accumulated. “I guess I will.”
“Goddammit! Abort mission! Abort mission!”
The yelling voice that rang in her ear blasted beyond its usual capabilities as the earring was then snatched from her ear by Lucca and squashed like a bug into tiny little pieces in his hand.
Her huge, wide eyes had grown so much in fear at witnessing him obliterating her hidden earpiece, she began blurting out her words like vomit.
“I’m sorry! Sal made me do it! I didn’t actually think he could really count the card—”
“It’s all right, Valerie. You can relax,” Lucca told her as he motioned for one of the servers to bring him two Jack and Cokes. “Sadie, do me a favor and go find where Amo went to. I think it’s his turn to try his hand at dealing.”
Valerie tried her best to take his advice and relax, but it was much easier when the drink arrived, followed by an upset Amo taking Sadie’s place on the other side of the table. Not a peep came out of his mouth, taking his punishment of not realizing their scheme.
Satisfied with his demands, Lucca opened his pack of cigarettes and held one out in offering to Valerie. “Now, doyou reallywant to play?”
Blinking in disbelief, she wondered if she was actually sleeping and merely just dreaming this impossible-to-believe scenario in her mind.
Fuck it.She accepted his offering; she would go back to her Twizzlers tomorrow. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, regardless of real or not real, and she was going to pick the brain of one of the most notorious mob bosses until he grew sick of her voice, and then she’d ask him permission to use it in her next game.
“Oh, and, Valerie.” The Boogieman gave her a sinister smile and flipped the end of his antique Zippo that was engraved with the name Caruso. “Welcome to the family.”
EPILOGUE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
“Iwant to go out to eat tonight.”
Sal looked away from the security footage he was watching to see Valerie nonchalantly sitting next to him. “I’m working.”
Like always, Valerie didn’t seem to mind that he was, but she kinda had a massive point, today of all days. “Who the hell works on their birthday? Ask someone else to work for you.”
His gaze solemnly went back to the screens. “I told you I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday.”
“Who said we’re going to celebrate your birthday?” she asked, waving that thought off. “I just want to go out to eat. Don’t you get sick of eating here all the time?”
“No.”
“Well, I do.” An exasperated Valerie continued, “Come on; you can just watch me eat if you’re not hungry.”
Stern eyes drifted back to her. “We’re not eating at Taco Bell.”
Giving him one of those pitiful looks she had learned to give to get her way, she knew she had won the battle before he did. “If I let you pick, can we go out?”
