Page 64 of Stolen Kisses
I had Donny, Saul and Lois at home with Maria and Flynn. They were watching the place. Number Two, Eight and Ten from the secret squad were doing background checks.
I knew the guys at home were the best we had aside from us as The Four. The secret squad was even better because all this shit we’d read about Franco, wasn’t stuff you could just get your hands on. Those guys were old school from Raphael’s days who were set up in secret and we only referred to them as numbers for safety and protection reasons.
Everybody was great, but the best person to be there for Maria and Flynn was me.
And, the best person to be here at this charity was also me. I’d been here before, knew the questions to ask. Even if I gave the questions to someone else it would probably work, but there was room for something not being asked right off the bat. Or fuck, even seeing something.
On the walls too were pictures of notable people who’d helped the charity out. People who’d made donations and various other gifts like buildings that were turned into shelters and also provided jobs.
I found myself looking at everything for clues.
“Hey,” Gio said tapping my hand. “We’ll do our best, with everything. I guess we just have to see how it all plays out. Then we’ll know how to proceed.”
“I wish Maria had told me this shit before. Way before she was followed. It would have been better if she’d said she came back here for protection.”
“But she didn’t come back here for that. She was fleeing and it seems like this was just a stop. Somewhere she could hideout.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“What? There’s more on your mind you aren’t saying.”
It was trivial and petty, but it just felt like she wanted to be with everyone—never me though.
“I just wonder why we couldn’t have been what we are now. I look at her and think how I always felt this way about her and it never changed. I look at Flynn and I think he should be my son. Not anybody else’s. I wasn’t a coward in the past. I wasn’t a fucking coward; I just didn’t believe in chasing someone who wasn’t into me. I don’t fucking chase anyway. But maybe that was where I went wrong. Maybe I should have.” I explained.
Gio chuckled. “Man, we can all say maybe this and that at the end of the day if things don’t go the way we want. In this instance I’m inclined to agree that you never chase anyone who’s not into you. I felt on many occasions that she was, but you know what she was like back then. She had to be with the Alpha, not the betas and back then there really were two Alpha’s. She would have gone for Luc or Claudius. End of story. Sorry to put it this way, but it’s like wanting a Porsche, but really you love the Volkswagen. The Volkswagen is perfect for you, but you want the Porsche. So, you go after the fucking Porsche at the first chance you get.”
I laughed. “Man, you calling me a Volkswagen?” I knew what he meant, but I needed some light humor. It wasn’t like me to be serious for so long.
“You know what I’m saying. I’m right too. Add in the fact that she had a really bad upbringing and of course she’d aim for the top if she thinks she has a shot. The husband though, I gotta say I don’t think she was aiming for the big bad wolf. Seemed like she was genuinely trying to escape the bad life and our underground world here.”
She’d said that. Just last night she’d said that. She’d thought Franco was a normal guy who’d just worked his way up and became successful.
She wanted normal and ended up with the worst case scenario instead.
“He’ll kill her Gio. Guys like that only have one motive when it comes to having their secrets exposed.” It reminded me of what Vinny had said about Christina. She must have had dirt on the guy.
“I know man, if he comes here …”
I tensed. I tensed in the same way I did last night when Maria told me all that she’d been through.
“If he comes here, he’s dead Gio. I will kill him, and that is all.”
Gio straightened up and nodded. “I’m with you bro. I’ll back you up.”
I turned when someone called my name.
A tall middle aged man approached us with a smile. He had to be Jerry Chase, the new manager.
“Hi, I’m so sorry to keep you gentlemen waiting,” he began and looked from me to Gio.
We both stood and shook his hand.
“That’s okay. We weren’t here long.” I answered. I could see he looked nervous around us so I wanted to lessen the tension. Besides we’d gotten here early so it wasn’t his fault that we’d had to wait.
“Let’s go to my office, it’s this way.” He gave us a warm smile that made his crow’s feet look more pronounced.
We went to his office, up one level from where we sat.
