Page 26 of Nico

“Where is he?” I barked, to disguise my excitement.

“In a small Texas town somewhere near El Paso. A real shit hole, dust and everything. No good restaurants, and yeah, I forgot, he bought a restaurant... a coffee shop I think. Now where the fuck did he get the money for that?”

I was hoping he hadn’t put that together, and for some reason Nico didn’t tell Lorenzo that Romeo had stolen the money from him. Probably because he didn’t want to look like a pussy in his men’s eyes. I thought he took this tough shit too far, but in this business I guessed Nico had to. But he did things that he didn’t have to. He was over the top in everything he did from the cat to Angelo.

Maybe he was making up for the fact that he was gay, and he wanted to dispel whatever notion his men had about him being gay. Frankly, I couldn’t see that fucking a man made him less capable of being a man. I felt the same after Romeo.

After falling in love with Romeo, it made me feel more like myself and more of a man, who just happened to be in love with a man.

“How long does it take to get there? To that little town,” I questioned Lorenzo, who had been talking as I stared and my thoughts fell on Romeo, and how I worried about handling the situation.

“I’d say twelve to sixteen hours tops if we drive straight through. When we get to some stretches of I-10 in Texas, the speed limit is over eighty. We can reach Romeo’s coffee shop when it opens early in the morning. I’ve already sent one of my men out there. Nico said Romeo had been on the run for months.” What fucking business was it to Lorenzo and how long had he been gone? He took more interest in Romeo than I wanted him to.

“We’re leaving in an hour, only my driver—”

“Nico said for me to go too, and report back to him.”

If I was into the business of making men disappear like Nico, it would be Lorenzo who would bite the dust, I thought.

“Okay, be back here in an hour. If you’re not back, then we’re leaving without you.” I’d planned on leaving him anyway.

“I’m ready to leave now.” I looked over at him, and he reached for his backpack and brought it up for me to see.

I need a drink.

Chapter 19

Dante

We arrived in the town around the time the lights had been turned on in the coffee shop and the shades were being pulled up. It was opening around five thirty and cars were already in the parking lot.

I knew when I saw a silhouette of Romeo through the large picture window— it was him. He wore a white tee shirt with some kind of logo and white pants. I’d memorized the contours of his slim body as if I was deep inside him that night in Nico’s room. I bet Nico would burn his bed if he knew I’d been making memories with Romeo who was Nico’s target that night. Nico thought by now he’d have his own sexual memories to take him to the next boy he’d fool with promises. Not quite the same memories I had in mind for Romeo.

Like Mary Ann said, I should have told him how I felt and that I wouldn’t harm him.

Romeo was a man I could fall in love with and take care of. And he wasn’t the kind of boy Nico had been interested in. Romeo didn’t know his place and that would be to shut up and do everything he was told. Nico bullied his lovers and Romeo would never allow that to happen to him. I could tell. He had a quick mouth and wouldn’t stay quiet for anyone, even if it meant he’d pay a price and he would have with Nico.

My Romeo was just the opposite of Chad. I was calling him mine because I guessed he was mine. Nico had said to take care of him, and that was what I intended to do. Take care of him and protect him from Lorenzo, who had no other reason to be here other than to carry out orders I wouldn’t or couldn’t.

Lorenzo turned to me, “You need coffee?”

I nodded yes. “Don’t do anything, but get me a cup of coffee and bring some for Emelio.”

My driver turned and nodded his head, and grunted out, “Make mine black. None of those sissy creamers.” He had been driving all night, and when Lorenzo offered to help him, he gave out a resounding, “No. I’ve been driving longer than you’ve had hair on your balls,” he’d barked.

Lorenzo shrugged and stepped out of the car, and I sent my bodyguard, Anthony, to make sure he didn’t do anything to harm Romeo. Furthermore, I gave him instructions only he and I knew about.

When they returned carrying coffee and a bagel, I asked Lorenzo, “They have bagels,

that’s interesting. I didn’t think you could get anything but a breakfast Burrito this far west.”

“I had one of the crew come here earlier to see if this was Romeo working in this greasy dive. He’s been here for a month—”

“You’ve known where Romeo was for a month?” That really pissed me off. Nico told one of his men but didn’t say anything to me.

“Nico said not to tell you, and I answer to him so I didn’t tell you.” He glanced over at me with a satisfied smile, the kind of smile I wanted to slap off his face.

“What else are you not telling me?” I questioned with a furrowed brow.

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