Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
“What’s it for?” Gio asked, jerking his thumb at the note.
“Because I saved your life once,” the Capo explained. “And your father was kind of fucked up that day what with you and your mother being like you were, so he scribbled that off on a notepad at the nurses’ station, ripped it off, and asked them to give it to me. I kept it.”
Huh.
“When I was born?” Gio asked, knowing there had been some complications for his mother with his birth.
“Yeah, then.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t get fucking sentimental or anything, kid. It’s just a note.”
That the Capo kept.
Gio smirked. “Does Dad know you have it?”
“Yes,” the Capo said. “But we don’t talk about it.”
“Why not?”
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“You don’t mind,” Gio said, sure of that fact. “You always answer.”
The Capo reached out and poked Gio hard in the forehead. “Not this time, kid.”
Gio scowled, batting the Capo’s hand away. “Asshole.”
“So I’ve been told. Go get me a rum and coke from the bar, would you?”
“Can I have one, too?” Gio asked.
The Capo barked a laugh. “Not if you want to live tonight when I take you home to your father.”
Gio wasn’t surprised. The Capo never let him try anything fun.
“And not if I want to live,” Skip added, smiling. “Go get me the drink, kid. We’ve got things to do today.”
“Like what?”
“Like none of your fucking business, Gio. You’ll find out when we get there.”
Gio grinned. “Are we doing the rounds again?”
He liked doing that with the Capo. He learned a lot about how money was made on the streets and the ins and outs of being a Capo. Gio never got to do much, because he was always kept far enough away from anything that might cause him trouble, but it was still decent fun.
“Fair enough,” Gio said.
With a two finger wave, he left the back office. Gio made his way through the club to where the large bar waited with two bartenders working behind. Pushing his frame up onto a stool, Gio rapped his knuckles down on the top to gain their attention.
“Skip wants a drink?” the larger of the two asked.
“Yeah.”
“All right. You want a soda?”
“Sure,” Gio said. “Seven Up.”
“Pussy drink, kid.”
Gio gave the guy the middle finger. “Get me a rum and coke then.”
The bartender scoffed loudly. “Only in your teenaged wet dreams, Gio. I know the fucking rules.”
Seven Up it was.
Gio sipped from his Seven Up and balanced Skip’s drink in his other hand as he made his way back through the crowd filling the joint. There was always lots of movement and lights. The music was good, too. But he wasn’t allowed on the floor a lot when the club was open for business.
As he walked down the back hallway leading to Skip’s office, Gio took it slow. He could hear the Capo arguing with someone, which was new. Skip never let people come into his office and shout when Gio was in the club. He always kept things clean and quiet, or as much as could be expected in Cosa Nostra.
Gio pushed on the office door with his hand and found it wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t latched completely, but it wouldn’t move, either.
“I said get the fuck out,” Skip barked. “And don’t bother coming back until you’ve got your shit cleaned up. I’ve got nothing for you—nothing. Go look elsewhere for money, you’re not getting it from me to feed your fucking habits, Red.”
Gio stepped back from the door in just enough time to miss the person who stumbled out. The woman looked wild with her flaming red hair a mess and angry, dilated pupils focusing on fourteen-year-old Gio’s face.
High.
He knew that look.
She was raving mad and high as a kite.
The woman sneered. “This your newest little recruit, Giovanni?”
Before Gio could blink, the Capo was out in the hallway and pushing the woman away from Gio.
“Get out of here, I said,” the Capo growled. “Goddamn it, Red, have some respect. You’re acting crazy.”
“Crazy?” Red barked out a laugh. “You made me fucking crazy, Giovanni. I know you’ve got money stashed in here. You’ve always got money. That’s what you do, right? You handle money for the big guns. I’m not asking for much.”
“I won’t deal with your nonsense anymore. It’s bad every way you look at it and you do nothing good for me, Red. And I asked you to leave. Now.”
Gio swallowed hard as an enforcer stepped down the hallway, probably having heard the commotion. The Capo gave a single wave in Red’s direction and the enforcer nodded. Then, Gio found himself being pulled back inside the office. The door was shut before Skip grabbed the drink Gio held out for him.
“Thanks,” the man said, his tone tired and rough.
“Who’s that?” Gio dared to ask.
Skip blinked as he downed half of the glass in one go. “My biggest fucking mistake.”