Page 20 of Havoc
Picking up my phone I dialed a number and waited while it rang. As soon as Salvatore picked up the phone I grinned. “Sal.”
“Nico! This is unexpected.”
“Sorry to bother you, old friend. Do you have a minute?”
“For you? Always. What is it?”
Sal and my dad went way back. In fact, Salvatore Giuliani was the Boss over in Texas now, but at one point he’d worked for my dad here in New York. I thought of him more as an uncle than anything. “I have some information I need, and I keep getting stonewalled everywhere I turn. I thought you might be able to help?” Sal had a kid who was very talented. If anyone could help dig up what I needed it’d be her.
“Of course, tell me what you need, and I’ll put her on it. If she can’t help, then my soon to be son-in-law will be able to. He’s even better with computers than she is.”
Shock filtered through me. “Son-in-law?”
Sal made a sound of disgust. “Yes, there will be a marriage. It’s happening quickly. It’s set for two months from now. Your invite is in the mail.”
That meant one of two things, she was pregnant, or it’d happened to help the family. “I’ll be there, amico. Is she...?”
“Not pregnant,” he said wryly, reading my mind.
“And she’s getting married… Not-?”
“His condition was he got to choose.”
Arranged marriages were something that still happened often in mob families. I’d been fortunate that my father had agreed with my marriage to Maria and that our marriage strengthened our organization. She’d been the daughter of my father’s most loyal—nowmymost loyal Capo.
“It’s a long story, Nico. Some other time.” He sounded tired and cranky, not really something I wanted when I was asking for a favor, so I switched the topic back to my request.
“I’m still trying to find Maria’s murderers.”
He sighed, the sound harsh over the line. “I was sorry to hear you lost her, son. I’ll do everything I can to help you find the sorry sons of bitches who killed her.”
“Thanks, Sal. And...one other thing.” I picked up the file folder Chet had sent over and stared down at the picture inside. “I need to find out any information there is on someone who used to live there in Austin.”
* * *
I glancedaround the darkened street as I pulled up to the curb in front of the apartment complex. My gaze locked on a homeless guy digging around in the trash can out front. “Hey.” He looked up and I motioned him over. Taking out my wallet I pulled out two, crisp, hundred dollar bills.
His eyes widened as his gaze darted from them to me and back. He licked his lips, but focused on me when I ducked my head to catch eye contact with him. “See that car?” I jerked my head to my Mercedes. He nodded eagerly. “If you make sure it doesn’t go anywhere, these are both yours.”
“Absolutely, Boss,” He said, his voice husky. “I won’t let anyone near it.”
“Perfect.” I pocketed my wallet and the cash. I knew better than to give him any of it now. He’d just run off and inject it into a vein the first chance he got, and my car would be sitting here alone. It wasn’t a terrible neighborhood, but a car like that was like a beacon and hard to resist. “If anyone gives you trouble just tell them that it’s Don Romano’s car.”
He grimaced at my name and backed up a step. “Yes, Boss.”
I left him to his guard duty and loped into the building. He’d shoot up most of the money I’d give him tonight, but I hoped that maybe he’d choose this time to do something different. It wasn’t likely, but I liked to give this city’s homeless a chance whenever I could. My mother and I had been given that chance and it’d changed my life.
I waited impatiently as the elevator crawled up to the third floor. Sal had said he’d get back to me soon with what I’d requested, but it’d been a few days, and I’d been too restless to wait around longer.
I smirked at Dante’s door as I passed it in the hallway. If my little brother thought he’d win this battle he was mistaken. Just remembering the way Havoc’s lips had felt against mine had me hardening. No one won against me when I set my sights on something.
Slipping the master key into the lock on her door, I shoved it open and walked into her place. There was a single lamp on in the living room and it barely held the shadows at bay. Looking around, I noticed the room was sparse. She didn’t have it filled with the useless trinkets most women did. Her laptop sat, open, on the coffee table. From down the hall I could hear the sound of water running.
I sat on the couch and jiggled the mouse, waking the computer up. All that I found was a blank Google page. I started to pull up her search history when I heard the water shut off. It didn’t matter. I’d know who she was soon enough.
Moving down the hall and into her bedroom, I watched as she swiped the steam away from the bathroom mirror. Her wet hair lay down her back, free from the braid I’d only ever seen it in. She had a towel wrapped around her and I watched hungrily in the mirror as a drop of water slid from her shoulder underneath the fabric. I shifted to relieve the sudden tension in my jeans. The movement must have caught her eye.
As soon as she gasped my gaze snapped up and met hers in the glass. We both stood frozen for a moment, her in shock, me waiting to see what she’d do. I didn’t expect her to grab a knife I hadn’t seen laying on the counter and spin toward me.