Breathless & Bloodstained (The Chicago War #4) (24 page)

“We know you paid
the man off to say whatever you wanted.”

Tommas smirked
coldly. “Prove it.”

Delog’s cheek
twitched.

Cops didn’t like
being outwitted.

“We’ll get the
info one way or another, Tommas,” Crown said lowly.

“I don’t see what
difference it makes,” Tommas replied. “Other than the fact you two fools have
been on my case for years, and you’re still trying to find something valuable
enough to make me turn rat. Newsflash, boys, it isn’t going to happen.”

Crown held tight
to the door. “I guess the boss’s seat is looking pretty damn fine from where
you’re standing, isn’t it?”

Tommas’ shoulders
stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Delog waved two
fingers at Tommas. “Have a good day, Tommas. Enjoy the party. See your
people
.
We’ll be around, looking into things like always.”

“What is that
supposed to mean?”

Crown let go of
the door, finally. “It means the more you ignore us, the more we gather against
you to use. We’d much rather have you work with us, than someone else.”

Someone else?

Tommas clenched
his teeth and slammed the door shut. From the driver’s seat, Nate watched his
boss warily in the rearview mirror.

“You okay?” Nate asked.

“Drive.”

“Tommas—”

“
Drive
!”

Nate pulled away
from the detectives, letting the Mercedes tires squeal on damp pavement. Once
they were far enough away that Tommas’ anger had faded, he relaxed into the
seat and took a deep breath.

“Fucking bastards,”
Tommas said to himself.

“They’re just
digging for nothing, boss.”

“They’re looking
for something.”

“They’ll still get
nothing.”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Tommas simply
wanted to protect Abriella.

“It doesn’t
matter,” Tommas said, waving his hand as if to shoo the problems away. “We have
to focus today.”

“Right,” Nate
agreed.

“Are you good to
do the job? Can you do it?”

Nate scoffed.
“Have I failed you before?”

“No.”

“And I won’t this
time.”

Tommas smiled,
knowing that was true. “Make sure you arrive back at the baby shower in lots of
time to pick me up after you’ve finished the job.”

“Will do,” Nate
said. “I’ll make sure it’s done, get out clean, and come back in lots of time
to get you, boss. By the time they hear what happened to Joel, you’ll be back
at your house planning the meeting for the Capos so you can take the seat.
Simple.”

The remainder of
Tommas’ stress melted away at his enforcer’s assurances. Nate was a good
man—loyal to Tommas like nobody could ever possibly understand.

“One step closer,”
Tommas murmured, staring at the buildings passing them by as they drove.

“Hmm, what’s
that?” Nate asked.

“This is just one
step closer to where I need to be.”

“Being boss?”

No, having
Abriella.

Tommas didn’t
correct the enforcer.

“Well?” Damian
demanded.

Tommas brushed his
cousin off, continuing his stroll around the food table. He picked from several
desserts to fill the plate in his hand, and kept an eye on the woman across the
room all the while. Abriella sat beside her sister, smiling and happy.

She had made it to
the baby shower, as she said she would. Tommas had called the day before, just
to make sure she was going to be there.

“Tommas, quit
ignoring me,” Damian growled.

Setting his plate
aside, Tommas said, “Nate will call me when it’s done.”

“And you’ve
thought of everything.”

“Yes.”

Damian’s lips drew
thin. “How can you be sure—”

“I’m sure that
everything will go fine because I trust that Nate has been watching Joel enough
to know the man’s habits. It’s a done deal, cousin. Leave it alone.”

“A done deal,”
Damian echoed. “Then why do I feel like something bad just crawled up my back?”

“I don’t know. You
always were strange like that.”

Leaving his grumbling,
scowling cousin behind, Tommas strolled across the restaurant floor to greet
the hosts of the day. Adriano had opened up one of his restaurants for the baby
shower. There were no games to be played and no silliness happening. It was
just a dinner between families and friends to celebrate the upcoming birth of
their child.

“Oh, come on,”
Abriella groaned when Tommas was close enough to hear her sweet voice.

“We don’t know,
Ella,” Alessa said, laughing.

“Don’t know what?”
Tommas asked, butting into the conversation.

Adriano bent down
to press a kiss to his wife’s cheek before he stood, and offered Tommas his
hand. Tommas took the handshake, and handed his plate to Adriano.

“Here, feed your
wife,” Tommas said. “I hear she’s craving sweets.”

Abriella shot
Tommas with a pointed look. She had let that little fact slip about Alessa’s
pregnancy the last time they chatted.

“Thank you,”
Adriano said.

“Now, what am I
missing about knowing something?”

Alessa flashed a
smile. “The gender of the baby.”

“She won’t tell
anyone,” Abriella complained. “How are we supposed to buy the right colored stuff
if she won’t tell us?”

“You buy me things
all the time for the baby!”

“But cute girly or
boy things, Lissa.” Abriella sighed. “You don’t get it.”

“If I knew the
gender, I would tell you,” Alessa said.

“You know.”

“I do not.”

“You do,” Abriella
muttered.

“She doesn’t,”
Adriano said quietly. “But I do.”

Abriella’s smile
turned almost predatory as her sights landed on Adriano. Tommas had to hold
himself back from laughing. If his girl wanted something, she would get it come
hell or high water.

“Do tell,”
Abriella said.

Adriano chuckled.
“I—”

“Adriano!” Alessa
said loudly, smacking her husband in the thigh. “Be quiet. That was a mistake
and you sneaked a look in the file. Now shut your mouth.”

Adriano made a
zipper motion over his lips, shrugged, and then said, “I’m just gonna … go find
Theo.”

“He’s being
pestered by Lily at the bar,” Tommas said.

“She worries about
him all the time,” Alessa put in.

“No, she loves
him,” Adriano argued. “There’s a difference.”

“He has a wife,
now,” Tommas said quietly.

“Eve says Theo
owes Lily, for whatever reason.” Abriella smiled, adding, “So, I don’t think
she cares what Lily bugs Theo about as long as he’s alive, you know.”

“You coming for a
drink?” Adriano asked, his hand landing on Tommas’ shoulder.

Subtly, Tommas passed
a look in Abriella’s direction. She was chatting quietly with her sister,
seemingly oblivious to his attention. It was likely that she did know he was
watching her, but they had always been damn good at this game.

There were far too
many people at the baby shower. The restaurant was filled with family, friends,
and last minute people who had heard about the party. It wasn’t the kind of
event where Tommas was willing to risk being caught with Abriella. He’d done it
before, sure, but today he was trying to watch his cards a little more
carefully.

“Sure,” Tommas
finally said. “But I’m not drinking.”

“Whatever you say,
boss.”

Tommas stiffened
at Adriano’s casual use of the term, but hid the reaction quickly enough. It
had been said so easily that even Adriano didn’t catch his slip. Or maybe he
knew exactly what he’d said, and he meant it.

Either way, Tommas
liked it.

He just wasn’t the
boss.

Yet
.

A round of drinks
later—minus Tommas—and laughter was shared between Capos and old friends of the
Outfit. The men had gathered around the bar, snacking on whatever had been
brought into the other side of the venue, while the women relaxed in the
restaurant side with baby gifts and all that nonsense. An MMA fight played on
the large flat screen television, earning bets from Damian, and Theo.

“Three grand on
Jarv,” Theo said. “The man is a fucking beast. I had the pleasure of seeing him
fight in Vegas a couple of years ago. Damn he’s good.”

“Yeah, but Louis
has skills that Jarv doesn’t,” Damian noted. “Consider that. He’s what, Kung
Fu, Mixed Martial Arts, and Kick Boxing, right?”

“Jarv is still a
beast.”

“Take Jarv,
asshole.”

“I am,” Theo said.
“Get that cash ready.”

Damian tried to
smack his brother-in-law in the back of the head, only to be dodged by Theo’s
defensive maneuver.

“Ha, you’re
getting too slow for me,” Theo taunted. “Age is working against you, D.”

“Let’s go outside
and see you say that,” Damian said, cocking a brow.

Theo smirked.
“Later. Right now, I’m working on making you go broke.”

Amused by the men,
but not wanting to get in on their bet, Tommas rested his back to the bar and
watched the fight begin on the television. He was thankful for the invitation
from Adriano to the baby shower. While it might seem like a small thing, it was
anything but. Now that Joel was in one of his rages because of Theo and
Evelina’s recent marriage, and Adriano was supporting his sister, Joel felt
like Adriano had picked a side.

Tommas’ side, of
course.

Offering Tommas
the invitation to the baby shower only added to it all.

Out of the corner
of his eye, Tommas caught sight of a smiling Abriella stand from her chair. She
looked like she was getting ready to greet someone, but Tommas couldn’t see who
it was. Alessa tried to stand as well, but Abriella waved her sister down.

Curious as to who
it was that had the sisters looking as happy as they did, Tommas moved between
the entryway of the restaurant’s two sections. He didn’t think the men would
notice his absence considering how involved they were in the television.

Abriella’s smile
made a lot more sense as Peter Trentini walked across the restaurant with gift
bags in hand to greet his daughters. He set the gifts on the table as he hugged
Abriella, and then bent down to kiss his younger daughter on the cheek.

Briefly, Tommas
wondered where Sara was. When he talked to Abriella, she made it clear both her
parents were coming. A trickle of concern ran down Tommas’ spine. His plans did
not factor in someone else being with Joel today other than the man’s enforcer.
Joel often left the Trentini mansion to do the most mundane things like run to
the store, or make a trip for coffee. Nate had been watching. Tommas’ plan had
been an easy, clean route of taking Joel out when his family wouldn’t be in any
way involved and Nate could get out quickly.

“Where’s Mom?”
Alessa asked.

Her question
brought Tommas from his thoughts with a bang.

Peter frowned,
avoiding his daughter’s gaze. “She stayed behind. She was trying to convince
Joel to come, show face, and make an effort. He seemed like he might before I
left. Sara said if he didn’t come, that she would just take her car, otherwise,
she would drive over with him.”

Tommas’ throat tightened
to the point he couldn’t breathe.

Shit
.

Abriella didn’t
look pleased. “We could do without Joel, Dad.”

“Maybe, but you
know how your mother is. She loves him even if he acts like he despises her.
He’s her son. Let your mother try. It makes her sad, but if she doesn’t do
something with Joel, it makes her feel even worse.”