“Yes, sir,” he said, nodding sharply.
I looked back at Mags and winked. She rolled her eyes.
“I’m not saying you have the job,” I said, head cocked as I studied Matteo’s reaction. His back was straight, and his face was drawn and serious. “But if you can get the support of most of Lorenzo’s crew, then I’ll make it happen. You come to me when you’ve worked it out with them.”
“I’ll talk to everyone tonight,” Matteo said. “Thank you, Don Valentino.”
“You’re a good soldier,” I said. “You deserve it. Now get the fuck outta here.”
Matteo jumped up like a shot and nodded at me. I thought he might salute, but he ran out of there and left his beer behind.
I took it and polished it off. Gian gave me an appraising look.
“You’re sure about him?” he asked.
“We need someone willing to take the fight to the Healy family,” I said, and put a hand on Mags’s thigh.
She brushed it off. “He’s so young,” she said. “How old is he? Twenty?”
“Twenty-six,” I said. “Old enough. I was doing worse at his age.”
“You were the Don’s son,” Gian said.
“And I was running around with Ewan,” I said, grinning at the fond memories. “I had to earn respect the old-fashioned way.”
“I have to admit,” Mags said, “the way you guys talk about violence is pretty creepy.”
Gian laughed and threw the rag over his shoulder. “It’s a fact of life in this job,” he said. “I think we’d all rather if it didn’t happen, but you can’t escape it.”
“Some guys like it,” I said. “They tend to stay soldiers. Truth is, at the top of the family, it’s like running a business more than running an army.”
“Except for when there’s war,” Gian said.
The door pushed open then and a pretty young girl stepped inside. She looked at me, scowled, looked at Gian, scowled some more, then finally looked at Mags. She wore jeans and a black shirt, her blonde hair piled up on her head.
“Who the hell’s this?” she asked, gesturing at Mags.
“Hey, Ash,” I said. “This is my wife.” I touched Mags on the shoulder. “Meet Ash, Gian’s better half.”
“She’s usually nicer,” Gian said. “Well, usually.”
Ash glared at him, then gave Mags an enormous smile. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot.” She swept over and hugged Mags tightly, who seemed a little flustered.
“Nice to meet you too,” Mags said.
Ash had changed a lot since we first met. She came from money, a powerful, wealthy family, but she’d softened in some ways, and hardened in others. The violence and danger didn’t get to her as much, but she wasn’t so uptight and standoffish anymore. She was smart and warm and beautiful, and she made a great partner to Gian.
Looking at Mags and Ash, I wondered if maybe I made an equally good choice. Even if that choice had been pushed on me from the outside.
“I think I’m going to steal her for a minute,” Ash said, and took Mags by the hand. “Would you mind helping me in the back?”
“Uh,” Mags said, and looked at me for help.
“Go ahead,” I said, nodding. “Give me and Gian a second.”
Mags got up and let Ash lead her around the bar and into the back room. I watched them go with a smile, and Gian leaned against the bar near the beer taps. “You sure that’s a good idea?” he asked. “Sending those two alone in a room might be trouble.”
“I’m sure they’ll say nothing but nice things about me,” I said.
Gian snorted. “Yeah, man, that’ll totally happen,” he said.
I laughed then reached into my pocket. I had a small scrap of paper with an address written on it, and I slid it across the bar. Gian picked it up, read it, and frowned, head tilted to one side.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“I need you to do something for me,” I said. “I need you to leak that address.”
“What do you mean, leak it?” Gian waved the paper in the air.
“Tell a few guys that work in Roy’s crew,” I said, and met his gaze.
He stared back at me and his expression shifted into something serious. “There a reason for this right now?” he asked.
“Call it curiosity,” I said.
“You think there’s something going on.”
“I think a new Don can’t be too careful.”
Gian grunted and shook his head, but put the paper in his pocket. “And what am I going to tell the guys in Roy’s crew about this address?”
“Tell him it’s where the Don takes his new girl in the city,” I said.
“Any truth to that?”
“Could be,” I said. “Just make it happen, all right?”
“Yeah, all right.” Gian seemed troubled, but he didn’t press. I knew he wouldn’t be happy about this, but he was one of my best Capos, and I considered him a close friend. Of everyone in the family, I trusted him the most.
I pushed back from the bar. “I should go get Mags before Ash poisons her mind with horrible stories about me,” I said.
“You mean, before she tells the truth,” Gian said, though his smile seemed hollow.
I grinned and headed toward the back. Gian would do as he was told, even if the implications were dire. I couldn’t blame him for hesitating.
A rat within the mob was a nasty thing, and the fallout could be deadly.
16
Mags
Even though I only got to talk to her for a little while, it was nice meet another woman married to a mafia man. Ash was funny and kind, and I could see myself being friends with her. Although my marriage with Dean was based entirely on how much money he was going to pay me in five years, I still had to be around him for a while, so I might as well try to make the best of it.
Dean drove me around the city for the rest of the day. We made stops all over: Point Breeze, Girard Estates, East Oregon, Greenwich Lovely. Each time we went into a bar, or a house,
