Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
We strode away from him in silence, the gloom in our faces saying everything we couldn’t in his presence. Reaching the driveway, I threw a glance back over my shoulder. The pool was empty. There was no sitting at the gazebo beside it, either.
“Fuck that,” I snapped, and took a deep breath. “What the fuck do we do now?”
“I’m not touching a hair on her head,” Rocco stated, and Julian nodded his agreement.
“There’s the fact that Maggie’s never hurt a fly. And Tommy likes her.” He hesitated. “Me, too.”
“We all like her,” Julian added.
Rocco shook his head. “I mean, I really like her. The, uh, first time she was at my apartment, things got pretty hot between us.”
The shock of his confession hit me like a bucket full of ice cubes. “How hot?”
“Things got a little out of hand,” Rocco said. “Like my hand. Under her skirt.”
Shit.
“I’ve had an encounter with her, too,” Julian said as Rocco stared at him, and my shock intensified. He looked at me. “I suspect we all have.”
I nodded, not willing to confess the exact nature of my experience with Maggie. “So she’s three-timing us?” That wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it certainly wasn’t a reason to take her out.
Julian shook his head as we gathered next to Rocco’s SUV. “I don’t think that’s it.”
“Then what is it?” Rocco grunted.
Julian looked off in the distance, seeming to gather her thoughts. “I think maybe she likes each of us, in spite of herself. In spite of what she knows about us. When I relieved her from babysitting the other night, things got a little hot and heavy, but then she stopped. Out of respect for you, Rock.”
“Maybe she doesn’t really know what she wants,” I said.
Julian nodded. “We’ve each spent some time with her during some intense situations. She’s not part of this world, so it’s probably been a lot for her.”
“Doesn’t mean she has to make out with three guys, though,” Rock said.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t not mean that, either. Who are we to question her coping methods?”
“You really think she likes each of us?” My question made me sound like a shy middle-school boy, but I wanted to know.
“Yeah, I think so,” Julian answered. Then we both looked at Rock. Eventually, he nodded.
“All right, this is definitely something we need to think about, but there are bigger issues,” Rocco said. “Can either of you think of any reason Roselli wants us to take out Maggie?”
“Beats me,” I said, at the same time Julian said, “No clue.”
“We need to find out,” Rocco concluded. “I bet Conners knows.”
I nodded in agreement. As Roselli’s consigliere, he would definitely know more. “But what if he doesn’t want to give up Roselli’s secret? Let’s face it. If Connors betrays the Don, he’s as good as dead. Roselli will have him taken out by midnight.”
“And he’ll probably have one of us do it,” Julian added.
“One problem at a time, boys,” Rocco attempted a deeper tone, his gaze darting back to me. “Of course Roselli will want us to put a bullet in Connors’ head. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it. When that day comes, we just won’t be able to find him. Catch my drift?”
“That could buy us a little time,” I admitted. “We can’t take any chances, though. If anybody sees the consigliere somewhere in New York, Roselli will have us hunt him down ‘til he’s dead. We’ll have to put that fool on a plane.”
“To where?” Julian’s question irritated me. He was supposed to be the ideas man—where the fuck were his ideas?
I scowled, eyeing him with frustration. “Who cares? He just has to leave the city. Where he chooses to go is his own problem.”
“We pay a visit to Connors. Tonight,” Rocco said, his expression tight. “Now, let’s talk about Maggie.” He sucked in a long breath. “I can’t say that it wasn’t a shock, hearing that she’s done something with each of us, but that doesn’t mean I want her dead. We can’t let that happen. No way I’m unloading my gun in her just because that fucker said I should.”
“We won’t let that happen either.” I was glad that Julian had said ‘we.’ Sometimes, these guys acted like I was a loose cannon with no morals, and that just wasn’t true. Usually.
“Obviously, Roselli’s expecting us to finish the job,” I pointed out. “I don’t think it’s likely he’s told anyone else.”
Julian nodded. “He knows we like her bar. He asked us because she knows us and trusts us.”
“And because it’s our job,” Rocco grunted.
“I’m with you, but, again, we shouldn’t take any chances,” I advised, lowering my tone. “One of us will have to watch over her, while the other two pay a visit to Connors. And whoever tails her has to promise he won’t go near her. That kind of distraction could get her killed.”