MOB BOSS 3: LOVE AND RETRIBUTION (13 page)

“There might have been a breach in Vito’s camp,” Shawna said and, once again, al eyes were on her.

“But even if there was,” Tommy said, “who would they have told that could pul off a hit like this?”

There was a long pause. “Marcy comes to mind,” Shawna said.

Reno, Tommy, and Trina stared at her. “Marcy Davenport?” Tommy asked.

“The mother of Reno’s deceased son, yes,” Shawna replied. “Nearly eight months ago, when her son was kiled, she blamed you.”

“But how could she?” Trina asked. “Reno did everything he could do.”

“We know that. But I’ve met Marcy D. She doesn’t know that. Al she knows is that her son got drawn into a mob war that she believes Reno started, and now her boy is dead. That’s al she knows.”

Reno looked at Tommy.

“It’s possible,” Tommy said. “Marcy can be a bitch on two legs when she wants to be. And as a former hired gun herself, she’s the master of precision hits.”

Reno leaned back. That was al he needed. “But why would she have targeted my wife?” he wanted to know.

“That’s
if
I was the target,” Trina said. “We only have that hit man’s word to go by.”

“That gunman made that declaration while he had a gun to your head,” Tommy said. “He thought you were a dead woman. He wouldn’t have lied.”

Reno looked at Shawna. “Why target my wife?” he asked again.

“You took out her kid, far as she’s concerned, she figure she’s entitled to take out your wife,” Shawna replied in that cool, detached way of hers that, for Reno, reconfirmed her ice princess image.

Reno exhaled. “We’ve got to find her.”

“She’s found,” Shawna said and everybody looked at her, including Tommy, who frowned.

“What do you mean she’s found?” he asked. “Where is she?”

“Louisvile, Kentucky.”

“She’s in Louievile?” Reno asked with a frown of his own. “What the hel she’s doing in Kentucky?”

“Don’t know, but that’s where I tracked her down. She’l be here tomorrow. I set up a meeting at Tommy’s Taste of Southern restaurant. I told her Tommy wanted to talk to her. She knows he’s a straight arrow and has your ear, Reno, so she agreed.”

“And what if she comes with her own firepower?” Trina asked, now very concerned.

“She’s not that stupid. Besides, we’re tailing her already. I had a tail on her before I made the phone cal to her. If she does bring heat, it’l be dissipated before she reaches Taste of Southern. And Taste of Southern is already being scoped, in case she caled ahead to some hired hand.”

“But with al of these security breaches,” Trina asked, “can you trust your people?”

“Yes, and they aren’t my people. They’re Tommy’s people.”

Trina looked at Tommy, as if surprised that he would have authorized such a clever move. But he hadn’t. What Trina didn’t know and Reno only suspected was that Shawna had carte blanche regarding Tommy’s security personnel. They’d been told long ago that they were to carry out her orders as if Tommy himself had made them. They were not to seek clarification, they were not to second guess her.

She was a pro, Tommy had told them, and she, above any human being alive, had his absolute trust.

Tommy had originaly made this move as a way to protect Shawna should she find herself working in the field and her people turned on her, or she found herself in some equaly difficult spot that she needed getting out of. He never dreamed she’d use that power to protect his family. He looked at her, with love, yes, but also with great respect in his eyes.

Steaks were sizzling, the music, soft jazz, was grooving, and Reno and Tommy were manning the gril. There were on the back patio of Tommy’s estate and Reno was just getting off of the phone after a long conversation with his people in Vegas. Trina and Shawna were further away, in lawn chairs, talking too.

Tommy put the top back down on the gril and sat down, beside Reno. His bright green eyes, however, were on the women.

“Wonder what they’re talking about?” he asked.

“Certainly ain’t no girl stuff,” Reno joked, “with Shawna involved.”

“Knock it off, Ree,” Tommy said as he drained down some of his bottled beer.

Reno looked at him. Confused. “Knock what off?”

“Al of the wisecracks about Shawna. She’s a girl, too, Reno. She’s a woman. She’s al woman.”

“I was just kidding around, whatta you getting al bent out of shape about a thing like that?”

“Because you go too far with it, that’s why. She’s got feelings, Reno, okay? She’s no block of ice the way you think she is, and I just want it to stop.”

Reno stared at Tommy. At Dapper Tommy, the lover boy. “You’re that serious about this girl?” he asked him.

Tommy exhaled, drained more beer. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Why is it unfortunate?” Reno asked although he already had a pretty good idea.

“What do you mean why? She turned me down, remember? That turndown nearly destroyed me.”

“But you go back for more destruction?”

Tommy exhaled. “It’s complicated, Reno.”

Reno was nodding before Tommy even finished speaking. “I hear you, brother. Love is always complicated.” Then he looked at Tommy. “And I apologize for ribbing her like that. She just comes across as so cold and methodical to me. But, hey, I don’t know the other side of her like you do. So I’l back off. Promise you that.”

“What’s going on in Vegas? How’s Franny?”

“Stil in intensive care. She nearly died, that’s the fact of the matter, and is stil barely hanging on. Carmine says Dirty’s stepping up, though, being the man he needs to be.”

“I know we can trust Carmine,” Tommy said, “but what about Dirty?”

“Dirty’s a shithead, but he’s al right. He’s too terrified of me to turn on me so we don’t have that to worry about with Dirty. He’s trustworthy, he’s just not reliable.” Then Reno leaned back, drained down beer also. “But I hear what you’re saying. Nobody’s off the table at this point. Carmine’s keeping his eye on him. And just so you know I’ve got Lee keeping his eye on Carmine.”

“Lee? Lee Jones, your general manager?”

“That’s the one.”

“Certain you can trust him?”

“As certain as I am about any of them. But Lee I trust. I’ve got to trust somebody or I’m screwed.”

Tommy nodded. Drained more beer.

Trina and Shawna watched the two men talk and drink. And although Trina had a bottled beer too, Shawna was keeping her head clear until this business of who shot up the PaLargio was cleared as wel. She never drank while on duty.

“So,” Trina asked, looking away from the men and at the mysterious ShoShawna Shanks, “what do you do exactly? Reno describes you as if you’re some modern day mercenary.”

“I’m a cleaner,” Shawna said. “I get paid to hire a team to go in and clean up a mess. Usualy it involves moving people from one place to another place, but sometimes I have to clean up after the people are gone. Whatever’s required.”

“Including murder?” Trina asked, looking at her.

“These are wars, Katrina,” Shawna said in what she knew, as the years came and went, was becoming more of an excuse than an explanation. Then she sighed. “I do my job,” she said.

Trina knew not to press, as she could tel Shawna wasn’t entirely comfortable discussing it. She changed subjects. “I like Tommy,” she said, looking at the men again. “He’s a nice, thoughtful man.” Then Trina smiled. “And not bad looking either.”

Shawna found herself smiling. “He’l pass,” she said.

“He’l pass?” Trina said in her best Reno imitation. “Whatta ya mean he’l pass? School kids pass. Ugly ducklings with a personality pass. I got your pass right over here.”

Shawna laughed out loud, prompting both Tommy and Reno to look their way.

“She’s laughing?” Reno said, astounded. “Alert the media, Tommy! She’s actualy laughing!” And then he remembered his promise. “Sorry, man,” he said.

“No,” Tommy said, smiling too, his eyes staring at Shawna. “It’s quite a feat.”

Later that night, in their large bedroom on the eastern end of Tommy’s house, Reno slid his penis into Trina from the back and they both settled in, spoon-style, into a slow, sweet, incredibly sensual fuck.

Reno’s arms were around her as he fucked her, with her bare back leaned against his bare chest, with his hands cupping her breasts while his thumb rubbed lightly across her hardened nipples. His dick was expanding every time he pushed further into her, and her vagina was moistening his rod with her silky sweetness every time he puled out.

“Oh, Tree, what are you doing to me?” Reno asked in an aching voice as he fucked her, and Trina leaned her head back further, over his shoulder, as her breasts felt the sting of his fondle and her vagina felt the punch of his glides.

felt the punch of his glides.

“Oh, Reno,” she proclaimed, “what are you trying to do to me?”

He smiled and kissed her neck as he plunged in deeper and deeper, his movements constant and barely increasing, the sound of her saturation causing him to close his eyes and just enjoy the feel, the sweet smel, the slouching sound of her love. This was his queen, his one and only, and he could stil hardly believe his good luck.

And then he plunged in as deep as he could go, causing every inch of her wals to begin to tighten around his expansive rod, with his body slamming into her ass as the feeling became unbearable, with her ass slamming back against his body as the tightening became incredible. He had her nearly on her stomach, and he nearly on her back by the time the intensity heightened beyond their ability to control it any longer. And then, as they exhaled, began to ebb on down.

They just lay there, exhausted, listening to the sounds of their heavy breathing.

“I’m getting too old for this shit, Tree,” Reno said to her.

“Be careful,” Trina said, “or I’l have to go out and find me a younger man. A boy toy.”

Reno moved off of her, but hit her purposely hard and stingingly on her bare ass, as he did.

“Ouch!” Trina yeled when she felt the sting of his hit, and turned and looked at him. “That hurt, Reno!”

“It hurt. It was supposed to hurt. Teling me about some boy toy. What did you think it was supposed to do? Soothe you?”

Trina smiled. “You’re jealous.”

“Damn right I’m jealous. I’m teling my wife I can barely keep up with her, and she’s teling me she’l just have to go out and find some young stud who can.”

Trina stared at him, astounded that he would have taken her seriously. “I was joking, Reno,” she said. Surely he understood that?

Reno, lying flat on his back now, closed his eyes, pinched his temple, and exhaled. “Don’t joke like that, Tree. Not now. Not with al this shit going on and I don’t know what the fuck it’s al about.” He looked at her. “I’m not a very secure man over here.”

“But why not?”

“What you mean why not? I miscalculated so badly I nearly caused you to die, and to die horribly. That would have kiled me, Tree, it would have took me away from here just as surely as a bulet through my brain. After something like that, after fucking up beyond my wildest dreams of a fuck-up, I can’t go around feeling like I’m some hundred percent al-male stud over here, al strutting his stuff and secure like. Don’t joke like that.”

“You’ve got to stop this, Reno.”

Reno frowned. “Stop what?”

“Taking the blame for everything. Taking it to heart the way you do. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“Like hel it wasn’t! I should have prepared better. As soon as Carmine came and told me what went down, I should have caled Tommy and got him and his people to the PaLargio, before I even left town. I should have told Dirty I didn’t want him to leave the penthouse not even to piss on the breezeway. I should have made Carmine stay in Vegas.”

“Stop it, Reno,” Trina pleaded. “It’s not your fault, I don’t care what you say. Your mother died because it was her time to go. Franny was hit because she didn’t know how to duck and dodge. And I’m stil alive because I did. Period. You aren’t the keeper of me and Franny and not even your mother when she was alive, Reno. We’re grown-ass women. We’re our own keepers.”

Reno looked at her, surprised by her forcefulness. And then he smiled. “Duck and dodge,” he said. “I got your duck and dodge.” And then he puled her into his arms.

She laid there, staring into his eyes. “Promise me you’l stop blaming yourself, Reno,” she said, a plea in her voice.

Reno exhaled. “I promise you I’l try,” he said honestly. “But that ain’t an easy thing, considering the evidence.”

“Yeah, evidence that you’ve got al twisted around. You did nothing wrong, whether you believe it or not. I believe it, and I’l always believe it. Now take that, tough guy,” she said with a smile.

Reno smiled too. Then his look turned somber, serious. “Okay,” he said as if he was making up his mind. “I’l take it.”

And then he slung her on her back, got on top of her, and slid his penis inside her already wet folds once again.

If the eastern end of the house, where Reno and Trina were making love, was peaceful, the eastern end was on fire. The bed alone was rocking so hard it sounded as if the springs were so distressed that they would break any moment. On that bed Tommy was fucking Shawna up the ass, riding her so hard that she was holding onto the bedpost, her ass jutted upwards, her mouth screaming in elation.

Every muscle in Tommy’s body was straining as he fucked her, as the sweat poured from his handsome face, as his penis kept pushing so deeply into her that his bals were slapping against her ass. And for the longest time that was al that was heard: the rocking of the bedsprings and the slapping of flesh, as Tommy could hardly control his daunting need.

And Shawna didn’t want him to control it. She loved the feeling, as she rode with it, as she encouraged him to put an ass whipping on her she wouldn’t soon forget. Slow and easy was good, they had done it slow and easy the first time they coupled that night, but now they wanted it rough.

And Tommy didn’t disappoint her. He rode her hard. His penis was so expanded, his erection near the painful point, that he knew it was just a matter of seconds.