The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3) (32 page)

“Why do you want to do this?” she asked when he licked at the arch of her foot again.

“’Cause you matter.” He said it so solemnly it gave her chills. He kissed her little toe. “To me you matter. It’s not much, but—”

“It’s everything,” she said quickly, feeling almost three years’ worth of confessions rising in her chest. She was fairly certain she’d been madly, hopelessly in love with him since the first time she saw him smile at her in the summer sunshine on that trampoline. “Tino—”

She was cut off when the door opened.

“
Maledizione!
” Tino shouted at his brother. “Get the fuck out, Casanova!”

Tino hadn’t let go of her foot like any normal man would, because judging by the look on Nova’s face, it probably seemed really bizarre to an outside observer. Nova’s eyes were wide, like nothing in him could processes what he was seeing.

“Valentino—” Nova started, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Brianna’s foot in his hand.

“You just walk in?” Tino growled in response. “You don’t fucking knock? I don’t walk in on you!”

“You said you weren’t fucking her. I just figured—”

“Bullshit, you just figured!” Tino shouted and then licked Brianna’s foot. His hold on her ankle was like a vise when she tried to pull it out of his grasp. He did it lasciviously, dragging his tongue slowly down the full length of it, looking at his brother with a wild vindictiveness. When he moved to suck on her big toe, Brianna kicked forward, catching his shoulder again, because they were not doing that in front of Nova. Tino looked unfazed as he tilted his head and said to Nova, “That was for the train.”

“There’s something wrong with you. I don’t know what it is, but it’s major,” Nova decided and then pointed at Brianna. “And I think there’s something wrong with you too.”

“Get out, or I’m gonna make her spit in my mouth,” Tino said sharply.

“Figlio di puttana.” Nova threw up his hands, stepped out, and pulled the door closed, as if that was way more than he could handle seeing.

Brianna just looked at Tino, and when she found her voice, she said, “Gross.”

“Yeah, I probably should’ve said that last part in Italian,” Tino agreed.

She arched an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t—”

“I would totally let you spit in my mouth,” Tino said before she could finish.

“Coglione,” Nova mumbled, making it obvious he’d been standing there listening.

Tino smiled, looking very amused, as if he’d accomplished a major life goal in horrifying his brother.

“Your sister’s making out with Paco on the couch,” Nova called from behind the closed door. “So if you could make that stop, I’d appreciate it. At least make her put a shirt on.”

Tino laughed, falling on his back on the bed. “She’s fucking with you, Casanova.”

“Whatever,” Nova said dismissively as his voice drifted down the hallway. “Fuck both of yous. I don’t need coffee
that
bad.”

Tino laughed harder.

But Brianna had to ask, “Who’s Paco?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You wanna hear a secret?”

“Sure.” Tino rested back against the stairs, feeling very liquid and content. He looked up at the stars, hazy under the billows of smoke. He was still buzzing off the pills he took earlier thanks to Mary, who showed up the second he got back from dance. Now she was gone, and Nova and Carlo were home from work. The weed was finishing the job of fucking him up, but he was sort of okay with that as he said, “Tell us a secret.”

“I hope you don’t smoke with anyone but us,” Nova cut in, still way too serious in his business suit and clearly in full Cosa Nostra mode now that his weekend was over. “Your mouth when you smoke. Holy shit.”

“Shut up, Nova,” Carlo said dismissively, his voice raspy as if he just took a drag. “Have some of this and keep your opinions to yourself. I’m telling my nephew the ways of the world. So, Tino, I met a woman. An incredible woman. I never fucked a woman like this.” He sounded suddenly enthralled. “The first time I went down on her—”

“Time for you to stop smoking,” Nova cut him off. “Any story you start with that—”

“She nearly came off the bed, okay? It was like she’d never felt a tongue against her pussy before. She makes me feel like a god when she sits on my face. And she’s fucking beautiful. Gorgeous. Hottest woman you ever seen in your friggin’ life.”

“The hottest?” Tino asked in disbelief. “You’re telling us you went down on the hottest woman in existence?”

“I’m telling you I went down on the hottest woman in existence, and she fucking screamed my name until she went hoarse. She was shaking.
Dannazione
, I’m hard right now just thinking about it.”

“Wow, thanks. That was fun and educational,” Nova said sarcastically. “I always feel like I need so much more than weed when you start oversharing.”

“You ever licked pussy, Tino?” Carlo asked, completely ignoring the oversharing comment. “You done the deed yet?”

“He’s licked something,” Nova said before Tino had to answer. “But we don’t like to talk about it.”

“When I was sixteen,
porca buttana
, I got around.” Carlo was quiet for a moment and then admitted, “I still get around.”

Nova laughed. “Puttaniere.”

“Oh, who’s talking?” Tino turned and arched an eyebrow at his brother.

“We can’t all save ourselves for marriage like you,” Nova said without apology before he handed the joint back to Carlo and asked, “So this woman—”

“The most beautiful woman in the fucking world,” Carlo finished for him.

“Right.” Nova laughed again. “What does she look like?”

“She’s Dominican. Washington Heights, man. I was raised to love Dominican women.”

Nova nodded. “Nice.”

“And she’s fit. Smooth. Waxed.” Carlo raised his eyebrows, like he was remembering. “She’s got these eyes. Like the fucking ocean. Dunno where she got them, but they are amazing. I asked, but she never met her father. Doesn’t talk about her mother. I think she had a hard time growing up.”

“Oh, so sad,” Nova said cynically. “Tell her to join the fucking club.”

“I wanna take care of her.” Carlo was smiling again. “I’d spoil her rotten.”

“How old is this girl?” Nova asked suspiciously.

“Relax, Mr. Accountant. She’s legal.”

“
How old?
”

“Twenty-one. Older than you,” Carlo said with another smile. “But she’s mature. Honest to God, I was shocked when she told me she was twenty-one. She’s got skills. When she fucks me, it’s like I go fucking blind with it. She rocks my world. Minchia, I think I love her.”

Tino met Nova’s gaze, and together the two of them burst out laughing.

“You’re laughing. One day.” Carlo pointed at the two of them. “One day. You’ll find your Wendy.”

“
Io passo
,” Nova said dismissively.

“I have a Wendy,” Tino said with a smile. “And I bet my Wendy’s hotter than your Wendy.”

“Bullshit. I already told you. Hottest woman in the fucking world.” Carlo raised his eyebrows. “Who cares if enforcers aren’t supposed to have wives? I’ll get the don to give me a new job, ’cause I’m gonna marry this girl. You’re both invited to the wedding. You’ll be the only ones there, unless she invites her friends. Hell, maybe you know her. She grew up in East Harlem. She’s Upper East Side now, but her roots are in Harlem.”

“Oh yeah.” Tino nodded. “’Cause we know everyone from East Harlem. A hundred thousand people live there, stronzo.”

“I’m sure you hang in the same places. She wears that club bracelet like yours. With the fox-head thing on the clasp.”

“It’s a lion.” Tino took another drag, and then something occurred to him through the haze of weed and oxy. “Wait. What?”

“That leather-bracelet thing.” Carlo gestured to Tino’s wrist. “She wears one too.”

“She must like giving hugs,” Nova said in a singsong voice.

Tino’s pulse picked up, thundering in his ears as he stared at Carlo. “How’d you meet this girl?”

“At a coffee shop.”

“You just walked up to her?”

“Hottest woman in the world,” Carlo repeated like a mantra. “I would have to be dead not to walk up to her.”

Tino just stared at him for a long time, unable to hide his horror. “And she lets you fuck her?”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Carlo looked down at himself pointedly. His gaze stopped on his crotch. “Not to brag—”

“Yeah, let’s not brag,” Nova agreed as he stole the joint from Tino.

“It’s long
and
thick,” Carlo finished. “The package and skill set it comes with is not half-bad either.”

Nova laughed, but Tino was still hung up on this woman wearing a band.

Not just any band, but a lion-head band.

That was the Brambino marker.

That wasn’t kind of suspicious; it was undeniable.

Carlo was the Moretti Borgata’s lead enforcer. He didn’t just make them strong; he made them terrifying. He was fearless and couldn’t care less that he had no friends in a way that was hallmark for any good enforcer, because no goodfella wanted to be friends with their potential executioner. He was one of the dark ghosts that hung out on the fringes of their world—an angel of death no one wanted to look in the eye. Not everyone could do it, but Carlo was a bastard. He didn’t want to socialize in mafia circles. Like Nova, he hated spoiled gangsters and was perfectly happy being feared and ignored.

It left him with virtually no weaknesses.

Or so they’d thought.

Tino hadn’t considered a woman, but if there was one edge the Brambinos had in the underworld, it was knowing how to use sex for profit, control, and destruction.

For the first time since the band ended up on Tino’s wrist, he wished Nova knew what it was all about. He wished he’d talked to him a long time ago. At the very least he wished he wasn’t high as fuck when he found out about this not-so-little problem.

He was still pondering it when Carina called from across the pool, “What are you doing up there?”

“Cazzo.” Carlo gestured to the joint in Nova’s hand. “Put it out.”

“She can smell it,” Nova whispered under his breath. “And she smokes too. She’s like a fucking chimney up here with Tino.”

“Yeah, but I’m her zio.” Carlo gestured to himself. “I’m not supposed to be smoking.”

“You’re
our
zio,” Nova reminded him. “And you smoke with us all the time.”

“That’s different. It’s a Lost Boy thing. The old man would go crazy if he found out I smoked in front of her. Put it out.”

Nova put it out with his thumbs and tossed the joint over the railing to land in the bushes. Then he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his suit pocket. He lit one quickly and blew a large puff of smoke down the staircase, but the smile Carina gave them at the bottom was amused and mischievous.

“And what are we doing on the top steps this lovely Monday night?” she asked with false innocence.

“Smoking.” Nova blew more smoke at her to make his point.

“Smoking what?” Brianna asked as she showed up behind Carina with a knowing smile.

Tino shifted on the steps, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. He hadn’t showered since Mary left. Hadn’t even brushed his teeth, because Nova got home from work, and Carlo showed up to hang out the way he did sometimes after a long business trip when he needed to unwind.

If Tino had known Brianna was coming, he would’ve told them to smoke alone and scrubbed Mary off him.

“It’s a school night,” Tino said as he eyed Brianna.

“Yeah, it is,” Carlo agreed with a scowl at the girls.

“Who cares,” Carina answered for both of them, and she came up the stairs. “Ti voglio bene.” She kissed Tino’s cheek again and whispered, “Why do you look so miserable all of a sudden?”

“I’m not miserable,” he lied and shifted again, feeling dirty in front of Brianna.

“You sound miserable.” Carina pulled back with a frown and then looked at Nova. “Maybe he needs more of whatever you threw over the railing.”

Nova narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you looking for something, princess?”

“I’m out,” Carina admitted, and Brianna snorted from the bottom step.

“Well, doesn’t that suck for you?” Nova smiled. “No.”

Carina huffed in annoyance. “Do we have to do this every time?”

“It’s one of the rare joys in my life,” Nova said smugly. “Yes, we do.”

“Please, Nova,” Carina said in a singsong voice. “Share your candy.”

“Nah, I don’t give candy to little girls,” Nova said dismissively. “Fuck off.”

“Oh my God.” Carina was clearly done begging. “Tino—”

“In my top drawer in the closet.” Tino pointed to the door. “Just the weed, Carina. If you take the E—”

“I’m not gonna take the E,” Carina assured him. “I’m done with E.”

“Thank God for that.” Nova sighed and then leaned back when Carina stepped past him. He rested on his elbow, looking into the apartment. “I have to fucking pay for all the shit you steal from him.”

Carina showed back up and sat down next to Carlo. “So we’ll make it a party. Everyone wins, ’cause unlike you, I know how to share.”

* * * *

Carlo had a kick-ass Midtown Manhattan apartment.

And a room at the don’s Bensonhurst mansion.

But he ended up sprawled out on the floor in their shithole above the garage, which meant he was a lot more fucked-up than he let on and was either planning to sleep it off or hang out until he was sober enough to drive. Clearly Carlo hadn’t planned on the girls hanging around, but they made it work and not for the first time. The apartment over the garage was everyone’s one-stop shop for weed since Nova ran most of the New York drug business.

Luckily, they still had all the mattresses stacked in a corner because they had been in Cosa Nostra long enough to know that having a fuckload of mattresses wasn’t a bad thing. Carina ended up on the couch as usual, and Nova was on a mattress next to Carlo, giving Tino the bed since the reason Brianna was here on a school night was obvious, considering she didn’t have the affinity for weed Carina did.

Chances were Brianna wasn’t planning on Carlo either, but she was willing to make do.

Which should leave Tino feeling very flattered.

Instead he was scrubbing his skin raw in the shower. With the water still running, he got out and brushed his teeth for the second time because he didn’t want anyone to know he was doing it.