Miles Away (Carrion #1)(62)

Letty smiled at Miles sheepishly and replied, “I guess so. I like being able to capture a moment. He’s growing up so fast. I can’t stop him from growing, but I can keep a reminder of him at this age.”

The gears in Miles’s head churned as he watched Letty snap more photographs. She snuck in one of Miles, too. It was a serious shot. Miles was looking down, deep in thought, not even realizing he was captured in the frame of her shot.

“You know we could use this to our advantage right? Your camera hobby?” Miles asked with a troublesome glint in his eyes.

Letty shifted uncomfortably. “The camera… It’s just a hobby, Miles.”

“Maybe,” Miles said with a shrug. “But you have the perfect vantage point to get me the information I need to shut all this down. To get the men that are trying to kill me.”

“It’s dangerous, Miles…” Letty said firmly. There was a hard edge to her gaze as she stared at Miles. She seemed horrified by the sheer thought of taking a camera into the Capadonno compound.

“I’m dangerous, too, Letty,” Miles said with a look of turmoil in his eyes. “Since when have you been afraid of a little danger?”

Letty’s lips curled up in a delicious smile. “When it comes to you, Miles. Never.”

“That’s what I thought,” Miles said with a self-assured look upon his face.

“But we have more than just ourselves to worry about,” Letty pressed as she gave a nervous glance back at her son.

“Why do you think I’m being so careful about this? We have to plan strategically. G deserves a family and my father is not going to wreck another kid’s childhood.”

Miles’s words struck Letty. It couldn’t have been easy for Miles to grow up under Michael’s control, raising his sons up like soldiers. The reality was, they were Michael’s soldiers, and he planned to recruit them into his own personal army.

“What is this for, Miles? The cops? I never pegged you for an informant,” Letty asked, her suspicions clearly piqued.

“Fuck that. I’m not a rat. No cops. I’m the master of my own plan,” Miles said bluntly.

Letty nodded in understanding and as soon as she did, Miles walked away, going to G’s side to push him on the swing.

“You have to know that… Letty.”

“What, Miles?”

“Everything I do now, is for you and G.”

Standing there silently watching Miles gently push G on the swing, a swift breath of air rushed between Letty’s open lips. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Letty couldn’t help but smile.





CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX




A SWIFT BREEZE BLEW across the seascape as Big Bang Mancini shoved his plump hands deep into the pockets of his black leather jacket. With a cigar hanging off his lip, he crossed the boardwalk, the pale, aging planks creaking beneath his feet. The skeleton of Morey’s Pier stood in the background as the man approached an associate who sat in the shadows of Sam’s Pizza Shop.

“What’s he up to?” Big Bang asked as he approached Ray Capadonno who was leaning against the far ledge of the boardwalk. Ray was peering down on the tide that clapped upon the sand just feet from where Miles and Letty stood with her young son. The men watched as Letty snapped photographs of her son, and Miles pushed the young tyke on his swing.

“Don’t look like he’s up to nothin’ to be honest,” Ray replied as he blew a cloud of cigarette smoke from his mouth.

Big Bang dropped his heavy frame onto a worn wooden bench that overlooked the beach.

“Whatcha mean nothin’?” Big Bang asked, sounding disgruntled at the lack of action that was happening.

“I mean nothin’. He’s a family man. Look at ’em!” Ray spat.

“He’s been out a day. It’s a f*ckin’ honeymoon period. Give it time, he’ll be comin’ right for our necks. Look what he did to Dante and the Fish…” Big Bang reproached.

“Dante and Fish were a couple of retards. They got what was comin’ to them! You don’t mess with a made guy’s girl!” Ray spat.

“Watch your mouth! My nephew’s got a health condition…” Big Bang spat. “You intolerant f*ck!”

“Say no more. My bad,” Ray said, waving Big Bang off, erasing his misdeed with a swipe of his hand.

“Michael wants us to handle this swiftly…” Big Bang whispered.

“I guess I don’t really understand. Butchy just made him boss. If there’s a hit out on him, why would Butchy make him acting boss?”

Big Bang cracked his knuckles as he sat quietly on the bench glaring up at Ray.

“New York has a target on Michael’s head… but they ain’t the only ones gunning for him. If anyone has retribution to claim, it’s Miles.”

“Think he’s gonna try to get revenge?” Ray asked. “He was at the house yesterday and didn’t do shit.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Big Bang asked with a grilling stare.

“If my old man framed me? Yeah, I’m pretty sure I would.”

“You wouldn’t have the balls. Not if your old man was the Butcher of Carrion.”

“Anyway, New York is only gunning for Michael because he’s in charge. Put somebody else in charge, and let them take the fall,” Big Bang explained.