The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3)(143)

They were both introspective as they drove back to the hideout in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, where they’d ditched their Ducati motorcycles for the Lexus. They usually did that, dumped the bikes for a car or a car for the bikes. Sometimes they did it three or four times if the feds were putting the squeeze on things, changing cars and bikes in underground garages and hideouts. The government was everywhere, and it made them paranoid as hell. They went through hideouts like water, which was a pain when no one, not even Nova, was supposed to know where they were.

“What if I needed an extra day?” Tino looked at Carlo, who was sitting in the passenger seat while Tino drove. “Would you cover for me?”

“Yeah, sure, man. What’d you need an extra day for?”

Tino’s knee-jerk reaction was to lie.

That was what he always did.

About everything.

But considering what he was trying to work on, he kept his eyes on the road and admitted, “Nova’s on this kick that I should talk about everything that happened with Mary.”

Tino spoke Italian, and he wasn’t sure why.

“Nova’s probably right.” Carlo nodded. “He’s right about most things.”

Carlo followed Tino’s lead by using Italian too. That quick, zip Italian Carlo spoke that had become comforting to Tino over time. Dependable. Like one of the few things that wouldn’t hurt him, and it made Tino realize he spoke Italian to hear Carlo speak it because he was one of the only people who hadn’t damaged him in one way or another.

Tino ran a hand over the steering wheel thoughtfully for one long moment before he glanced back to Carlo. “Does Lola talk to you?

“She doesn’t tell me anything about you,” Carlo started defensively. “She’s not telling me your shit.”

“No, that’s not—” Tino rubbed at the back of his neck, wishing now he’d done blow before they got to Atlantic City. “I was just wondering…can you heal her? By talking to her? Does that work? That’s stupid, right? It doesn’t really help.”

“I don’t know, Tino.” Carlo sighed, like it was something that haunted him too. “Some days I think I’ve made it better. Some days not so much. I want to heal her by killing her f*cking father. I want kill everyone who ever hurt her. That’s how I want to do it. She probably doesn’t talk to me like you think she does. I’m a man. She can’t f*cking trust me to keep my cool. We’re all Neanderthals, and Lola’s smart. She knows that. She knows it better than anyone.” He looked back to Tino curiously. “Why? Who do you want to talk to?”

“I was thinking of talking to Bri.” Tino shifted uncomfortably after he said it. “Or maybe I just want her to catch a f*cking clue. Maybe I want to scare her away before it’s too late. I don’t know why I want to do it, but I feel like I need a day. One day with no work. No brothers breathing down my neck. I want to disappear.”

“Ehi, I could take a day. Run away with my girl and hide from the world. Sounds good to me. They don’t need to know Atlantic City took twenty minutes.” Carlo held up his hands. “Where the f*ck is our vacation package? Enforcer job benefits suck.”

Tino laughed. “We should form a union.”

“We should.” Carlo laughed harder. “We need to talk to Nova about that.”

“Yeah, go call Zu. He’s the one you’d be fighting for the benefits.”

“Then forget it.” Carlo shook his head. “We’d lose. Nobody wins against Nova.”

“Nope,” Tino agreed, not knowing why he thought of his father’s basement. Why did it flash back at him at the worst possible times? “Not usually.”



“Holy Mother of God, I would have a dozen of his babies.”

Brianna laughed as she flipped the page of her choreography book and took a bite of her banana. She’d started grazing more instead of eating big meals, trying to get the most nutrition she could out of each bite to keep her body strong, because she couldn’t afford to get injured.

“Forget dancing.” Miranda, one of the girls Brianna had met at dance camp over the summer, sighed. “I wanna be his full-time love slave.”

“Yeah, you’ll probably have competition for that.” Aaron nudged Brianna’s shoulder as they sat in the cafeteria. “Hey, your boy’s here.”

Brianna looked up at Aaron. “Huh?”

He pointed across the cafeteria. “Might wanna save him before Miranda pounces.”

Brianna followed his gaze and then ended gaping like Miranda was, banana paused midair as Tino made his way across the cafeteria. His motorcycle helmet was in his hand, sunglasses hid his eyes, and he was wearing the black-leather-jacket-jeans-and-boots combo she was starting to suspect was as much an enforcer uniform as suits and ties were for the rest of Cosa Nostra.

His shoulders appeared even broader than usual, too broad, making her realize he’d come to her school packing heat. She gave him a wide-eyed look as he stopped in front of her. “Hi.”

Tino flinched, making it obvious he understood her shock. Then he pulled off his sunglasses and hooked them on his shirt.

“Introduce your friend, Bri.” Miranda slid down in her chair and used her long dancer legs to kick out the empty one on the other side of Brianna. “Take a load off.”