The Enforcer (Untamed Hearts Book 3)(86)

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 f*ck 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 f*cking 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 f*cking 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 f*cked-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 f*ckload 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.

He used that trick a lot.

Just left the shower running to brush his teeth a few extra times.

Except the f*cking dentist noticed and said he was going to screw up his enamel if he continued to brush so hard. So Nova kept replacing all his toothbrushes with these suck-ass soft bristles. Tino bought a highline electric toothbrush four separate times, and they had all disappeared. He was going to bury Nova if he got rid of the next one.