I looked at Winter. I grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Darling, I love you.”
“I love you, Tripp,” she said. “Just get me out of here. Get me out of everything.”
“Done.”
I put the car in reverse and looked up in the mirror.
I saw the silhouette of a car a second before the headlights came on.
~
I held Winter’s hand tight. I wanted to tell her not to be afraid, but I couldn’t. Why? Because I was fucking terrified. Part of me hoped it had been the police behind us. It would have been easier to navigate the legal system where I had some rights. Dealing with Aldo and the family, however, was much different. There were no rights. There were no privileges. Just commands. Orders that if weren’t followed, people would die. Easily.
We were in a living room in one of Aldo’s beach houses. The guys who came out of the car were with Aldo. He was in the backseat and they let me see him. He looked at me and simply said two words.
“Follow me.”
The car then drove right by the police, Aldo able to give command to them. That meant we would be free in the situation, unless Aldo changed his mind.
That was to still be determined.
The leather couch wasn’t exactly comfortable. The fire in the fireplace was a little too much for the room. It was hot and stuffy. Just beyond the living room was a large glass window and door that went to a balcony.
That’s were Aldo stood. Smoking a cigar. Someone handed him a cell phone. He talked for a few seconds and handed it back to the person. They then put the phone down and stepped on it. That’s how they all communicated. Cell phones that were used once and then destroyed.
When Aldo turned around, he took one last puff on his cigar. He handed it off and then came inside.
Winter gripped my hand tighter.
I couldn’t say a word to her. She was supposed to be dead in all this. Aldo had nothing to do with her. He had no care for her.
Slowly, he walked toward the couch across from us. He put his hands on it.
“Drink?”
“No thanks,” I said.
“You?” he asked Winter.
“No thank you.”
“I heard Stoney is dead. Suicide.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Dmitry is dead,” Aldo said. “Piece of scum.”
“I agree,” I said.
“But one person isn’t dead that should be,” Aldo said.
“Look, Aldo…”
He pointed at Winter. “I don’t know why you’re sitting on my couch.”
“I didn't do anything,” she said. “I did everything Tripp asked. I knew nothing. You can’t blame me that they’re dead.” Winter sucked in a breath. “She was my…”
Aldo nodded. “I know. My son fucked you over. I knew about Autumn a year ago.”
“What?” I asked. I rose from the couch. “You knew…”
“Tripp, don’t fuck with me,” Aldo said.
“I want to fucking hit you,” I said.
“You owe me a bullet.”
“Then just do it.”
Aldo slowly walked around the couch. He reached for a glass of something on the table. I quickly slapped it out of his hand. I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. The door busted open and men came rushing in.
“Easy!” Aldo ordered. “Leave us be. We’re fine. Aren’t we, Tripp?”
“Yeah,” I growled. “Just fucking fine.”
“Good.”
Winter then stood up. “How did you know about…”
“Please,” Aldo said. I let him go and stood there. “I knew my son was rotten for a long time. He cared about the money. Not the family. Not what we stand for. He cared about himself. I hoped he would eventually disappear. But then he did something stupid. He knocked up a woman who wasn’t one of us.”
“So that means I’m guilty of something?” Winter asked.
“Christ,” I said. “Darling, easy now.”
“Easy now,” Aldo said. “See, we’re not supposed to accept any kind of family that doesn’t have the rich blood of our heritage. Any kind of mixing? What a fucking shame. But there’s always an exception to things. In this case, if Endo were to die… I have no other children, so the closest I’ve got to keeping my legacy, my name, was Autumn.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“The night of the fight. It cost me a lot more than some cash on the actual fight. It cost me my son. My only son. But it had to be done.”
“You killed your own son?”
“I didn’t kill him,” Aldo said. “Skull X did.”
“Ray,” I whispered. “Christ, that’s what he was saying. I shot him, Aldo. I shot him out of respect for Endo…”
Aldo put a hand to my face. “No. You did for me. For my family. And now my family can continue to live and survive. It’s tragic what happened to my son. But he has a child to bear the name. Some of the blood.” Aldo grinned. “And it’s you who did it all for me, Tripp. The only man I could trust with such a heavy burden.”
“Trust,” I said. “You trust me?”
“Of course I do. That’s why I sent you. I knew you’d figure something out. I knew you’d find a way inside Winter’s panties.” Aldo stepped back. “Don’t get mad at me for saying it. Because it’s true. You figured it all out.”