She nodded as she slipped the gun into the back of her jeans and pulled down her shirt to cover it. “That’s it.”
“Okay, Chuito, this is Brianna. Make friends, because he’s the one going to the mattresses with you this time. He’s the only one.” Nova gestured to the huge Hispanic man standing at the door wearing a hoodie and jeans. Then Nova pointed to the slender, strawberry-blonde woman next to him. “You’ve met his wife, Alaine.”
“Yes, I have.” Brianna reached for the jacket she’d left on the desk. “Hello, Alaine.”
Alaine gave a little wave. “Hi.”
Nova walked past all of them with Brianna’s bag over his shoulder without another word, because when a Moretti moved, others followed, and he knew it. Brianna stood there staring at Chuito Garcia, who was very muscular and extremely intimidating. He wasn’t a bad choice for a war, but he wasn’t an army.
Tino wasn’t an army either.
They’d seen before it only took one man with a vendetta to tear apart a Borgata, but if this was it, then these were the people she could very possibly die with, so she asked, “Why are you here?”
Chuito considered her for a second before he said, “Because Tino’s my brother.”
Brianna nodded, feeling oddly at peace with that answer. “That works.” She smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Chuito.”
Chuito smiled back, showing off deep dimples that made him look a little less intimidating, a little more approachable, but then his phone beeped in his pocket, and he reached for it.
He frowned at it for long enough that Alaine asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s just my mother.” He clicked the screen off and put the phone back in his pocket. “Bitching.”
“You should be kind to her,” Alaine said softly. “I’m sure she wasn’t bitching.”
“Okay,” Chuito said dismissively and gestured in front of him. “Dancers first.”
Brianna smiled again, knowing it didn’t meet her eyes as she slipped on the jacket and followed after Nova.
Tino sat in his car around the corner from the hotel, watching the feed of Brianna walking down the hallway on his burner phone. He rubbed his thumb over her image and then screenshot it, not knowing if it was the last time he’d be able to see her.
Then he clicked back to his texts, seeing a little bubble indicating that Chuito was responding to Tino’s plea of: Protect her. Protect my brother too. It’s the only way we can win. I’m not giving up, Chu. I’m just trying to get across the board. Ask Bri what it means. You of all people will understand.
Then Chuito’s response popped up.
Nova thinks it’s a trap that your grandfather went after Brianna. He’s freaking the fuck out. Where are you?
So Tino wrote back.
I’m like a phantom. I’m everywhere.
Chuito obviously didn’t think he was funny.
Did you miss the trap part, pendejo? You’re just gonna get yourself killed for the fun of it?
Tino was actually insulted.
No, I’m fucking new. I had no idea it was a trap. I promise to stay in touch, but I need to do some things away from Nova. The old-man thing is hitting him harder than it looks. Please protect them for me.
He could almost feel Chuito’s annoyance, but his response surprised Tino.
Turn back to your feed.
Tino switched back to his camera feed. He laughed out loud when he saw that Chuito had found the camera in the hallway vent near the room. Now he was looking at grainy footage of Chuito flipping him off, and Tino asked: What the fuck was that for?
He went back to the feed to watch Chuito respond, typing angrily on his phone. Tino switched back to his texts to see a very Chuito-like response.
’Cause you thought you had to ask, motherfucker.
Tino smiled, feeling tears sting his eyes, and responded quickly with the only thing he could think of that wouldn’t make Chuito totally uncomfortable. He wanted to tell him that he loved him for being his best friend when so many people had stepped on him instead. He wanted to say how much it meant that Chuito was one of the few Tino could depend on without thought, but all he said was: Grazie.
He turned back to the feed after he did it. Chuito was already walking away, following after the girls, but then Tino’s phone beeped with one final response.
De nada.