He put himself on display for both of them.
And they seemed to appreciate it.
“Pretty boy,” Carla said in amusement as she caressed his chest. “The prettiest boy.”
“That’s what they say,” he agreed.
“No wonder that pendejo wants a taste of your Italian ice.” Carla laughed. “What does it taste like? Spicy. Sweet. Caramel or vanilla.”
Tino laughed with her. “Definitely not vanilla.”
“I think he likes vanilla, though,” Meilei cut into their conversation, her fingers still in Tino’s hair. “Your flesh-dealing friend. She has no band.”
“Not yet,” Carla added. “She’d be expensive. He’ll find a way. She has someone she cares about. They’ll suck her in. They get the pretty gringas all time. Especially the Italians. They like the gringas.”
“She can dance,” Meilei said thoughtfully. “Vanilla that can move like there’s spice in there somewhere. She would be expensive.”
Tino frowned and looked out to the dance floor.
For one minute he thought it was the roll. That it very conveniently slipped his pretty girl of choice into the fantasy. Then he realized he really wasn’t high. Brianna was dancing with Carina. The two of them looked like any other party girls out for the weekend. Dominic Brambino was behind Brianna with his hands on her back like he owned her.
Tino jumped off Meilei and Carla before he made the conscious decision to do it. They both look affronted, and he pointed out to the dance floor. “That’s my sister that motherfucker brought with him!”
He didn’t have to say any more.
Meilei tossed his bag at him, and he stormed into the crowd, shirtless, with his gun showing. Not too many people were paying attention anyway. It’d been about an hour since he got there, which meant everyone was already rolling their asses off.
He snatched a glow pen out of a party girl’s hand, because she’d been writing on her boyfriend. Then he walked right up to Carina and caught her arm.
She gasped, clearly in full defense for about two seconds before she yelled over the music, “Tino! What’re you doing here?”
He was dealing for their father, but he didn’t explain it to her.
Tino just leaned down and wrote on his sister’s forehead in big block letters that glowed under the black lights.
MORETTI
“If it says moron, I’m gonna be really fucked off!” Carina shouted at him. “Why are you coloring on me?”
“Why are you here?” he screamed and then pointed to Dominic. “With him?”
“’Cause he said he knew the location!”
“You’re not allowed to go to raves!”
“Since when do I only do what I’m allowed to?” Carina shouted back at him.
Well, yeah, there was that.
He turned around and grabbed Brianna, making her gasp. She was wearing one of those low-cut V-neck shirts that Tino was sure Dominic really enjoyed. Dancers, for some reason, were way too comfortable in very little clothing. So he wrote it across her chest, above her tits in capital letters.
MORETTI
In big, bold letters that glowed blue under the black light.
Brianna stared down at it and then looked at him. “What does this mean?”
“It means private property!” Tino looked at Dominic when he said it. “You’re leaving! Step out right now, or I’ll have you thrown out!”
Dominic shrugged. “Then you owe me twenty bucks.”
“For what?” Tino followed his line of sight to see him staring at the water bottle in Brianna’s hand. “Oh, you motherfucker.” Tino pulled his Beretta out and pointed it at Dominic. “Get out! I will fucking kill you! I swear to God!”
People screamed and backed up, but Carina and Brianna jumped forward and caught his arm, which was a really dumb, extremely naive thing for them to do. Fortunately, Tino and Nova had been practicing with Carlo for the good part of two years, and Tino wasn’t one to misfire on accident. In fact, he was pretty fucking sure he could put a hole right through the center of Dominic’s forehead.
“It’s okay!” Carina screamed at him. “We asked him to bring us! This is our fault!”
“Did you ask him to drug you?” Tino shouted at his sister without taking his eyes off Dominic.
“I took it!” Carina was still holding on to his arm. “I’m the one who took it! I wanted to.”
“You took E with Dominic Brambino around.” Tino cast a side glare at Brianna for that one, just quick enough to let her see how fucking disappointed he was in her. “He gave it to you so he could fuck you! He told me that’s why he gave it to you! He said he brought his own *! Who do you think that is, Bri? ’Cause it’s not Carina!”
“I didn’t take the ecstasy he bought,” Brianna assured him. “I’m not stupid. I just came to dance and make sure Carina stayed safe.”
“Who gave you the water bottle, then, if you’re so fucking street-smart!”