“Asshole,” I muttered, hitting delete.
Yo, it’s me. Blackie’s voice slurred through the end of the phone. We’re good with Gold. Only problem was Reina got thrown into the mix. You might want to wife that bitch because she gave Jimmy a stellar performance. Good girl you got there, brother. Sorry for giving you so much shit. Anyway, I gave her my car, and she’s hunting for you. Here’s to hoping she can pull you away from your misery.
I thought about Blackie facing the choice of whether he should shoot the heroin or put a bullet between Gold’s eyes. I bet his wife’s face flashed before him as he emptied the syringe into his vein, I bet that nearly killed him. I thought of Reina witnessing that shit and how she had already been a victim of Jimmy Gold’s brutality, how she was marked by him in a way no one ever should be branded.
Jack, I got news. The kind you don’t talk about over the phone. Call me back. Bianci’s voice boomed.
A lot could happen in twenty-four hours.
This message is for Jack Parrish. I am a clerk at the state medical examiner’s office and we are calling regarding the release of Daniel Gregorio’s remains. Please call us to discuss arranging a discharge. You can reach me at 718-556-5481, thank you.
I dropped the phone from my ear and stared at it in disbelief. Was my mind playing me again? I ended the voicemail playback, not wanting to listen to another since they all seemed to be one worse than the other.
Time to saddle up motherfucker, I told myself as I rubbed my hands vigorously over my face. I mentally made a list of things to do, starting with a shower and then I’d make my way to the Dog Pound and take my meds, like the good maniac I strive to be.
Be better, asshole.
Be better for Lacey.
Be better for Reina.
Make Junior proud.
He’s safe now.
My list was pretty cut and dry. The tasks not all that hard, but each one just as important as the next.
Call Lacey. Let her know I didn’t bite the bullet.
Meet with Bianci.
Show that prick Gold, who the fuck is boss.
Claim my brother’s remains and lay him to rest. It’s only right I bury him properly after I took his woman.
Make it right with Reina.
I pulled my bike in front of the compound, slowly lifting my helmet off my head and glanced around the lot. Bianci jumped out of his truck and rushed toward me. I diverted my eyes to the passenger side of his truck and watched a woman step out. She looked familiar, similar to his wife yet older. Realization set in as she came closer. Her eyes were dull, her face tired and worn, all a result of standing beside the man she loved. They say the people who sit quietly behind the scenes are the ones affected the most. Staring at Grace Pastore I became a believer.
“We got trouble,” Bianci stated, eyeing his mother-in-law.
I tore my eyes from Grace’s and was about to ask him what he was talking about when my cell phone vibrated inside my pocket. Blackie’s truck rolled through the gate of the compound and out of the corner of my eye I watched as he parked in his usual spot. The door opened to the compound and a sickening feeling crept inside my gut as Riggs, Bones, Pipe and Wolf emerged. The band of brothers felt it too, the nagging warning of impending doom.
I glanced down at the phone and lifted the screen to Bianci to show him Gold was calling.
He nodded, giving me the green light to answer the phone. I accepted the call and lifted the phone to my ear.
“What can I do for you, Jimmy?” I asked, keeping my eyes trained on Grace who turned to Anthony with pleading eyes.
“Three…two…one,” Jimmy drawled into the phone before disconnecting the call. I looked down at the phone perplexed.
“He hung up,” I said, lifting my head. Bianci took a step back, eyes sharp as they spanned the property.
“Talk to me Bianci,” I ordered.
The thing about lists, about plans, is that they usually go astray—but then again all the planning in the world wouldn’t have prepared me for what was about to happen.
A blast erupted, amber lights all aglow as Blackie’s truck was blown to smithereens. The impact of the explosion threw us back, knocking some of us to the ground, others dropping voluntarily to take cover.
A lot could happen in twenty-four hours.
Chapter Twenty-Six