Reno's Gift (Mob Boss Series) Page 19

  “A mother,” Reno said.

  “A mother?” Jimmy asked.

  “A mother who wouldn’t hurt a child. That’s why Dommi was released.”

  Reno stood up, as his thoughts began to take shape. Every eye was on him as he moved around the room. Trina thought he looked rejuvenated. His beautiful hair was still a hot mess, and his expensive clothes still hung on him as if they were thrift store specials, but she could see new life in her man. They still had his sister. There was still a major league problem he had on his hands. But his baby was safe and back in the arms of his wife. Trina knew him better than anybody alive. She knew what it would have done to him if anything would have happened to Dommi. He would be devastated if anything happened to Fran, but it would be a different devastation.

  “Yeah, that’s got to be it,” Reno said as if he was thinking out loud. “A mother. Not just a woman, a mother. She wouldn’t hurt a child. And she’s an old school mother, too. An older woman.”

  “But the cab driver said the woman who asked him to take Dom home was twenty or thirty,” Jimmy said. “That’s not old school.”

  “Twenty or thirty or forty or fifty,” Sal said dismissively. “Who’s gonna trust that guy’s eyesight? She could have been a hundred for all he saw. Could have been bent over half dead. All he saw was that cash floating his way. All he saw was green.”

  “She could have been the daughter, or an assistant, or somebody like that,” Reno said to his son. “But I’m talking about the mastermind. That woman is a mother and she’s old school. That’s why she took Fran instead of Trina. Maybe the only reason she took Dommi at all was because he was with Fran at the time. Belle knew me. She knew if she took Fran she could get my attention, yeah, she could get my attention. But if she took Trina, if she took my wife, she could get my life.”

  “But an old school mother wouldn’t see it that way,” Grace said.

  “No, she wouldn’t, Grace,” Reno replied. “She’d believe that blood was thicker than water. Nobody sat at a higher place at the table than your blood kin. A sister, in her world, was always more valuable than a wife. And Belle was working with her.”

  “With who?” Trina asked, desperate to follow where Reno was leading.

  “Not Bruno,” Reno said. “But Bruno’s mother.”

  Sal was floored. “The Dolph’s widow?”

  Tommy found this plausible. “Bruno was killed just after he got out of prison, after all,” he said. “And if she was anything like her son was, she had to blame you. She blamed you when the Dolph had his heart attack. She blamed you when Brew got locked up. On some level she had to blame you.”

  “But what the fuck does Belle have to do with the Luccis?” Sal wanted to know.

  “I say we go find out,” Reno said. “What say you, Tommy?”

  Tommy thought about Grace. He thought how traumatic all of this must be to her, especially since he was supposed to be bringing her to Vegas because of that stunt Cameron pulled. He looked at her. “What say you, Grace?” he asked her, and Trina looked anxiously at Grace.

  Grace was torn. She didn’t expect him to ask her opinion at all. She was pleased that he did. But that didn’t mean she wanted him to go. She didn’t. But she knew he had to. “You go,” she said. “Absolutely.”

  Tommy would have gone regardless of what Grace would have recommended, he had to back up his family. And a part of him, probably the biggest part, was elated that she sanctioned his decision. But a smaller part of him wasn’t so thrilled. A smaller part of him hated that the woman he loved was about to become caught up in the world of the Gabrinis. Caught up forever, if he took her down the aisle.

  But he went. That was what Gabrinis did. He handled his business.

  The Lucci family used to live in an expansive estate in Vegas, but, to Reno’s surprise, the widow had moved to Spring Valley nearly a decade ago. It turned out to be a modest home and demonstrated to Reno just how narrow the Dolph’s reach really was. After he died, and after Bruno was locked up, there was nothing left for Maude Lucci but to downside and lay low.

  They entered from the back. Reno and Jimmy, Tommy and Sal. They had back up with them too, mostly Reno’s body men, just in case it wasn’t as simple as it appeared it might be.

  Tommy owned a major security firm and was considered a top expert in the field, but getting into the small, two-bedroom home was as easy as walking through the backdoor. Mainly because, as soon as they entered, they encountered gunfire.

  One armed man and one armed female fired at will at the opening of the door. They were waiting for their arrival. But even with the advantage of surprise, they did not get the upper hand. Reno was able to take out one of the gunman, the male, and Sal took out the female. Tommy and Jimmy cornered Maude. And although she was a woman of a particular age, sixty if she was a day, she was no weakling. Tommy had to wrestle a rifle from her grasp and get her under control.

  “Damn lady!” Sal yelled angrily when he, too, had to intervene with the feisty old broad. He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her into the kitchen chair. “Settle your old behind down before we put a cap in your ass!”

  But Maude Lucci wasn’t thinking about Sal. “You’ll rot in hell, Reno Gabrini!” she yelled. “You’ll rot in hell!”

  Reno pulled out a chair and sat down in front of her. Jimmy remained with his father, both of their guns still drawn, both of them amazed by the old lady’s strength. Tommy and Sal, along with Reno’s body men, made their way throughout the little house, making sure there were no surprises or booby-traps, and seeking to find Fran among the rooms.

  “Long time no see, Maude,” Reno said to the homeowner.

  Maude, however, would not cooperate. “Go to hell,” she said to him, the liver spots and wrinkles on her face shielding the fact that in her day she was a very beautiful woman. But her day had been a long time ago.

  “You show such hostility,” Reno said to her, although her behavior, and the fact that gunmen were waiting for their arrival, only confirmed his suspicions. She had Fran. She was the mastermind. “What have I done to deserve your wrath?”

  “You killed her,” she said as if she was still attempting to believe it herself. “You killed my daughter!”

  Jimmy and Reno exchanged a glance. Then Reno looked at her. “What?” he asked her.

  “You killed my daughter, you asshole!”

  “That’s a gotdamn lie!” Reno fired back. Then he thought about it. “What daughter?”

  Maude looked away from him, pain in her small, round eyes.

  “What daughter?” Reno asked again. “You mean Belle? But that can’t be. The Dolph wasn’t her father.” Then Reno realized what she meant. “But you’re her mother.” Reno was floored. “That’s why Belle got involved in your hatred of me, isn’t it? Because Bruno was her half-brother, and you were her mother.”

  “You ruined my family,” Maude said. “You killed my husband.”

  “Your husband had a heart attack, Maude.”

  “You killed my husband!” she shouted. “He never would have had a heart attack if you wouldn’t have destroyed Bruno with your lies! You killed my husband as surely as you would have put a knife in his back. And he loved you. He thought of you as a son. But you didn’t give a damn about him.”

  She hesitated. Her hatred was as real as the air in the room. “You killed my husband,” she said again. “You killed my son. Now you took my daughter away from me. They found her body on the side of the road, like a dog, and they didn’t have to tell me anything. I know you did it. You took my daughter away from me. But you’ll get yours, Reno. You’ll rot in hell you bastard!”

  Maude rose from her seat in anger, but Jimmy shoved her back down.

  “It’s Pop’s time to talk,” he said to her.

  “You’ll rot there too,” she said to Jimmy. “Your black ass.”

  “I’ll bet it’s firmer than your white ass,” replied Jimmy.

  “Where’s my sister, Maude?” Reno asked her.r />
  But Maude gave Reno a scathing look and said nothing.

  “Maude, where’s my sister?”

  Again, nothing.

  Reno then put his gun to the side of her head. “You’re right, Maude, you know that? I’m a true bastard just like you said. I didn’t give a fuck about your husband.”

  Maude looked at him as if he was finally admitting what she knew all along.

  “I didn’t give a fuck about your son or your daughter either. You’re right, I didn’t. So, if I didn’t give a fuck about them, why the fuck do you think I’m gonna give a fuck about you? Where’s my sister, Maude? Tell me or you’re leave this world this very night!”

  Maude looked at him. She looked at him the way Belle had looked at him. And she spit in Reno’s face.

  Jimmy was stunned. He expected his father to jump up and put a bullet in her brains. No man should tolerate that level of disrespect.

  But Reno didn’t jump up. And he didn’t shoot the woman. He wiped her saliva away and then moved his chair closer to her. He needed more information. He needed to know where Fran was.

  “Where’s Fran, Maude?” he asked her, his eyes staring dead into hers. “You have only this one chance to get it right. Where’s Fran?”

  “Reno!” Tommy yelled, and Reno and Jimmy looked up. Reno stood up.

  “You found her?” he asked anxiously.

  “We found her,” Sal said. And Jimmy smiled and relaxed his gun. But as soon as he did, Maude Lucci grabbed it and turned it on him.

  But Reno hadn’t relaxed, and he kicked the gun out of her hand as he fired his, hitting her right between the eyes.

  Jimmy was stunned. He looked at the dead woman and then he looked at his father. He relaxed and nearly lost his life. If it had not been for his father, he would have lost it all. Tears appeared in his eyes. He thought, after all he’d been through, that he was ready for this. But he wasn’t. He was nowhere near ready.

  His father opened his arms, and he fell into them.

  EPILOGUE

  “Okay, everybody, he’s coming!” Trina yelled.

  “So whatta you want us to do?” Sal asked.

  “Hide,” she suggested and everybody, Tommy and Grace, Sal and Gemma, Jimmy and Fran with Dommi in her arms, and Trina’s parents all ran for cover. They settled in the dining room, and Dommi promised to be quiet.

  When Reno finally walked through the door, Trina was the only one left in the living room. She met him at the door.

  “Hey,” she said with an exhausted smile.

  “Hey yourself,” Reno said as he tossed his briefcase into a nearby chair and pulled her into his arms. “What a beautiful sight to behold after a long day’s work.” He began kissing her.

  Trina expected the hug. And she expected the kiss. But she didn’t expect Reno to suddenly turn all romantic on her and began French-kissing her. It was so sensual, and so passionate, that Trina almost forgot what was about to occur, wrapped her arms around him, and returned the kiss with her own brand of passion. Their lips moved in unison. It was exactly what Reno needed, after another grueling day of work.

  “Where’s Jimmy and Dom?” he asked her. “I want to take your clothes off and do you right here.”

  Trina quickly pulled back then, before he actually did what he wanted to do. Just as she did, however, somebody, she suspected it was Sal, made a bump sound in such a way that she knew he was trying to force her to get on with it.

  Reno didn’t hear the bump. He was too concerned about his pull-back. “What’s the matter?” he asked her, pulling her closer.

  “Let me show you something first,” she said, removing his arms from around her waist, putting his hand in hers, and then pulling him toward the dining room.

  “Show me what?” he asked.

  “Just come and see,” she said. As soon as they arrived in the dining room, everybody jumped up and shouted Surprise! in a thundering voice. Dommi grinned and clapped.

  Reno was completely surprised. But he frowned. “But for what?” he asked. “It’s not my birthday.”

  “We know,” Jimmy said. “It’s your appreciation day, Pop.”

  He looked at everybody assembled, the people he loved most in this world. And he looked at Trina and Jimmy. “Appreciation?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Jimmy said. “Like Death of a Salesman.”

  “Death of a sales who?” Sal asked him.

  “A sales man,” Jimmy replied. “It’s a play written by Arthur Miller.”

  “Who the fuck is Arthur Miller?” Sal wanted to know.

  “He’s a, or was since he’s dead, a playwright. He was once married to Marilyn Monroe. But that’s not the point. The point is, at one point in the play, after the main character, an aging salesman, kills himself, his wife says that attention must now be paid to this man.”

  “Why?” Fran asked.

  “Why?” Jimmy asked.

  “Yeah, why, Jimmy?” Sal asked. “What the fuck he did that he deserves all of this attention?”

  “He didn’t. . . do anything, but that’s not the point.”

  “Then what’s the point?” Fran asked.

  Jimmy was now flustered. He expected them to get it right off the bat. He never dreamed he would have to explain himself. “Never mind,” he said.

  But Reno hugged him. And whispered in his ear. “I know what you mean,” he said and kissed him. Jimmy smiled. If his father understood, then that was all he needed to know.

  “But back to Fran’s question,” Reno said to Trina. “What is this all about?”

  “It’s about you,” Trina said. “We want to show how much we appreciate you. Come on.”

  She escorted him to the head of the table. He sat down and everybody else sat around the table.

  And one by one they stood up and spoke. From Gemma to Grace to Sal and Tommy, it was all about their feelings for Reno.

  Gemma talked about Reno’s smarts, while Grace talked about how much she respected his advice and wisdom. Sal and Tommy joked about his junkyard dog meanness, and Dommi clapped and laughed when it was his time to speak. Fran and Jimmy were equally irreverent, with Jimmy telling how his father had given him the kind of instincts that could rival an end-of-days survivalist.

  And Trina . . .

  Reno braced himself and fought back tears when Trina stood up to speak. Whereas everybody else were generally humorous, Trina was completely serious.

  She looked her husband dead in his eyes. And tears appeared in hers. “You’re my inspiration,” she said to him. “I’ve never met another human being with more love, and more integrity, and more kindness of spirit in my entire life. You make me want to be the best woman I can be,” she went on. “You gave me love, Reno, when nobody wanted to give me a prayer. You made me laugh and cry. You made me jump for joy, and fall to my knees. But most of all, my Reno, you never, not ever, bored me.”

  The others laughed. Reno was so touched, he couldn’t even smile.

  “So I love you, kid,” Trina said with a smile of her own, and picked up her champagne glass in a toast to her hero. “Here’s to you, Dominic Apollo Gabrini,” she said, and everybody else stood and lifted their glasses too. “What you’ve given to us no amount of money could ever buy. You gave us courage, Reno, and truth, and loyalty, and strength. We respect you. We cherish your bravery in the face of so many horrendous circumstances. All because of your love for us. I didn’t think it could be matched. I didn’t think it was possible to match the love you showed for us. Until I started loving you.”

  She hesitated, as his tears began to shed. “God bless you, Reno Gabrini,” she said. “You are a good man. It’s as simple as that. And I love you. We love you.”

  Tommy said, here, here, and everybody lifted their glasses higher to Reno, and sipped their drinks too.

  Then everybody sat back down, ready for Reno to have his say. But Reno fought with everything within him to remain emotionless. He even looked puzzled.

  “That’s it?” he asked them.
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  Jimmy looked at his father, a grin on his face. “Yeah,” he said.

  “Whatta you mean yeah?” Reno asked. “Where’s my gifts?”

  Everybody looked at Reno.

  “Gifts?” Tommy asked.

  “Yes, gifts. I thought you guys appreciated me.”

  “We do, Pop.”

  “Then where’s the appreciation?”

  Sal laughed. Nobody else got the joke.

  “But Reno,” Trina said, feeling as if a beautiful day was about to go so wrong, “our words were the appreciation.”

  “Your words?” Reno asked, astounded. “I know better than that! All talk and no gifts? Just words?” Reno stood up. “Oh, no.” He started removing his belt.

  “Reno, what are you doing?” Trina asked, concerned.

  “Somebody’s giving up something! All talk my ass. Somebody’s showing some real appreciation!”

  Jimmy was the first to jump up and run. “He means it!” he said as he ran. “He means it!”

  Tommy and Grace were laughing so hard, they tripped over each other and fell as they ran. But like bugs in the light, every one of them ran for cover. Except Trina. She knew Reno was joking. She knew he was just doing it for laughs. Until that belt came within an inch of her skin. And she took off running too.

  They ran, and Reno laughed. That was his brand of appreciation. His family, whom he loved, still could impress him.

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