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1
TONY
Ihit the gas, zipping in and out between cars that had slowed to a crawl. Despite the August heat radiating off the pavement, I was glad to be on a motorcycle so I could actually make progress in this damn Boston traffic,. Of course Vinnie had chosen me to send across town. He needed to extract money from some asshole who thought he could just ignore his debts. Putting the guy in his place was my assignment.
I never meant to end up working for the Trevisani family business. It just happened. Or rather I had ended up with no other options.
After I quit school, I lost a series of jobs because I was too much of an idiot to even try and get my life together. I ended up with two options: get kicked out of my apartment and try to make it on the streets or let the cousin I’d stayed friends with since we’d beaten each other up on the elementary school playground find me a job.
Micky Trevisani appeared to be a good guy as long as you didn’t check his rap sheet or look too closely at what he did for the family. He was always smiling, and he was a hell of a wingman when we went out drinking, but his older brother Vinnie—the current head of the family—scared the shit out of me. And now he was my boss.
I’d had the good fortune to reach 6’4”, and the one thing I’d managed to be consistent about since high school was going to the gym. Micky and I had gone from sparring on the playground to sparring in the ring at our gym. He hated to admit it, but these days, I won every time. I was strong as fuck, and since I’d failed at any other job I’d tried, I was working as muscle for the family.
I finally arrived at my destination. The house belonged to the deceased parents of Billy Dunn, known by his associates as a petty thief, gambler, and drunk.
There weren’t any lights on, but as late as it was, that didn’t mean no one was home. I checked my weapon and studied the house to make sure I didn’t see anyone watching from the windows—thankfully there weren’t any neighbors close enough to keep watch. Satisfied I was alone, I wiped the sweat from my face and made my way to the front door.
I didn’t expect Billy to answer my knock, but I gave it a try anyway. With an IQ like his, he might think his childhood home was actually a decent hiding place. When I didn’t get a response, I walked across the porch and looked in the windows. Nothing. No sign that anyone was home.
I circled around to the back door. No one was visible in the kitchen, and no one answered my knock. I tried again, increasing my force, and pounding on the door with my fist. The impact rattled the kitchen window but still no one appeared.
I pulled out my lock picking kit and let myself in. No alarm sounded, and my flashlight beam didn’t reveal a keypad for a silent system that would summon the police. I didn’t see or hear anything to indicate that Billy had a security system. Did the fucker really think he was that safe?
I stepped inside, weapon out, and began to move through the house room by room. Once I cleared the kitchen, I headed into the living room.
“Billy!” I yelled. “Come on out and talk to me. We’ve got business to settle.”
No response.
I started toward the hall when I heard a sound. I turned quickly and saw a man opening the back door. I didn’t know who he was, but he sure as hell wasn’t Billy. He was at least six inches shorter, a lot thinner, and when he turned to close the door, I could tell he had a fucking perfect ass.
“Freeze,” I yelled. The man had the good sense to obey me. There was something about him that tickled my memory. Had I met him before? “Turn around.”
He hit the light switch as he obeyed, and I sucked in my breath. I sure as hell did know him. Intimately. Biblically. We’d starting hooking up months ago, meeting every week, sometimes spending the whole weekend together, but never exchanging names or taking things any further—no matter how much I wanted to. It had been the best sex of my life, and I’d grown more and more certain he was meant to be mine.
I hadn’t seen him since the start of the summer, but I’d thought about him every day since he’d failed to show up for our weekly meeting. I’d tried to track him down. I might not know his name, but I had a lot of resources to help me find people who wanted to hide. He’d managed to elude me anyway. It was like he’d disappeared. I’d started to wonder if I’d dreamed our encounters.
Apparently, I hadn’t. The gorgeous man was very real and standing right in front of me. “I’m looking for Billy. Don’t tell me you’re with that son of a bitch.”
His nose wrinkled. “I made a fucking mistake, okay?”
“So why are you here?”
“He took something from me, and I came to get it while he’s gone.”
“Where is he?” I was only supposed to scare Billy, rough him up a bit, but when I thought of his hands on this beautiful man I wanted back in my bed, I longed to put a bullet in Billy’s brain. The idea of that scum thinking he was worthy of my man made my blood boil.
“I don’t know where he is, and I don’t care, I just need to get out of here.”
I shook my head. “You’re not going anywhere. Your boyfriend’s gotten himself in trouble with my family, and you’re going to help me find him.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. I told you that. Don’t insult me, and I don’t know your family. I don’t even know you.”
“Yes, you do.”
He scowled. “I can’t help you.”
“Maybe that’s true, and maybe it isn’t, but I’ve got unfinished business with you too.”
