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And I think of the man I left with a knife in his chest, bleeding out on the floor of the trailer with my mother crying and wailing over him.
I’ve reinvented myself countless times. Why not do it again? The Colombo Family power broker. I like the sound of that.
“Here’s the deal, Vince. And it’s the only one you’ll get from me, so listen carefully. I’ll have you released. I’ll even have you reinstated as Capo. And you’ll be my guy, like you say.” He nods vigorously. “But if I so much as suspect you’re playing me, I’ll make sure what Larry did to you looks like a day at the spa. Are we clear?”
Vince’s good eye widens slightly, a mix of surprise and respect. “Crystal clear, Mrs. Colombo.”
“And you cut out the sleazy bullshit.”
“Consider it cut.”
I move to the door, then pause, looking back at him. “It might take me a few hours to talk Frank around. Make sure you stay alive until then.”
He nods, a slow smile spreading across his battered face. “You got it, Girl Boss.”
“I’m no girl, Vince.”
He chuckles painfully. “Nah, you’re a goddamn queen.”
“You got that right,” I tell him, and then I open the door and step out.
Frank and Larry are waiting there with a few other low-ranked Colombo guards, and whatever conversation they were having stops as soon as I appear. “Was Vince with you in Phoenix the night of Terry’s murder?” I ask Larry without preamble.
“Yeah,” Larry says after a moment. “Yeah, he was.”
“And the other night, he was in the poker game the whole evening,” I go on. “Is that right?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Larry says. “He was there the whole time. Came up with me and Hudson Brooks after Frank sent down word.”
“So Vince had no access to his phone that night?”
Another pause. “No, I guess not,” Larry admits at last.
“The hitman who came after me was very well prepared. He had a casino uniform and he’d managed to disrupt the private elevator. Vince Sabatelli is a capable man, but even he wouldn’t have been able to set all that up during the game.”
“So he set it up before,” Larry argues. “Easy as pie.”
“But he had noreasonto want to kill me then. Not untilafterI’d publicly humiliated him at the game.” Which means the previous attempt on my life probably wasn’t Vince either, but I don’t point that out. “Vince isn’t the guy,” I go on, when there’s no response from anyone. “Let him go.”
Larry’s face contorts with rage. “What the fuck? Breezy, you can’t be serious?—”
“Not only am I serious, but I’m also telling you, Frank, to reinstate Vince Sabatelli as Capo, effective immediately.”
The hallway erupts into chaos. Larry is shouting, his face turning an alarming shade of red. Frank is trying to calm him down, while simultaneously shooting me questioning looks.
“You got no rights here, lady,” Larry snarls, getting in my face. His breath is hot against my skin, and I can smell the expensive scotch he favors. “You haveno ideawho you’re dealing with!”
I think of all the times I’ve had to smile and nod at men like him, pretending to be less than I am. Not anymore. “I know exactly what I’m doing, Larry. I am protecting my husband’s legacy and I am protecting the Family—unlike you, whose only interest seems to be in gaining control. Vince Sabatelli did not kill my husband, but I’m starting to wonder aboutyou.”
The threat in my voice is clear, and the other men all drop into silence as they consider my words. And for a moment, I see a flicker of uncertainty in Larry’s eyes. But it’s quickly replaced by fury.
“This is bullshit,” he spits, before storming off.
As the men file uncertainly after him, Frank turns to me, shrugging. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Breezy. Larry has a whole lotta support in the Family.”
“Then he can take those fools with him if he chooses to leave.”
“Leave?” Frank blinks.
