Page 9
“I know I don’t deserve your help, but please, Marko, I need you.”
Mentally I went through several scenarios in my head that Gio would buy that would allow me to stay out of town for a bit. I had a well-vetted staff that were more than capable of keeping things running in my absence.
Niki continued to cling to me, her arms tightly around my waist while I rattled off a text to Gio.
Something has come up. I won’t be back tonight. I need a few days to sort things out.
Why? He answered immediately, a total Gio move. Straight to the point.
A friend is in trouble and needs my help for a few days. Don’t worry, I’ll get a hold of Almando and have him fill in for me. Okay? I almost held my breath while the dots appeared and disappeared on the screen. I couldn’t lie to Gio. Even though he was my best friend, he was also my boss, and lying to the boss wasn’t acceptable regardless of our closeness.
And suddenly, I was transported back to a moment I’ll never forget. The one where our friendship began…
It was grade two and Gio was on the small side; his growth spurt hadn’t happened until high school. Still, even then, he was very handsome, and the girls were always trying to sit beside him or get his attention, which tended to piss off the other boys.
His brothers were there, although I didn’t know it at the time as I was new to the school that year. They watched as the kids flung insults at Gio. I’d never been so impressed by a person. Even his young eyes were old, savage, and I knew that he could handle himself… but it didn’t mean he had to. I stepped into the circle by his side. He looked me up and down and a chill shivered through me. He was so sure of himself, whereas I was almost ready to piss myself.
“Don’t worry, amico, you will be fine.”
Friend? And my first one at that. As the boys moved in, flinging their arms like little boys do, Gio tripped one and smacked another in the diaphragm. Both went down, leaving only three who, after looking at their fallen friends, ran away, presumably, to tell on us to a teacher.
His brothers congratulated him. The eldest, Romeo, clapped him on the shoulder. The biggest one, another brother, Massimo, fist-pumped Gio. When a teacher and the principal arrived, they asked the kids what happened. Romeo was the first to speak.
“Nothing happened.”
Following his lead, the witnesses fell into line, and that was my first exposure to the power of the Vitale brothers and the loyalty they inspired.
Should I be worried?
Gio’s text, when it came through, was simple.
He was my best friend and boss, and I’d never lied to him before, but I wasn’t ready to tell him about her. He’d be beyond pissed, but I knew Niki wasn’t in the head space to deal with her life being threatened and a confrontation with Gio at the same time.
Not at all.
Okay. Keep me updated.
I will.
I let out a breath of relief, happy he hadn’t asked me which friend as he knew them all. With the green light, I began formulating a plan with only two objectives: ensure Niki was safe and gain intel on the asshole threatening her life.
“I’ll stay for a few days in New York and find your assailant, but I’m not staying here. This place is made for tiny people. Pack your stuff, enough for a few days at least, and let’s go.”
Niki was frozen in place, gazing up at me as if trying to read my thoughts.
“Come, tesorina, I’ll help you,” I said, my tone gentler this time.
Her bedroom was so small I had to stand in the doorway to give her room to move around the cramped space. She pulled out a battered suitcase and a duffle and began examining every ribbon and shoe she tossed into the worn leather case. She added leotards and other items I assumed she needed for rehearsals until the bag was almost overflowing.
She opened her closet door, and seemed far less picky with her selection of everyday wear, which she didn’t have much of. Christ! Back home I was used to women in expensive clothing, who expected me to lavish them with it, and not just clothing, but jewelry and nights on the town.
By comparison, Niki’s clothing was bargain-basement at best, but I had no doubts that whatever she wore would make her look like a million bucks. It was one of the things Gio and I had always appreciated about her. She never had expensive taste, but Gio showered her in the best that money had to offer. I recognized a few items she added to her suitcase as being from him, making her better items aged and out of style.
Tomorrow, after rehearsal, I would remedy her closet issue and take her for a steak dinner while we were out. She needed some meat on her bones, and the iron it provided. She was bone-thin and pale as a ghost. Surely dance didn’t require this of her.
When she’d first walked into the classroom and captured both mine and Gio’s hearts, we could tell she’d been neglected and malnourished despite her evident beauty and sexiness. The ghost of the girl I knew gazed up at me when she was done packing, hardening my resolve to get her to a better place.
Niki grabbed her purse and slid it onto her shoulder, turning off the lights and locking the door behind us. I took hold of her hand, and despite the circumstances that had separated us all these years, having her small hand in mine brought a flood of rightness pumping through my veins. She belonged to me, and to Gio, and I promised myself that soon, she’d remember that and things between us would be set right.
