Chapter Forty-Nine
Matteo walked out of his office building holding two cups of coffee. He strode toward one of the benches along the fountain in the courtyard. He sat down next to the man reading the New York Times and sipped from his black coffee.
“There are a few questionable men in the lobby,” Matteo observed.
The paper rustled as the man turned to the next page. “Questionable, not dangerous. The man in the fedora is visiting his sister on the seventeenth floor. The other man wearing the trench coat is a strippergram for the modeling agency on thirty-two. As for the man in the cheap suit questioning my abilities after twenty years of service… he’s about to get a black eye for thinking I’m sitting here not doing my job.”
“Just trying to make sure you’re paying attention, Leo,” Matteo said, holding the coffee out to him.
“Mhmm,” Leo said doubtfully while taking the coffee and resuming his reading.
Matteo set his own coffee down beside him and pulled out his cigarette pack.
“Louis is coming back this morning,” Matteo began while sticking a cigarette between his lips. “I’ll be meeting him at the club at 7 to go over what he’s missed. I imagine we’ll be there most of the night.”
“Which means his wife will be left alone for the first time in weeks and will want to see her sister…” Leo folded the newspaper to glare over at Matteo. “Stop insulting my intelligence.”
Matteo lit the cigarette and took a pull. “I want you on her tonight. You know how Jada is. Tell Foster he has the night off.”
“Lucy will love to hear that,” Leo grumbled as he went back to his reading.
“Tell her you’ll make it up to her tomorrow. I won’t need you or Foster,” Matteo said, trying to hide his smile.
“Oh yeah, why is that?” Leo asked.
“I’m taking Genevieve to Carmela’s.”
Leo sat back and started to slowly fold his newspaper until it resembled something fresh off the press. He set the paper down beside him and turned to face Matteo with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Carmela’s?”
“That’s what I said.”
Leo’s right eye twitched, the biggest show of emotion he allowed Matteo to ever see. “You know what that means,” Leo warned him.
“I do.”
“And you’re ready for that?”
“I am.”
“What about her?”
“I’m going to tell her everything.”
“Tomorrow night?”
Matteo looked over the courtyard at a group of men walking by. He took another drag. “The Irish know, the people in our box at the track know, it’s time everyone else does.”
“That’s not what I asked, Accardi,” Leo said.
Matteo sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb. “I’ll tell her.”
“See that you do,” Leo warned, flicking his paper out to read. A moment later he put the paper back down. “Are you sure now is the best time? With the Irish on the warpath, this Luca character rising up and all? Things can take a turn at any moment, Accardi. Maybe you should wait until we’ve neutralized…”
“Sure, I’ll just wait until the Irish are all wiped out, right?” Matteo interrupted. “It’s a tale as old as time itself, Leo. I’ve seen it my entire life. If it’s not the Irish, it’s the Russians. If it’s not the Russians, it’s the Swedes. If it’s not the Swedes it’s the Mexican…”
“I get it,” Leo hissed.
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Matteo vowed.
“It’s not always that simple and you know it,” Leo warned. “I’d hate to ruin our relationship over you letting your dick make the decisions.”
Matteo scrutinized his old friend for a moment. He noticed his tight grip on the newspaper and how he turned the pages a bit too roughly causing them to tear.
“Me thinks someone is getting attached to his charge,” Matteo observed.
“It’s a character flaw of mine,” Leo hissed.
“While we’re on the subject of protection, character flaws, and my dick. Care to explain why your bat is still in her apartment?”
“Wow, and here I was thinking you’d finally let that go. She doesn’t have a firearm,” Leo explained.
“And she won’t ever have one,” Matteo stated firmly to which Leo scoffed. “I live next door, she doesn’t need your bat.”
“It has a sensor in it. If it strikes anything with a certain amount of force, I get a notification,” Leo explained.
Matteo sat back slightly, impressed. “Has it ever gone off?” Matteo asked.
“Once. I went up to check it out only to find she’d already kicked the idiot out on his ass,” Leo said with humor in his tone. He lowered the paper just enough to send Matteo a wink.
“You’re a funny guy.”
Leo shrugged and went back to his paper.
“Will you want extra hands?” Matteo asked.
“I’ve got her.”
“After tomorrow you know…”
“I’ve got her,” Leo repeated. “Adding extra men will only bring more attention.”
“So long as you’re sure. She’s worth more to me than your pride.”
“I’m flattered.”
“I’m having Frankie test the security at the apartment building as well as the office,” Matteo continued. “If he isn’t incapacitated for a few days after I’m done with him.”
“Go easy on him. He was trying to help,” Leo said.
Matteo scoffed. Leo’s phone started to buzz. He set his paper down and pulled the phone out. The corner of his mouth lifted as he read the texts he was receiving.
“Aw, Lucy sending you some nudes?” Matteo asked.
Leo’s fist hit him square in the stomach, causing him to nearly inhale the cigarette he’d just pulled on. “Watch your mouth,” Leo warned. “Besides, it’s not my woman,” Leo taunted.
Matteo snatched the phone from his hands causing him to laugh. He looked down at the screen to see what he was talking about.
Miss Sinclair: Hey, Leo, hope your watchdog shift is going well. I was wondering if you might be willing to do me a favor?
Leo: Sure thing, Miss S. What can I do for you?
Miss Sinclair: My sister wants to meet with me tonight but I also have this thing tomorrow that I need to get a dress for. Would it be an imposition if I ask you for a ride to some stores in town?
Matteo smiled at the screen. She was going shopping for their date? Shit, he needed to go shopping for their date. He needed to buy flowers… and chocolates… and a stuffed animal… Wait, that was Valentine’s Day stuff. A corsage? Fuck. He had no clue what he was doing. Leo, completely unphased by his boss stealing his phone, went back to reading his paper with a smug smirk on his face.
Matteo started typing in Leo’s stead.
Leo: Not an imposition at all. Where were you thinking?
He watched the bubbles appear and disappear several times.
Miss Sinclair: No idea, honestly. I’m more of a thrift-shop gal but my sister insists on going to Fifth Avenue. I have no idea what I’ll be able to afford but it’s important so I’ll make it work.
Matteo grinned from ear to ear.
“Careful,” Leo muttered. “People will know before you take her to Carmela’s if you walk around looking like a love-sick fool all day.”
Matteo rolled his eyes and went back to the conversation.
Leo: Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find something. I’ll be ready to take you whenever you’re ready to go. I look forward to seeing what you pick out, Weakness.
Matteo’s finger hovered over the send button before he realized his mistake. He backspaced the last sentence and hit send. He flung the phone back in Leo’s lap and stood up. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and held a card out.
“For me?” Leo asked, putting a hand to his chest and batting his lashes. “I’ve had my eye on this fabulous lingerie set that would match…”
“Just take the damn thing, Leo,” Matteo grumbled. Leo chuckled and took the card. “Whatever she wants. Got it?”
Leo swept his arm out in a mock bow. Matteo could do little to care. He had a date to prepare for.