Conquered by the Mafia Boss

“No, it’s not-that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, you stupid fuck!”

They finally let him go as I slump against the bar. It’s as though he slid a knife between my ribs. Then I think of the girl I loved when I was seventeen, and how she turned up dead in the streets. I felt as if the pain would kill me, but it’s nothing compared to losing Elena.

I bury my face in my hands. The bar goes quiet-really quiet. No one’s ever seen me like this and I’m aware that I must look like a pussy, but I don’t care. She’s everything to me, and I can’t find her.

My shoulders shake and my eyes burn as if they’re on the verge of tears. I feel out of control-completely fucking lost. Mad rage twists my guts, and I’m half tempted to walk to Le Zinc right now and put a bullet in Johnny’s fucking head for allowing her to leave.

A gruff voice whispers in my ear as someone pats my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Tony. I didn’t know. I honestly didn’t.”

I lift my head miserably and see Tommy’s battered face filled with remorse.

It doesn’t do fuck all for me.

“I’ll never forget this. You might as well leave town tonight, because I’m coming back for you.”

He lets out air through his nose. “What if I help you find her?”

“They could be anywhere by now.”

“Or he went back to New York.” A nervous edge trembles in Tommy’s voice. I know that he’s not supposed to place a foot anywhere near the city. “I’ll call Vince.”

“If you really want to help, you’ll come with me. I’m going now.”

He runs a hand through his hair. “Fuck-fine. Let’s go.” Tommy addresses a waitress. “Clean up this shit and then put Jamie in charge.”

* * *

The drive toward New York is spent in silence, with only the sound of Tommy drumming his fingers restlessly against the car door handle.

“Can you give it a rest with that shit?”

He lets out a long sigh. “Sorry. I’m not exactly welcome in New York anymore.”

I look at him, watching the way his jaw tenses. “What did you do?”

And how are you still alive?

He gives me a dark look. “I helped whack the old New York boss.”

Elena’s father.

“So? You weren’t the only one part of that fucking disaster.”

“There were other things I did,” he says unhelpfully. “Things I don’t fucking regret, but still.”

“Call him again.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

He gives me a look before opening his phone and dialing the New York boss, putting the phone on speaker.

“Vince.”

“Hey, Vince, it’s Tommy again.”

“I haven’t found the little shit stain yet. He’s not at his apartment.”

“Listen, Tony and I are driving to New York right now.” He winces as he finishes the sentence.

The phone crackles with silence for a moment before Vincent’s indignant voice speaks again. “You what? No-turn back around.”

“Too late for that. We’re already halfway.”

“You lost your New York privileges, remember?”

“I’m just trying to help Tony.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to tell Paulie’s cousins when they find out your ass is in town?”

I don’t really care about Vincent giving Tommy shit about returning to New York.

“Vince, what the fuck are you doing to find my wife?”

“I don’t like your fucking tone, asshole. Maybe you should’ve kept better track of your wife-”

“Maybe you should have let me kill him when we had the chance. Then he wouldn’t have ratted me out to the cops, or hired bikers to try to kill me, you arrogant prick!”

Tommy’s face pales as the speaker screams in outrage.

“Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“She’s my wife, Vincent. She’s pregnant. What if it was yours?”

The phone goes silent for a moment and then it crackles with a sigh. “I’m doing what I can. I don’t know if he’s in New York, but I’ve been trying to find him for weeks.”

Slippery fuck.

“All right. We’ll call you when we’re close.”

The phone goes dead without a reply and Tommy gives me an angry voice. “Nice work. Calling the boss an arrogant prick was a really good idea.”

“That’s what he is.”

He grins at me. “Yeah, and I think you’re a hotheaded moron but you don’t see me calling you that. Oh, wait.”

Fuck, I can’t stand the guys in the life. I want to reach over and smack the stupid smile off his face, but my phone buzzes with a text.

“Read it.”

“It’s from Elena: Don’t come after me. Everything’s under control.”