25. Angelo

Chapter 25

Angelo

C age's music pounds against my skull. I've had a headache ever since Vito smashed my brains with that fucking piece of scrap wood. Lucky me, if it had been an actual baseball bat or a metal pipe, I'd probably be dead right now. At least I'm in clean clothes and Laura stitched up the arm again. I sit at the far end of the bar and drink a beer while Claudia dances in her sexy little costume looking like she's going to cut off someone's head.

I'm thinking that someone is me.

She shouldn't be here, but the girl's too stubborn. I should've known this would blow back on her eventually and done something to ease her fears sooner, but here we are. I won't hang her sister out to dry—this vendetta against Tommy is going to come to a head sooner or later, and when it does, I'll make sure Serena's protected from the fallout.

But I get it, Claudia doesn't know that, and even if I told her, she doesn't completely believe me.

Maybe it would've been better if I hadn't gone to her apartment last night.

Except I can't bring myself to regret that.

I feel too good with her. It's right, when we're together, and I didn't want to leave this morning. Which is a fucking first for me.

I have to find a way to make her trust me again.

In the meantime, I'll keep a close eye on her.

The bartender nods at someone over my shoulder and a familiar voice orders a whiskey on the rocks. Tommy sits down at my elbow and thanks the bartender with a grunt. I glance at him, wondering if this is some setup, but there's nobody lurking in the crowd behind me. Just Tommy himself, wearing a good suit and looking a little tired, like he didn't get good sleep the night before.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were after my job," Tommy says with a knowing grin.

"We both know you're just keeping the seat warm for me."

"Ah, come on, Angelo, don't be like that. I've done a damn good job with your club here. Aren't you happy it's earning?"

I'd be happier if it were earning for me , but I only shrug. "You're doing good for yourself. No doubt about it."

"Good for the Famiglia too." Tommy swirls his drink and stares at it. "We used to run around ripping this town to pieces. You remember those days?"

"It was only five years ago."

And I've been in prison with nothing else but to remember.

"Good days," Tommy says and it seems like he's in a contemplative mood. "You were a good boss. Treated us well. Took us along as you rose through the ranks. Always had more money to throw our way. There was nothing but respect between us."

I sip my drink. "What happened then?"

"You went to prison. The boys wandered apart. Shit changed." He glances at me, and for all I can tell, this really is some trip down memory lane.

"I'm aware that the world didn't wait for me while I was away."

"I want to extend you an olive branch. I know you haven't been happy with the way things are, and I'm thinking we can fix that." He turns toward me, and I can almost smell the trap radiating from him.

He knows what I'm up to. Roc went running to him the second I failed to finish that traitor the fuck off, and Tommy knows what I'm doing. He also knows that I know that he knows, and I know he knows, and we're both sitting here fucking knowing everything and grinning at each other like things are totally fine.

He should be on the run. I'm Angelo Bianco—my goddamn brother is the Don. If Tommy were smart, he'd already be halfway to Mexico right now with a suitcase full of cash and a plan to start over.

Instead, he's sitting at the bar with me, talking about an olive branch .

Which means either he's stupid, or he's overconfident.

Or there's something I'm missing.

"I'd be happy to take over my club," I say and glance in Claudia's direction, just to make sure she's safe.

Tommy notices and laughs. "I was thinking more that I'd cut you in on certain business practices I've been busy with. I know you're aware of the third floor, and I'm sure you've already guessed what we're really doing with those special rooms."

"Blackmail. Pretty straightforward."

"It's lucrative," he admits. "Your brother knows a little bit about it, and he's even used some of our materials during his tenure. You know, to nudge certain stubborn political enemies toward doing the right thing."

Interesting. I hadn't realized Simon was a part of the blackmail operation—and now everything makes more sense. The Don likes having Cage act like a spying operation against his enemies, and he might be worried I'd fuck up a good thing.

"And now you want to get me involved." I shrug a little like I'm interested but not committed. "I don't have a whole lot else going on."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Seems like you've been busy." His smile is knowing and he looks past me toward Claudia. It takes a lot of energy not to punch him in the throat right then and there. "Did I ever tell you about how I met Serena?"

"I assume you saw her here."

Tommy takes a long drink and turns the glass between his fingers. "She took my breath away. Most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. And there she was at my own bar. But when I approached her and offered to buy her a drink, she laughed at me." He's grinning at the memory. "Can you imagine? Fucking laughed at me. God, I hit on her hard, I was persistent, but she turned me down. But she came back the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that, until finally she let me buy her that drink. And one drink turned into two, which turned into a three-day party binge, and she hasn't left my side since."

I can almost picture it. Gorgeous Serena coming in here and catching the eye of the big boss. But she was smart enough not to give him what he wanted right away—she made him wait for it, made him work for it, and when she finally got a taste, she made sure she was around for when he wanted another. Now she's got him hooked, the same way he's got her hooked.

Maybe I'm not being very charitable toward Claudia's sister, but I've seen it before.

"I'm glad you found someone that makes you happy."

"Every day is like a honeymoon." He finishes his drink and stands. "I bet it's just like the way you feel for her sister."

I sit very still and resist the urge to look at him. "I don't feel anything for Claudia."

"Come on, that's bullshit. You don't have to pretend with me. We can trust each other, right? I'll bring you into my blackmail scheme and we can start putting the old crew together again, and you'll have Claudia all to yourself. Just think about it, right?"

My jaw flexes. Rage runs down my spine. This arrogant motherfucker. He completely misunderstands this situation. I slowly turn to look at him, and he's got this smug little smirk on his face, like he thinks he's got something over me.

And the fucker does.

He really fucking does.

"Listen to me. If you get anywhere near Claudia, what happened to Paulie and Vito will be like a mercy compared to what will happen to you."

His eyes widen. "Threats? That's beneath you. We're trying to patch this shit up."

"You want me working on more shit at the club? I'm interested in that, but keep Claudia's name out of your mouth. Don't even look in her direction."

"She's my favorite, you know." His smile wipes away. "That's always been your problem. You're a Bianco. You were born with everything you have. While I've had to fight for scraps from your fucking table. Now you think you can come back in here, take my club away, and steal my favorite fucking waitress?"

"Careful," I say because he's letting the mask slip. If he keeps going, the game will be over, and I don't think either of us wants to stop playing yet.

He takes a slow breath and plasters a smile back on. "I'm just messing around with you. Think about the olive branch, alright? And have a great night." He winks and walks off, hands shoved into his pockets, and I watch him go.

The fucker's got it all wrong. He thinks he's still alive because he's useful, because he's protected. He figures he's earning too well and he's untouchable.

He's absolutely fucking wrong.

The only reason he's alive is because I want to know where all this money's coming from. It's not just the blackmail scheme—there's a lot more flowing through this place, and I want to know where it's coming from.

So when I take him down, he comes down hard, and takes all the rats eating from his table with him.

I turn away and look back at Claudia. She's staring at me, and she must've seen my conversation with Tommy, and now I bet she's wondering what's going on. But I just give her a nod and finish my beer, and she keeps on dancing with a scowl on her face, which isn't great for the tips.

But she still looks sexy as hell, even when she's pissed.