33. Angelo

Chapter 33

Angelo

N othing feels wrong about Cage.

I'm treated like normal. The bartenders are deferential and the staff is respectful. They know I'm a Bianco and I built this place, but that Tommy's their real boss and I'm more like a figurehead. I get to drink for free, I can sample the wares on the upper floors, but I don't get to make decisions.

I'm a benign presence. Just a guy with no real authority.

It frustrates me, but I've learned to accept it, at least for now. But tonight, I can't seem to shake the feeling that something's off.

Tommy should've been consolidating power by now. If I were in his position, I'd start paying off all the bouncers, all the employees, basically anyone with any influence at all, just to make sure they turn against me. It's a short-term solution, since eventually my brother would crush him, but it'd be a decent delaying tactic. And if he got lucky and could get me out of the way?—

But none of that's happening. It's a normal night at Cage, and I get to drink a couple beers and watch Claudia serve drinks to drunk, rich assholes.

I love the way she walks. The way her hips sway, the way she squints straight ahead with this pinched, annoyed look on her face, like anyone that steps into her path should get the hell out of her way. It's gorgeous and hilarious, and most people treat her like she's going to bowl them over even though she's a tiny little thing. The guys all stare at her tits and her ass, which annoys me, but it's understandable, and the women give her dirty looks like it's her fault their boyfriends want to fuck her.

And she's mine. All fucking mine. She's living in my house, sleeping in my bed, and maybe she thinks this is a temporary situation but I plan on keeping her around for a very long time.

I'm smitten. I'm fucking obsessed. Here I am, staring at her when I should be watching my back, and I can't help myself. I spend three hours watching her, and I don't get bored at all. Every time she comes close, I touch her leg or caress her hands, just to let her know I'm thinking about her, and I love the way it brightens her face. My fucking Claudia.

After a few hours, I get a call from Seamus. "It's hard to hear you, hold on a second," I tell him, leaving my spot at the bar. I saw Claudia chase after one of the other waitresses a minute ago and I lost track of her, but she'll be alright for a couple minutes. I head to the back hall. "Thanks for returning my call."

"I heard you had need of my services once again." Seamus sounds amused. "Not that I did a great job last time."

"Not your fault. I asked a little too much of you."

"Well, since there are no hard feelings, what's going on?"

"I need to borrow a few of your guys. On the record, so no need to hide it from your brother or my sister." I bypass the bathrooms, ignore the office, and push through an emergency exit door. It leads into a narrow alley out behind the club, and I make sure I don't get locked out with a little brick someone must've left for this purpose. The ground's covered in cigarette butts, and I'm guessing the staff smokes out here.

"You got a specific job in mind?"

"There's a club called Cage. I need some guys that won't be recognized to keep an eye on it."

"That sounds pretty doable. How many do you need?"

"Six to start. I can give you more details later, but I need discretion on their part. Don't choose anyone that might be known by people in the Bianco Famiglia."

"Got it, you're doing more undercover work. You've been out of prison for how long? And you're already shaking shit up. Good for you."

"Just taking back what was stolen from me." I wander a few feet into the alley. I'm thinking about Claudia and what life will be like after this is done. We can settle in together and move all her stuff into my place. She'll never have to dance in the cages again. Hell, she'll never have to work if she doesn't want to.

I'm smiling when a steel wire wraps around my throat.

Seamus says something, but I don't hear it. The garrote pulls tight, gagging me, and the phone drops from my hand. I'm too slow to get my fingers in between my skin and the wire, and I start to thrash, throwing elbows and stomping down, but whoever's got me knows what he's doing.

I kick off the alley wall and slam him back against the door. It thuds and my attacker curses, but the wire only tightens as my vision starts to turn black. Blood trickles down my throat, and the bastard's going to saw my fucking windpipe open, and I'm going to choke on my own fucking vomit. I try elbows, I try anything, desperation filling me. I was distracted, I was stupid, I was thinking about Claudia instead of watching my back, and now?—

I can't breathe. I can't move. I'm getting weak and sluggish. I try to twist, but it won't work. I'm sinking down and my attacker's sinking down too. I feel his breath on my neck. I hear him panting and straining with effort.

I can't die here. I can't leave Claudia. Fuck, I can't let this happen.

My arms feel like lead. My chest is heaving, but there's nothing in my lungs. I'm seeing everything tinged in red and from the end of a far tunnel, and my brain's going slow, getting sluggish. Cigarette butts on concrete. Claudia's smile. The feeling of her legs wrapped around my hips. Her laughter in the shower. Her lips on mine. The cold mattress in my prison cell. My father shouting at me from across the room. Laura in my bedroom reading with a flashlight. Mom brushing my hair from my face, you're a good boy, Angelo, but you're too much trouble , and I'm floating.

There's a thud. And a scream. Then air rushes into my lungs.

I'm gasping for breath and thrashing like hell. My vision expands into a blurry mess and I'm coughing like my lungs want to collapse, but I'm breathing. I want to crawl away and curl up into a ball but I can feel my attacker still behind me, his legs still wrapped around me, and the wire's still at my throat.

I slam my skull backwards. It snaps into my attacker's face. I feel bone crunch and he groans as I shove the wire away and twist. I'm moving like I'm at the bottom of the sea, but I don't care.

I recognize him. It's Skinny, the bouncer. And standing behind him, holding a tray in the air and looking terrified, is Claudia.

No time to think. I jam my thumbs into Skinny's eyes. He screams, tries to kick, but I feel them pop under my weight. Once he's blinded, I wrap my hands through his throat and squeeze, strangling him tight, holding him down against the ground with all my weight. He kicks, punches, thrashes, and I don't move. I take the pain. I can barely think, barely breathe. Blood's trickling down my chest from the wound the wire cut in my flesh, and Skinny's fighting like a rabid animal.

He slows, he slows, his hits get weaker and weaker, until he stops, mouth open in a gurgle. I keep holding, holding, holding, until I'm sure he's dead.

Then I roll off, gasping, and Claudia's at my side.

"Oh my god," she whispers, pulling my head into her lap. "You're hurt. Oh my god, Angelo."

"My phone," I croak. My voice is a fucking wreck. "Seamus."

She takes a second to process then finds my fallen cell. Lucky for us both, Seamus didn't hang up. She holds it up to my ear.

"Send men," I manage to gasp. "Cage. Right now."

"What the fuck was that?" he asks, sounding panicked. "Were you just in a goddamn fight?"

"Hurry." I take the phone from Claudia and hang up.

"What do we do?" she asks. "You killed Skinny. He tried to kill you. Angelo, what's happening?"

"Tommy," I say, leaning back against her, exhaustion threatening to drag me under. "He took his shot and he fucking missed."