Bow Down(168)
The mansion itself was enormous. I’d heard of places that big before, but I’d never actually seen any. It looked more like a hotel than a house. We parked in a parking garage under the building, and Rafa climbed out.
“Welcome to the heart of crime,” he said.
“It’s huge.”
“You have no clue. This place was built like a fortress.”
“How many rooms does it have?”
He shrugged. “A fucking lot. It’s a goddamn five-star hotel. You’ll see.”
He led the way, walking into the main building.
The entryway took my breath away. It was all gilding and beautiful sculptures. The paint on the walls alone looked more expensive than everything I owned, not to mention the paintings. They were gorgeous, and I even recognized one of them. It should have been in a museum.
But instead, it was hanging in the foyer of the mafia’s mansion.
“Come on,” Rafa said. “We’ll go to Vince’s office.”
“Who’s Vince?”
“My boss.”
“Why does a mobster have an office?”
He laughed. “There’s more business involved than you’d think.”
“I thought you guys went around breaking kneecaps and threatening people.”
“We do. Well, I do. Vince doesn’t so much anymore, not since he started a family.”
“Mobster with a family. That’s a surprise.”
“Anyone can have a family.” I shrugged. “Maybe everyone deserves one.”
I followed him through the halls, too busy looking around at the paintings and the expensive splendor to think about what he had said. I was totally blown away, taken aback and surprised by what I was seeing.
The mansion was more like a museum than anything else. Priceless art lined the twisting hallways. I was lost as soon as we started forward into the interior. The place felt like it was built like a maze.
After a few minutes of walking, Rafa stopped outside a door. He turned toward me.
“You’re about to meet my boss.”
“Okay,” I said. “So what?”
He shrugged. “Come on.” He opened the door and stepped inside. I followed him and looked in at what seemed like a totally normal office.
There was a desk closer to the door and another desk toward the back of the room. There was a coffeemaker and a hot plate on the counter to the right, plus a little refrigerator.
Sitting behind the desk was another man. He smiled and stood up as we entered. He was about the same height as Rafa, handsome, and tattooed. But where Rafa seemed hard and rough, Vince was smiling like a businessman.
“Cassidy,” he said, coming around the desk. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” We shook hands and he grinned.
“It’s not often that Rafa brings a girl home.”
Rafa grunted. “Careful.”
“Does he have a lot of girls?”
Vince laughed. “Are you the jealous type?”
“No,” I said. “Not really.”
“Good. Because you’re not the first woman he’s been with.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Rafa said.
“I’m scandalized,” I answered. The men laughed.
“I’m glad you came with him,” Vince said. “I know it was a hard decision for you. This can’t be easy.”
“It’s not easy,” I agreed. “Frankly, I don’t even know what’s going on.”
“Welcome to our world.” Vince smiled at me, and I decided that I liked him.
“It gets easier,” Rafa added. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to men trying to kill me.”
“You will,” Vince said. “Trust me. We deal with it every day.”
“That has to be an exaggeration.”
Rafa laughed. “He’s not kidding. I don’t think I’ve gone a single day without at least one man wanting to kill me.”
“One? You’re lucky,” Vince said. “Try being the fucking boss.”
“Anytime you want to step down, I’m game.”
“Don’t get cocky.”
“It’s not cocky if you can back it up.”
“This asshole thinks he’s the best thing in the world,” Vince said to me, rolling his eyes.
“That’s because I am.”
I smiled at the two of them, unable to help myself. They were muscular, dangerous mafia men, and yet they bantered with each other like they were brothers. It was disarming and charming, and although I was still terrified, I felt a little at ease.
This wasn’t a horrible place. It was an office where men came to work. Sure, they were gangsters, and their job wasn’t legal, but they were still just people.