There was no doubt in my mind if Michael found out my last name was Agrioli, he’d react no differently than everyone else. At best, I’d immediately be labeled off-limits for being the mafia boss’s daughter. At worst, he’d think I was an extension of mia familia. Either way, telling him the truth was a losing proposition.
“No,” I said. “And I’m not going to tell him. Not yet. I don’t want to, you know, cloud his judgment.”
The waitress dropped off the drinks. “Still no food?”
“No,” Michelle snapped. “We’re fuckin’ drinking.”
She gave Michelle the stink eye and spun around abruptly.
I often wondered what people actually thought about us when we were out together. We both had attitudes, but hers was much worse than mine. Rich bitches, spoiled brats, cunts, I’d heard it all when we were in school. I tried to tell myself as an adult I was better, but I wondered if I really was. She wasn’t any different than when she was in school, that much was clear.
I took a sip of my mimosa. “Do you think I’m a bitch?”
“What?” She reached for her drink. “A bitch? No, why? Did he tell you that?”
“No,” I said. “I was just wondering. I mean, you know how they talked about us in school.”
“We went to school with bitches,” she hissed. “They were stupid and they said stupid shit.”
I didn’t totally agree, but I agreed with her nonetheless. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
“This guy with the big dick and the kung fu moves. He’s hot?”
“Way hot.”
“And he’s an investor?”
“Uh-huh.”
“In what?”
I shrugged. “I dunno. Opportunities. That’s what he said.”
“That’s funny. What kind of opportunities? Maybe he’s a sex trafficker or something gross. Ever think about that?”
“He’s not gross. And he’s not a pimp or something nasty. He wears a suit to work and drives a BMW.”
“Just sayin’. You never know.”
“I know,” I said. “I’ve been to his house. He’s a neat freak. Everything’s spotless.”
“So, because he’s got a BMW and a clean house, you trust him?”
“No, I trust him because he’s given me no reason not to.”
“Well,” she said. “Sooner or later your dad’s going to find out. And when he does, you’re going to be in a fuckin’ mess. So, if you really like this guy—” She cocked an eyebrow and raised her drink. “Figure out how you’re going to handle that before your dad finds out.”
Michelle was right. At whatever point my father found out about Michael, if I hadn’t already addressed it with him, he would simply go ballistic. He would send one of his underlings to try and hurt Michael, and that wouldn’t end well. The last thing I needed was for my father and Michael to be at war with one another.
“Maybe I’ll just tell my father about Michael and set something up for them to meet. Not like right away, but pretty soon,” I said, knowing I would wait as long as possible.
“You need to talk to him first,” she said. “He’s going to shit when he finds out who you are.”
“I know,” I said. “And, I know, he is.”
“And your dad’s gonna shit too.” She took a drink and coughed as she swallowed. “Big bricks.”
My father may be able to easily dismiss Michael as substandard because he wasn’t Italian, but I sure couldn’t. As far as I was concerned, he was perfect for me.
I just needed to get my father to agree.
Chapter Ten
Michael
I motioned toward the road ahead of us. “Don’t turn here, turn on 23rd. Fredrick is one-way the other direction. It’ll let us pull up right behind the parking lot, and you can see everything from the street.”
Cap turned off the turn signal and stepped on the gas pedal. “You got it, Boss.”
Halfway down 23rd, he asked the inevitable. “You thinkin’ these Bulgarians are going to give us some trouble?”
“I hope not.”
“Why you got Lucky posted up across the street with eyes on the drop-off?”
“Just being cautious.”
He laughed a dry laugh. “When was the last time you went on a run?”
I peered down Fredrick Avenue toward the scheduled drop-off point. “Don’t know.”
“I do,” he said as he turned the corner. “You haven’t. Now, before I pull in here, what’re you thinkin’?”
“I’m thinking these guys are unpredictable, we’ve got $200,000 in weapons, and they’re one of only a few of my customers who demand that they don’t pay in advance. So, we’re doing a $200,000 cash deal in a parking lot at night. You do the math. There’s no room for error. That’s what I think.”