Page 48 of Riding the Edge
“I’ve been banging on your door for ten minutes.”
“And your point is?”
“Are you seeing that fucking idiot from the bowling alley again?”
“Anthony that is none of your business,” I hiss.
“What was his name… Larry… Louie—”
“Lenny.”
“That’s the douchebag. Do I need to have a sit down with him?”
“Oh, would you please spare me the goombah act?” I shout, rolling my eyes.
“You need to be more careful with who you keep company with,” he growls. “I’m not going to sit back and watch that low-life take advantage of you again.”
“First of all, who I keep company with is none of your concern, I am your mother not, your sister. I am a grown woman who can take care of herself just fine and, just so we are clear, Lenny did not take advantage of me… I lent him the money.”
“Has he paid you back a red cent?”
“He’s working on it,” I argue. “Now, this conversation is over. You can either tell me why you’re here or you can leave. I have somewhere I need to be.”
Clenching his jaw, his nostrils flare as he stares at me.
“I need the keys to the house on Long Island,” he growls.
Anthony’s father-in-law, Victor, gifted him and Adrianna his summer house on Oyster Bay before he turned himself in to the feds and every year since they spend most of their summers there just like Adrianna did as a child. This year he wanted to surprise her by redecorating it and in my spare time, I meet the interior designer there to oversee the progress.
“Anthony the house is a mess. The contractor just finished the bathrooms. He didn’t start the kitchen yet, and he still has to put the sheetrock up in the master bedroom.”
“Yeah, you’re going to have to call the contractor and tell him there was a family emergency and we can’t continue with the project just yet.”
“Do you know how much money you’ll lose?”
“I need you to do this for me and I need you to do it today.”
“Tell me why.”
“Rocco needs a place to hide out,” he mutters, running his fingers through his hair. The bruises that marred his face the last I saw him, have somewhat faded and I wonder what lie he told his wife when he finally made it off his sister’s couch and found the courage to show her his face. He may be my son but that doesn’t make him right all the time. He and Adrianna have been through a lot and that girl has stood by his side through the good and the bad. Their lives are finally in a good place and this idiot is going to fuck it all up because he’s still married to the mob.
“You never learn, do you?”
“Some might say the same about you.”
“Take that back.”
“Tell your pal, Leo, I’ll see him in traffic.”
“What is that some kind of thug talk? And for fuck’s sake, his name is not Leo.”
“Are the keys still in the kitchen drawer?” he questions, striding towards the kitchen. Crossing my arms against my chest, I glare at him.
“Yeah,” I mumble. “But, I’m not making any phone call. You want to hide gangbangers in your family home, you’re doing it without any help from me.”
“You’re forgetting Rocco is Adrianna’s cousin,” he calls from the kitchen. Returning, he twirls the keyring around his finger before shoving it in his pocket. “It’s a family thing.”
“The only one who believes your lies is you, Anthony. You’re a grown man, I can’t stop you from making another mistake but, I will tell you this, you should probably think about your father-in-law. Think about his last days and how he died. The glorious life of a gangster failed him in death and he died like an animal, without his family.”
