“If it comes to that,” I say.
“Well, fuck, I ain’t here for some suicide mission, so I might as well help you boys.” He stands and pulls out his own flash drive. “Here. This is all the Leone family has on Ivan’s place, to include the tunnels he installed last year to get out if shit goes south.”
“Were you planning on giving us that?” Domino asks after taking a long pull from his water and rubbing the back of his hand across his mouth.
He shrugs. “Maybe. Doesn’t really matter now, does it? You got it, so now what’re you going to do with it?”
“Burn it. Burn every inch of what that fucker has touched to the ground,” I say as I grab the drive from him.
His smile practically splits his face in half. “Now we’re havingfun.”
Chapter 26—Milly
“Nice rental,” I say as I sip my coffee, careful to set it back on its saucer. We might still be in Kansas, but my brother seems to have found the only Airbnb in the state that’s willing to let renters use their fine china. Either that or my brother brought his own. I wouldn’t put it past him. Vinny might fuck you up if he has to, but he likes the finer things in life as well. He surrounds himself with the richly things to blend into the crowd with all those he rubs elbows with. From the other heads of the mafia to cartel members and even politicians. He’s the most gentlemanly gangster New York ever saw, and twice as deadly as the well-known ones.
He drinks from his own cup as he continues to read from his tablet. He might still read the paper every day, but the guy at least keeps with the times. “Not a rental.”
I sputter at his words and look to Bobby, whose head is in his own laptop, doing God knows what. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you bought it. Seriously?” I glance at Danny, who at least looks up at me before he goes back to eating his food.
Vinny sets his tablet down and pulls his hands together to steeple them as he leans on the table. “If you want me to answer, don’t restrict my words.”
“What are you going to do with a farm?” The place might not have cows and chickens, but there’s definitely a cornfield in the backyard. And sure, it looks like a mini mansion, withfour bedrooms and four baths, plus a separate building for more guests surrounding a fire pit, but it still screams country if I compare it to the high-rise penthouse Vinny usually goes for. Or at least he did before I left. Who knows what he’s into nowadays. Maybe he’s met someone and wants to settle down or something. Of course, the idea of Vinny even just sitting back to relax seems far crazier than him being a farmer.
“Not sure. Might be a nice vacation home, or maybe just a hidey-hole to take the heat off when needed.”
“Sure, why not? It’s not like anyone would expect a suit like you to step into a place like this. You might get mud on your shoes. God forbid,” I say with mock horror.
He just looks at me, clearly not amused. But I am, so I laugh, but it quickly turns into a groan. I hold my stomach, as it still hurts to do anything, to include breathing.
“Quit glaring, Danny.” I look over at my brother, who’s been making that face each time I make a noise. Not like I can help it. Sure, I could grit my teeth and keep it internal, but I read once that grunting is the pain leaving the body. Might not be true, but hey, it pisses off my brother, and what kind of little sister would I be if I didn’t aim to piss him off at least once a day?
“How you feeling, nugget?” Bobby asks, even though he doesn’t look up, missing the glare I throw at him. I don’t miss the lip twitch it gets from Danny, though. Everyone knows I hate that nickname, but no one is going to stop calling me that. It’s what Dad called me. Tough as stone but precious, too, like a gold nugget. But somehow, thegoldpart fell off the sentiment, and I’ll forever be known as justnugget.
“I took my meds earlier, and I’ve got an appointment with Ruby later this afternoon.” I learned long ago, waybefore this, that when it comes to my health, my sass never goes over well. Better to just call it like it is than deal with the constant badgering. They’ve been known to call a doctor in for a full physical if they think I’m not telling the truth. And let me tell you, once you’re in pain, having a doctor poke and prod at you more is not on any chart marking fun times. And I especially don’t want them to call General. Guy has a hard-on for causing pain that I can see a mile away.
“You need one of us to drive?” Vinny wipes his mouth with his cloth napkin before setting it on top of his plate. As if a flare went up, someone comes and clears his dish and exits. Anyone who works for Vinny knows better than to take a plate away from anyone else just because the head of the family is done eating. While some might live in the mindset that if the head of the family is done, we’re all done, that’s not how the Leone family operates. We stab a bitch if they get too close when we’re eating.
“Nah, I got the truck,” I say, which earns me another glare, this one from Vinny.
The two gunshots to the leg were in my left leg, so technically I can still drive—not that anyone likes me to. But screw them and the fucking limo they drove here in. If Vinny is really serious about using this place as a safe house, he’s going to need to tone it down. While not everyone in Kansas is dirt poor, money stands out here more than it does on the East and West Coasts.
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll wear the shoulder sling.” I know that isn’t the compromise they want, but it’s what they’ll get.
Since I was released from the hospital four days ago, things have been interesting, to say the least. Vinny had meand Ollie move in with him, and I wasn’t in the position to turn him down. Ruby said I had to stay, but I had no place to actually stay. It’s not like Bass gave me a key to his place, and the clubhouse is in enough shambles that it doesn’t need me there. They also have a full house, as news spread about Law and half the damn country seems to be at the clubhouse paying their respects or just helping where they can.
Bulldog asked Casper to step in and take over some things since his hands were getting full dealing with the funeral arrangements and trying to put the place together as well as hunt down Ivan. They aren’t keeping me in the loop, obviously, but Ruby talks to me when she does physical therapy on my shoulder and leg. I might make both move, but they ache like all get-out, and I’ve developed a limp for some God-only-knows reason that I fucking hate.
Vinny also tells me things when I ask. He sent Tommy to help Bass, and I know they’re both in more danger than anyone here. Ivan is a formidable foe on a good day in the USA. But in Russia? On his home turf? I’m surprised that Vinny was willing to send anyone, much less blood.
“You taking Ollie?” Bobby finally looks over at me as he pushes his glasses up his nose, and I smile softly as I nod.
My brothers have taken to Ollie as if he’s my own legitimate kid and not someone I claimed because of tragedy. They’ve each spent time with him like regular uncles would. They care for him, just like I do, but Ollie is still holding himself back. I’ve only seen him really connect with one male before, and that one is on a crusade that I didn’t ask him to take on for me.
“Danny” is all Vinny says, and I roll my eyes as Danny shovels the last of his food in his mouth. He’s got no problemsending me on my way alone, but if Ollie’s with me? We get a damn military escort. A girl might get jealous if she didn’t already know they were just looking out for her kid in a way that shows they care and also that they missed her.
My brothers might not be ones to admit if they did something wrong, or even acknowledge if another person besides them is right, but they will put their lives on the line to show respect. Till Ollie cashes in on the favor Vinny owes him, he’ll be treated like a damn prince. In my brethren’s eyes, they don’t go back on an offer. And they sure as hell don’t weasel their way out of it. They keep the person alive and well till the debt is paid in full. After that? Well, that’s not their problem.
But I doubt they’ll just wash their hands of Ollie once he does cash in. The way they keep him close and cater to his every whim shows how whipped they truly are already. The world is fucked if any of these men ever have a kid of their own, especially if it’s a girl. These guys will go down hard each time she cries, and I secretly can’t wait.
