Trapped in his End Game (Series)

Down a darkened street, we walk together. It’s some place in East Village, and even though I know the chances of running into Carmine are slim, my hand still slips in Vince’s grasp. I grind my feet to a halt when I see the silhouette of a man standing outside the pizza place. The little pizza joint where I’m supposed to meet Tony is just a block away.

“What?”

I drag him to the side, out of view, and he follows reluctantly. He rolls his eyes when I press a finger to my lips.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“I don’t know if I can do this.”

He’s silhouetted in the night, and he steps closer to me. His hands wrap around my face, trying to soothe me. “Baby, relax. We keep having this conversation every few blocks.”

The vein on the side of my neck throbs. “You don’t know what it’s like to be alone with that man. To have him hurt you.”

He clutches my hand and squeezes hard. I never told him about that. “You’re not alone anymore. You’ll never be alone again.”

I just don’t know.

“C’mon,” he says, trying to nudge me.

I’m flattened against the wall. “Promise me you’ll stick to our plan, Vince.”

“I don’t like it,” he growls.

“It’s the only way to save both our asses.”

“Jack won’t buy it. Tony might.” His head moves down the street as his fingers caress my neck. “It’ll buy you enough time to search his office, and that’s it. I won’t let you go to his house.”

“Ok, fine.” Inwardly, I have no idea how I’ll be able to stall Carmine.

His face twists. “He’s still going to fucking die. Just not tonight.”

I don’t share Vincent’s lust for revenge. It will be a miracle if we get out of this unscathed. I look aside to his hard-set jaw, which betrays none of his fear. He’s a powerful force, and I feel sorry for whoever will pay for his wrath. He’s always been expressive. Vince lets the whole world know what he’s feeling. He doesn’t hide from anyone, but now I’m asking him to. For both our sakes.

The guard posted at the restaurant gives Vince a once over and frowns at me. “He’s not supposed to be here.”

“Too fucking bad,” Vince snaps.

Easy.

I squeeze his hand and look inside the low-lit restaurant, and they’re nowhere in sight. The guard pats down Vince, taking his concealed guns before opening the door for us. The air inside the restaurant feels shallow. I take in deep lungfuls, jumping at every sound. Red-checkered tablecloths cover every surface. Vince’s hand at my back comforts me, letting me know that he’ll always protect me. Behind the booths, Jack and Tony sit, concealed from the front of the restaurant. Jack looks unhappy. He turns around at the sound of us walking and utters a strange, hissing noise when he recognizes Vince. Tony’s balding head turns towards me, rage emanating from his pores as he gives me that dark smirk.

“Cesare, good to see you.”

“I hear you’ve been busy making deals behind my back with my girl.”

A few seconds of ringing silence follow Vincent’s smoldering voice.

Jack rises to his feet and steps towards Vince, who stiffens. “Calm down, Vince.”

His fingers bite into my waist. “I’m having a real fucking hard time staying calm, Jack. You lied to me.”

Tony wipes his meaty hand across his mouth, looking agitated. He shoots me a death glare. “I cannot believe you fucking told him.”

I can feel him trembling with the effort of holding everything inside. Please, Vince.

“Don’t talk to her. You have no fucking right to talk to her. She’s my responsibility. If you wanted something from her, you should have asked me first.”

The smirk of rage on Tony’s face falters. He looks confused. “Why don’t you both sit down?”

He pulls out a chair for me before sitting down himself. Vince’s hand rests over my thigh possessively, and he gives me a gentle squeeze as he eye-fucks Tony.

Careful, Vince.

“What do you want?” he growls.

Vince’s face twitches. “I’m willing to not retaliate based on the interest of bringing peace to our families. I’m not giving you any of my action anymore. I think that’s fair, considering you decided to treat my fiancee like a whore.” His voice rises towards the end of his sentence, the outrage breaking through the cracks.

Jack leans in. “Vince, she wanted to do this.”

His face burns. “I have nothing to say to you, Jack.”

Tony smirk deepens and his eyes lower, looking impressed with Vince. “Fine, but I still need her to get close to Carmine.”

“Why don’t you just search his apartment while he’s gone?”

“Don’t you think I haven’t fucking tried everything already? The guy is smart.”

I lean in across the table. “I’m getting closer to him, Tony. He’s told me things about his mother he’s never told anyone. She used to burn him with cigarettes. I saw the scars on his chest.”

The cool facade Vince adopted sharply drops away. The disgust on Vince’s face fills me with guilt.

Tony waves off my information. “Who the fuck cares about that? I need to know who he’s talking to. I need proof.”

“All I’m saying is that I’m getting closer to him. I’m getting there. Just be patient.”

Vince gives me a sharp look. “You’re not going to his house anymore, goddamn it.”

“Vince, I need to! I still haven’t-”

“You’ll shut the fuck up and do as you’re told, or you’ll get my fucking hand across your face. You’ve disgraced me by sleeping with that asshole.”

Even though I expect it, even though he told me he would have to say those things, it still hurts to hear those words come out of his mouth and to see the contempt on his face.

“I did not sleep with him.”

“Vince, shut the fuck up.” This time, the order comes from Jack, whose troubled gaze is fixed on Vince.

Lips trembling, I look down at my hands in my lap.

“You just keep doing what you’re doing, and all your debts will go away.”

He smiles at me kindly without bringing up the fact that he repeatedly threatened to have the man sitting next to me killed.

Fuck you.

“And you,” Tony growls. “Stay the fuck away from her when she’s with Carmine. We need to figure this out. For both our families’ sake.”

I take that as our cue to leave. Vince says nothing as he stands up from the table, shooting Jack a poisonous look as I stand up, too. His face is stony as I follow him out of the restaurant, following swiftly by Jack. Vince’s mask slides away, revealing white-hot rage. His fingers clench and open, as though itching to place them around Tony’s throat.

“Vince, hold on a second,” Jack calls out as I struggle to meet Vince’s strides. “Let me explain.”

He stops for a moment and lifts his head, as though searching for self-restraint. I take ahold of his wrist.

“Jack, you’re lucky you’re the boss. Stay the fuck away from me.”

Taking my hand, we walk across the street, away from Jack. I look over my shoulder and see him standing there, his hands deep in his pockets.