Hold Him Like Gravity (Lombardi Family #4)

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Rico

“What’s going on?” Saff asked as we walked down the street after she dropped into the meat shop to talk to me, interrupting an interesting moment back by the lockers with Kick.

“Nothing,” I said, shrugging, as I shoved my hands into my front pockets. It went from fifty to thirty degrees in what felt like a day or two.

“You’re usually all about getting your hands dirty,” Saff said, refusing to let it go.

“Never said I wasn’t.”

“Yeah, but everything about you says you’d rather be back at the meat shop,” she said. “And since I can’t imagine you care that much about London broil, I have to conclude this has to do with that pretty chick you were eye-fucking when I came in.

“I wasn’t eye-fucking anyone,” I lied.

“Oh, please,” Saff said, rolling her eyes at me as she led me down a side street.

“This isn’t one of your smut books, kid,” I said, trying to distract her. “Not everyone wants to fuck their employees.”

“I mean, no, I can’t see you bending Ricky over your desk,” she said, shooting me a smile. “But that girl has your type written all over her.”

“I don’t have a type.”

“Right. So it’s just because the city only has short, pretty girls with great racks to offer, no other options, huh?”

“Saff, I’m not into Kick. Let it drop.”

“Kick,” Saff repeated. “I like that. Fine. What would you rather talk about then? Your cousin?”

“What about my cousin?”

“Isn’t he getting out of prison soon?” she asked.

“He is,” I said, nodding. “In a little over a week.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“You really need to work on your conversational skills, buddy,” she said as she reached for a door handle. “But right now, all I need is that muscle of yours,” she said, waving me into a building where, I assumed, that fucker who still owed her money and was now trying to hide from her, was holed up.

I walked out of there half an hour later feeling a relaxation in my shoulders that I hadn’t felt in ages. It was amazing what some good old-fashioned ass-kicking did for the nerves.

And I didn’t even have to break my knuckles open to get there.

Saff had half of her money. The guy had the fear of God in him.

All was good.

So I made my way toward my apartment, doing some work on my spare room where my cousin would be spending some time after he got out.

Nearly ten years inside.

I figured the least I could do was make sure his room was nice after that long in a cramped cell he had to share with another man.

So far, I had the walls painted, dresser and nightstands set up, and a mattress ready to be delivered. But the bed it was going on needed to be put together still.

That was what I set to working on for the evening.

Until, sometime around eight or so, my phone started ringing.

Seeing Ricky’s name on the screen, I frowned as I swiped to answer, setting the call on speaker as I tightened up the screws holding on the footboard.

“Ricky, what’s—“

“Rico, get here,” he said, sounding a mix of frantic and slow and slurred.

“What’s going on?” I asked, dropping the screwdriver, grabbing my phone, and getting to my feet.

“Guys jumped me. Think they’re inside,” he said, groaning as he, I guessed, tried to get up. “With Kick,” he added.

“Fuck,” I hissed, grabbing my gun before rushing out of my building.

I only lived a few blocks from the meat shop, so I made it there by foot, figuring I could run faster than a cab could drive.

My heartbeat was hammering in my chest. Not from the exertion. But from something I hadn’t felt in ages. Fear.

When you spent as many years as I had working in the criminal world, working your way up, and becoming the right-hand-man to a mafia don, you didn’t exactly get anxious in many situations.

But the idea of guys jumping Ricky and then possibly cornering Kick inside the shop had my stomach twisting in knots.

I saw the store in the distance, the lights still on, but no one hanging around.

I pulled out my gun as I neared the door, pulling it open, and wincing at the jingle of the bells that announced my arrival.

The cash drawer was open.

And, fuck , there was blood on the counter.

Theirs, I hoped, as I called out.

“Kick!”

I was met by nothing but silence as I rushed through the employee area, around the center room, then toward the office.

“Kick!” I called, louder, a little more frantic.

The office door was thrown open, and I saw the papers that had been on my desk when I left strewn about the floor before my gaze slid further to the side.

Then there she was.

Lying on the floor, her pants unbuttoned, her lip split, and a bruise starting to darken on her cheek.

“Hey, you’re alright,” I said, tucking my gun into my waistband, holding a hand up at her as I reached for my phone, shooting off a quick text to Renzo, telling him to get to the meat shop. “They’re gone,” I added, tucking my phone away as I made my way toward her. “You okay?” I asked.

She gave me a frantic nod as she tried to scramble up.

“Wait, stay there. Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked, moving to kneel next to her body. “Ribs? Spleen?”

“I don’t even know where my spleen is,” she admitted, trying to give me a smile, but it made the split in her lip rip a little wider.

“Spleen is here,” I said, pressing a hand to her side under her left ribs.

“No,” she said, voice airy. “He kicked me,” she admitted. “For trying to stab him with a pen,” she added.

“Good girl,” I said, reaching out to pull up her zipper and push the button through the eye, not wanting her to feel exposed when Renzo and the others came rushing into the building in the next few minutes. “Where’d you get kicked?”

“Just here,” she said, pressing her hand over her lower stomach. “It’s fine. It wasn’t that hard,” she said.

“Wanna get up?” I asked, offering her my hand.

She took it.

And, as strange as this shit sounds, I felt a current move up my hand and arm then across my chest as I pulled her to her feet.

“Ricky,” she gasped, looking up at me with wide eyes.

“He called me. He’ll be fine,” I assured her, knowing one of the other guys would find him and get him inside if he couldn’t do it himself. “I’m worried about you right now.”

“I’m… okay,” she said.

“Let’s get your lip cleaned up, yeah?” I asked, pulling out my office chair, and waiting for her to sit before moving toward the door. “I’m just gonna grab the first aid kit,” I told her, getting a tight little nod from her as I exited the room.

I nearly ran right into Renzo.

Coal, the newest member of the family, was right at his heels.

“Coal, Ricky is in the alley,” I said, looking at him. “He got jumped.”

Coal nodded, turned, then made his way out the back door.

“What’s going on?” Renzo asked.

“The place was robbed,” I told him, moving past him to grab the first aid kit off the wall in the employee side of the building.

“You’re fucking shitting me,” he said, brows pinching.

Because, yeah, who in their right fucking mind would rob a store owned by a mafia capo? Especially in this area. Where we made sure everyone knew who we were and that they shouldn’t fuck with us.

“Cash drawer is empty. Kick is beat up.”

“Fuck,” Renzo said, sighing. “She alright?”

“Seems to be. Split lip needs to be cleaned up,” I said, waving the kit at him.

To that, he nodded.

“I’ll shore up the place. Don’t wanna freak out the girl.”

I nodded before making my way back into the office to find Kick reaching back to rub her neck.

“What’s going on there?” I asked.

Before she could answer, I moved her hair out of the way to see finger-sized bruises darkening on her skin.

Fuckers.

I reached into the kit, finding an instant icepack, shaking it to activate it, then pressing it to her neck.

“Thanks,” she said, reaching up to hold it so my hands were free to find the little tube of saline and some gauze to clean up her lip. She sat like a champ, barely wincing, as I got rid of the blood.

“I’m not gonna put anything on it. Don’t want you swallowing that shit. But if it starts to look funky, you can put some ointment on it.”

“It’s not my first split lip,” she said, making my gaze shoot up to hers. “But thanks,” she added.

“How’s your stomach feeling?”

“It’s alright. It will probably be sore after some sleep, but it won’t keep me from working.”

“You’re not working tomorrow,” I said, watching as her brows furrowed.

“What? Why not?” she asked. “There were four of them,” she said, voice getting tight. “There was nothing I could do to fight them off.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to fight anyone off.”

“I know they took the money from the drawer—“

“Don’t give a fuck about the money,” I cut her off.

I didn’t.

The most the drawer could have had in it was a grand or so. Chump change, in the grand scheme of things.

What mattered was that someone thought they could come into my shop and steal from me.

“This has nothing to do with those fucks, save for you needing a few days off after that shit.”

“I can’t.”

“I’m telling ya you can.”

Her gaze lowered at that, staring at my stomach. “I can’t afford more days off.”

“You’ll get paid,” I said.

I mean, she got her pretty faced all fucked up because of me. Of course I’d fucking pay her for some time off.

“It’s not just that. There’s,” she started, sighing, “there’s tips when I work.”

“I see,” I said, zipping the kit, lowering down to a squat by her feet, plugging in the code for the safe under my desk, then reaching in to grab one stack, then another, and setting them on her thigh. “There. That should cover it,” I said, re-locking the safe.

“I… I can’t take that.”

“Yet, that’s exactly what you’re gonna do. In fact, I’m gonna take you home and make sure that money ends up there too.”

“You don’t have to walk me home.”

“Babe, I’m walking you home,” I said, shaking my head at her. “You got shit you need to get out of your locker?” I asked.

“I… yeah.”

“‘K. Get it. Then we’ll head out.”

With that, she rose, starting to set the cash on the desk before I shot her a raised brow, then keeping it in her hand as she left the room.

Renzo took the opportunity to move in as soon as she walked out, giving me a chin lift.

“How’s Ricky?”

“Probably has a concussion. Hit ‘im pretty good. Whacked his face on the pavement on the way down.”

“Shit,” I sighed. “Gonna be down two people for a few days,” I said, feeling a muscle in my jaw start to tick.

I couldn’t have people behind my counter looking like they’d gotten attacked. People would put shit together, realize someone had the balls to rob me. That would open us up to more shit like that happening moving forward.

“Make one of your soldiers pull the weight,” Renzo said, shrugging. “Probably a good idea to have a little extra security around here like that anyway. At least until we know more. Did she say anything?”

At my blank look, he snorted.

“Didn’t ask her anything, did you?” he asked, a knowing look in his eyes.

“I’m gonna take her home. I’ll grill her then. Was more worried about her face.”

“Course you were,” Renzo said as I spotted Saff and Serano making their way in the back door.

“What do you need from us?” Saff asked. Serano, as per usual, loomed silently in the doorway.

“We don’t want this shit getting out,” Renzo said. “But keep an ear for anyone bragging about robbing the place. Rico is gonna walk the girl home and get more info. While he’s gone, we’ll go over the security footage.”

“I’m gonna take Ricky home,” Coal said from behind Serano.

“Yeah, appreciate that,” I said. “Tell him he’s taking a few days off. Paid. Plus some money for damages. I’ll drop by to see him tomorrow.”

And likely get my ass chewed out by his protective wife. I’d take that lashing silently. I deserved it. My employees should have been safe at work.

“You ready?” I asked, spotting Kick standing near the back door.

She gave me a nod.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” I told Renzo. “Come on, babe,” I said, leading Kick out the front door, wanting to avoid her seeing Ricky if he looked as bad as Coal claimed.

“I’m this way,” Kick said, leading me in the direction of her apartment. “I really am okay to work,” she insisted.

“Probably right. But I want you out for a few days anyway.”

She didn’t fight me on that again. Instead, asked something I was surprised it took her so long to get to. “Why didn’t you call the police?”

“The fuck they gonna do?” I asked, watching her profile, wondering if she, somehow, didn’t know who I was. Who Renzo was. What we actually did for a living.

“Don’t you need a police report for your insurance to pay you back for the loss?”

“I’m not worried about the money. I’m worried about making sure this shit doesn’t happen again.”

“This is me,” Kick said another couple of buildings down, making me look up at the building that maybe had twenty units, max. It was on a side street known for prostitutes and meth dealers.

Was this all she could afford on her salary?

Suddenly, I felt like I needed to sit down and rebalance the books, giving everyone a fucking raise if this was the best they could do.

“I’m gonna walk you up,” I said as she looked at me.

There was no good reason to insist on it.

Save for wanting to spend a few more minutes with her in private.

Regardless of that making no damn sense. I could question her right there on the street.

Yet I followed Kick up the steps to her front door instead.