Hold Him Like Gravity (Lombardi Family #4)

Chapter Twenty-Five

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Rico

I knew Kick was nervous that Renzo was going to lose his shit about her fucking with the family money.

The thing was, I’d been working so closely with Renzo for so long that the two of us practically shared the same mind on just about every issue.

No, he wasn’t happy that her ex and her brother had the balls to think they could come at us, that they could force one of our employees to work for them.

But, yeah, he understood the impossible situation Kick was in. Even if she and her brother were estranged and there were hard feelings over Jake deciding to side with her ex and lead him to her when she was free of him, there were still some feeling of responsibility when she realized he was in duress.

“You’re sure she’s telling the whole truth?” Cinna asked, watching me.

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t even really know Kick,” Bass piped in. “But that chick looked horrified about what she was doing in the surveillance videos. She wasn’t excited about getting away with something or anything like that.”

To that, Cinna nodded.

“I could lean on her if you want to be sure,” Saff volunteered.

“Absolutely fucking not,” I said, watching as everyone turned to me, brows raised.

Because, yeah, I understood their confusion. I’d always been the one who never wanted to leave a stone unturned, who was always insisting that we knew every single factor of a situation. Whether that meant grueling questioning or outright torture, I was okay with it if it was what was best for the family.

But not when it came to Kick.

“Sounds like congratulations are in order,” Dav said, shooting me his trademark smirk.

“Kinda saw that shit coming since that day she threatened to put some guy’s hand in a meat grinder,” Elian said.

“Gotta give her credit for standing up for herself after everything she’s been through,” Saff said.

“Kinda badass to stab the fucker in the neck too,” Cinna agreed.

“So back to this Kyle fuck… he’s living in the Bronx, right now?” Renzo asked.

I knew what he was thinking. Given the way the Five Families in the city were set up, we couldn’t just waltz our asses into a borough that belonged to another family and do whatever the fuck we wanted. Especially a murder. Or several murders, since it wasn’t just Kyle who needed to be neutralized. There’d been three other guys aside from Jake who’d robbed my place, who’d hurt my employees in the process.

“Yeah, he is. I don’t have the exact address, but yeah, it’s definitely in the Bronx.”

“So, next step is a meeting with Primo,” Renzo said, nodding.

That was no big deal for us. Even before the marriage of Renzo to Lore Costa that created a truce between us and the Costa, D’Onofrio, and Morelli families, we’d always been tight with Primo Esposito.

When the power shift happened a while back, shaking up the holds each of the families had, our family and the Espositos got the short end of the stick. Which forced us to have more of a truce, giving us a little power against the other families.

So calling up Primo and telling him we had to do some work on his turf wasn’t going to be a big deal.

“I’ll reach out and ask him to come see me at the shop tomorrow,” I offered.

“Good. Now, what about the brother?” Renzo asked. “We can’t kill him.”

“Why the hell not?” Saff asked, face scrunched up.

“Because it’s Kick’s brother,” Dav said.

“So? He’s a dirtbag. I mean, who the hell manipulates their sister like that? He deserves a trip to the bottom of the Hudson.”

I was inclined to agree. But I also couldn’t murder the woman I was falling in love with’s brother. I might not have been an expert on relationships, but I was reasonably sure you shouldn’t start a relationship with that kind of dark cloud hanging over you.

“I think it’s fine to knock some sense into him,” I offered. “Then tell him to get the fuck out of the city and never come back, never try to make contact with Kick.”

“I’d be alright with that. So long as he stays away. If he ever starts shit again, though…” Renzo said, spreading his hands out.

“I agree,” I said.

“I imagine you want to get your hands dirty with these guys?” he asked, looking at me.

“If that’s alright, yeah.”

“Yeah,” he said, glancing up to where Lore was walking across the top landing, a book open in her hands, likely thinking of how dirty he’d wanted his hands when someone fucked with her. “That’s fine. Alright. That’s settled, at least.”

“Has there been any more progress on Coal getting jumped?” Elian asked.

“Cage thinks he might have a lead on that,” Renzo said, which was news to me. I’d been so distracted by Kick that I was losing sight of family business. “But we don’t have a definitive answer yet.”

“What is the lead?” I asked.

“Well,” Renzo said, sighing hard as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Cage has reason to believe it might be the two younger sons of Slick.”

“Slick?” I asked, brows raising. I hadn’t heard that name in years. Not since Renzo had taken over and promptly kicked his ass out of the family, only sparing his life because he had a whole litter of kids to take care of and a ‘fragile’ wife who never would have been able to handle it without him.

“His youngest two are just twenty-one and three,” Renzo explained.

“They out of their fucking minds trying to take on the family?” Bastian asked.

“I think it might be more out of spite for them,” Renzo explained. “Coal isn’t even family and he gets to be working for us, while they’re ousted because their old man was a shithead. And, I mean, I get it. Our old men sucked too. Didn’t mean we deserved to suffer for their sins.”

“You considering inviting them in?” I asked.

Renzo was a hard man, a firm leader, but he did seem to have a soft spot for lost kids who needed direction. That was why Cinna, Dav, and Saff ended up working for the family.

“I dunno. Depends on what Cage figures out. I want full reports on them and what they’re up to. Their older brothers too. And Slick. Last I heard, he was working as a mechanic, but I want to make sure that’s the case. Shit is relatively stable with us. I don’t want to invite trouble. But I do understand their anger at having their legacy stripped away from them because their old man is a fuck up.”

We talked for a while about other, smaller matters, before we all headed out.

I made the call to Primo before I made my way home to Kick.

Even just that thought made that strange warm sensation move across my chest. It was something I was having a lot around her or with thoughts of her.

It was clear she was still uncertain about me. Or, maybe more accurately, about my reaction to the situation between us.

I hoped that with a few days in my place, with proof that things were okay between us, she would stop asking for confirmation that things were okay, that I still wanted her around.

“What are you doing?” I asked the next morning after having finally spent the whole night with her, woken up with her still curled up against me.

“What do you mean?” she asked, coming into the kitchen still pulling her damp hair into a ponytail, her Lombardi Premium Meats tee on.

“What are you getting all dressed for?” I asked.

“Work?” she asked, brows scrunched. “You know, that thing I do five or six days a week,” she added, accepting a cup of coffee from me.

“You don’t have to go to work.”

“I kind of do,” she said, shaking her head at me. “I have bills to pay. A cat with very expensive tastes to feed…”

As if on cue, Evander came strolling into the kitchen, whacking himself against me before hopping up on the counter to eat the food I’d already set out for him.

I wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to worry about bills anymore because she was going to be living with me. That I would buy Evander his food and toys and anything else he, or she, needed or wanted.

But things were still new.

I didn’t want to freak her out.

“Okay,” I agreed. “Probably good for things to be status quo for a bit,” I added.

She nodded at that. “What about after work?” she asked.

“What do you mean? You’re coming here.”

Her eyes warmed at that. “I mean… what if Kyle or his guys are watching?”

That was a good point.

“Hop in a cab after work. Tell it to head to your place, but once there, take it here.”

“I can do that,” she agreed, nodding. “But what if they catch on?”

They wouldn’t be alive for long enough to, I thought, but didn’t want to say that aloud.

“Doesn’t matter. You’re going to be at work, safe, with me and Bastian. Then you’re going to be here, safe. No one is going to get a chance to get to you again.”

Satisfied with that, she went back to her coffee.

Eventually, Bass showed up with breakfast sandwiches, and we all ate before heading in to work. Me with Bass, Kick in a cab.

My stomach was in knots until she walked through the doors a few minutes after us.

It was about half an hour later, some of the employees still streaming in with just a couple minutes to spare before opening, when Bass pushed open the front door, and in walked Primo Esposito.

There was always an air that bosses had about them. A sort of untouchable confidence and that undercurrent of power.

That could absolutely be said of Primo, a man who had the balls to kidnap a Costa woman and basically force her into a marriage to forge a truce between the two families.

His gaze slid across the shop, taking it all in for a moment. He offered me a nod but his gaze went to Kick, his head tipping to the side as the two of them looked at each other, recognition clear in their eyes.

“Knew your ass was up to no good,” Primo said, giving her a dark smile. “Ever find that brother of yours?” he asked.

This was a part of the story she’d left out. Likely not thinking it was important. But it was interesting that she’d crossed paths with the very person we needed to get permission from to put an end to the situation she was trapped in.

Kick was still raw. I expected her to tear up or something like that. But she leveled an even look at Primo and declared, “Unfortunately.”

To that, Primo let out a low chuckle.

“Know a thing or two about bad brothers,” he said.

He could say that again.

But that was his story to tell, not mine.

“Where we doing this?” Primo asked, looking at me.

I led him into the back, giving him the lowdown of the whole situation, and asking for permission to head into his territory to end it once and for all.

“Gotta do what you gotta do,” Primo said, giving me a nod. “Now, I expect an invite to the wedding,” he said, standing and buttoning his suit jacket before making his way out of the front.

But he paused next to Kick, giving her a long, knowing look. “Speaking from experience, found family can be better than blood,” he told her.

Then, with that, he was gone.

Though a couple minutes after closing, there was a bang on the back door, making Bass and I walk out to see what was going on.

Then there was Vissi. Who was to Primo what I was to Renzo. The right-hand man.

He shoved a hooded man onto the ground in the alley.

“Delivery,” he said, giving me a nod. “Primo sends his best. Says he’s got the others on ice for when you’re ready for them.”

I should have expected nothing less.

Primo ruled the Bronx with an iron fist. He wasn’t going to stand by and let a crew of idiots fuck over a fellow mob family under his nose.

“I’ll have Coal bring a car around,” Bass said, pulling out his phone. “You want us to put him on ice for you?” he asked, glancing back at the door like he expected Kick to come out at any second and see her ex crumpled on the ground.

I was conflicted.

The bigger part of me wanted to say yes, to grab Kick and go home and spend time with her.

The other part, though, knew that having this hanging over our heads was no way to live.

“No. I’m gonna have Saff come and take Kick home. Then we are gonna finish this. Tonight,” I said, walking over to Kyle and landing a hard kick to his gut as a car came to a stop at the mouth of the alley.

Bass nodded. “I’ll gather up Serano, Cinna, and Dav, and we will go get the others.”

“Good,” I agreed.

This ended tonight.

Then Kick and I could really start our lives together.