Never mind. I went back outside. Some of our most trusted security guys patrolled the estate now that we were all on standby for another Necci attack.
I pointed toward the grounds. “Go out there and guard Miss Leone until she comes back to the house,” I told one of them. “Don’t leave her until the consigliere comes home.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied and headed off.
Now nothing remained but the inevitable. I marched down the driveway, nodded to Art at the gatehouse, and kept on going. In half a second, I came to Riverside Drive.
My legs carried me without me knowing where I was going. I didn’t care anymore. My throat tightened, and I tried to shake the sting out of my eyes.
I was leaving the estate for the first time since I was just a boy. This place—everything about the Leone family—this was the only home and family I ever had. Was I really walking away from it—from her?
Shewas all I ever had—her and her father and Leo. I never wanted anything else. Now it was behind me, getting farther away by the minute.
I didn’t care anymore where I went. This world meant nothing without her in it—without all of them. I had nowhere to go and no one to see.
I thought I was nobody at the estate, but at least I was a shade in the corner of her world. Now I wasn’t even alive anymore. I might as well be dead.
I turned onto Broadway and crossed some invisible barrier. I would never go back to the estate. I couldn’t bear it. I hurt her by leaving, but not any worse than I hurt myself.
Don’t ask me how long I walked. I lost track of time until some hooker on Broadway burst out laughing right next to me.
I spun around in surprise and realized I was a lot farther south than I realized. I looked around trying to orient myself when someone grabbed me.
The attacker yanked my arm and dragged me into an alley. They shoved me up against a brick wall, and I braced myself for a fight when someone hissed in my face. “Nicky! It’s me!”
My brain cleared enough to recognize a small, pale face framed by black hair and a black goatee. “Romeo!”
“I don’t have much time!” he whispered and glanced out at the street before coming back to my face. “I can’t let anyone from my family see me talking to you.”
“What?” I struggled to pull my head together. He was the last person on Earth I expected to see. “What are you doing out here?”
“I have to talk to you!” he hissed. “It’s an emergency. You have to listen to me.”
Normally, I would have beat the shit out of any Necci that dared to look sideways at me, but then I remembered what Leo and Cesare said about Romeo. He was the one who tipped Leo off about the Neccis’ plans. Romeo was the one who walked out on marrying Gia to protect her from his family.
“Okay, man. I’m listening.”
“My father ordered me to carry out a hit on Leo Evangelista,” he whispered. “I have to do it or they’ll know I’m helping the Leones. They plan to hit Leo’s limo when he’s on his way to the Met next Saturday—to meet the Italians.”
All the fog evaporated from my brain, and I went stone cold. “Is that so?”
He nodded fast. “I’m supposed to organize the hit, kill you and Leo and anyone else that gets in the way, and kidnap Gia. Now listen. This is important. The hit will happen right here on Broadway between West 122ndStreet and West 120thStreet. Understand? You have to prepare the Leones for the attack to happen then. I have to help out on the other side, but I’ll do what I can to make sure you don’t take too many casualties, and I’ll make sure my family doesn’t take Gia. Do you understand? I have to make it look like I’m working for them. I’m sorry, but I don’t have a choice about that or…”
“I understand, man. You don’t have to apologize.”
He leaned back and let go of my jacket. “So, you’ll tell them?”
“Of course, man. Don’t worry about it.”
“Tell Gia…” He shut his eyes and shook his head. “No. Don’t tell her anything. Don’t tell her you saw me.”
I opened my mouth to say something. I almost told him to come back with me and try again. He deserved her, but I stopped myself.
He left to save her and now this. His father and brothers would execute him on the spot if they ever found out about this. He was taking his life in his hands by finding me and telling me this.
He could walk away and never see her again, but I couldn’t. This changed everything. Only one course remained for me.
I straightened my jacket, and he did the same thing. He squared his shoulders and nodded to me. “You ready?”