asked, tapping her pen on the pad of paper she was holding as we slid in across from each other.
“Yes, please,” Dante replied.
“Coffee?” she asked, snapping her gum.
“Yes, please,” he said again. She put two cups down in front of us and slowly poured coffee into them. I looked around and saw that everyone was still staring at us.
“Why is everyone looking at us?” I asked Dante after the waitress walked away.
“It’s the cut,” he dismissed. “You get used to it.”
“Oh!” I hadn’t thought of that. I took a sip of the coffee, trying to find some comfort in its warmth. “So what was going on back there?” I whispered, doing my best to ignore the stares.
“Well, those were definitely pigs.”
“But it was just a bar fight! And it happened yesterday. Wouldn’t they be gone by now?”
“Gabby,” he replied, his dark eyes growing serious. “I guess you don’t know who those bikers were. The Iron Godz are the most dangerous club on the East Coast. They’re not to be fucked with. And we fucked with them. Hard.”
“Okay. But why the cops?”
“Not sure,” he said. Was that a glimmer of worry I saw in his eyes?
“Are you afraid of them?” I asked, a ball of frazzled nerves forming in the pit of my stomach.
“Who?” he asked.
“The Iron Godz? And the cops?” I wasn’t supposed to be afraid. I was a Loprinzi. I was supposed to tough it out, remember that I was untouchable, and keep my chin up. But my gut was telling me this was not going to work out so easily.
“Hell, no,” he said with a laugh. “I can handle anything that comes my way.”
Okay, I thought, looking over at him. His confidence was reassuring but I wasn’t so sure myself. For something like this, I needed my father. There was nobody else I trusted enough to take care of this.
“I need to call my dad,” I said, looking around for a phone in the diner. Of course, I didn’t find one because nobody has pay phones anymore these days. “Can I use your cell now?” I asked Dante, just as my eyes landed on a television screen in the corner.
It couldn’t be , I thought, my stomach dropping.
“That’s me…” I whispered, the color draining from my face, as I slowly pointed at the TV, my face staring back at me. The bar. The fight. Dante and I leaving Otto’s together. It played out before my eyes in slow motion. The sound was off, but it was close enough that I could read the caption scrolling across the bottom.
“Missing mafia princess and biker boyfriend wanted for murders of two bikers…” I read, out loud.
“What the fuck?” Dante turned towards the television, then quickly turned back to me, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Mafia princess?” he asked slowly. “What the fuck are they talking about, Gabby?” His eyes were wide with shock.
“I guess I should have told you who my dad is…”
14
Leonardo Loprinzi
“ Y ou find her , Leo! Find her now, dammit!” My wife, Maria, demanded. “She doesn’t have her phone, or her purse, or any money! She’s entirely at that - that - that biker’s - mercy! Did you see him, Leo? He looked like a thug! There’s no telling what he might do to her!”
“For fuck’s sake, Maria, he saved her life!” I replied. My wife’s fear was off the hook, and frankly, it was annoying as hell. Yeah, Gabriella was missing. But I had faith in my daughter. I knew what a tough broad she was. Hell, she was probably annoying the hell out of whoever she was with, truth be told. And she wasn’t one to be messed with.
“Did you see the way she fought back?” I asked Maria proudly. We stood together in the kitchen of our Howard Beach home, my wife yelling in my face the way only she is allowed to do.
If anyone else had done that, they’d be six feet under before their Ma could shed one tear.
But Maria got special privileges because she was my wife. But even she knew better than to do it when anybody else was around. I let her get away with it sometimes when
“Yes, please,” Dante replied.
“Coffee?” she asked, snapping her gum.
“Yes, please,” he said again. She put two cups down in front of us and slowly poured coffee into them. I looked around and saw that everyone was still staring at us.
“Why is everyone looking at us?” I asked Dante after the waitress walked away.
“It’s the cut,” he dismissed. “You get used to it.”
“Oh!” I hadn’t thought of that. I took a sip of the coffee, trying to find some comfort in its warmth. “So what was going on back there?” I whispered, doing my best to ignore the stares.
“Well, those were definitely pigs.”
“But it was just a bar fight! And it happened yesterday. Wouldn’t they be gone by now?”
“Gabby,” he replied, his dark eyes growing serious. “I guess you don’t know who those bikers were. The Iron Godz are the most dangerous club on the East Coast. They’re not to be fucked with. And we fucked with them. Hard.”
“Okay. But why the cops?”
“Not sure,” he said. Was that a glimmer of worry I saw in his eyes?
“Are you afraid of them?” I asked, a ball of frazzled nerves forming in the pit of my stomach.
“Who?” he asked.
“The Iron Godz? And the cops?” I wasn’t supposed to be afraid. I was a Loprinzi. I was supposed to tough it out, remember that I was untouchable, and keep my chin up. But my gut was telling me this was not going to work out so easily.
“Hell, no,” he said with a laugh. “I can handle anything that comes my way.”
Okay, I thought, looking over at him. His confidence was reassuring but I wasn’t so sure myself. For something like this, I needed my father. There was nobody else I trusted enough to take care of this.
“I need to call my dad,” I said, looking around for a phone in the diner. Of course, I didn’t find one because nobody has pay phones anymore these days. “Can I use your cell now?” I asked Dante, just as my eyes landed on a television screen in the corner.
It couldn’t be , I thought, my stomach dropping.
“That’s me…” I whispered, the color draining from my face, as I slowly pointed at the TV, my face staring back at me. The bar. The fight. Dante and I leaving Otto’s together. It played out before my eyes in slow motion. The sound was off, but it was close enough that I could read the caption scrolling across the bottom.
“Missing mafia princess and biker boyfriend wanted for murders of two bikers…” I read, out loud.
“What the fuck?” Dante turned towards the television, then quickly turned back to me, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Mafia princess?” he asked slowly. “What the fuck are they talking about, Gabby?” His eyes were wide with shock.
“I guess I should have told you who my dad is…”
14
Leonardo Loprinzi
“ Y ou find her , Leo! Find her now, dammit!” My wife, Maria, demanded. “She doesn’t have her phone, or her purse, or any money! She’s entirely at that - that - that biker’s - mercy! Did you see him, Leo? He looked like a thug! There’s no telling what he might do to her!”
“For fuck’s sake, Maria, he saved her life!” I replied. My wife’s fear was off the hook, and frankly, it was annoying as hell. Yeah, Gabriella was missing. But I had faith in my daughter. I knew what a tough broad she was. Hell, she was probably annoying the hell out of whoever she was with, truth be told. And she wasn’t one to be messed with.
“Did you see the way she fought back?” I asked Maria proudly. We stood together in the kitchen of our Howard Beach home, my wife yelling in my face the way only she is allowed to do.
If anyone else had done that, they’d be six feet under before their Ma could shed one tear.
But Maria got special privileges because she was my wife. But even she knew better than to do it when anybody else was around. I let her get away with it sometimes when
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