ROUGH RIDER (6 page)

“
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 we were alone. I gave her a pass this time, because I knew she was really worried about our only daughter.

Our only stubborn, bullheaded, strong-willed, rebellious daughter, that is. This wasn’t the first time she’d given me a headache, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last.

Maria poured herself a glass of red wine, taking a sip and slamming the glass back onto our imported Italian marble countertop. I flinched when I saw a chip of it break off.

There goes another grand
, I thought. But what did she care? She didn’t have to do a thing for the money, she just took and took and took, while I put my ass on the line everyday for this family.

“Yeah, I saw the video,” Maria whined. “She kicked those goomba’s asses, but she’s still missing, Leo!” Her voice was grating on my last nerve, but I took a deep breath and patted her shaking hand.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Maria. She’ll be found,” I said. Maria and I had been together over twenty-five years and we’d weathered some serious storms. I had every confidence we’d find our daughter safe and sound. Because nobody fucked with a Loprinzi. Everyone in the state of New York knew better than to lay a finger on my daughter.

“You have to find her yourself, Leo! Get out there now - I know you have connections. But I want you to find her yourself before anyone else does! You have to protect our baby, Leo!” she pulled her hand away from mine, running it through her hair, her eyes full of worry. She shook her head, staring off into the distance, and then shuddering with fear. “
You
,” Leo, she said pointing her long, perfectly manicured finger at my chest. “You have to find her before someone else gets to her. Who knows what the cops will do to her? Or those other bikers? Leo, go now, please!”

“Alright, Maria, alright, I’ll go,” I relented. “I’ll do this myself. I’ll take Rizzo with me.”

“I don’t care who you take, just make sure our Gabriella gets back here safe!” she demanded.

“Okay, Maria, okay,” I said, walking out of the kitchen and pulling out my phone.

The first person I called was my mistress, Adriana.

“I can’t make it tonight, babe,” I said. She whined in protest, and I rolled my eyes. For fuck’s sake.

“But Leo, we have tickets to a Broadway show tonight!”

“I know, I know,” I muttered. “We’ll go another time. Something’s come up. Family stuff,” I replied.

“It’s always your fuckin’ family, Leo,” she whined. “I’ll go with my girlfriend.”

“Look, I’ll make it up to you,” I promised, making a mental note to buy her a piece of jewelry tomorrow to shut her up.

She hung up on me.

Fucking women
, I thought.
You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them. Fuggedabout tryin’ to make them happy. It ain’t happening.

I dialed my phone again. I’d deal with Adriana later.

Rizzo answered on the first ring, as always.

“What’s up, Boss?” he asked, his voice full of enthusiasm.

“I need you. Now,” I demanded.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s Gabriella. She’s missing. It’s all over the news. I need to find her right away.”

“I saw that. I’m on my way, Boss,” he promised, his voice clipped and precise, like a perfect soldier.

He hung up without a word and ten minutes later he was at my door, ready to do anything I asked, to lay his life on the line, if necessary.

“Where are we headed?” he asked, as he opened the door of my Lincoln for me.

“Gabriella’s apartment.”

T
he fucking mob
.
Of course
she was tied up with the fucking mob. A girl like her? Talking about her daddy all the time?

For fuck’s sake, I’d gotten myself into some shit before but this was serious. Hopefully, her dad was a low man on the totem pole and this wouldn’t be as serious as it could be.

I didn’t stop to ask questions. As soon as I saw her face on that TV screen, I pulled her out of the diner and put her on the back of my bike. I raced back to the only place I knew we would be safe…

We.

Fuck, I’d become a ‘we’ now. Fucking great.

I was surprised the guys weren’t there yet, but it was still early. A million questions were knocking around my head as I’d driven, and I was eager to begin questioning Gabby.

As soon as I turned off the engine and our helmets came off, I let this girl have it.

“What’s your family’s name? Who’s your Dad? Why were you even in the bar last night, Gabby? Who are you working for?”

“What?” she asked, her eyes shining with surprise. “You think
I
work for the mob?”

“I don’t know what the fuck to think!” I roared, confusion filling my head.

“Well, I don’t! What my dad does is his business. I stay out of it.”

“Your dad? Who is your dad?” I asked again.

“It doesn’t matter,” she hesitated, tearing her eyes from mine.

“Gabby! What is your father’s name?” I demanded.

“His name’s Leo,” she said, shrugging.

“Leo who?” I asked, my heart beginning to race. I already knew the fucking answer. My blood turned cold.

“Loprinzi. Leonardo Loprinzi,” she said finally, her voice full of exasperation. Her pretty eyes glued onto mine and stared me down, daring me to argue with her.

“Loprinzi?! What the fuck!” I yelled so loudly, a pair of crows fluttered out of the trees to my right. “Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? You’re Loprinzi’s kid?”

This couldn’t be happening. Visions of the past came rushing back like a freight train. The sound of gunshots whizzing over our heads. Her tiny little body shaking under me in fear. Those eyes.

Her eyes…

“Look, it’s no big deal —,” she began, her bottom lip quivering. “And I’m a goddamned adult…”

“— no big deal?
No big deal!?
Loprinzi’s only the biggest fucking mob boss in all five fuckin’ boroughs!”

“Dante, God! Who cares? It doesn’t matter, look we have bigger problems…”

“Yeah, like the fact that I just fucked Leo Loprinzi’s daughter!” I shook my head in disbelief.

Pain flashed in her eyes and I instantly regretted my words.

“Sorry that it was so bad for you!” she spat at me, turning away from me.

“Gabby,” I groaned, running my hand through my hair. I glanced down the road again to make sure we were still alone. With mobsters, you don’t usually get to see them coming. One minute, you’re alive. The next minute…you’re not.

“Look, that’s not what I meant,” I sighed, turning her back around to face me and pulling her into my arms.

“Well, what did you mean?” she asked, looking up at me. Fuck. I felt like such an asshole.

“Last night was wonderful. But you’re right. We have other things to think about now.”

“If you just take me to a phone, I can call my dad and he can take care of everything. He’s good at that.” She nodded firmly, as if there was no argument to be had.

“So I’ve heard,” I replied, dryly. She hit me on the arm and I laughed, despite the thoughts racing through my head. I couldn’t believe Gabriella Loprinzi was standing in front of me.

I’d waited years for this moment. I’d dreamed about this girl since I was a damn kid. Her eyes hadn’t changed one bit. That’s what drew me in back at the bar, and now all I wanted to do was fuck her again.

But there was no time for that… We had to figure something out and fast.

We were both wanted for murder, after all.

For fuck’s sake! How could this all be going down like this?

“Let’s get back on the bike. Take me to a phone. Come on, Dante,” she pleaded. I looked into her eyes, memories of last night haunting me, memories of our shared past haunting me.

As much as I wanted to do what she asked, the need to protect her was stronger. I needed to protect her, as much as I needed to protect myself - even though I had no idea why the urge to do so was so strong.

I barely knew her, and yet I’d have taken a bullet for her if necessary.

But I also had to protect the club. And protect my family. And protect myself.

“I can’t do that…” I said, turning away and walking into the cabin until I figured out exactly how the fuck I was going to do all of that at the same time.

I
rolled
my eyes as he walked back into the cabin. This was all spinning out of control and if he’d just let me call my dad, I could make it all go away. It was simple. Hopefully.

“Dante, my dad…” I tried again, my words falling flat, but I had to persist. I was sure he just didn’t understand.

Or, if he did, then I wasn’t sure exactly why he was stopping me.

“Stop it! I need to think!” he said, thundering through the door of the cabin. Bear raised his head from his bed, grunted, and dropped his head back down when he saw it was us. Dante sat on the couch and put his head in his hands.

“Look, whatever we did - it was self-defense. Once we tell the cops that, everything will be fine once we talk to them. Hiding isn’t going to help us at all.”

“Are you sure you’re Leo Loprinzi’s daughter?” he asked, snapping his head up, his eyes full of fire. “All that talk of trusting the cops makes me think you aren’t a Loprinzi after all.”

“I trust my dad.”

“Of course you do.”

“Well, what’s the problem?” I demanded.

“I don’t trust him, Gabby,” he insisted. “I don’t know him. If I know anything about the neighborhood, it’s that news travels fast, and I’m one hundred fucking percent sure that your dad is looking for both of us by now. The scary biker that ran off with his precious, untouchable daughter? In your father’s eyes, I’m one of the bad guys.”

“That’s absurd. And even if it were true, all it would take is me explaining to my dad that you saved me.”

“Oh, yeah? Even if they took the time to let you explain, which isn’t likely with the fucking mob - who I’m sure you’ve heard aren’t exactly known for waiting to ask questions before whackin’ someone- what would you tell them? That I was just some guy you met in a bar who dragged you out and took you home and fucked you all night, instead of letting you go home like you asked?” His eyes flashed with emotion. “I don’t think that would set to well with your daddy, Gabby.”

Fuck. So maybe he was right. My dad’s motto was
‘act now, ask later’
and he insisted the men that worked for him follow it strictly. That was another one of those lessons I’d learned the hard way growing up.

“Well, then what do you propose we do, Dante?” I asked, my voice laced with exasperation.

“We wait.” He nodded firmly, his jaw set, his eyes hardening with stubbornness.

“For what?” I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration.

I was answered by the approaching sound of roaring motorcycles, the vibrations small and faint until they grew louder and stronger until the glasses in the kitchen began clinking together and the windows began shaking in their panes.

I looked questioningly at Dante.

A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face.

“For my brothers…”

“
S
o you just fucking kidnapped her
, Dante?” Angry Bobby whispered, as we all stood outside the cabin. Gabby and I had walked out to greet them, but they had already seen the news. “You didn’t think that maybe kidnapping a mob princess was a bad idea?”

I groaned.

“I didn’t fucking kidnap her! And, I didn’t know who the fuck she was at the time. Not until a few hours ago,” I explained.

“Well, what the fuck were the two of you talking about all night then?” Gio asked.

Romeo snickered and I felt Gabby tense beside me. I reached over to her and grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.

“Probably not a lot of talking going on,” Romeo joked.

“Shut the fuck up, Romeo!” I growled. I was in no mood for his bullshit. “Look, we have to figure out what to do, how to handle this.”

“We do, huh?” Alonso asked. “Why ‘we’?”

“Why ‘we’?” I asked, anger rising in my voice. “Maybe because we’re a fucking team, Alonso, or did you forget that? Did you forget everything we’ve been through? Did you fucking forget what happened in Afghanistan? Or maybe that didn’t mean anything to you, huh?”

“Dante that’s not what I meant…,” Alonso replied, shaking his head.

“No?” I asked, my voice raising. “Because for a second I thought maybe you forgot that I saved your ass from that fucking IED? Maybe you forgot that the only reason you still have both your fucking legs is because of me?” I was in his face, yelling like a lunatic, rage filling my veins. I’d blown up like a fucking bomb. Out of nowhere.

What the fuck is wrong with me?
I thought.

“Chill the fuck out, Dante!” Italo said, getting between me and his brother and pushing me back. “Listen, dude, of course we’re a team. Nobody’s forgotten that. We’re here for you, brother. You just gotta tell us what you want us to do.”

I took a deep breath and walked a few feet away, pacing between the bikes.

“Sorry…” I muttered a half-assed apology, glancing at Alonso. He shrugged it off, and lit a cigarette, taking a long, slow draw.

“So what are we dealing with exactly?” Italo asked. “All we know is what’s on the news. There was a kick ass fight, and now you’re both wanted for the murders of two of the Iron Godz. How much of that is true?”

“They fucking started it. One of those bastards hit Gabby, I had no choice but to kick their ass. We didn’t know at the time that we killed anyone.”

“I saw the video on the news,” Bats said, shaking his head. “Looked like the bartender was filming while you two were going all Kill Bill on the Godz. Two of the guys took barstools to the head and they never got up after you left.”

“Video. For fuck’s sake…” I said, glancing over and meeting Gabby’s eyes. Her eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip started quivering.

“I didn’t mean to kill anyone…” she said, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.

“Fuck,” I muttered, pulling her into my arms. “Of course you didn’t. That fucker deserved it, though. He never should have put his hands on you.”

“Nothing we can do about it now,” Alonso said. “What’s done is done. We gotta figure out where to go from here, brother.” He closed the distance between us and hugged me briefly.

“But first things first,” he said, looking at us. “Are you two okay?” Alonso had more medic training that any of us, and he was the first person to think about shit like that.

“We’re fine,” I said, my head replaying the fight in my head. I didn’t know much about Gabby, but if there was anything she’d proven to me last night, it was that she was tough.

“Not for nuttin’, Dante, but I gotta say - after seeing that video - I’m surprised only two of those pricks died,” Bats said. “The two of you did a number on the place. I was impressed.”

“They were a bunch of pussies,” I muttered over Gabby’s head, inhaling the sweet vanilla scent of her hair. She leaned into me, the warmth of her body making me wish everything was different.

I wished I could just tell the guys to leave and take Gabby back to bed and forget any of this ever happened. I wished she wasn’t who she was. I wished that stupid fucking fight had never happened. I should have just grabbed her and left with her, leaving those assholes standing. But no.

I let my stupid fucking pride get in the way. Yeah, of course they deserved it, but what harm would have come if I’d just walked away?

Honor. I was always concerned about honoring people, respecting people. Always demanding that same respect was given and defending that honor when necessary. Especially when it came to women.

Hell, I knew why. I knew where it all started. My fucking wife-beating asshole prick of a father. He’d finally left us when I was eight and it wasn’t a moment too soon. Not before causing a lifetime of scars and making me get neck-deep in countless situations where I’d have been better served to just walk away.

Some of the scars you could see. Like the small moon shaped scar under my right eye where his wedding ring caught me when I threw out my crappy dinner instead of eating it. I’d never been hit in the face before, and he made damn sure I didn’t forget it once I had. It took weeks for that cut to heal.

But most of the scars were in places that I made sure nobody saw. Because I didn’t open up to anyone and I liked it that way. And yet, despite my best efforts, here I was - tangled up in some shit that I didn’t know how to get out of.

I forced myself to let go of Gabby and started pacing again. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. Waiting. Waiting for me to pull some magical plan out of my ass.

The fucking mob was looking for me because I’d run off with the Boss’s daughter.

The fucking Godz were looking for me because I’d killed two of their guys.

The fucking cops were looking for me because of both of those reasons.

As far as I could see, I was fucked. Pure and simple. Fucked.

And yet here I was, still concerned about someone else. Still concerned about defending and protecting someone.

I glanced back at Gabby and saw the fear and confusion in her eyes. She was used to Daddy getting her out of trouble, but that wasn’t going to work this time.

“We stay here. That’s all I’ve got right now. Nobody leaves,” I strolled past them, their questioning eyes staring me down - everyone but Bear, who was standing quietly at Gabby’s side - wanted answers I didn’t have.

Yet. The answers would come. I just needed time.

I left them all outside, closing the door after Bear followed me in, and headed straight for the kitchen.

I may not have any fucking answers, but I had a bottle of whiskey, and for now, that would have to do.