Fuck, this is a mess. Going to Orrin’s will buy us a bit of time while I try to figure out what’s next.
When I put my hands on the wheel, I realize they’re shaking.
“I have an idea,” I say gruffly. “We’re going to go see a friend.”
CHAPTER 27
RAS
We pick up Gemma’s meds and then head straight to Orrin’s. Poet’s Cafe is empty when we arrive. The sign says it’s closed, and the lights are dimmed. When I open the door, a bell rings above us. There’s a lingering smell of coffee and sugar in the air.
“What is this place?” Gemma asks in a hushed tone as she takes a step inside.
“A friend owns it.” I follow her in and lock the door behind us.
A moment later, Orrin comes out from the back dressed in a black turtleneck, with an empty gun holster strapped across his chest. “You got here quickly,” he says, giving me a nod before moving his gaze to Gemma. His eyes widen.
Gemma presses into my side, and her instinctual reaction to seek safety with me makes warmth spread through my chest. I wrap an arm around her shoulders.
Orin raises a brow. “Who’s this?”
“Gemma.”
“As in Gemma Garzolo?”
“Yes.”
His eyes narrow. “Ras, what the fuck. What happened to her face?”
Gemma tenses beside me.
“Stefano Garzolo happened,” I mutter. “Do you have a change of clothes? Something she can wear?” Gemma’s still dressed in the yellow party dress from the night before and my suit jacket. I wish I’d remembered to take her winter coat when we left Garzolo’s house, but it wasn’t the biggest thing on my mind.
Orrin runs his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Give me a minute. But then you better explain what the fuck is going on.”
I nod at Orrin and watch him disappear into the back room. The half-hour drive gave me some time to think, and no matter how I look at it, there’s only one move that makes sense.
I have to get Gemma far away from here.
Garzolo might be off the chess board for the next few hours while he deals with his arrest, but by evening time, someone’s bound to come looking for Gemma. And if they don’t find her by tomorrow morning, it’ll be all hands on deck.
We have to be somewhere far away before that happens. Garzolo and Messero have too much reach in New York, maybe even in the entire country, so we need to get off their turf.
If we manage to get to Europe, I have connections I can use, but I’ll have to be careful not to go to anyone who’ll go straight to Dem. I can’t risk him finding out where we are, not after he made his position on Gemma clear.
A heavy weight presses on my shoulders as I think about him. Cazzo. I had to do what I did, but the guilt is already creeping in.
Gemma leans against me like she’s struggling to hold up her weight. I snake my arm around her waist and use my other hand to pull out a chair. “Sit down. You shouldn’t be on your feet.”
Gemma sinks into the chair, wincing in pain. Seeing her like this makes my heart clench. I dig inside my pocket for her meds and hand her the pill bottle. “Stop being stubborn and take two of these. You trying to win an award for being tough?”
She laughs weakly and winces again. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
I get her a glass of water and watch her swallow the pills.
“Happy?” she asks, giving me a shaky smile.
I squat down in front of her and cup her cheek. She’s trying to put on a brave face, but I can tell she’s still shaken up, and who can blame her?
That family doesn’t fucking deserve her. Thinking about what they’ve done to her stirs up my simmering rage, so I force myself not to ruminate on it. I need to keep a clear head.
“I’ll be happy when I know you’re no longer in pain,” I say as I brush her hair out of her face.
When I stand up, I see Orrin in the doorway of his back office watching us. He’s got a bundle of clothes in his hands and a pair of white sneakers. My body tenses when I see that his holster is no longer empty.
Is he going to give us up to Garzolo or Messero? I’m putting my trust in him mostly because of my history with his cousin, and because my gut tells me that I can, but it’s a gamble.
Orrin walks over and hands Gemma the clothes. “It’s a uniform. The only thing I have close to your size.”
“Thank you,” Gemma says quietly.
“Should she get checked out?” Orrin asks. “That bruise looks like it’s going to be nasty.”
“She already has been checked out. I was getting her medical attention when you called.”
Orrin links his hands behind his neck and gives a shake of his head. “Jesus. I’m sorry about what happened to you, Ms. Garzolo. I’m Orrin Petraki. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?”
“I’m all right, thanks,” Gemma says.
I wrap my hand over her shoulder. “Get her a tea. And then, you and I will go to your office for a chat while Gemma changes.”
“Sure, no problem,” he says while giving me a wary look, like he’s wondering exactly what the fuck kind of trouble I’ve brought to his doorstep.
Once Gemma has a steaming cup on the table in front of her, I follow Orrin into his office.
He sits down in the squeaky desk chair and crosses his arms over his chest. “Care to explain what you’re doing? The last thing I want is for Messero to get word that his fiancé left her house and somehow ended up in my coffee shop with you.”
“I wouldn’t have come here if I had other options.”
“You think I don’t realize that?”
“I need to disappear for a while with Gemma.”
He laughs like he thinks I’ve lost my mind. “What the fuck are you talking about? And who are you to her exactly?”
The guy who’s going to do right by her, no matter what it takes or what it costs me. “I’m going to get her out of New York. I’m not giving her to Messero. I’m also not taking her back to the fucking house where her father just beat the shit out of her.”
Orrin hooks his thumb around the thick gold chain hanging off his neck and blows out a breath. “This is one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard, and you haven’t met my cousin Hector, but trust me, that’s saying something.”
“I’ll pay you forty grand.”
He taps his index finger against his head. “This thing’s worth more than that.”
“Name a price, and I’ll pay it. No one knows we came here. No one in New York even knows you and I know each other.”
“Your boss does. Did he sign off on this genius idea of yours?”
At the mention of Damiano, something unpleasant runs through my veins. “Don’t worry about Damiano. He won’t fault you for helping a friend.”
“A friend?” Orrin cocks a brow. “I thought you were his underboss.”
When I don’t answer, he groans. “Fuck me. No, honestly, fuck me. This is what I get for having this friendly mug, isn’t it? If I looked like a mean motherfucker, you wouldn’t have come to me with this bullshit.”
“We need a way to get out of the country.” Orrin is my best bet for making that happen. Gemma doesn’t have a passport, and even if she did, Garzolo would be able to use it to track her, so we can’t just show up at the airport and catch a flight.