Reno Gabrini: A Family Affair (21 page)

But Reno was staring at her, his intense eyes
staring into her big, soft eyes.
 
“Why
didn’t you come to me sooner, Tree?
 
Why
didn’t you tell me as soon as you got that shit in the mail?”

“I couldn’t just go to you, Reno.
 
That tape showed me killing a man in cold
blood!
 
I never dreamed that blow would
kill him.
 
But it did.
 
When I saw that tape, I nearly died.
 
You were upset that I didn’t make it to
dinner that night with Sal and Gemma.
 
But you just don’t know.
 
I saw
that tape that day and ran.
 
I wanted to
run out of my own skin.
 
And you were
right.
 
I didn’t go to any bar with some
long lost girlfriends.
 
I just drove
around.
 
I couldn’t face you or the
children or anyone.
 
And I couldn’t
confide in anyone.
 
I was so
ashamed.
 
First I caused Vern to kill
herself, and then I killed Stokey.
 
I
couldn’t go to anyone!”

But Reno sensed she had more on her chest.
 
“Why couldn’t you come to me?” he asked
her.
 
“Why wouldn’t you think I could
handle this for you?”

“It wasn’t a question of that.”

“Then what was it a question of, Tree?
 
You’ve got to tell me what were you
thinking?”

Trina felt the distress.
 
“You’re always so hard on me,” she said.
 
“I stay out late, or I’m not where you
thought I was supposed to be, and you get all on my case.
 
You act as if I committed some crime.
 
I just knew how hard you were going to come
down on me when you found out that I actually did commit a crime!”

“Oh,
Tree
,”
Reno said heartfelt, pulling her into his arms again.
 
Then he pulled back, and placed his hands on
either side of her face.
 
“I’m hard on
you because of my failings, and my past sins, not because of you!
 
I know I have enemies out there.
 
You didn’t want to be tailed, so I gave
in.
 
But I still had to know your
whereabouts for your own safety.
 
How did
you think I would judge you for looking out for yourself as a scared kid when
you never judge me for all the shit I do?
 
I’ll never judge you.
 
Not ever.
Especially not for a crime you didn’t even know you had committed.”

Trina felt a swell of relief.
 
But it didn’t stop her pain.
 
“I never even checked to see what happened to
that guy,” she said.
 
“I left Mississippi
and I didn’t want to look back.
 
When I
saw that tape, when I read that press clipping, I felt dirty and selfish and
horrible, Reno.
 
I didn’t want to drag
you into it.
 
You’ve got enough to deal
with.”

Reno’s look turned angry.
 
“You’re all I’m concerned about,” he said,
“and don’t you forget it.
 
You can’t drag
me into shit when it concerns you, because I’m already in it!
 
We’re one, Tree.
 
You go down, I go down.
 
I go down, you’re going to keep your ass
afloat and take care of our children.
 
And if I ever hear about you going to motel rooms to negotiate with
crooks and thieves I’ll kick your ass, you hear me?
 
I’ve done it before, you know I’ll do it
again.”

Sal stopped his phone conversation and looked at
them.
 
“Oh yeah?” he asked.
 
“When was this ass kicking, and is there any
video of
that
?”

Trina managed to smile lightheartedly, but it was
hardly a lighthearted matter.

“When did they say they needed the twenty-five mil?”
Reno asked her.
 
He couldn’t even manage
a lighthearted smile.

“They gave me a week,” Trina responded.

Sal ended his call.
 
“A fucking week to get up twenty-five million dollars.
 
Yeah, right.
 
Crazy pricks!”

“What I don’t get,” Reno said, “is why did you decide
to tell me today?
 
My men said one minute
you were in the grocery store doing your thing, then the next minute they see
you running out of the mall, jumping into your car, and taking off like a bat
out of hell.
 
They saw a black guy come
out afterwards, and looking toward your fleeing car, but they knew they had to
follow you.
 
Was that guy a part of
this?”

Trina nodded.
 
“It was Ice.
 
Iceman Nelson.
 
I walked around a corner in the store, and
there he was.
 
I don’t think he even saw
me at first.
 
It’s been so many years,
but I’ll never forget his face.
 
And
that’s when I knew these people weren’t playing.
 
I guess I already knew it, but I thought I
had more time. They told me Ice wasn’t going to be released for another
month.
 
I had no idea he was already
out.”

“And probably working with them,” Sal said.

“That’s what I think,” Trina said.
 
“I don’t see how there could be any other
answer for it.”

“They’re working together, alright,” Reno said.
 
“They couldn’t afford for Ice to get out of
prison and try tracking you down himself.
 
If he took you out before the money was paid out, they’d be out in the
cold.
 
They needed him on their
side.
 
A promise to split the money with
him got him on their side.”
 
Then Reno
looked at Sal.
 
“You know what else I’m
thinking?” he asked.

Sal thought about it, and then nodded.
 
“Yeah.
 
I’m thinking that way too.”

“What?” Trina asked.
 
“What way?”

Reno looked at her.
 
“They also probably promised the Iceman that he could get his revenge on
you after the money issue was settled.”

Trina was surprised.
 
“You mean they would release that tape anyway?”

“Hell no,” Reno said.
 
“They aren’t going to release that tape.
 
They can’t afford for you to get arrested and
implicate them.
 
No.
 
They aren’t looking to arrest you,
honey.”
 
Reno’s face turned into a mask
of pain.
 
“After they get that big pay
day, they’re looking to kill you.
 
With
the Iceman doing the honors.”
 
Reno dreaded
to think how Iceman got that nickname.

Trina knew, it was because of his viciousness, and
her heart felt faint.
 
Reno saw that
change in her, and squeezed both of her arms.
 
“That’s why you never try to make a deal with crooks and thieves.
 
Because they’re still crooks and thieves
after they get your money. And their reign of terror will never end.
 
You come to me.
 
Always.
 
And if I’m not where you can find me, you go to Sal or Tommy or
Mick.
 
We speak their language.
 
You don’t even know what they’re saying.”

Trina nodded.
 
“I’m sorry, Reno.
 
I was so caught
up in the shame of it, and the fact that I had actually killed that man, and
what happened with Vern.”

Reno pulled Trina in his arms again, but his mind
was far away from that day in Dale, Mississippi.
 
He was looking ahead.
 
At how he was going to protect her.
 
He already knew how he was going to take care
of those two crooked notification agents who had dreams of big paydays, and
Trina’s murder to silence her, on their minds.

When Reno and Trina stopped embracing, Sal
exhaled.
 
“You’re going to handle it?” he
asked Reno.

Reno nodded, as a pained expression appeared on his
face.
 
And he pulled out his cell phone.

Trina wanted to ask what it was that he had to
handle specifically, but she held her tongue.
 
When Reno took over, he took over.
 
She could have been murdered if she had kept him out of the loop.
 
She was turning it over to Reno, and leaving
it alone.
 
Whatever he told her to do,
she was doing.
 
It was in his hands now.

Reno searched deep into his phone until he found a
particular number.
 
And he paused even
then.
 
But then he pressed the Call
button.
 
He was staring at Trina as the
phone rang.
 
He pressed it on
Speaker.
 
No more secrets.

It took several rings before a voice came on the
line.
 
A female’s voice.
 
Kim Galecki’s voice.
 
“Hello?”

Reno hesitated.
 
Trina was thrown by the pain on his face.
 
“It’s me, Kim.
 
Reno.”

There was a long pause on the other end.
 
“What do you want?” the female voice finally
asked.

“A favor,” Reno said.
 
“What else?”

“Yeah,” Kim responded.
 
“What else.”
 
Then she exhaled.
 
“What do you
need, Reno?”

“A couple guys are trying to blackmail my wife.
 
I think they’re two notification agents from
the east coast.
 
I need their names and I
need to know where I can find them.”

Trina stared at him.
 
He already had their names and locations.
 
He had already told Sal to have them picked
up.
 
But Trina also knew what Reno was up
to.
 
The less this woman knew he knew,
the more likely she would be willing to talk.

“Why would two agents want to blackmail your wife?”
Kim asked over the phone.

“I don’t know yet,” Reno responded.
 
“She’s not talking, but I know something’s
up.
 
My men caught her meeting two guys
at a local motel.
 
We checked them out.”
 
He had to tell the truth, but only parts of
the truth.
 
“Can you help me?”

“I don’t know.
 
What’s in it for me?”

Reno hesitated.
 
“Depends on what you want.
 
It’s
been a long time.
 
Your wants may have
changed.”

She didn’t respond to that.

“Can we meet and discuss it?” Reno asked her.

“Where?” she answered.

“At my cabin,” he said.
 
“Where we used to always meet.”

Sal smiled.
 
Reno was good.
 
If they returned
to the place of their numerous rendezvous, she would feel more at ease.
 
She would think this was a return to those
good old days, rather than any suspicion that he was on to her part in this
scheme.

“When?” she asked.

“Tonight,” he said, and then glanced at Tree.
 
He hated that she had to hear this, but he
knew she had to hear it. “I need to find those two guys,” he continued.
 
“I’ll bring what I have on them.
 
We’ll relax, relieve that stress, and then
get down to business.”

Trina stared at Reno.
 
He was a smooth operator, alright.

There was a longer than usual pause, and then she
answered him.
 
“We can meet tonight,” she
said. “I’m free early, around eight.
 
But
then I have a dinner date with my husband.”
 
She paused again.
 
“But you knew
I’d be free, didn’t you?
 
Even after all
these years.
 
You married that woman and
forgot about me.
 
I thought I could get
over you too.
 
But it hasn’t worked.
 
One phone call, and I’m remembering again.”

Reno looked at his Rolex.
 
“I’ll see you in a few hours then,” he
said.
 
“I really need your help, Kim.”

“I’ll come through.
  
I always have.
 
You give me what I
need, I’ll give you want you want.
 
That’s how it’s always worked with us.
 
No strings.
 
Right?”

“Right,” Reno said.
 
They said their goodbyes.
 
And
Reno ended the call.