friend. And to people in the lifestyle, even those as far-removed as Matty, friend wasn't a term used lightly.
"Gavin." He nodded in greeting. "Good to see you."
"You, too," Gavin said, stepping aside and waving Matty past. "Come in."
Gavin closed the trailer door behind him before plopping down in an office chair along the back. A notebook lay open in front of him, papers strewn out all over the top of a desk.
The Amaro family books, Matty knew.
"How's it looking for you this week?" Matty asked, carefully sitting down on a padded bench off to the side. "We're still running a twenty-cent line."
"Same here," Gavin said, snatching up his pencil and getting right back to work. "Been a rough few weeks. Too many skipping out without paying."
"We haven't really had that problem."
"Of course not," Gavin said. "You have the Beast to go after them. Enzo runs the cheapskates straight out of your territory and into mine."
Matty smiled. "Yeah, he's useful for that."
"Useful for a lot, from what I've heard. He's earning a name for himself these days as your father's successor. Everyone was worried for a while with you staying gone. They all wondered…"
Wondered what would come of the Barsanti family .
Gavin didn't need to say it. Matty knew. "Well, Enzo can have it. I'm happy where I am."
Gavin laughed dryly. "Nobody's happy running the books. We do it because someone has to, and half these jackasses can't even add or subtract."
Matty had no response for that. It was true.
"Speaking of jackasses," Matty said, "I was with Enzo in Little Italy the other day, and we ran into the Galantes."
"No shit?" Gavin said. "Primo?"
"No, it was just Dante," he said, hesitating before adding, "and his sister."
"Ah, the Ice Princess."
Matty hesitated. "Does everyone call her that?"
Gavin shrugged. "If the shoe fits…"
"So she's what? Cold?"
"Yeah," he said. "Cold and coddled. She's unapproachable, mostly because Primo goes after anyone who dares to even get close to his princess. He's overprotective, but you know, rightfully so, I'd say. He definitely has reason to keep her on lockdown."
"Does he ever let her out of his sight?"
"Rarely." Gavin continued to work in silence for a moment before swinging his chair around to face him, eyebrows raised questioningly. "Why are you asking me about Genevieve Galante?"
"No reason."
Gavin shook his head. "There's always a reason, so don't give me that bullshit."
"I'm just curious."
"About the Galante princess?"
"Yes."
Gavin stared at him peculiarly as if deciding whether or not to accept that answer. "Look, Matty, I'll tell you what someone told me once, a few years ago, when I got curious about a girl... don't plant your seeds in someone else's garden or you're liable to get buried six-feet under with fertilizer."
"Someone told you that?"
"I'm paraphrasing, but yeah, a friend out of the Chicago organization did."
"Chicago? You tried planting your seed in the DeMarco family?"
"Sort of. It's a long story, but I thought about it, when sometimes we just have no business even thinking it. Sometimes it just isn't a good idea. You don't go petting a poisonous snake, you know? No matter how pretty it might be."
"I'm not trying to pet anything. I'm just..."
"Curious. Got it." Gavin stared at him for another moment before turning back to his work. "I heard she's been working at a soup kitchen over in East Harlem, the one at the community center. Doing a stint of community service for some trouble she got into."
Community service . "I bet they have the place guarded."
"You'd think, but no, she's pretty safe there on her own. Her brother lurks around sometimes when he's not otherwise occupied. You know, like when the family's busy in other boroughs, like in Brooklyn, like tonight..."
"Tonight?"
"Yeah." Gavin glanced at his watch. "Right about now, actually."
Matty stood up and started for the door. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. But Matty? You get caught petting something you shouldn't be,
"Gavin." He nodded in greeting. "Good to see you."
"You, too," Gavin said, stepping aside and waving Matty past. "Come in."
Gavin closed the trailer door behind him before plopping down in an office chair along the back. A notebook lay open in front of him, papers strewn out all over the top of a desk.
The Amaro family books, Matty knew.
"How's it looking for you this week?" Matty asked, carefully sitting down on a padded bench off to the side. "We're still running a twenty-cent line."
"Same here," Gavin said, snatching up his pencil and getting right back to work. "Been a rough few weeks. Too many skipping out without paying."
"We haven't really had that problem."
"Of course not," Gavin said. "You have the Beast to go after them. Enzo runs the cheapskates straight out of your territory and into mine."
Matty smiled. "Yeah, he's useful for that."
"Useful for a lot, from what I've heard. He's earning a name for himself these days as your father's successor. Everyone was worried for a while with you staying gone. They all wondered…"
Wondered what would come of the Barsanti family .
Gavin didn't need to say it. Matty knew. "Well, Enzo can have it. I'm happy where I am."
Gavin laughed dryly. "Nobody's happy running the books. We do it because someone has to, and half these jackasses can't even add or subtract."
Matty had no response for that. It was true.
"Speaking of jackasses," Matty said, "I was with Enzo in Little Italy the other day, and we ran into the Galantes."
"No shit?" Gavin said. "Primo?"
"No, it was just Dante," he said, hesitating before adding, "and his sister."
"Ah, the Ice Princess."
Matty hesitated. "Does everyone call her that?"
Gavin shrugged. "If the shoe fits…"
"So she's what? Cold?"
"Yeah," he said. "Cold and coddled. She's unapproachable, mostly because Primo goes after anyone who dares to even get close to his princess. He's overprotective, but you know, rightfully so, I'd say. He definitely has reason to keep her on lockdown."
"Does he ever let her out of his sight?"
"Rarely." Gavin continued to work in silence for a moment before swinging his chair around to face him, eyebrows raised questioningly. "Why are you asking me about Genevieve Galante?"
"No reason."
Gavin shook his head. "There's always a reason, so don't give me that bullshit."
"I'm just curious."
"About the Galante princess?"
"Yes."
Gavin stared at him peculiarly as if deciding whether or not to accept that answer. "Look, Matty, I'll tell you what someone told me once, a few years ago, when I got curious about a girl... don't plant your seeds in someone else's garden or you're liable to get buried six-feet under with fertilizer."
"Someone told you that?"
"I'm paraphrasing, but yeah, a friend out of the Chicago organization did."
"Chicago? You tried planting your seed in the DeMarco family?"
"Sort of. It's a long story, but I thought about it, when sometimes we just have no business even thinking it. Sometimes it just isn't a good idea. You don't go petting a poisonous snake, you know? No matter how pretty it might be."
"I'm not trying to pet anything. I'm just..."
"Curious. Got it." Gavin stared at him for another moment before turning back to his work. "I heard she's been working at a soup kitchen over in East Harlem, the one at the community center. Doing a stint of community service for some trouble she got into."
Community service . "I bet they have the place guarded."
"You'd think, but no, she's pretty safe there on her own. Her brother lurks around sometimes when he's not otherwise occupied. You know, like when the family's busy in other boroughs, like in Brooklyn, like tonight..."
"Tonight?"
"Yeah." Gavin glanced at his watch. "Right about now, actually."
Matty stood up and started for the door. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. But Matty? You get caught petting something you shouldn't be,
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