Sal Gabrini: Love And War Read online

  SAL GABRINI

  LOVE AND WAR

  BY

  MALLORY MONROE

  Copyright©2017 Mallory Monroe

  All rights reserved. Any use of the materials contained in this book without the expressed written consent of the author and/or her affiliates, including scanning, uploading and downloading at file sharing and other sites, and distribution of this book by way of the Internet or any other means, is illegal and strictly prohibited.

  AUSTIN BROOK PUBLISHING

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  This novel is a work of fiction. All characters are fictitious. Any similarities to anyone living or dead are completely accidental. The specific mention of known places or venues are not meant to be exact replicas of those places, but are purposely embellished or imagined for the story’s sake.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  BEFORE SAL MARRIED GEMMA

  “How do I look?” Sal Gabrini stepped out of the walk-in closet inside his hotel suite to show his brother the suit of clothing he had just put on.

  Tommy Gabrini, sitting on the edge of Sal’s bed, looked up from the cell phone he was thumbing through. Sal was dressed in a sharp Hugo Boss suit that made his big, blue eyes look bluer, and that fit his muscular body tight and right. Tommy was impressed. “Good,” he said. “You look good. Nice suit.”

  But Sal was agitated. “That’s what you said about the other one!”

  Tommy smiled. “That one looked nice, too. They both look good.” Then Tommy hunched his shoulders. “What’s with you anyway? It’s just a date.”

  “No, it’s not just a date!”

  Tommy was confused. “What is it then?”

  “It’s a date with Gemma Jones. That’s what.”

  “Gemma who? Oh, her! That pretty black girl? Isn’t she Reno’s something or other?”

  “She’s Reno’s lawyer. Or at least she did some legal work for him. And she’s going into business with Reno’s old lady. That’s how I met her.”

  “A lawyer?” Tommy smiled. “Wonder why I don’t quite see you falling for a lawyer?”

  Sal frowned. “Who’s falling?”

  “You,” Tommy said as he continued to thumb through his phone’s text messages. “With all of this drama.”

  “I’m just saying it’s not just a date, alright? What’s so dramatic about that? You don’t know her. She’s a very particular lady. I have to come correct or she won’t give me the time of day.”

  Tommy laughed. That didn’t sound like his little brother at all!

  But even his laughter irritated Sal. “What’s so fucking funny?”

  “You are! You have to come correct. And you allow that?”

  “Hell yeah I allow it! No bullshit with this female, I’m telling you. She doesn’t play that slick shit I’m used to playing.”

  Tommy stopped looking at his phone and gave his brother his undivided attention. Sal was a lot of things, but a sap for a lady, any lady, he was not. “What’s with you and her? You like this girl?”

  Sal felt a little embarrassed discussing it, but he needed to tell somebody! “I don’t know about all of that liking or whatever. But she’s willing to give me a chance. A smart, savvy, educated woman like her willing to be bothered with me? So yeah, I wanna do right by her. She’s a classy lady. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Tommy was surprised. “So how long have you and her been going out?”

  “We’ve only had one date. You remember? After Reno’s get together that night.”

  Tommy smiled. “You mean when you drove her home because the lady she came with left early?”

  “Yeah, that night,” Sal said.

  Tommy couldn’t believe. “Sal, driving somebody home because they needed a ride is not usually considered a date.”

  “And I stayed at her place and talked with her for hours. And she wouldn’t give it up, either. Even after I asked. But I stayed and we talked. That’s a date in my book!”

  Tommy laughed. “Okay. If you say so. But still, bud. One quote-unquote ‘date,’ and already you’re head-over-heels?”

  Sal frowned. “Head over heels my ass! What am I head-over-heels about? Just because I wanna look nice? Just because I don’t wanna fuck up?”

  Tommy nodded. “Yeah. All of the above. You usually don’t give a damn.”

  “Whatever, Tommy!”

  Tommy smiled. “Yup. You’re head-over-heels alright.”

  “I just want to do right by her. That’s it.”

  Sal’s response intrigued Tommy. He stared at his brother. “Do right by her in the long-term sense?” he asked. “In the marrying her sense?”

  Sal was alarmed. “Marrying her? Where do you get this stuff from? Who the fuck said anything about marrying her?”

  “You make it sound like it’s impossible.”

  “It is impossible! It is impossible!”

  “Why?” Tommy asked.

  Sal frowned again. “What do you mean why?”

  Tommy looked sidelong at his brother. “Please don’t tell me it’s because she’s black. Please don’t tell me that, Salvatore Luciano.”

  “Why would it be that, Tommy? I’ve dated white women my whole life and I never married one of them. I never even asked one of them. Why would it have to be about Gemma’s race if I don’t wanna marry her either?”

  Tommy leaned back on his elbows. “Because I know your slick ass,” he said. “That’s why! You aren’t exactly a liberal when it comes to matters of race. Let’s face facts, little brother.”

  “Who has to be liberal? Because I don’t go around fucking every black woman I see, the way you do?”

  Tommy grinned that gorgeous, mischievous grin. At that moment he looked to Sal, not like the strong man he was, but a beautiful, sensitive, little kid. “Because you’re treating this one differently than all the others,” Tommy responded. “I mean, look at you. You’re a nervous wreck. You’re worrying about what you’re wearing for crying out loud! You, Sal Luca Gabrini, don’t usually give a fuck.”

  Then Tommy paused, and his smile was gone. “Because no other woman has ever made you care at all.”

  Sal could have continued to lash-out at his brother, but it cut too deep. He leaned against the wardrobe with his legs crossed at the ankle, and his arms folded. He suddenly looked burdened-down to Tommy. “She’s one of a kind,” Sal said with hope in his eyes. “That’s for damn sure.” But he also had to be honest with Tom
my. “And she’s black,” he said.

  Tommy smiled and nodded. “Yes, she’s black, Sal. She’s a dark-skinned bombshell. A phenomenal beauty, as I recall.”

  Sal looked at Tommy as if he’d just heard something remarkable. “So, you think she’s beautiful, too?”

  Tommy frowned. “I think she’s beautiful too? What kind of question is that? Of course she’s beautiful, Sal! You would have to be blind to not see that.”

  “Ah, Tommy, what are you talking? Blind my ass! It’s not that cut and dry. But you aren’t objective anyway. If she’s black she’s beautiful to you. But I’m talking specifically. I’m talking Gemma. Because when I first saw her, I wasn’t so sure.”

  Tommy found this amazing. He stared at his brother.

  “I kept thinking, when I first met her, that she was either the most gorgeous creature I’d ever seen, or the ugliest.”

  Tommy nearly jumped up. “The ugliest? Sal! Why would you think that? What man on this green earth would think that woman was ugly?”

  “Because I never met anybody like her, okay? She looked different to me. Exotic-like. She was tall and sleek and smart as a whip. And nearly black as a shoe. Let’s be honest. I didn’t know what to make of her. But when I saw her the other night at Reno’s cookout, I was floored. And I’m like you now. How could I have ever thought she was ugly?”

  Tommy knew why. Because Sal, in a lot of ways, was a narrow-minded bigot who saw the world from the prism of their twisted upbringing. But he didn’t go there. He knew Sal was trying to change.

  “So even after you’ve discovered that she’s a special lady,” Tommy said, “and even though you’re making a fuss over her unlike any other lady you’ve ever went out on a date with, you still won’t consider the possibility of marriage?”

  “No. But not for the reasons you think,” Sal quipped. “That shit’s embarrassing, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Tommy wondered if he’d missed something. “What shit?” he asked.

  “That shit,” Sal responded.

  Tommy nearly rolled his eyes. Sometimes his brother spoke in a language that nobody on earth could understand. “Break it down, Sal.”

  “I used to be a certain kind of individual,” Sal broke it down. “That’s all I’m saying. I used to talk a lot of ignorant shit about minorities. Now I’m going out on a date with one? It makes me feel like a hypocrite. Like I wanted a black chick all along, but was just shielding it with all of that racist crap. It makes me feel like I don’t deserve her. Like I’m not . . .”

  Tommy stared at his brother. “Like you aren’t what?” he asked.

  “Like I’m not man enough for her,” Sal responded.

  Tommy smiled. “You?”

  “I know that shit sounds crazy, I know it does. But that’s how I feel!”

  “It’s not crazy, Sal,” Tommy said, as he rose to his feet. “In fact, it’s good that you feel that way. It’ll keep you on your toes with her. Because, if I’m remembering correctly, Reno has a soft spot for that lady, too. You’d better not fuck around with her heart. You’ll have Reno to answer to.”

  Sal frowned. “Fuck Reno! That’s the part I hate: that he had to meet her first.”

  Tommy laughed. “Just don’t blow it. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “I won’t,” Sal said.

  Tommy looked at his wrist watch. “Going to walk me down? I need to get cracking.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Sal said, as he grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone off of his night stand. The two brothers headed out of Sal’s hotel suite and made their way to the elevators.

  They were staying at their cousin Reno’s PaLargio Hotel and Casino on the Vegas Strip. They both were in town on business, among other matters.

  “Where are you headed?” Sal asked Tommy, as he pressed the elevator button.

  “I’m meeting some people across town. Why? You wanna go with me?”

  Sal frowned. “What I wanna go with you for?” They stepped onto the empty elevator. “I told you I was meeting Gemma Jones for drinks.”

  “For drinks?” Tommy asked. “Even that isn’t a date in my book.”

  Sal knew what Tommy meant. He asked Gemma to go to dinner with him, but she refused. She had an early day in court tomorrow and would make it an early night. It was only after some coaxing that she agreed to meet him, after work, for drinks. Sal was still embarrassed about the fact he had to coax her at all. “It’s a date in my book,” Sal said, as he looked at his reflection in the shiny elevator wall. He buttoned and then unbuttoned his suit coat. “I can’t believe I’m wearing this shit,” he said. “I look fat in this mug. I should have worn the other suit.”

  “Then go back upstairs and change,” Tommy said. “Good grief!”

  “I can’t change! The other one’s too flashy. I’ll look too Mafia. But I look fat in this one. Maybe I will go back upstairs and change.”

  Tommy looked at his brother. He’d never seen him this unhinged. “Sal?” he asked.

  Sal looked at Tommy. “What?”

  “Stop. Just stop it.”

  Sal was genuinely puzzled. “Stop what?” The elevator doors opened. “What am I doing?”

  “You’re acting like Sally. Not like Sal.”

  Even Sal had to smile at that one. “Fuck you,” he said playfully.

  But Tommy was already looking beyond Sal as they stepped off of the elevator. “What is she doing here?” he asked.

  Sal looked at Tommy. Then he looked where Tommy was looking. When he saw Yvonne Welker standing in the hotel’s lobby, he frowned.

  “That’s Fast Eddie’s old lady,” Tommy said.

  “Yeah,” Sal said. “His very hot old lady,” he added.

  “What is she doing on Gabrini turf? We don’t play that shit.”

  “I know,” Sal said as they stepped off of the elevator. “But I’m going to find out.”

  Sal made his way toward Yvonne Welker, as Tommy followed for the hell of it. He wondered if he should notify Reno, since it was his establishment she decided to venture into, but opted to wait and see.

  Sal’s hands were open and flared out beyond his sides, and his face was unable to hide his puzzlement. “What are you doing here?” he asked her.

  Yvonne smiled. She was a beautiful blonde with large breasts and small, green eyes. “I heard you were in town. Thought I’d take you up on your offer.”

  “What offer?” Tommy asked as he made his way up to her, too.

  “Hey, Tommy,” Yvonne said.

  “What offer?” Tommy asked her.

  “Sal Luca told me if I was ever bored with my current situation, that I should give him a call. I’m paying him a visit, instead.”

  Sal was too busy looking down the length of her to hear much of what she and Tommy were saying. He always admired Fast Eddie Bronson’s taste in women, and Yvonne, Fast’s main squeeze, was no exception. Strong men always wanted to have a go with another strong man’s woman, Sal believed, just to see why they were chosen. He definitely wanted to try this one out. He definitely wanted to see what the attraction was about.

  “So what you say, Sal Luca?” Yvonne asked. “Glad to see me?”

  “You even talk like Fast Eddie,” Tommy said. “And smell like him, too. Too much cheap perfume and cheesy lines. I think you need to turn yourself around and leave this establishment.”

  “It’s not your call, Tommy. I didn’t come to visit you. I came to visit Sal Luca.” Yvonne began fumbling with the top button on her skimpy blouse.

  The little gesture worked. Sal’s big blue eyes moved down, not to the button, but to the exposed cleavage just above the button. “I’m heading out,” Sal said. “Your timing is bad.”

  “Can I at least use the restroom?” Yvonne asked. “It won’t take long.” She actually unclasped the button she was fumbling with. “Just a quickie.”

  Sal’s penis throbbed. He was getting hard. He knew he wasn’t going to get any from Gemma tonight. She’d already made it clear she wasn’t tha
t kind of girl. But having a quickie with Yvonne would mean he wouldn’t have to go out and find that kind of girl later tonight, when he needed some.

  When Tommy realized Sal was going to accommodate her ridiculous may I use your restroom request, even though there were tons of restrooms all around them, he asked Sal if he could have a word.

  “I’ll meet you at the elevators,” Sal said to Yvonne, and Yvonne, smiling at Tommy, headed in that direction.

  Sal looked at Tommy. “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Do you?” Tommy asked. “Messing with another man’s woman is low, Sal.”

  “Then I’m low, motherfucker. Fast don’t own her, just like I don’t own any of my ladies. This is still a free country.”

  “What about Gemma Jones?”

  Tommy could tell that question did have an effect on Sal. He even hesitated before responding. “This has nothing to do with her.”

  But Tommy was concerned. “How are you ever going to find somebody to love, a good woman, if you keep pulling this shit?”

  “I’m going out for drinks with her, for crying out loud! You said that wasn’t even a date in your book. And she sure as hell isn’t giving it up any time soon. What do you expect me to do? Wait around for her?”

  “She’s a special lady, Sal.”

  “So, what are you saying? You’re saying Gemma deserves better? I know that, alright?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying.”

  “Then what are you saying, Tommy? Spit it out.”

  “I’m saying you deserve better,” Tommy replied. “You deserve better than these going nowhere relationships. You said you found somebody interesting in Gemma. See where that takes you. Don’t settle for this.”

  Sal stared at his brother. He knew what he was saying, but it was a scary proposition to Sal. He wasn’t ready to settle down, was he nuts? That was why he settled for less. And probably always would. “Whatever, Tommy,” he said just because he didn’t want to discuss it any further.

  Tommy shook his head. He knew Sal was as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. “You were the one who said you didn’t want to fuck up. Now Yvonne? That piece of trash? Give me a break!”