be there for Tree.”
“Yeah,” Reno said. “You’re right.” Then he pivoted the conversation away from him and his issues, as Reno was a master at doing. “So you’re stil in Portland or what?”
“No, I got back last night.” Then Tommy hesitated, but Reno realy was the only human being he could discuss it with. “When I got back,” he said, “Shawna was here.”
“Already?” Reno said, surprised.
“Yup.”
“Whoop, there it is.”
“There what is?” Tommy asked.
“She’s the dame got you in this tizzy.”
Tommy smiled. “I’m not in a tizzy, whatever the hel that means.”
“You fucked her brains out, didn’t you?”
Tommy hesitated. Reno was about as diplomatic as some banana republic dictator. But it was weighing heavily on him. “Yes,” he admitted.
“No surprise there. Even though, let you two tel it, it’s over and it’s been over since forever. Please. What’s with you two anyway? It’s on again now? You guys ought to just get married and give the rest of the world a break.”
Tommy’s heart squeezed. “I wish.”
“But Shanks ain’t having it?”
Tommy sighed, looked left to right and then proceeded through a stop sign. “Right.”
“What you expect, Tommy? That’s Shanks. She’s always been a lone wolf, that’s how she rols. That’s why I never went after her. She’s a gorgeous girl, but that’s about al she is. She’s too tough to tame.”
“Oh, and Trina isn’t tough?”
“She ain’t that kind of tough,” Reno said. “When I think of Trina, for example, I think of a good, loyal, but strong as hel mob wife say. A woman like Ma was, who looks out for her man and his interest.
When I think of Shanks, I don’t think mob wife. I think mob boss.” Tommy laughed. “No, I’m serious here now. That sister, that Shanks, is something else. She’l be too busy running everything, bossing you around, before you can even think about bossing her.”
Tommy said nothing. What Reno didn’t know was that Shawna was incredibly vulnerable, perhaps the most fragile woman Tommy had ever known. But because she was great at concealing it, Reno and everybody else took her as this ice princess. When she was a long way from cold. Especialy when she was alone with Tommy, crying on his shoulders, clinging to him as he wrapped her in his arms.
“Anyway,” Tommy said, “I was just checking in. I’m on my way to the office.”
“I hurt your feelings, didn’t I?”
“Of course not, Reno.”
“Look, I love Shanks too, I realy do. I respect the hel out of her, that’s why I want her on my team. I just wouldn’t wanna marry her or anything, that’s al I’m saying. And I just don’t understand why you’re so head over heels with that particular girl, that’s al I’m saying.”
“Who says I’m head over heels?”
“You wanted to marry her, Tommy, come on. A man like you wanted to marry a lone wolf like Shanks.”
“She’s not a lone wolf,” Tommy said with a snap in his voice.
“She is a lone wolf, Tommy,” Reno said, not backing down. “I don’t know why you don’t seem to understand that. I remember when you loved that very fact about her. You used to tel me al the time that if al of your women were as completely independent as Shanks, you’d be set. She is a lone wolf. But a loveable wolf, how’s that?”
Tommy smiled. “I don’t appreciate you caling my woman a wolf.”
Reno laughed. “Al in good humor, brother.”
“Would it stil be humorous to you if I caled Trina a dove?”
“Trina ain’t no dove,” Reno shot back. “She’s tough as nails. She just knows how to finesse it, how to be ladylike about it. Shanks is just tough as nails.”
Tommy smiled and then laughed. “Goodbye, Reno,” he said, and kiled the cal.
By the time he parked his Mercedes and entered the Gabrini, Incorporated office building in downtown Seattle, had walked across the busy lobby filed with associates too new to even realize who they were hustling
“Yeah,” Reno said. “You’re right.” Then he pivoted the conversation away from him and his issues, as Reno was a master at doing. “So you’re stil in Portland or what?”
“No, I got back last night.” Then Tommy hesitated, but Reno realy was the only human being he could discuss it with. “When I got back,” he said, “Shawna was here.”
“Already?” Reno said, surprised.
“Yup.”
“Whoop, there it is.”
“There what is?” Tommy asked.
“She’s the dame got you in this tizzy.”
Tommy smiled. “I’m not in a tizzy, whatever the hel that means.”
“You fucked her brains out, didn’t you?”
Tommy hesitated. Reno was about as diplomatic as some banana republic dictator. But it was weighing heavily on him. “Yes,” he admitted.
“No surprise there. Even though, let you two tel it, it’s over and it’s been over since forever. Please. What’s with you two anyway? It’s on again now? You guys ought to just get married and give the rest of the world a break.”
Tommy’s heart squeezed. “I wish.”
“But Shanks ain’t having it?”
Tommy sighed, looked left to right and then proceeded through a stop sign. “Right.”
“What you expect, Tommy? That’s Shanks. She’s always been a lone wolf, that’s how she rols. That’s why I never went after her. She’s a gorgeous girl, but that’s about al she is. She’s too tough to tame.”
“Oh, and Trina isn’t tough?”
“She ain’t that kind of tough,” Reno said. “When I think of Trina, for example, I think of a good, loyal, but strong as hel mob wife say. A woman like Ma was, who looks out for her man and his interest.
When I think of Shanks, I don’t think mob wife. I think mob boss.” Tommy laughed. “No, I’m serious here now. That sister, that Shanks, is something else. She’l be too busy running everything, bossing you around, before you can even think about bossing her.”
Tommy said nothing. What Reno didn’t know was that Shawna was incredibly vulnerable, perhaps the most fragile woman Tommy had ever known. But because she was great at concealing it, Reno and everybody else took her as this ice princess. When she was a long way from cold. Especialy when she was alone with Tommy, crying on his shoulders, clinging to him as he wrapped her in his arms.
“Anyway,” Tommy said, “I was just checking in. I’m on my way to the office.”
“I hurt your feelings, didn’t I?”
“Of course not, Reno.”
“Look, I love Shanks too, I realy do. I respect the hel out of her, that’s why I want her on my team. I just wouldn’t wanna marry her or anything, that’s al I’m saying. And I just don’t understand why you’re so head over heels with that particular girl, that’s al I’m saying.”
“Who says I’m head over heels?”
“You wanted to marry her, Tommy, come on. A man like you wanted to marry a lone wolf like Shanks.”
“She’s not a lone wolf,” Tommy said with a snap in his voice.
“She is a lone wolf, Tommy,” Reno said, not backing down. “I don’t know why you don’t seem to understand that. I remember when you loved that very fact about her. You used to tel me al the time that if al of your women were as completely independent as Shanks, you’d be set. She is a lone wolf. But a loveable wolf, how’s that?”
Tommy smiled. “I don’t appreciate you caling my woman a wolf.”
Reno laughed. “Al in good humor, brother.”
“Would it stil be humorous to you if I caled Trina a dove?”
“Trina ain’t no dove,” Reno shot back. “She’s tough as nails. She just knows how to finesse it, how to be ladylike about it. Shanks is just tough as nails.”
Tommy smiled and then laughed. “Goodbye, Reno,” he said, and kiled the cal.
By the time he parked his Mercedes and entered the Gabrini, Incorporated office building in downtown Seattle, had walked across the busy lobby filed with associates too new to even realize who they were hustling
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