work this morning
I Googled him.”
Shanell sipped her coffee. She didn’t need Google or any other search
engine to tell her what she already knew. What she needed help with was telling Jimmy. How was she going to tell Jimmy when he’d
been told all his life that Fred Ridgeway was his father? Was there a search engine to help with that?
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” Jannie
went on, pulling out the IPad.
“What did you see?”
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said, pecking
away on the IPad.
Darla rolled her eyes. “Will you stop being the drama queen for two
seconds and tell us what you found out, Jannie?” she asked with exasperation in
her voice.
Jannie ignored her. She and Darla never did get along. Well,” Jannie said, searching now for her
saved information, “his name is Dominic Gabrini.”
“We already know that much,” Darla said. “What else you got?”
Jannie wanted to roll her eyes. “That’s his name, but some articles called
him Reno Gabrini, too.”
Shanell’s heart pounded when she said the main
name she’d known him by. But she knew
she couldn’t fall apart now. She spent
all last night falling apart. She had to
hold it together now.
“So what about this Reno or Dominic or
whatever his name is?” Mondo asked. “What’s got you so fired up?”
“Here it is,” Jannie said, pulling it up on
her IPad. “His name is Dominic “Reno”
Gabrini like I said. He owns the
PaLargio, y’all.”
“The Pa-Lar-gi-o ?”
both Mondo and Darla asked at nearly the exact same time and with the exact
same emphasis on the syllables. “Are you
telling us,” Mondo continued, “that the new owner of Clauson’s is also the
owner of the PaLargio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada?”
“That’s what I’m telling y’all,” Jannie
said. “And, on top of that, he’s
gorgeous, too.”
“Let me see that,” Mondo said, snatching the
IPad from Jannie’s hand. When he saw
Reno’s picture, his small eyes stretched. “Damn, he is good looking,” he
said. “If I may say so myself.”
“Yeah, right,” Darla said, snatching the IPad
from Mondo. “I’ll bet he looks like a
Chia Pet.” But when she saw Reno’s
picture on the tablet, she, too, smiled. “Daamn!” she said. “He is fine.”
Shanell decided to take a peep at that
picture. She wanted to hope against hope
that somehow it was all a mistake and they weren’t talking about the same
person. But when she saw Reno’s smiling
face, looking like the older version of the young man she once knew intimately,
her heart sank. There was no hope now. It was him.
Jannie took the IPad from Darla and continued
reading. “This is the part that got me,
y’all,” she said. “According to all of
these articles, he’s like some kind of a mob boss with all kinds of mob
connections.”
“Shut the front door!” Mondo said,
astounded. “A mob
boss?”
Even Shanell was now intrigued. She’d never heard anything like that before,
although she had long ago assumed Reno’s family had something shady going
on. For some reason she assumed it was
drugs. “A mob boss?” she, too, asked.
“A mob boss,” Jannie said again. “And that ain’t all, either. They say he was involved in some major mob
war where people were killed, y’all. And
some of these articles even say he might have been responsible for some of
those deaths.”
“What?” Darla asked with disbelief in her
voice. “And this is the man we’re
supposed to be working for now?”
“And get this,” Jannie said, her enthusiasm
growing with every gloomy discovery about the new boss. She began reading an article. “‘Although a well-respected businessman in
his own right, and a man who has always denied any mob connections, it is worth
noting that violence and retribution seems to follow Dominic Gabrini wherever
he goes.’ And
I Googled him.”
Shanell sipped her coffee. She didn’t need Google or any other search
engine to tell her what she already knew. What she needed help with was telling Jimmy. How was she going to tell Jimmy when he’d
been told all his life that Fred Ridgeway was his father? Was there a search engine to help with that?
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” Jannie
went on, pulling out the IPad.
“What did you see?”
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said, pecking
away on the IPad.
Darla rolled her eyes. “Will you stop being the drama queen for two
seconds and tell us what you found out, Jannie?” she asked with exasperation in
her voice.
Jannie ignored her. She and Darla never did get along. Well,” Jannie said, searching now for her
saved information, “his name is Dominic Gabrini.”
“We already know that much,” Darla said. “What else you got?”
Jannie wanted to roll her eyes. “That’s his name, but some articles called
him Reno Gabrini, too.”
Shanell’s heart pounded when she said the main
name she’d known him by. But she knew
she couldn’t fall apart now. She spent
all last night falling apart. She had to
hold it together now.
“So what about this Reno or Dominic or
whatever his name is?” Mondo asked. “What’s got you so fired up?”
“Here it is,” Jannie said, pulling it up on
her IPad. “His name is Dominic “Reno”
Gabrini like I said. He owns the
PaLargio, y’all.”
“The Pa-Lar-gi-o ?”
both Mondo and Darla asked at nearly the exact same time and with the exact
same emphasis on the syllables. “Are you
telling us,” Mondo continued, “that the new owner of Clauson’s is also the
owner of the PaLargio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada?”
“That’s what I’m telling y’all,” Jannie
said. “And, on top of that, he’s
gorgeous, too.”
“Let me see that,” Mondo said, snatching the
IPad from Jannie’s hand. When he saw
Reno’s picture, his small eyes stretched. “Damn, he is good looking,” he
said. “If I may say so myself.”
“Yeah, right,” Darla said, snatching the IPad
from Mondo. “I’ll bet he looks like a
Chia Pet.” But when she saw Reno’s
picture on the tablet, she, too, smiled. “Daamn!” she said. “He is fine.”
Shanell decided to take a peep at that
picture. She wanted to hope against hope
that somehow it was all a mistake and they weren’t talking about the same
person. But when she saw Reno’s smiling
face, looking like the older version of the young man she once knew intimately,
her heart sank. There was no hope now. It was him.
Jannie took the IPad from Darla and continued
reading. “This is the part that got me,
y’all,” she said. “According to all of
these articles, he’s like some kind of a mob boss with all kinds of mob
connections.”
“Shut the front door!” Mondo said,
astounded. “A mob
boss?”
Even Shanell was now intrigued. She’d never heard anything like that before,
although she had long ago assumed Reno’s family had something shady going
on. For some reason she assumed it was
drugs. “A mob boss?” she, too, asked.
“A mob boss,” Jannie said again. “And that ain’t all, either. They say he was involved in some major mob
war where people were killed, y’all. And
some of these articles even say he might have been responsible for some of
those deaths.”
“What?” Darla asked with disbelief in her
voice. “And this is the man we’re
supposed to be working for now?”
“And get this,” Jannie said, her enthusiasm
growing with every gloomy discovery about the new boss. She began reading an article. “‘Although a well-respected businessman in
his own right, and a man who has always denied any mob connections, it is worth
noting that violence and retribution seems to follow Dominic Gabrini wherever
he goes.’ And
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