Reno and Son: Don't Mess with Jim (The Mob Boss Series) by Mallory Monroe Page A

“We’ll talk later.   But you tell that woman to don’t even try
that shit with me.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “I’m not the one.”
    “Don’t worry, boss, we’ll clear it up.”
    “You’d better,” Reno said as he waved them
off.   They spoke to the Wellstones as
they left the office.
    Jimmy had hoped Reno would clear out the
rest of his busy staff, all of whom were at the conference table talking on the
phones or typing vigorously or discussing strategies one with the other.   But he didn’t.  
    “Mr. Wellstone,” Reno said, walking from
behind the desk.   He extended his hand as
he walked.   “It’s good to meet you, sir.”
    “And you,” Buddy said as they shook hands.
    “I would say I’ve heard a lot about you,”
Reno went on, “but that wouldn’t be true.   I don’t think I’ve heard anything about you.”
    “I told you about him, Pop,” Jimmy quickly
pointed out.   “I told you how he worked
in real estate.   I told you how he owned
Wellstone Realty.”
    “Well yeah, that was kind of obvious.   Val did say she worked for her father’s
company.   I’m not talking that.”
    “I understand what you mean, Mr. Gabrini,”
Buddy said, “because I haven’t heard much about you, either.   But I’ve read a lot about you.”
    Ah, Reno thought.   “Don’t believe everything you read.”   Reno said this with a smile that Buddy didn’t
return.
    “Why don’t we have a seat over here, Dad,”
Jimmy suggested, pointing to the empty sitting area in the noisy office near
the backside of the room.   Reno agreed
and motioned for them to move in that direction.
    When they all sat down in the arch-top
chairs, Reno leaned back and crossed his legs.   “I hate to move this right along, but I do have a hectic schedule
today.   So I’m going to have to ask what
exactly is this about?”
    Val and Jimmy both looked at Buddy
Wellstone.   Buddy leaned forward.   “I thought it was high time I met you.   Your son and my daughter are very close, and
although I pride myself in staying out of her affairs, I felt this was too
important.”
    Reno studied Buddy Wellstone.   “And what suddenly made it so important?”
    “I’ll be blunt with you, Mr. Gabrini.   Your son’s arrest concerns me greatly.”
    But Reno was shaking his head.   “Your concern is misplaced.   It was just a barroom brawl, nothing
more.   It’s been cleared up, no charges
were even filed.   You have nothing to
worry about there.”
    “Nothing to worry about?” Buddy was
astounded that he could be so cavalier about it.   “Excuse me, sir, but Jimmy could have killed
that man.”
    “It was a fight.   No charges were ever filed.”
    “But that’s only thanks to your connections,
if you believe the media.”
    “Don’t believe the media,” Reno said
bluntly.   “You have nothing to worry
about when it comes to my boy.   He’s a
good young man who is nothing but respectful toward your daughter.”
    “He’s very respectful of my daughter, yes,”
Buddy said.   “I agree.”
    Jimmy and Val were at least warmed by such
an agreement.
    “But I’ll be lying if I say his arrest
doesn’t worry me.   It does.   I don’t think any man should become so angry
that they lose that level of control.   But that being as it may, it’s your connections that worry me more.”
    Reno just sat there.   Jimmy stared at him.   He knew his father well.   He knew Reno didn’t like where this was going
at all.   “And what connections are you
referring to?”
    “Your mob connections.”
    Jimmy’s heart pounded.   “There’s no mob connections, Mr. Wellstone,”
he said.   “Those reporters, they’ll write
anything to get that big story.   My pop is
no mob boss and he doesn’t have any mob connections.”
    But Buddy wanted to hear it from the
horse’s mouth.   “Is that true, Mr.
Gabrini?”
    “Is what true?”
    “You have no mob connections?”
    “I have plenty mob connections,” Reno
said.