Page 37 of Asher Black (The Five Syndicates)
When they pull back from each other, Asher asks, “How are you, Vince?”
“Business is well. I can’t complain.” Vince turns his eyes to me, and they light up. “You must be Lucy. My name is Vincent, but you may call me Vince or Vinny.”
I nod and move to shake his hand, but he pulls me into a hug, too. Flustered, I return it, albeit weakly. When we’re all seated, I look between the three men.
I must look curious, because Vince laughs and says, “It’s not a blood relation, dear.”
Bastian scoffs. “Yeah, no way am I related to that ugly face.”
A genuine smirk crosses Asher’s “ugly” face. “I can recall a few of your ex-girlfriends that have said otherwise.”
Wait.
Back up.
Did he just make a joke?
Asher just made a joke.
This is weird.
Why are they acting like it’s normal?
It’s definitely weird, right?
Mafia killers don’t joke… They sit around in dark rooms by themselves, brooding and listening to classical music in between their kills.
Vince laughs wholeheartedly, ignoring my bewilderment, and says to me, “That’s how this all began. Bastian and Asher were dating the same young lady, a—”
Bastian smirks and says, “She was no lady,” at the same time Asher snorts and says, “We weren’t dating. We were fucking.”
Bastian’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, yeah. You think you’re hot shit, Ash. We know.”
Vince ignores the two. “Bastian finds out about Asher, and he goes to confront him.”
“And I fucked him up,” finishes Asher. “He had a baseball bat, too.”
“I have three brothers—Elias, Gio, and Frankie,” Vince says.
I still. Frankie is the head of the Romano family, which would mean that Vince is not only a Romano but also a high-ranking member. I’m essentially eating dinner with mafia royalty… and I’m not even scared.
How badass am I right now?
“Bastian is Gio’s son, which would make him my nephew. I was head of enforcement, so I was sent to deal with Asher personally, Bastian being my nephew and all. I wasn’t expecting what I found. Naturally, Bastian lied and told us he was beaten by someone older, but at the time, Asher was just a 15-year old boy, almost five years younger than Bastian. So, I looked at him and said—”
“Where are your shoes, boy?” Asher finishes.
> “And Asher said—”
“I ain’t got none.”
“And I said—”
“Well, let’s go get you some.”
There’s a look of fondness on Asher’s face. It’s so vulnerable, it takes me completely by surprise. I’ve been looking for his weaknesses since the moment I met him, and here it is, and it’s so unexpected…
Asher loves somebody.
