Ties That Bind Read Online Free PDF Page A

just observant enough to know that you are putting her life and your own in danger if this is the way you conduct your daily business.”
    “You don’t hold back anything, do you?”
    “Should I?”
    “Maybe,” Jimmie smiled, “maybe not. Honesty can be a welcomed trait.”
    “Or a deadly sin,” he responded, smiling genuinely this time. It was line from his childhood, something that Markesi spouted on a regular basis to anyone willing to listen to his late night rambles of honor and loyalty. “It’s a fine line.”
    “You know Markesi.”
    It wasn’t a question, merely an observation, and Mitch could detect no underlying frustration at the mention of Markesi. Perhaps the street was wrong in its assessment of the Vinetti-Markesi feud. He tilted his head toward the corner where Vitale was standing quietly with a waiter, his hands twisting the edges of his apron in unease. “Vitale’s waiting for us to shoot each other or call for the food.”
    “Fool’s probably worried about his damn hardwoods getting stained,” Jimmie laughed but raised his hand to Vitale. He bellowed loudly, his deep voice echoing in the nearly empty restaurant. “Ashli, vieni sorellina !  The piccata is getting cold.” He winked Mitch’s direction. “Nothing worse than cold veal.”
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    “Walk with me?”
    Mitch nodded and fell into step beside Jimmie. Several paces ahead, Ashli had her arms entwined with the bodyguards. She was leaning from one to the other, whispering in each of their ears. All three were laughing softly.
    “She does that to set me off,” Jimmie explained.
    “Your men or men in general?”
    “I doubt she notices the difference.”
    “But you do.”
    “Of course. Why haven’t we met?”
    Mitch tightened his coat, stalling. That was the question, wasn’t it? The Vinettis were the one family he purposefully steered clear of...but explaining why wasn’t something he was prepared to share. “I could give you a line of shit that’s believable.”
    “Or?”
    “Or I could just tell you that your family is much more visible than I ever care to be.”
    Jimmie stopped, considered for a moment, and then kept walking. “You play it straight. I like that.”
    “It's a luxury most people don't have.”
    “So you don't need a job?”
    “Need?” Mitch shook his head. “No, I don't need a job. I like to stay busy but it's not financially motivated.”
    “That allows you a lot of flexibility in choice then,” Jimmie suggested. “And an exorbitant fee, I'd imagine.”
    Mitch laughed. “Are we negotiating already?”
    “My time is pretty limited these days. I tend to get to the point.”
    “Okay then.” He stopped mid-stride. When Jimmie followed suit and turned to face him, Mitch’s eyes darkened. “Your security is in shambles. I walked into your sister's office and could've strangled her before a single guard ever arrived. Your detail is more concerned with gossip about your business dealings than making certain a place is secure. You have hundreds of employees and you don't know the history or background of any of them, even the ones closest to you. Your sister’s fascination with angering you is taking the guards attention away from, for example, the three feds that have been following us since we left the restaurant. Now, whether I help you fix that or someone else does it, for the safety of yourself, your sister and your future business, you need to get it under control.”
    Rather than the anger or at least tension he expected, Jimmie merely nodded. “That was a brutal assessment. But the most honest thing I've heard out of anyone's mouth in a decade. Your last employer ended up dead.”
    Mitch winced before he could contain it. “Yes.”
    “What's to say I don't end up the same?”
    “I can't guarantee your life, Jimmie, and if that's what you are looking for then you've come to the wrong place. No one can guarantee something like that. Especially