Matt clenched his teeth as he watched him go. Apart from warning him off, there was nothing he could do. Once the door closed on the men, he sat back down and glared at Mitch and Josh.
“Talk,” he ordered.
A plate loaded with a cooked breakfast appeared in front of him. The smell of sausages, black pudding, baked beans and potato scones made Matt’s mouth water. There were even locally grown mushrooms and home-baked soda bread. It was heart attack heaven. Dougal, the pub owner and the town’s unofficial mayor, clasped his shoulder. “Thought you could use that, son.”
Matt half expected the man to hang around and insinuate himself into the conversation, but he left as quickly as he’d arrived. Matt suspected it was the murderous look he knew was in his eyes that deterred Dougal.
Josh and Mitch shared a look. Matt read it loud and clear: trepidation.
“Looks like Frank got what he wanted,” Josh said.
Mitch rubbed his chin. “No kidding, if he’s in bed with Rizzoni, he’s on his way to being a made man.”
Matt held up his hand. “Explain. From the beginning.”
Mitch sighed. “We were teenagers when we knew Frank Di Marco. He was a hustler back then. A guy trying to make a buck and a name for himself. He talked big, but was harmless. He wa
s decent enough, funny, entertaining. He had a code. You could trust him.”
“That doesn’t sound like the guy we just had a chat with,” Matt said.
“No.” Mitch glanced towards the door Frank had disappeared through. “He’s changed. He’s managed to get into bed with the big boys.” He looked back at Matt. “Vince Rizzoni is well connected; he’s high up in the Rizzoni family. We’re talking Jersey mob. I don’t know where Vince sits in the structure of things; we’re out of touch. But he’s definitely mob.”
Matt felt a throbbing start in his temple. “What’s this club he’s talking about?”
“Legs? It’s a strip club. Used to be the strip club. Sounds like Frank’s got plans to take it to the top again.”
Matt relaxed slightly and forked some baked beans into his mouth. It took a lot more stress than this current fiasco to ruin his appetite. “So, he’s not mob, only connected to the mob. American mob, which is far, far away.” He looked at Mitch. “I don’t have to worry about him, then?”
Mitch was grim. He shook his head. “No, it means you have to worry more. Sounds like he’s trying to impress the Rizzonis to get in deep with them. It doesn’t look good if his woman ran out on him.”
“Especially if she cleaned him out beforehand,” Josh added.
Mitch nodded. “Something like that will make a man lose face. Trust me. If you want to impress the mob, you sort that crap out pretty damn quick. I saw this a lot when I was studying law. Mob guys up on charges over something that started out as a loss of respect and ended with violence, and bodies with cement shoes.”
Everything within Matt stilled. “Is Jena in danger?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Mitch said. “With the Frank I used to know I’d say no, but that Frank didn’t make deals with the mob. I don’t know what this Frank is capable of.”
Matt didn’t like that answer one bit.
“I wouldn’t trust him,” Josh said. “His image has taken a hit. For a guy like that, image is everything. A good image promotes respect. I would guess that’s why he hooked Jena—she’s gorgeous. That kind of woman gives a man status. It’s also probably why he’s pissed about his car as well. A pristine Chevelle is nothing to sneeze at. They sell for what? A hundred grand?” He looked at Mitch , who nodded.
“They can go for that much, but around about the fifty-k mark is more common.”
Matt buttered his toast. “Why the hell would Jena hook up with a guy like that?” He wasn’t sure why any woman would date Frank.
Josh shrugged. “Money? Lifestyle?”
No. No way. Matt shook his head. “Does she strike you as the gold-digging type? She’s out there fixing a house that’s beyond repair. Doing it all by herself. If she was into money and lifestyle, she’d have hit on a wealthy single guy or cosied up to someone willing to do the work for her.”
“You’re forgetting about the dates—she’s had a lot of them since coming to town.” Josh pointed his fork at Matt. “Men are falling over themselves to get at her. Maybe she’s looking for a sugar daddy.”
Lake laughed. He’d been so quiet that Matt almost forgot he was there. “If she was looking for a sugar daddy she wouldn’t have gone out with half those guys. She went fishing with George the mailman last week. He isn’t exactly rolling in it.”
Matt sighed heavily. “I don’t like this.” He went to eat his black pudding, and his plate was empty. What the hell? Did he eat it without noticing? He looked up and found Josh trying to appear innocent.
“I’m telling Caroline,” Matt told him. “Didn’t she put you on a diet? I remember her lecture on how you need to be fit for your new tour. She won’t be pleased you’re eating a fat-filled Scottish breakfast. And she definitely won’t be impressed that yours wasn’t enough for you and you had to steal mine.”