Dante
After what Anna calls a light lunch, the women continue their conversation over coffee and dessert, while Sebastian, along with Leo, Elio, and Zano, join Dario and Reno in the office. I take another look at my wife, who is shifting from side to side to get comfortable in her chair. She still feels me from last night and this morning.
I had to keep her at arm’s length from the time we left our place. It’s impossible to be around her and not touch her. She’s my weakness, and we all know that our enemies use our weaknesses against us. Even with my brothers, it’s important to exercise control, because that’s who I am to them. I know they wouldn’t care and would always have my back, but I care.
Try as I might, I can’t resist one last look before I move out of sight. Of course, Sebastian catches on and jabs me in the gut.
“I see married life is agreeing with you. Told you to listen to your big brother and get yourself a good woman,” he chides.
“Fuck off,” I say in a low tone. “You’re all of a nanosecond older than me.”
Sebastian laughs, causing Reno to turn our way. “Either one of you want to fill us in on the joke?” he asks.
“No,” I announce before Sebastian can open his big mouth.
Reno raises his brow, amused by my reaction. “Then let’s get down to business, shall we?” They all take a seat, and I decide to lean on the mantel of the fireplace and wait for the debrief. “Leo called me early this morning. It seems that Fidele is leaning heavily on his new pal, Louis. He’s invited Louis to a meeting with an”—Reno does air quotes —“ally.” He then looks over to Leo.
“Louis has a meeting this Thursday night. Location unknown for now. Louis is in the hole of hell right now, which means I want him covered, which also means I’m doing the covering. We can’t wire him. Too dangerous. We won’t have enough time to scope out the area. We’re walking in blind,” Leo says with obvious frustration.
“Tracking device,” I say. “We can plant a tracker on each of their cars, so whichever one they use, we’ve got a hit on Louis.” My mind naturally moves to what I’ve got in my den of technical apparatus to equip our man.
“And if they’re picked up?” Sebastian cuts in. “There’s a good chance they will be. Lixin has survived this long by being careful. He’s gonna take extra precautions, especially if Fidele’s taking a new guy to the meeting.”
“I’ve got this microreceiver. It’s smaller than a pin and undetectable unless you’re the FBI. It fits on the back of any material. We can slip it under a collar, then we have ears on Louis. He can drop street names or landmarks, something to tell us where he’s headed,” I tell them, looking around the room.
“What happens when he’s in that den of dragons with no backup?” Leo asks.
“By that point, we’ll be closing in on them,” Reno responds on my behalf. Leo still doesn’t look convinced.
“We’ve got some time. Let me do my thing. We won’t leave him hanging. Never have, never will,” I say. “In the meantime, my job is to dig so deep into Fidele that I’m gonna know what kind of toothpaste he buys. Information doesn’t lie, Leo. I’ve got Louis’s back too.”
“It goes without saying that we’re all in. Nostra Casa takes care of their own,” Reno says.
“May I make a suggestion, Capo?” Dario waits for Reno to nod. “The underground tracks in the east side of town are being used more and more lately. A homeless man who used to sleep down there had to get out because the Red Dragons took over their small commune. Lixin may not be there, but one of his members must run messages to him.”
“Homeless guy?” Sebastian says. “He could be full of shit.”
“Not this man. Lost his wife, then lost his way. Found him in the alley scrounging for food. I gave him a plate. He’s been coming back every day with a nickel or a dime to pay it off. I’m making him my new dishwasher. Everyone deserves a chance to get back on their feet,” Dario replies.
Now I know where Elena gets it from. That’s exactly what his daughter would do. Only difference is that Dario’s six feet tall and a mean motherfucker if you try anything. Elena’s a tiny thing, compared to me, and she’d go all out for someone in need regardless of the consequences to her well-being.
“I’ll drop by the restaurant tomorrow. Maybe this guy can tell us more,” Leo suggests.
“Of course.” Dario lights up. “Bring the family. My wife will be all over your little Joseph, and make sure to bring Giuseppe too.”
“We’ll join you,” I say, making Dario grin even wider. “But in the meantime, I need to get to work.”
“You’re leaving? We’re supposed to be having a continuation of your wedding celebration,” Sebastian says.
“Louis’s safety comes first. He swung his ass out there for Nostra Casa. I need to go do what I do best. If one of you can accompany Elena back to the house later, it would be appreciated. She’s having a good time with the ladies, and I don’t want to pull her away from that.” Before heading back to our place, I let Elena know that she’s not to leave without someone with her.
“I can come with you,” Elena says, and begins to get up. I hold up a hand to stop her.
“I’ve got business to attend to, and you’re catching up with your mother and these other lovely women. Stay and enjoy yourself.” I lift her hand to my lips and turn it palm upward, kissing her sweetly. “See you soon.”
* * *
I don’t know how long I’ve been at it. One piece of information leads to another and yet another. I’ve looked into Fidele’s past, gone as far back as his grandfather and his role in Nostra Casa. I was stunned to find that his grandfather was, for a brief period of time, capo. A very brief time that did not end well for him. It seems my father had the right to be capo, and Fidele’s grandfather created an insurrection that for four months forced my father into hiding. We’ve heard the story a million times from our father, how he fought back to take his rightful place in Nostra Casa. What we didn’t know was that the man he was fighting was Fidele’s grandfather, Ramone.
In the end, Ramone was killed. In order to save his own life, Fidele’s father pulled the trigger and worked his way back up the ranks. That can make a man bitter. It definitely gives Fidele motive to bring down the Viales. It’s like the Red Dragon soldier revealed, Fidele was promised to be head of the family, and in return, he worked with their gang.
The next question that begs to be answered is how is he funding this coup d’état? We know about Fidele skimming money, but that wouldn’t be enough. This takes me into phase two, hunting down every bank account with his name or his father’s on it, and, to be on the safe side, his grandfather’s name as well.
Bingo! I hit paydirt. Nothing under his father’s name, but accounts overseas in both his and Ramone’s names. Then I trace the money back to its origin. The fucker is stealing from his sick underboss. He’s taking advantage of the man’s illness and stealing money right out from under his nose. When I take a deeper look, I see a substantial withdrawal is taken out of Corrado’s account on a monthly basis. That money belongs to Corrado Minnuci and his family. Not yet, but soon, I’m going to make sure it makes it back to them.
That’s just another reason to want this asshole dead and gone. I see Reno’s point about getting rid of this guy and fast, but getting rid of the Red Dragons is just as vital. Glancing at my watch, I see that it’s almost eight. I’ve been at this for hours.
I decide to take a break and head out toward the main part of the house, where the sound of music gets louder as I approach. The smell of garlic and the tantalizing aroma of cooking fills the air, beckoning me closer. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten for hours. From the archway leading into the kitchen, I see Elena chopping tomatoes. She does a little twirl and tosses them in a pan. I lean against the doorjamb and watch as she adds the seasoning. After grabbing a wooden spoon, she holds it up to her mouth and sings into it like she did at the restaurant that day, then stirs.
Her voice is cute. Off-key, but cute. But she doesn’t care. She shakes her perfect ass to the beat of the music and lets go. She doesn’t sound anything like Anna when she sings. Anna has real unfiltered talent and should have been a rock star with her voice. Yet, I’d listen to Elena anytime, any day. Her passion and zest for life is addictive. It’s not how she sings, it’s about her carefree abandon, which she shows in all that she does, even during our lovemaking.
She tosses pasta into the pot and continues to move about the kitchen like she’s been here for years, setting the table, adjusting the glasses just so, then disappearing out onto the patio. I’m about to go check on her when she doesn’t immediately return, but she literally skips back in with flowers in hand. She opens every cupboard looking for a vase, which is nonexistent because neither Sebastian nor I would ever have had the need for one. Instead, she takes a pitcher and fills it with water to put the flowers in and sets them on the table.
“I’ll have to get you a vase,” I say, announcing my presence.
She smiles. “I made do.” That’s what she does. She deals with what’s handed to her and keeps on moving.
“Not anymore. When you need something, you’ll get it.” I walk farther into the kitchen. Elena eyes me up and down, and there’s no hiding that she likes what she sees, especially when she does that thing where she bites her lower lip.
She turns back to the pasta. “It’s almost done. I hope it’s okay that I made pasta. It was too late to take anything out of the freezer,” she says with her back to me. I sidle up behind her and kiss her cheek. Her body floats back to lean against me.
“What can I do to help?” I murmur in her ear.
“Uh, I need a strainer.” Then quickly she adds, “For the pasta.”
I smile, but move away to grab it for her. “I’ll get some wine while you finish up.”
“Sounds good, sweetie.”
Now I want to claim all her endearments. Christ, what’s happening to me? I’m becoming a possessive fuck!
We’re sitting at the same table I fucked her on this morning, and I can see that she’s recalling the same thing when her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. Damned adorable.
“This is delicious,” I tell her. “Thank you. I got lost in my work. Didn’t even notice what time it was. How was the rest of your afternoon and evening with Anna and Olivia?”
“My parents left around five, and Reno and the guys went out and, by the way, ticked off Anna, because she says Sundays are family days. Olivia was feeling a little off. I think it’s the typical nausea from pregnancy. I helped give the kids a bath, and I read bedtime stories. I was on my third one before Anna came in and informed me that they were playing me. They only get one story. That Samuele, he’s a little imp,” she rambles on happily. “He splashed so much, I could have won a wet T-shirt contest.”
“He’s a Viale,” I tease. Elena will make a wonderful mother. My own mother was a loving woman. Her only concern was to keep Sebastian and me safe. The three of us were as poor as church mice, but we were together. When my mother passed, we discovered the true meaning of poverty and had to fight to stay alive. I’m going to make sure my kids never have to go through any of that. “And Anna will get over being ticked at Reno. She can’t resist his charms. Sucks about Olivia, though.”
“Totally sucks. We had to take the almond biscotti out of the room. Olivia took one bite and ran straight for the bathroom. Then she started heaving again at the sight of them. When Sebastian came back, he was in a state after seeing Olivia so pale. He carried her out to the car and took off. And don’t worry, Elio and Zano walked me home before leaving,” she assures me.
My finger grazes her cheek. “That’s my girl.”
We chat through dinner, and I make a note to call Reno later tonight to see what they’ve found and relay my own information. I carry our plates over to the sink when we’re done. Elena moves to the stereo and turns the music back on, and lands on AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
“Dance with me,” she says, wiggling her fingers, walking backward to the center of the open-concept living room.
“I don’t dance,” I reply, shaking my head.
“You danced at our wedding.”
“A one-time necessity.” Can I dance, yeah? But what’s the point? I’ve never been the guy to frequent the clubs, at least not for dancing. My reasons for going were strictly to get me some. Even then, I wasn’t in there for very long. Sebastian was a chick magnet, but I had trouble attracting attention. The problem was that I wasn’t into anything more than a night of fun, and I made it clear to the women, but some girls just can’t take no for an answer and they became nuisances. That made my appearances at these places less frequent.
“Please.” Elena gives me this pouty-lipped, big-eyed look and does the phony batting of lashes that has me throwing back my head in laughter. That’s when she makes her move. She takes my hand and drags me closer and starts swaying to the music.
Now that I have her in my arms, I move along with her. She lets me go and starts dancing and singing to the song, loud and proud. My goof pretends to do an air guitar thing, and I get swept up in the moment, dancing like a fool and matching her voice as I belt out the tune.
By the end of the song, we’re both laughing hysterically. Her wild red hair is in gorgeous disarray. I pull her close, melding us together from chest to thighs, forcing her to tilt her head back to look at me. The woman’s a drug I can’t get enough of. I plaster my mouth to hers, my hands on her ass, lifting her onto her tiptoes. I take my fill of her delectable mouth, exploring every crevice. I lift her off her feet, and her legs lock around my waist. I skim my hand up her back and into her hair, tugging gently.
“Gotta say, baby, it’s going to be another exhausting night.”
“Happily exhausting, sweetie.”
I hurry us both into the bedroom.