The best way for the family to go unnoticed was by staying a productive member of society and working to keep our money clean. Laundering it through some local business was what my father wanted me to do, and I’d been fighting him on it for the last few months. The situation of killing Queen was resurfacing. We paid off some police officers to keep things out of the paper. A week ago, it popped up all over social media about a high-ranking mafioso being killed in America.
“Where’s your assistant? The last girl got attached to you because you slept with her and you had to fire her,” Gael asked, looking out into the lobby of my office.
“That’s the problem with women, they get too attached. Monica’s constantly calling me like we’re a couple. She’s known for the last year that she’s just sex for me.” I shrugged, leaning back in my chair, raising my hands behind my neck.
“Have you talked to Alessandra?”
“No, why?”
“She texted and requested if I’d convince you to let her visit.”
“No.”
“Joaquin.”
“She’s not coming, and she can stop asking and going behind my back to everyone except her brother. She’s too young for this city,” I said, standing, picking up my black trench coat off my hanger, and heading out.
“Alessandra is twenty-two. A grown woman that you and your father seem to refuse to let grow up.” I stopped walking and turned to him, narrowing my eyes.
“Are you sleeping with my sister?”
“Joaquin, you know me better than that. Alessandra is like a little sister to me, and she wants to be taken seriously and not smothered by her family.”
“I’ll talk to her, and I propose you stop talking to her,” I suggested as we walked to my limo parked out back. Leonardo, my longtime driver and bodyguard when I needed him to cover my back, was waiting with the door opened.
“Boss, Gabriella said I needed to take the trash out,” Leonardo advised, leaving the passenger side door and walking back around to the driver’s side. I had hundreds of men that depended on me, and unfortunately, I didn’t trust any of them in this business.
“Thank you, Leonardo, take us to Ryde. I need to speak with Carlo and Antonio.” He nodded and stuck the key in the ignition and pulled off into traffic. While living here in New York, you became hyper-focused on the next thing you had to do, and the fast pace ended up making you crash and burn if you didn’t take every little moment and enjoy the people or things you loved. Gael was more sensible about things than I was, because the second someone crossed me, I killed them. I learned from the best, and my grandfather Tiago was no pushover. He and my father took me to my first kill at twelve. I didn’t understand at first when we walked into the basement, and I saw a man was lying on the floor naked. Tiago explained that he stole from the family and needed to be punished. They handed me a gun and I held it up, pointed it at the man as he writhed, crawling and crying to be free.
I smiled and pretended like I would shoot him, and he peed on himself. I was taught to always put the Fuertes family first. My mother knew what was happening; she cried all night about me being taken to be initiated into the lifestyle. My father promised her I wouldn’t have to do anything except observe, but that was a lie. I passed the gun back to my father and he asked why I was giving it back. I said it was too loud, and the feel of a knife to someone’s throat, while you’re staring intently into their eyes as they take their last breath, was what brought me joy. Am I a serial killer? Yes. Do I go around killing random people? No. Am I heartless and cold-blooded? Absolutely, and I wouldn’t change a thing about me. That’s what gets you through life, not caring, not letting anyone get too close.
“We’re here, boss,” Leonardo shouted and got out of the car to assist us. I waved him off that we’d be fine as Gael and I got out of the limo.
“We’ll be awhile here, make sure Miss Chambers gets my delivery and send my regrets about not being there.” He agreed with a thumbs up, and I shut the door weaving through the afternoon lunch crowd outside of Antonio’s.
“So, you don’t believe in love or dating, and yet you send flowers to a woman you don’t want any relationship with?” Gael started patting his side to make sure his gun was ready. We had a working relationship with Antonio and Carlo, but we don’t even trust our allies.
“I’m not interested; like I said, I think she’s a great actress.”
“I heard you asked her out to dinner the other night.”
We saw Carlo sitting in his usual booth, eating and laughing with the bartender. She was tall and lean, with big breasts and a small butt. The uniforms they wore had the girls in black dresses and men in black slacks and dress shirts. The smell of fresh garlic sauce and Italian meatballs drenched in marinara caused my stomach to rumble. Last year, I was here and I’d met Sofia.
“Carlo, we’ve heard the rumors about your wife, Janice. I suggest you try not to enjoy yourself too much with your staff.”
“Alana is a friend and Janice knows I would never cheat on her,” Carlo replied, gesturing for us to take a seat.
I smirked, taking a seat opposite him in the booth. Alana sauntered over with a glass of wine and menus for Gael and I. Taking it out of her hand, Gael smiled and winked at her as she giggled and walked away.
“No,” Carlo replied.
“No, what?” Gael asked innocently.
“Stay away from her,” Carlo informed him.
Gael chuckled and winked at Carlo.
“So, tell me what you’ve heard from your contacts in Italy,” I demanded, changing the subject.
He sighed, driving a hand down his face, before he leaned forward, clasping his hands together.
“We can look at this a few different ways. She came after us first and tried to take down our family, we had no choice but to retaliate. Antonio is onboard with whatever you need to do, but Vitale wants blood as a replacement for killing her. Basically, Queen went off on her own with trying to make moves that went above her pay grade.”
“Should we prepare for retaliation?”
Alana strolled back over with the second plate of fettuccine pasta for the table this time. I needed to be clear on what Carlo was telling me to be prepared for before I carried out some calls to Italy and Portugal. My parents split their time between Portugal and Italy, and Alessandra was in Italy last time I learned.
“Antonio explained that Vitale was making moves with the Russian mob, and we’ve already had a strained relationship with them over the past few years after they tried to kill him. Ghost, I know you like to kill in silence, but they're coming with big guns compared to your knives. De Luca’s family is finally content and happy; I cannot pull our children and wives back into any drama. Move fast and in silence.”
“Cut off the head and the rest will fall,” I mumbled to myself. Gael scooped some pasta onto his plate, taking a bite of the famous dish that Antonio’s sold.
“What are you thinking?” Gael questioned.
“Traveling to Italy may need to come sooner than expected. Ensuring the family is protected is my only concern and stopping this before it gets out of hand and they strike us in New York. I’ll contact my sister tonight and see if our parents stayed in town or not. Mother likely has. I pushed my father to travel more with her, thinking it would slow him down from sticking his nose in Cartel business. The man is sixty-five years old; he’ll never stop pulling strings.”
“Uncle Joaquin is dangerous when your mother isn’t around to keep him preoccupied and focused on her. As his junior, your personality is the same, brother. You’re silent and deadly.”
“Leave my father out of this and tell me more about the Vitale and Russian partnership,” I demanded. Right as Carlo spoke, I picked up a familiar laugh that caught my attention.
I took in the sight of Sofia and the same guy she was here with last time, laughing together. He held her around the waist, running a hand up and down her back. I felt a twinge of jealousy. This was the second time we had seen her out with him in public. Maybe that’s why she turned me down; because they had a relationship together. The hostess walked them through the front section of the restaurant and down to the side and sat them at a table near us with her back to us. Our booth was more toward the corner enclave, but I still had a perfect view of her sweet smile. He caressed her cheek, and I grabbed the fork in my hand, ready to push it into his eye. “Do you know why this is all happening? I mean, the real reason behind the hate between Vitale, Fuertes, and De Luca?” Carlo questioned.
“Didn’t it originally start with Joaquin’s grandfather, Tiago, killing someone that stole from them a few years ago?” Gael asked.
“Joaquin, you want to explain?” Carlo suggested.
“It wasn’t Tiago that killed someone; it was me.”
“Wait, you?”
Rehashing my first kill over twenty years ago always stirred up bad memories, not from the killing, but the aftermath. Like Carlo said, this war was long standing because the man that I killed was Queen’s uncle, Federico’s twin brother. I had Gabriella investigate deeper and if it ever came to light that it was me, this war would be personal. Perio Vitale was working with my grandfather and father, and tried to cut them out of a deal that would have made them millionaires. Over the years, a truce was called if we paid them a set amount, and when I refused to continue the payment of fifty million to be transferred to them, and then Queen died, it must have all come full circle and we’d be back to destroying each other.
Loud laughing brought me out of my daze; looking at the cause of the giggles, I stood ready to put an end to Sofia’s lunch. Gael reached out to stop me. “Joaquin, no. We’re in public, and she’s well-known. Let them be.”
He knew my temper and what I was capable of doing.
“Am I missing something?” Carlo asked.
“I’m just going to say hello. I won’t hurt him, yet,” I informed him.
“Every time you say you won’t hurt anyone, it’s a code for calling Gabriella to clean up the mess,” Gael joked as I was removing his hand from my jacket. I grinned, and observed Sofia remove her hand from her little boyfriend’s grasp.
Marching over to the table, I slid my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t get the urge to kill him in two seconds. Clearing my throat, I stated, “Sofia, I see you were able to get out to have lunch. I hope you haven’t filled out too much and have left room for me.”
“What are you doing here?” Sofia questioned, as her eyes scanned around the restaurant.
“Come talk to me, your boyfriend won’t mind. Right?” I requested, furrowing my brows, just waiting for him to say the wrong thing.
“Uhhh, no. That’s fine. The food hasn’t come out, anyway,” he spoke.
“Grazia.” I thanked him in Italian. Having two different languages after having an Italian mother and a father from Portugal came with the privilege of me getting to travel the world. Speaking multiple languages was something our mother instilled in us.
Sofia stood up, and I let her walk in front of me toward the back. I nodded to Carlo that I was going toward the office at the end of the restaurant. Either he or Antonio would work out of there when they came here.
Opening the door, it didn’t look like anyone had been in here today; it was spotless.
“Have a seat.”
“I’d rather stand, and why did you choose to talk with me?”
“I want to have dinner with you.”
She sighed, rolling her eyes, and I grinned at her annoyance. Antonio told me the story of how he pursued his Sabrina, and she always pushed him away.
“I can’t.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“I know who you and your family are. I don’t consider this to be a great idea. Sorry, but I’m not trying to get involved with a mob family.”
I chuckled at her statement and stepped closer, filling the gap between us. “I’m a legit businessman, Sofia Chambers.”
“I don’t think that’s true, and besides, you don’t seem like the one-woman type of guy. Am I missing something, or did you not arrive with your girlfriend from the last time we bumped into each other?”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“At least you're honest and admit the woman that showed up with you.”
“Monica is of no importance. I’m talking to you, wanting to spend a few minutes of your time getting to know you a little better, is that so sinful?” I lifted her palm and caressed the top of her knuckles.
“It is if it ends up with me having a bullet to my head because of your mobster friends,” she spat and jerked her hand away.
“You don’t think I would protect you? Sofia, I’m a simple man and my family has dealings in that world, I won’t lie. But I’m a businessman,” I lied, and she seemed to believe me.
“What type of business do you have?” she quizzed.
Explaining myself to anybody was a death wish any other day. Seeing the determination in her eyes to push me away only caused me to want to press forward.