15. Luca
Chapter fifteen
Luca
“Fuck, finally, someone worth talking to,” I mutter to myself as I answer the phone with a curt greeting.
“Finally, the De Santi heir is back.” Victor lets out a slight chuckle as he speaks.
“I’m back to reclaim my city.” I bring the cigar closer to my lips and take a quick drag.
“It has always been yours and you can rest assured that my people are with you.”
A cloud of smoke forms in front of me as I release it from the corner of my mouth and nostrils. Nothing’s ever straightforward with Victor. His dealings with my father have taught me to know better.
“Get to the point, Victor. What do you want?”
There’s a slight pause before he answers. “What are your plans to get your father’s... business back in the game?”
“Does it bother you that I’m back? I’m making moves; you don’t have to worry about it.” I’m back and I’m going to make the city know the De Santis are here to take their rightful place. This city belonged to my father, and it isn’t about to stop now.
“You have to be careful, kid; the Carusos are a deadly bunch and having the Mancinis with them makes New York City their den of crime.”
I’ve always known the Carusos to be slimy bunches but it sounds annoying just to hear him warn me about the fucking Mancinis. “The fuck do you mean, Victor? You think I’m gonna let those companies slip through my fingers like sand?”
My time away has left him underestimating what I’m capable of. That’s about to fucking change. “I’ve got a plan, and it’s all good to go. I’m gonna take what’s mine, and nobody’s gonna stand in my way. Capisce (Understand)?”
Victor’s old voice crackles with a chuckle. “Ah, Luca, you’re a real chip off the old block. But listen kid, watch your back. The Caruso family’s been makin’ moves, tryin’ to muscle in on our territory. They’re ruthless, and they’ve got connections. Don’t underestimate ‘em.”
With a smirk, I take a drag of my cigar. “That’s all? You’re telling me this like it’s news? Please, Victor. I’ve got this under control. I’m no rookie.”
Victor’s tone turns serious. “Just keep your eyes open, Luca. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “I’ll be fine.”
Immediately after the call ends, I dial Vito’s number, my fingers drumming impatiently on the desk. “Vito, get the men together. I want to meet with all our guys at the compound. Now.”
Vito’s voice is a monotone yes-man. “Got it, Boss. I’ll get ‘em rounded up.”
I hang up, my gaze drifting to the fish tank in the corner of the room. Those stupid fish, swimming around in circles, not caring about the shit going on outside their little glass world. I watch them, my mind elsewhere, thinking about the Caruso family and how they think they got in the picture so fast.
Fucking amateurs. This is my city. And it will always be my city. No fucking assholes are going to steal everything my father had built and worked for. They’ll have to kill me first. I’m back to reclaim what’s mine and no one is stopping me. Not even the Carusos.
My phone rings, snapping me out of my trance.
Vito’s voice is on the other end. “Boss, everyone is here.”
“I’m on my way.”
I walk with long, decisive steps up to the lavish green grass of my compound, the sunlight glinting off the champagne cup in my hand. Before me, a line of rough-looking men regard me with eyes as cold as stone, their gazes as unforgiving.
“Fucking hell, I’m in my city,” I yell, my voice echoing across the compound.
The men erupt in a chorus of cheers and whistles, their faces a mix of excitement and menace.
“Listen up, bastardos ,” I snarl, my gaze sweeping across the sea of leather-clad thugs. “It’s time to let this city know that I, Luca De Santi, am back, and I'm here to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me.”
My men roar in approval, their fists pumping in the air like a bunch of rabid animals.
“We are taking back what’s ours, and we will run it all with no fear, no mercy.”
My voice is a deep grunt.
“We’re the De Santis, and we’re the ones who call the shots in this city! I want you all to spread the word,” I say, my voice low and even, my eyes scanning the crowd with a cold intensity.
“Let every rival gang know that Luca De Santi is back in town, and I’m not here to play games.” I pause, my gaze piercing through the silence. “Tell them that the De Santi family is reclaiming their territory, and anyone who stands in their way will be dealt with. No mercy, no quarter.”
My men nod, their faces set in determined lines.
“Let the word spread like wildfire.”
They cheer with guttural noises.
I turn to Sterling as the men retreat to their trucks. Sterling’s arm tattoo is written in Italian with a red rose beside it. He folds his arm, popping out his muscles as he stands beside me.
“Get me the list of every corrupt cop in the city.”
He nods.
“Those stronzi (assholes) will come in handy.”
Sterling starts to walk away when I stop him again.
“Also, the list of every fucking gang that betrayed us and is now allies with the Carusos. They all deserve one thing. I’m about to be their nightmare.”
Sterling’s expression turns grim; his jaw clenched. “Got it, Boss.”
Immediately, as I take a step into the mansion, I hear Bianca’s voice from behind me. She must have been sitting on the couch beside the door and waiting for me patiently.
“What are you up to now, Luca?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Bianca, I don’t need your bickering right now. I have work to do.”
“Work?” she repeats, her voice rising.
“I’m trying to keep my father’s legacy alive and I don’t need you to question me.”
She swallows a hard gulp as she stares at me.
“What about her?”
“What?”
“Are you ever going to let her go?”
I take a step closer to her, my eyes narrowing. “This is why I’m the one running the empire, Bianca, because I’m the one who can make tough decisions. Not because I’m older, but because I have the guts to do what shit needs to be done.”
She stands on her feet now. Bianca is only a few inches shorter than I am, even with her heels on. Her face reminds me so much of Madre.
“And no, I've told you countless times. She’s my prisoner and she’ll remain here for as long as I want.”
“Is this truly about getting revenge or your crazy hunger for power? I don’t understand you anymore.”
“You don't have to.” I’m walking away from her. She always has to make a fight out of everything.
“This isn’t what our parents would have wanted if they were still alive.”
I stop in my tracks, infuriated by her words. It’s her fault they are dead, but I never told her and I’m not going to now. Or ever.
Instead, I snap at her. “Don’t you fucking dare tell me what Mom and Dad would want! You have no idea what they would have wanted!”
Her eyes flash with defiance, but before she can speak, I grab her chin and stare into her eyes, my gaze piercing and intense.
“You’re walking a thin line, Bianca,” I hiss. “I have it all worked out. Stay out of my fucking business, Bianca, and don’t push me.”
She looks up at me with a look of pure anger; she hisses and says, “You are not my fucking brother. He died alongside my parents three years ago!”
I watch her storm off, her heels clicking on the floor. “Bianca!”
She ignores my calls as she walks away from me and disappears into the hallway.
If only she understood how much pressure everything puts on me. Trying to rebuild everything we had here while still instilling fear in our rivals. The burden of the business and making tough decisions to stay at the top.
I turn to Sterling, who’s just entering the building. He has been very loyal to me; that’s why I keep him close. Sterling always gets the job done, and quickly. “Where were we, Sterling?”
“I’ve got the names and addresses of those corrupt cops we can use to our advantage, but…”
Sterling is unusually mute for a moment. Like he is stopping himself from overstepping with his words.
“If you have something else to fucking say, spill it.”
“It’s going to cost us a lot of money.”
“Anything to have them under my fingers. I know exactly what I have planned so just get it done.”
He nods in response.
“What about the traitors?”
“Vito is working on that.”
“Good. I want them all dead soon enough,” I respond as I slowly walk away from the living room.
Left alone, I sit in the darkness of the room I now occupy, the only sound being the ice clinking in my glass of Bourbon. Thoughts of Gianna keep flashing through my mind.
I’m stalling the plans I had for her. She’s having a fucking effect on me. Seeing the fire in her is stopping me from inflicting so much pain on her to get what I need. She wouldn’t be alive if I had carried out my initial plans. Gianna would be begging for death right now if I had.
I switch on the TV and take a swig of the liquor, feeling the burn down my throat.
I’m taking back my city. That’s all I think about now. No one would fucking dare to stop me… or distract me.
***
I wake up to the sound of a loud noise in the compound.
As I walk out of the front door, I’m met by the sight of a bunch of cars sprawled everywhere, with guys all around them; their bodies are bloodied. The doctors I pay to work for me are already doing their jobs, taking care of my men.
Vito and Sterling come out of a car looking a lot better than the rest of the men laying all over my floor, tainting it with their blood.
“What the fuck happened?” I demand.
Vito and Sterling come closer to me, their faces grim and battered. “The Morettis and some of the Carusos’ men attacked our warehouse in Brooklyn. They were trying to steal from us,” Vito replies.
I turn to the wall and punch it hard.
“Moretti thinks I’m fucking weak? How dare he betray me?”
I turn my gaze back to them, my eyes icy. “Get fixed up. We have a war to win."
One I'm not losing.