Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Marchello
Every choice I made felt like walking along the edge of a cliff and hoping not to fall. Keeping Lissia close appeared safer, but was I actually bringing her closer to danger? Miami wasn’t just a trip, it was a battlefield waiting for the first shot.
But she would find a way to unleash turmoil without me. Having her with me was the only sure way to protect her. I had to trust that mine and Lorenzo’s teams could keep her out of trouble for a few days while I tended to business.
The more I researched the men I would be meeting with, the more I understood how important it was to align with them. They were coming into my territory whether I wanted them to or not. That was the climate of the business these days. This was not the old school mafia of fifty years ago when men like me could get away with anything.
The competition our own government gave us with the legalization of pot and sports betting made it tougher to do business. There were also cameras everywhere nowadays. We had to be more discreet than ever.
My father recognized the importance of cartels early on. If we didn’t work with them, they would work against us. Making Lorenzo an ally proved to be smart. He understood how important it was for me to keep the Accetti territory thriving under my family’s control.
As I gazed out at the Manhattan skyline from the dealership, Lorenzo briefed me over the phone about his security plans for us while we were in Florida. He had returned to Miami after I agreed to the meeting and had been communicating with me ever since I told him I was bringing Lissia.
“I’ve reserved a private villa for you,” he said. “I also made sure that the surrounding villas are vacant. Your team can stay in those, and no one will be around to bother you.”
“Security on the perimeters?”
“Your accommodations back up to the ocean. I could put boats out there.”
“I know you’re joking, but it’s not a bad idea.” I leaned back in my chair. “I’ll have men take shifts on the beach.”
“I can do whatever you want,” Lorenzo said. “But…”
“What?” I asked.
“We both know our efforts will be futile if Lissia doesn’t cooperate.”
“She’ll cooperate.” The stakes were too high for her not to. We couldn’t afford any issues with my father being undercover.
“If you say so.”
“Lorenzo, if you want me there, just make sure you have the security under control.”
“You have nothing to worry about. My cartel knows how important an alliance with the Accetti family is. We’ll keep you safe.”
“I appreciate it,” I said. “Can you make sure my other request is met?”
“The Christmas tree?”
“I want Lissia to have some holiday spirit.” She had been so out of sorts lately. I wanted her to enjoy the holidays and get back to being more like herself.
“My staff is on it, but I didn’t peg you for such a sentimental guy.”
“You know what they say about a happy wife.”
“The sex is phenomenal?” He laughed.
“Exactly.”
“I’ll get you the biggest tree I can find.”
“I’ll see you in a couple days.”
“Looking forward to it.”
I ended the call, feeling less unsettled than I had when it began. Being overly cautious could be a burden for those around me, but the alternative didn’t work for me. Not when it came to protecting my wife.
Milo stormed into the office at the dealership and slammed the door. “We have a problem.”
“Milo, get the fuck out of here!” I pounded my fist on the desk because we never seemed to have a day free of chaos. “Solve the damn problem without me. That’s why you are here.”
“Do you know how many problems I take care of without consulting you? Who do you think held up this organization when you were playing house with your hostage a few months ago?”
I took a breath and rested my chin on my fist. “I would just like one day without a problem.”
“So would I.”
“What is it?”
“We lost track of Collins.”
“What!” I jumped out of the chair. “How?”
“He’s an elusive son of a bitch. He’s good at evading people.” Milo checked his phone. “I have every available man on this. We’re going to find him.”
“Lissia.” I grabbed my phone. “I have to call her.”
“I already called Dom and warned him. He’s not going to let her out of his sight.”
“Thank you.” I wanted to hear her voice. “Are they still at Gian’s house?”
“They were a few minutes ago.” Milo ran his hand through his hair and stared at me. His hesitation irked me. The look in his eyes said he had more bad news.
“What else?” I asked.
“Angelo paid Lissia a visit.”
“What did he want?”
“Dom doesn’t know, but Angelo left agitated.” Milo held up his hand. “Before you freak out, I put a guy on him to see if he makes any moves.”
Great. Collins was a ghost, slipping through our fingers every time we got close, and Angelo… He wasn’t just a pest. He was a snake, coiled and waiting for the right moment to strike. Between the two of them, it felt like my world was closing in. One wrong move, and it could all crumble.
“You know she pushed his buttons.” I kicked the side of the desk. “She can’t fucking help herself. God knows what she told him.”
“I’m sure she handled her shit.”
“She can hold her own, but that usually means trouble for us.” I called her, but she didn’t answer. “Fucking voicemail. Lissia, call me as soon as you get this. Get in that car and get home.”
“She doesn’t respond well to your demands. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
She’ll respond to my belt.
“I’ll handle Collins,” Milo said. “I don’t care how many witnesses were there the other night. We’re going to have to finish this. We can’t afford to have him loose in the city.”
“I agree.” I leaned against the desk. “If we have the opportunity, get it done. We can call in a favor or two to cover our tracks if we have to.”
“No one in the organization will challenge us. It’s just the Feds we’re going to have to keep off our scent. After they raided those shipments, they are looking for any excuse to come at us.”
“Call Senator McCoy and work out a donation to his upcoming campaign. His brother might be able to help us. His ties to the Feds are far-reaching.”
“McCoy already owes Dad for that mishap he had with the mistress.”
Senator McCoy and my father went way back. My father’s dealership was able to elevate the senator to the next level and create a useful ally. So when McCoy’s mistress overdosed in a hotel room registered to him a few years ago, my father made the problem go away.
“Right, but let’s act as if we’re not cashing in on that favor yet. He knows he owes us more than one.” I checked my phone, making sure I hadn’t missed Lissia’s call. “Suggest that most of the problems were because of Gian and we’re not going to cause any issues.”
“I’ll get it done,” Milo said.
He always got things done. “Sorry about the way I reacted when you told me we had a problem.”
“I get where you’re coming from. We’re both frustrated. We’ve had too much shit thrown at us these last few weeks.”
“It feels like it’s been years.” I sighed. “I want to go back to the way things were.”
“We will,” he said. “We have to rid ourselves of Collins and this sex trafficking bullshit, but once Dad is home, we’re going to restore peace. This isn’t anything we can’t handle. It’s business as usual.”
“You’re right.” Only, this time, our brutal business seemed a little more personal.
“I’ll reach out to McCoy, then I’ll let the team you’re taking to Miami know their travel plans.”
“I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
“You won’t have to.” He hustled out of the office to tackle the next set of obstacles that plagued us.
I took a seat behind my father’s desk and glanced at the picture of him, Milo, and me. It was taken a few weeks after my mother had been killed. We had wanted to do something in her honor, so we organized the first charity gala for her favorite cause.
That night was meant to celebrate all the work she had done for young women who found themselves in bad places, but it ended up being a constant reminder that she wasn’t with us.
My father had been unshakable—a fortress in the storm. He’d given Milo and me the illusion of safety, even as he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now that weight was mine, and every step I took felt like a misstep; one wrong turn and we were headed toward disaster.
I leaned back in the chair and studied the picture. Twelve years ago, we were dressed in our finest designer suits, playing the part of the gangsters disguised as legitimate businessmen.
My father brought Milo and me into his office at the dealership to give us a break from the crowds of people who had come to support our cause. In some ways, it was like being at my mother’s funeral all over again. Everyone wanted to greet my father and offer their condolences.
He graciously accepted their wishes, but I knew he was taking it all in. I may have killed the man who planted the bomb, but we still hadn’t found out who was responsible. Whoever it was hadn’t come forward or made a move against us. That put us all on edge.
It was odd that someone would go to all of that trouble and not follow up. But maybe that was the plan—to make us grieve and throw us off our game while they made their move. I loathed not knowing.
“We could all use a break.” My father strolled to the cabinet and grabbed the vodka. “We knew tonight wouldn’t be easy, but you’re both doing a wonderful job of keeping it together.”
“Do you think the bastard is here tonight?” Milo asked. “Would they have the balls to show up?”
“It’s possible. But we don’t need to worry about that now.” My father poured three glasses, despite the fact that Milo and I weren’t old enough to drink.
Drinking didn’t seem like such a transgression, considering the other activities we engaged in when it came to our family business.
“I just want to make them pay.” Milo motioned toward the door. “All those people out there are here because of Mom. They want to celebrate her, and we haven’t even avenged her death.”
I hated that Milo was right about that, but whoever took our mother in such a senseless way hadn’t made themselves known, so we had to wait. I had many theories as to why. My favorite one was that after committing such a bold act, they were now afraid to come forward.
They should be.
“We will when the time is right.” My father handed me a glass of vodka. “You’re awfully quiet.”
“I’m just taking it all in.” I sipped the smooth alcohol. “Trying to make all of this make sense. One second I think whoever this was is playing with us, but then I feel like they’re afraid to follow through.”
“It will never make sense,” my father said. “But the three of us will pick up the pieces and rise from the ashes of this devastation. We have to stick together and protect what’s ours.”
“I just want it to get easier.” I gazed out at the skyline. “I want Mom to be alive.”
“I do too.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “That’s not going to happen, though, so the best thing we can do is honor her. We can make her proud.”
“She wanted me to go to Princeton, and I didn’t even do that.”
“She would understand and accept your choices.” He set his glass on the desk. “She knew how much this business means to me. She always knew that the two of you were meant to stand with me. No Ivy League education is going to teach you what I can.”
“I’m not going either, Marchello.” Milo joined us by the window. “Mom knows that’s not our path.”
“Milo is right.” My father stood in front of the window, turning to face us. “We’ve lost the heart and soul of this family, and the coming days may not be easy for us, but the three of us are going to control this city.”
I clenched my fist, trying to control the ticking time bomb that was embedded deep inside of me. I didn’t know if I would ever get over the loss of my mother, but I would make her proud of me.
Milo downed his drink, muting his rage with the numbing fluid. Vodka had become our drink of choice. We used it as a vice to help us through our darkest days.
“We stand together,” my father said. “We survive together. We will get through this intolerable time, and we’ll come out stronger. I promise.”
I never trusted anyone more than I trusted my father. If he said we would be okay, I believed him.
“To the Accetti Empire,” I said.
“May it always thrive.” My father wrapped his arms around both of his sons, bringing us into a close embrace. Always protecting us, comforting us, and preparing us for the years ahead.
The buzzing of my phone ripped me from the memory. I rubbed my temple before glancing down at the screen.
Thank fuck! I quickly answered the call. “Lissia, where are you?”
“I got your message,” she said. “I’m leaving my dad’s house now.”
“You’re with Dom?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s waiting for me to get in the car.”
“Do not leave his side.”
“Is everything okay? You sound tense.”
“No more tense than usual.” I didn’t want to tell her I’d lost track of Collins. I didn’t need her going off and trying to help. Dom was aware of the situation. All he had to do was get her to me. I would take care of the rest. “How was your meeting with your mother?”
“That went well but…”
“But what?” I wondered how long it would take her to tell me Angelo had paid her a visit.
As if we didn’t have enough problems, now I had to worry about Gian’s worthless men coming at my girl.
“I had a run-in with Angelo today.”
“What did that scum want?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Can I come to the dealership? We could have lunch together.”
“I’d like that.” Having her with me, knowing I could protect her, was exactly what I needed right now. “Tell Dom to drive safe.”
“He doesn’t listen to me.”
“Tell him I said it.”
“I’ll be there soon. Getting in the car now. I love?—”
A loud blast and muffled screams rattled me before the line went dead.
It couldn’t be what I thought it was. The universe couldn’t be that cruel.
“What the fuck?”
The sound wasn’t just a noise, it was a punch to the gut—a memory I had tried to bury clawing its way to the surface. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“Lissia!” I yelled into the dead line, my voice cracking. I needed to hear her voice, needed to know she was alive.
Tick… Tick… Boom.