Epilogue
Luca
Three weeks later
I sat with my back to the wall.
Gabriele was in the chair on my left, Leonardo on my right. The late hour meant the trattoria was empty, save the kitchen staff.
I didn’t like having meetings at night. They kept me away from Valentina, and I’d much prefer to be fucking her at the moment.
This meant I was pissed off.
I drummed my fingers on the wooden table. Leonardo reached for his wine, while Gabriele checked his mobile once more. Where the fuck were they?
The door opened.
My cousin Niccolò walked in, followed by another man. The stranger was well dressed, probably mid-30s. He looked very similar to his brother.
I stood, as did my sons, and Niccolò started in my direction. “Don Benetti?—”
“You will fucking wait, stronzo.” Ignoring him, I held out my hand to greet the stranger first. “Luca Benetti.”
“Vito D’Agostino.” He shook my hand. “A pleasure, Don Benetti. My brother speaks highly of you.”
“We are appreciative of his help. Thank you for coming down from Toronto.”
I sat, as did everyone else, except Gabriele, who gave his seat up to Niccolò. My cousin had the good sense to remain quiet. I would deal with him later, when it was just family.
As Leonardo poured wine for the table, I asked, “How do you like Canada?”
“It’s fucking cold.” Vito shook his head. “I thought I wouldn’t mind it, but fuck .”
I wasn’t looking forward to the winters in New York. I would convince Valentina to stay in Catanzaro during those months. “And you took over for Mancini. How is business?”
“Things have settled down. We’ve secured the territory and expanded.”
“It must be nice to have your brother’s resources.”
Vito sipped his wine and set the glass down carefully. “I believe in being direct, Don Benetti. So if you’re asking whether Enzo is running Toronto with me, then the answer is no. I am doing this alone.”
It was what I’d been told, but I’d needed to be sure. “I also believe in being direct. You should know that my family is settling here.”
If he was surprised, he masked it well. “In this area or Manhattan?”
“This area. I will go back and forth to Catanzaro, but my brother Dante will reside here permanently, as will my son.” I indicated Gabriele.
“I’m assuming this has something to do with the woman you brought to meet my brother. ”
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. “My fiancée, who runs this restaurant.”
“ Congratulazioni .” He lifted his wine glass in a toast. “I wish you many happy years together.”
“Cin cin.” We all drank. I pointed to the ring on his finger. “I hadn’t heard you were married. Congratulations, as well.”
He held up his hand and smirked. “Not married. Not interested, either. This ensures it stays that way.”
Everyone laughed except for me. I was once so foolish, but then I met Valentina. Now I needed to marry her, make her forever mine, for my own peace of mind. “I wanted to inform you of my intentions so there are no misunderstandings later.”
Vito’s fingers stilled, his eyes going flat. “What are your intentions?”
“There is a casino an hour away, poorly run. We plan to start there, then expand as necessary. How are you finding the MCs?” Some motorcycle clubs in North America dabbled in trafficking.
“Stupid and a pain in the ass.”
Good. That meant they would be easy to eliminate here. “I want to establish a trade with you. The chemicals for crystal in exchange for South American coke. We’ll use drones. Boats, when necessary.”
“I’ll agree to that. What about the casino? Need any help?”
“I might want to borrow some of your men. Temporarily, until things settle down.”
“And in return?”
“What are you asking for?”
“Ten percent of the casino.”
I laughed. “Please.”
“Eight.”
“Ma dai, I would never agree to such a high percentage.”
“And I would remind you that I have just saved your cousin from making a very big mistake.”
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t like it, but Vito was right. And I was going to strangle my cousin. “Three. ”
Vito nodded once. “We’ll work out all of the details later. Who should we talk to? Dante?”
“I’ll be here at least until the holidays. How quickly can you get your men here?”
“Next week.”
“Va bene.” I rose and buttoned my suit coat. “Where are you staying?”
“I prefer to return to Toronto immediately.”
Smart of him. I shook his hand once more. “My thanks for your help with my cousin.”
“Good luck,” he returned. “And I hope you change the name of this town. It’s fucking stupid.”
He departed, three of his men behind him, and I lowered myself into the chair once more. “Sit your fucking ass down, Niccolò.”
“Luca, forgive me.”
Gabriele smacked the back of Niccolò’s head. “That’s Don Benetti, stronzo.”
Our cousin winced, then put his palms together, prayer-style. “Don Benetti, I’m here to beg for your forgiveness. I never meant to cause so much trouble.”
“And yet you did. Tell me what the fuck happened.”
“I lost a shipment.”
“The fuck?” This was Gabriele, who leaned into his cousin’s face. “You should have called!”
I put a hand on Gabriele’s arm. Very quietly, I said, “Start explaining.”
“Don Rossi asked me to accompany his man and deliver a truck full of coke to Belgium. He said you recommended me and I didn't want to disappoint you.”
That fuck. Rossi set everything up from the start. “Go on.”
“Rossi’s man came down with food poisoning an hour outside of town. He said to drop him off and continue on. I didn't know what to do, but it was a massive shipment and I knew what was at stake.” Niccolò shifted in his seat and his voice dropped in volume. “I stopped for drinks in Lucerne, and the truck was stolen.”
I sighed heavily and rubbed my eyes. “How much?”
He hung his head. “It was so much, much more coke than I'd ever seen. Don Rossi said it was five hundred kilos.”
“Porca puttana!” said Leonardo. “That’s more than thirty-eight million Euros!”
“I know!” He put his face in his hands. “That is why I tried to make it right.”
“That was stupid of you,” I said. “You should have contacted someone immediately.”
“I did, Don Benetti, I swear!” exclaimed Niccolò. “I called Don Rossi first. He said not to bother you because you were leaving for New York on urgent business and he would fill you in.”
Bastardo! Too bad that stronzo Rossi was dead. I’d like to kill him myself over this. “What else did he say?”
“He said he would kill me if I didn't find that truck. And he said you would kill me if he didn’t.”
I hated to think it, but this was clever of Rossi. He had to do something to keep Niccolò out of the way, and kidnapping or killing my cousin would’ve forced me to retaliate. Better to create confusion and issue vague threats.
“I panicked,” continued Niccolò. “I knew I couldn’t find that truck. So I thought if I could steal coke from someone else, it could replace what I’d lost.”
Again, stupid. “Where did you go?”
“I rented a van and drove to Munich. It was the closest city where I knew some soldiers. I hoped to follow them for a day or so, then see where their storage facility was.”
Mamma mia, this boy. “Stealing from another family puts ours at risk, idiota.”
“It was dumb, I know. I was desperate. I didn’t know what else to do. ”
My voice grew hard. “You contact me or Sergio. Then we tell you what to do.”
“I know, I know. Mi dispiace.”
I stared at the wall, my irritation mounting. “I traded a favor with D’Agostino to find you, for fuck’s sake. His hackers caught you on camera in Munich, watching a Cosa Nostra warehouse, because you did nothing to disguise your appearance.”
“I didn’t think anyone was looking for me. And I was in a panic. I didn’t know what would happen if I returned empty handed.”
I slapped my palm on the table, rattling the flatware and glasses. “You should be more worried about what will happen now, considering all that has transpired because of your disappearance.”
He paled, sweat beading on his upper lip. “Per favore, Don Benetti. I’ll find a way to make this right.”
“Get out of my sight. I need to decide how I’m handling this. Go with Gabriele.”
My younger son left with Niccolò, and I swirled the wine in my glass, thinking.
“Papà,” Leonardo said. “He meant no harm.”
“Meaning no harm and causing no harm are two different things, figlio mio. Niccolò didn’t think and has caused a great deal of harm.”
“But Rossi put all this in motion to get Segreto and clean up his mistake with Palmieri. It seems Niccolò was just a pawn, no?”
“Yes. Rossi stole back his own truck and sent Niccolò into hiding. Then Rossi needed to force me to find Segreto, so he convinced me Niccolò was in custody. No one else has the contacts we do, so I was his best hope.”
Leonardo whistled. “You must admit, it’s pretty clever.”
Anger flooded my veins and my fingers curled into a fist on the table. “That old fuck. I don’t like being used.”
My son lifted his shoulders. “You wouldn’t be here with Val otherwise.”
Of course he would see it this way.
The swinging door leading to the kitchen cracked and my woman’s face peeked out. A smile tugged at my lips. “We’re finished,” I called, beckoning her forward with two fingers.
She pushed through and started toward us. “I didn’t hear any yelling, so that’s a good sign, right?”
I scooted my chair back and patted my lap. “I never yell, fiore mio.”
My son made a noise, but I ignored him as my woman slid onto my thighs. She smelled like garlic and lemons, and her soft curves melted into me. I wrapped an arm around her back and held her close, my face pressed into her neck. All the tension from my body disappeared like someone pulled a string to unwind me.
“Leo,” she said, smoothing my tie. “Are you hungry? They’re wrapping the donation bags right now, but I’m sure you can grab something, if you’d like.”
“Donation bags?” he asked.
“Every night we donate the extra food to the shelter.”
“Grazie, but I ate earlier.”
My son didn’t move, just continued to scroll on his phone. I glared at him. “Leave us.”
That got his attention. His eyebrows flew up as he lowered his phone. “But you’re my ride.”
“Then wait in the kitchen.”
He smirked, but stood. “This is nice, seeing you two. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but you are a miracle worker, Val.”
“Careful, figlio.”
“Luca, stop,” my woman said. “Thank you, Leo.”
Leonardo went into the kitchen. I nuzzled Valentina’s neck, enjoying the velvety feel of her skin. She arched to give me better access. “Are you done being the king of mafia island?”
I chuckled. “For tonight, yes.”
“You were, like, so hot. I peeked through the window a few times. You looked very serious, very in charge.”
“Amore, I am always in charge.”
“Because you make the rules. ”
“That is right.” I pulled her closer. “And do you know what I want most right now?”
“To go home and fuck all night long?”
“No.”
She leaned away to see my face, her brow lowered in confusion. “No?”
I shook my head. “I want to fuck you, shower and get in our robes. Then lie in bed and eat sundaes with you.”
Her smile sent a flutter straight through my heart. “And watch reality tv?”
I heaved a dramatic sigh. “If we must.”
She kissed me sweetly. “You are the best fiancée, Luca Benetti.”
“And after next week, I’ll be the best husband.” I nibbled at her lips, which she allowed, then froze.
“Wait, next week?”
“Yes. I’m tired of waiting.” I placed her on the ground, stood, then slapped her ass. “I want you as my wife.”
“No, this is crazy. I haven’t even thought about our wedding.”
I grabbed her ponytail and held her tight, tilting her face toward mine. “Then plan it, amore. Because it’s happening next week.”
“What about Flavio? I might . . . ”
She paused to nibble her lip. I knew what she was about to say. Based on our recent discussions, I knew she was worried about having Flavio around. I took her hand and led her to the door. “Valentina, if you want him to walk you down the aisle, then do it. I am not a fan of your father’s after he shot Roberto, set a fire in my home, and kidnapped you. But I won’t stop you from having him present at your wedding.”
“I don’t even know where to find him.”
“I do.” Leaning my head back, I shouted, “Figlio! Andiamo!”
Leonardo and Aldo came out of the trattoria’s kitchen, each of them holding a sandwich. “Papà,” my son called. “Do you want a sandwich? ”
“No.” Then I put my mouth near my woman’s ear. “I have plenty to eat at home.”
Thank you for reading