10. Alek #2
Killing him would get Stephan where it hurts, but he’s still not my target. Not even close.
The drive across town, through two neighborhoods, and into the rundown area where the Calvers have set up base isn’t long, but it’s just long enough that I’m forced to keep some kind of conversation with Butch.
“So, who did you hook up with last night?” he asks me.
I shrug. “Didn’t get a name,” I reply.
He chuckles. “I’d think you’d want to keep a trophy or somethin’.”
I squeeze my coffee cup tighter but keep composed and sip at it.
“Nah. Some things are better forgotten. Especially when you’re drunk,” I tell him.
He taps on the steering wheel. “Damn, must’ve been one ugly broad then.”
My jaw shifts. “Don’t know. Don’t plan on remembering.”
We pull into the makeshift driveway of dirt and pebbles, and two men with large guns step out of the front doorway before I’ve even gotten the car door open and a leg out.
“What’s your business here?” one of the men with the guns asks as I stand up and straighten my collar.
I close the door behind me and look to Butch for a second before we both start walking forward. I put both of my hands up at chest level, trying to show that I’m not here to start anything. Butch is far more intimidating by appearance. He goes barreling forward and makes them nervous.
“I said, what the fuck is your business here?” he asks again.
“Stephan Bianchi sent us,” I tell them. “We’re here to talk business.”
“You call?” he asks.
I raise a brow. “I wasn’t aware I needed to call anybody, but if they don’t want to talk about making a deal, we’ll just get right on out of here.
” I start to turn on my heel and there’s a part of me that hopes they let us leave without another word.
Then my problem with them will be solved for the most part.
Unfortunately, the man speaks up again.
“Wait,” he says quickly. “Show me your weapons and you can go in.”
I turn back around and reveal the gun on my hip, but I keep my knife holstered and hidden. They don’t need to know about it—just in case.
Butch shows his as well. He has two guns on him, and they look at us with an uneasy expression. “You leave your guns at the door, got it?”
“Now, how can we be sure we’re not walking into a trap?” Butch asks.
The man eyes us slowly. “You can’t. Just like we can’t know you’re not here to stir up trouble.”
Right at that second, the door opens up behind the two armed men and a familiar face stands out. Lucas.
“Trevor,” he says and glances over to Butch. “Butch Bianchi.”
Butch grins and steps forward. “We’re here to talk.”
“I gathered that,” Lucas tells us. “Did you have to bring him?” he asks me.
Butch’s grin drops and he glares at the man.
“Can’t be too safe,” I insist. “Now, are you gonna let us in or not?”
I walk right in front of the armed men and stand practically between them, my eyes on Lucas and Lucas only. He looks hesitant for a second but then smirks and nods his head.
“Let ‘em in boys. I was expecting Trevor,” he explains.
The guards part to either side and let us pass.
I walk in first with Butch following close behind.
The place is a fucking disaster inside. The structure is falling apart, from cracks in the ceiling to water damage in the walls.
It’s clear that the Carvels haven’t been doing well since they lost their ass to the Dresvannis and no longer have access to the Fioretti’s bank account.
“So, you must be pretty pissed at Soren,” I tell Lucas as we walk down the hallway, presumably toward the office or board room. “All that work just for Eivor to be taken down and the Fiorettis joined at the hip with the Dresvannis.”
“Pissed isn’t the word,” Lucas grumbles. “The things we did for that man…only for his wanna-be son, nephew, to turn on him…what a fucking mess.”
Butch chuckles from behind us. “Guess you never know how this shit is gonna turn out.”
We’re led into an office that used to be Lucas’s father’s, but now belongs to his older brother. Matteo.
“Matteo, you’ve got visitors,” Lucas says casually. He steps to the side and lets us go in first.
“Ahh, Bianchi…” he says looking at Butch first from where he sits behind the desk. His arms are folded but he’s got a cigarette in one of them.
“Trevor, is it?” he asks me. “You got a last name?”
I eye him. “Not one I give out easily.”
He smirks at me. “Smart man.” Matteo takes a drag of his cigarette and then sits up straighter in his chair.
“I assume you’re here to talk about the deal Lucas mentioned at the charity party,” he says. “I’m disappointed Stephan didn’t come here himself.”
“We need to make sure you’re serious first,” I explain. “Lucas mentioned you came into an arms deal recently?”
Matteo glances at Lucas briefly. “It seems my brother doesn’t know when to keep his fucking mouth shut,” he grins in a tightlipped manner. “You know now, so, guess there’s no using that against you.” He laughs, as though he’s made a joke of some kind.
My face remains flat and I don’t laugh. Butch chuckles slightly.
“Oh, come on…lighten up a little,” Matteo insists and flicks his ashes in the tray nearby.
“Before we can make any deal, we need to see these weapons,” I tell him.
“That’s going to be an issue,” Matteo says. “Because…before I can show you any weapons, I need to know that a deal is seriously on the table.”
I exhale through my nose and tilt my head to the side. I’m trying to decide how to play this. I don’t actually want the Calvers to be of any help to us, but if I make it seem like I’m brushing them off, Butch will be sure to tell Stephan that I ruined the whole thing.
“We both want to take the Dresvannis down,” I insist. “We have a…mutual interest in taking over their property and assets. Of course, you couldn’t do so without our help, we both know that.”
Matteo’s face falls and I watch his jaw shift side to side briefly.
“He’s right,” Lucas finally speaks up again. “We can’t do this without them. We need them on our side.”
“We need you far less,” I explain as I lean back slightly in my chair. “We’re only interested if you’re actually willing to follow under us.”
Matteo growls under his breath. “You think I’m scared of you?” he asks. “You think I don’t know that we’re falling part at the seams?”
I stay quiet as he rants at me.
“We’re willing to bow down to you only because we want to get back at the Dresvanni family that badly. We need your power to do it, and we can give you a little bit more weapons strength,” Matteo says. “I want Carmine for my own; you have no idea the filthy lies he spreads.”
I’m a little more curious than I was two seconds before.
“Like what?” Butch asks, clearly curious as well.
Lucas steps around the desk and sits on the edge, his own eyes flaring with anger. “He claims Jackson raped him,” he hisses out. “As if he would ever touch that disgusting maggot. It’s just an excuse for him killing him.”
“He killed Jackson?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
“We don’t know for sure, but Jackson disappeared and was never found. Then Carmine started making these accusations…” Matteo explains. “One plus one…”
I nod slowly. “They’ll say anything to keep themselves on top, those Dresvanni,” I mumble.
Matteo stamps out his cigarette and then slams one of his fists on the desk. “So, you see why we need to partner up with you?” he asks. “This is serious. We want to end this. Not just stand to the side while they grow more and more powerful.”
I nod my head. “I see that,” I say slowly. “Only Stephan can approve things, and he’s going to want to talk to you but first…”
Butch leans forward. “We need to see those guns.”
Matteo glances at Lucas, who nods.
“Alright. One of you can come with me. I don’t care who,” Matteo says as he stands up. “But after you see the arms, you take me to talk to Stephan.”
“I’ll go,” I say quickly, and Butch looks at me in defiance.
“Who made you boss?” he asks me.
I stand up from my chair and shove my hands into my pockets. “This is my job, and I’m the one more familiar with weapons, remember?”
Butch’s shoulders sink slightly in disappointment. “Fine. But if you fuck this up, I’m not saving you.”
Matteo chuckles as he moves for the door. “You two bitch just like me and Luke,” he tells us.
I cringe slightly. The thought of being related to Butch makes me want to vomit. I can’t imagine being related by blood to the Bianchi family. Just being there, undercover, is enough to make it hard to sleep at night.
I follow Matteo down the hallway and to a door that leads into the basement. I should be more wary about this, but I still have my gun and knife after all.
My heart starts beating harder in my chest as I walk down the stairs.
I hope we’re all alone. I hope there’s not a singe other soul down here.
I can take Matteo out. I can gut him like a fucking fish and claim he came at me first. That when I said Stephan wouldn’t be happy with the quality of the guns they have, he saw red and attacked me.
My hands ball into fists as I prepare this story in my head. It’ll be almost too easy. They might not believe me, but that only makes the story better. They didn’t believe me, they attacked, we had to kill them all.
There’s just one problem.
As we get to the bottom of the stairs, I see that there’s one armed guard for each corner of the basement.
Taking out all of them before alerting the guards on the ground floor will be quite a challenge… One that I’m not sure would be worth the risk. Not of my own life, but of blowing my cover entirely.
I quickly decide that it will be better to take the Carvels out a different day. With more men at my side and their stash of guns whisked away somewhere they can’t get to it. Perhaps offering their help to the Bianchis will end up being their downfall…
I think about how this could work as I’m led over to not one but two chests in the right corner of the room. The guard standing by the chests takes a step to the right after nodding in obedience at Matteo.
“These guns were smuggled from Russia just a few days ago,” Matteo explains.