19. Niccolò
19
NICCOLò
PRESENT DAY
“S o, how’d the gala go last night?” Leo asks while sitting across the desk from me in my office.
“About as good as I could’ve predicted,” I say.
He cocks a brow at me. “So not good at all, then.”
I let out a sigh. “At least I was able to break the ice with Isabella. She knows we need to talk, so it’ll happen soon.”
“And you’re going to come clean to her about everything that happened?” Dante asks while he walks into my office, which causes Leo to jump.
“ Fuck , Dante. Announce yourself next time,” Leo says over his shoulder.
Dante pulls the chair out next to him and laughs as he takes a seat. “My question was my announcement.”
“How the hell are you so damn quiet? I have the fucking ears of a dog, yet you still manage to sneak up on me every time.”
I chuckle because it’s true. The only reason I wasn’t surprised when Dante walked in is because I got a notification on my phone when he got here.
“Take away his key, or tie a bell to this guy’s neck, Nicco,” Leo says, and we all laugh.
“Sorry I’m late. I was helping my dad with one of his guys,” Dante says.
Dante and Leo are the sons of two of my dad’s capos. We’ve known each other since we were in diapers and have been inseparable since. Their ties to our family have really worked in our favor for the plan we came up with while I was in Sicily.
“Everything good?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah. Kid’s new, so I was going on a pickup with him to make sure everything went smoothly.”
“And did it?” I ask.
“Yup. He’s a good kid. I could tell he was nervous, but I think that’s only because I was there. He’ll do fine, and he’ll serve his purpose in the family.”
I give a nod. “Both your dads are still on board with our plan, right?”
Leo and Dante say, “Yes” in unison.
Dante’s and Leo’s dads have never been the biggest fans of my dad. They’ve always stayed in their own lanes and done anything he’s asked of them, but they’ve mentioned my dad rubbing them the wrong way when it comes to how he runs the family.
A lot of it comes down to the large cut of money my dad takes from them every month. It’s more than any don should be taking, but that’s my dad. Greedy beyond belief.
While I understand we’re in this world to make money, he must understand the family is what’s important. Making everyone go out and make money for you while you sit on your ass and take the majority of it doesn’t spark very good morale within the family. It’s amazing he hasn’t caused turmoil among everyone yet, but I have a feeling that’s all about to change.
“We actually have some news about that,” Leo says.
That gets my attention, so I lean forward in my seat. “Oh?”
“People have been talking,” Dante says.
“About your dad and the ports,” Leo finishes.
A smirk plays out on my lips. I knew it was a matter of time before this would come up.
“Just as you predicted, his lack of backup plan when it comes to trafficking is starting to put a bad taste in peoples’ mouths,” Dante says.
“My dad said he tried to bring it up at a meeting he had with your dad, but Giuseppe shot him down immediately. Didn’t even give him the chance to speak about it. Said he’d be getting port access back and that was it,” Leo says.
“But since port access isn’t looking too promising for him, people are starting to talk. Add in the fact that his alliance with Angelo Mancini is dead, and Matteo DiMaggio is clearly an enemy of his, people are worried.”
With the power Matteo has gained, no one wants him as an enemy, and now that my dad has lost his only alliance; it leaves our family vulnerable, and no one wants that.
“As of right now, we have full support from all of the capos except two,” I say. “We need to work on Panebianchi and Castello. If this family is going to thrive, then I want everyone’s support before I overthrow my dad.”
Dante and Leo nod.
“We’re fucking close, guys. We’ve been working on this plan since Sicily, and as soon as Panebianchi and Castello are on board, we’ll finally be able to lead this family the way it deserves.”
“I’ll work on Panebianchi,” Dante says.
“And I’ll work on Castello,” Leo says.
“Good. The faster they give us their support, the better,” I say. Now all I need is my Isabella, and then everything I worked so damn hard for will finally be worth it.
“I’m surprised your dad hasn’t told everyone about his plan for you to use Isabella to get the ports back,” Leo says.
“Do we care if he starts telling people that? Do you think it’ll make them start having more faith in him again?” Dante says.
“No.” I shake my head. “Because in the end, it’s me who’s doing the work. My dad isn’t doing shit, so him opening his mouth about that could even work to our advantage. But our men are smart. They already see the lack of worth my dad brings to the table as a don.”
“Speaking of Isabella,” Leo says, and his tone has me snapping my gaze to his in a fierce lock.
“What about her?” I snap.
“Relax,” he says, holding up his hands. “I just heard a little something about last night that you might want to know about.”
“What the fuck did you manage to hear about last night? You weren’t even there.”
Leo laughs. “You know how things go. Plus,” he says, pointing to his ears, “dog ears.”
“What did you hear?” I ask, my patience reaching its limit.
“There’s a rumor going around that the Bonettis and the DiMaggios might be solidifying an alliance through the marriage of a certain someone.”
My skin boils with rage while I start fiddling with the pen on my desk. “What in the fuck are you talking about, Leo?”
He raises a brow at me. “People think Matteo is going to marry off his sister to Massimo Bonetti. I guess they were dancing last night? Everyone is taking that as a sign.”
My anger bursts, and dark-blue ink splatters everywhere.
Leo’s and Dante’s eyes go straight to the broken pen I’m still gripping in my hand. “They are not fucking getting married.”
“Well, we obviously know that,” Leo says. “But think about what a great alliance the DiMaggios and Bonettis would make. You might want to work a little faster on Isabella because if Matteo starts pushing his sister onto Massimo, shit’s about to get a lot more difficult for you.”
“Alright, alright,” Dante says, interjecting. “Let’s not give the man an aneurysm. He looks like he’s about to lose his damn mind.”
I’m about past that point.
“Look,” Leo says, “we all know you and Isabella will end up together. I’m just saying unless you want some competition, I’d suggest working a little faster.”
“Duly. Fucking. Noted, Leo,” I say, not able to mask my irritation. My anger isn’t with him, it’s at the thought of my Isabella with another man. I can’t fucking stand it. Leo’s right. I need to move faster.