Chapter 5 Enzo ’The Prince’ Castiello
Chapter five
Enzo "The Prince" Castiello
"What do you think he wants from us?" Vincenzo "Cenzo" Rossi asked Enzo as he peered out of the window overlooking the city below.
He had a deep, masculine voice with an Italian-American accent, having been born and raised in the country.
Like most men in the Castiello family, he had those smoldering dark looks that enticed as well as sparked fear in the hearts of those on whom they set their sights.
Enzo Castiello typed a few words on the keyboard before sending the email to his business associate.
"Don't know. His people were very discreet about it over the phone.
I still don't know if I'll help the asshole.
He's a fucking racist and bigot. The only reason my father works with him is because of his position in the government.
If his ass doesn't win his election come midterms, I'll happily put a bullet between his eyes. "
Cenzo chuckled. "Being a senator has its perks; plus, he's also very rich."
"It's not like we're hurting for cash, Cenzo." Enzo tossed his cousin and best friend an annoyed look.
"True, but he pays well."
"All money isn't good money," Sergio said as he picked at his nails with his knife.
Both men looked at him.
"You're sixteen years old; what the hell do you know about it?" Cenzo asked him.
Sergio shrugged. "Just saying, if you don't feel good about taking his money and would rather take his life, I'd understand."
The two adults in the room laughed at that, and Enzo nodded. "It's true; all money isn't good money, but all money is dirty. Either someone had to suffer to earn it, or someone made another person suffer to make it. It's all relative."
The knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Come in," Enzo called out, and the door opened.
His assistant stepped inside. "Senator Ronald Abbot is here," she said.
"Send him in," Enzo said.
"Yes, sir," she replied, and the next person to enter was the senator, accompanied by his bodyguard and a female in a crisp suit, most likely his campaign manager or perhaps his lawyer.
Enzo's assistant closed the door, and he gestured for the senator to take a seat, to which the man obliged. "What can I do for you, Senator?" he asked, getting right to the point of the meeting.
The senator scoffed as he looked at Enzo and Vincenzo. "Jesus Christ, would you fucking look at these two? Like models," the man said.
Enzo made no bones about the comment, for he knew that he was very handsome—a perfect blend of his father's sexy Italian features and his mother's gorgeous Nubian features.
His brown, rich skin had an almost golden gleam to it, making for a striking appearance.
He was also very well aware of Vincenzo's stunning looks.
The man was tall at six-three, with black hair, gray eyes, a chiseled jawline, and cheekbones that would make Michelangelo weep in envy. They both worked out, and it showed.
Enzo smirked. "I appreciate the compliment, but why are you here?" he asked, still wanting to get to the point.
The senator smiled nervously, then adjusted himself in the chair while his two aides remained standing behind him. "Trust me, I wish that I didn't have to have this meeting. But I find myself in a bind, and this couldn't be the worst time."
"A bind... and with the primaries so close? Yes, I would say that is... inconvenient," Enzo said. "What do you want from me?"
The man sneered at Enzo and looked around the room, noticing for the first time Sergio sitting on the sofa watching them. "What the hell is that kid doing in here?" he asked when he turned back to address Enzo.
"He's my bodyguard," Enzo simply stated.
The senator scoffed. "Your bodyguard? I find it hard to believe that a grown man like you keeps such a pretty boy like him around to guard your body."
The way the man said the words made Enzo's skin crawl. He didn't like what the man was implying, but he was a man of action. "I can show you better than I can tell you," Enzo said and gestured for Sergio to give a demonstration.
The sixteen-year-old assassin and bodyguard rose from the sofa and approached the senator's bodyguard, looking up at the man who stood at least five inches taller than he. "Hit me," he told the man.
The bodyguard scoffed. "What?" He looked at Enzo as if he needed confirmation that what was happening was real.
Enzo nodded in his direction, giving him permission to make a move.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" the bodyguard asked; this time, he turned to his boss. "Should I hit him?"
"He's a fucking kid."
"Hit him," Enzo said.
Both the bodyguard and the senator laughed, and the senator nodded at his bodyguard to attack. The bodyguard turned to face Sergio and swung. Sergio allowed the blow to make contact, staggering a little.
"This is fucking ridiculous," the bodyguard said. "Listen, kid, I know you think you're tough—"
His words were cut off when Sergio attacked, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks.
Some the bodyguard was able to block, but not enough to win the fight.
He ended up unconscious at Sergio's feet, bleeding from several lacerations.
Sergio only had a cut on his lip from the first blow.
He returned to his place on the sofa, his expression unreadable.
Having been trained by Akari, he knew that keeping one's emotions under control was paramount.
"Jesus," the senator said as he looked down at his knocked-out and battered bodyguard, then at Sergio. He laughed and then turned to Enzo. "He's a vicious little bastard, isn't he?"
"He's exactly who I need him to be," Enzo said, then sighed. "If that satisfies your curiosity, can we get down to business? I still don't know what you want from me."
The senator looked at his guard one last time, then returned all of his focus to Enzo. "Right. Well, I find myself in a bit of trouble, you see. I'm being blackmailed by an unknown person for two hundred and seventy-five grand."
"What do they have on you?" Enzo asked.
"Some incriminating evidence that could not only totally derail my chances for re-election but quite possibly put me in jail, and neither of those options is acceptable to me," the senator said.
Enzo sighed. "Do you have any idea who could possibly have this kind of information on you?"
The senator scoffed. "If I knew that, I wouldn't need your help, now would I?"
"I take it from your charming personality that you have more enemies than friends, Senator Abbot," Enzo said.
"Look, I just need you to take care of it," the senator said.
"Do I work for you?" Enzo asked, his tone sharpening.
The senator smacked his lips. "Let us not pretend that I don't know what your family really is, shall we? Your hands are steeped in blood, and the cesspool you crawled out of is murkier than anything I know. Now, my money is good, and I'm ready to talk business."
Enzo looked at Cenzo, and the two exchanged knowing glances before Enzo returned his attention to Senator Abbot. "I've decided that I don't like you, and I don't want to help you."
"You think you can pull that stunt? I have connections that can make your life very difficult." He sat back. "That's what's wrong with you people. You're too stupid and arrogant."
"Meaning?" Enzo asked with a cocked brow.
"You blacks. You get a little bit of power and don't know how to act."
Enzo laughed.
"What's so funny?" Senator Abbot asked with a frown.
"Senator, your bodyguard is still unconscious, and you're in my presence talking a whole lot of shit your ass can't back up. You're sitting there worried about your fucking campaign when you should be worried about whether or not you'll leave this building in one piece, let alone breathing."
Senator Abbot sneered. "Don't you threaten me—"
"I'm not threatening you. I'm telling you to watch your fucking mouth when you speak to me.
I can just as easily make you disappear, just like you want me to make your problem disappear.
You're the one too fucking stupid and arrogant to know how to humble yourself in the presence of those more powerful than you," Enzo said.
"You—"
"Shut the fuck up," Enzo snapped, and the senator closed his mouth, even though his face was red with fury. "Like I said, I'm not going to help you."
"Your father would have," Senator Abbot shot back.
"He'll understand when I tell him that I told you to go fuck yourself," Enzo said.
"Call him then and ask him if it's okay to send me packing?" Senator Abbot challenged him.
Enzo raised one annoyed eyebrow because he'd already been instructed by his father to help the man, and what he was doing went against his father's orders.
"What? Don't want to make that call?" Senator Abbot snorted in his arrogance. "That's what I thought. Stay in your little place, boy, and do what your daddy told you."
"Boy?" Enzo repeated the derogatory term with a menacing tone.
"It's not like I'm wrong."
"Where is this even coming from? You're just racist all day, every day, huh?" Enzo remarked with a snort.
Senator Abbot shrugged as he adjusted his suit. "Is it racist to point out that your people are always whining about injustice when you all should just work harder? The deck isn't stacked against you."
Enzo laughed and shook his head before tossing a glance over his shoulder at Cenzo.
"You hear this bullshit?" He turned back around to face the senator.
"My mom, even in Italy, had to deal with that nonsense.
You claim the playing field is equal. That's like me playing a game for years, and then I allow you to play with me.
I enter in all of the cheat codes so you can't beat me.
But when you do start winning, I throw a fit and call you a cheater. Get your racist ass out of my face."
"Your father, who is a more sensible man, made a deal with me. Listen, boy—"
"Boy? Call me a 'boy' one more fucking time," Enzo warned, one eyebrow cocked, challenging the man.