14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
WE HAVE A TRAITOR
Antonio
Even after the three months since my father’s burial, some family members still disapproved of the changes I implemented in the organization. My gaze wandered around the room, landing on the prominent figures of the Rizzo family. Some loyal. Most not.
The sound of chuckles and laughs filled my father’s elegant study. His deep, warm, rich laugh still echoed off the walls of books lining the office. The sweetness of his favorite cigar, the boozy note of his beloved whiskey still wafted through the air. It was like he sat right next to me, guiding me through the brewing shitstorm. If he were here with me now, he’d laugh at the scene before me, and pity anyone who thought I wasn’t a replica of him, in looks, as well as temperament.
They would all soon find out.
My father was gone now, but soon they would all see as his son, I carried on his legacy just as he wanted. Some of the people in this room thought there was something left for me to prove as to why I was Don especially since marrying Aaliyah. However, I didn’t owe anyone shit. I wasn’t in the Life to prove anything to anyone other than my father, and he was dead. I earned my spot at the top by shedding blood--my own, and others. Fuck what everyone else thought.
They all laughed, comfortable in their positions and in their lives. But today was no laughing matter. Nothing was fucking funny. I looked around the room filled with men who were supposed to be family—all members of the Rizzo Famiglia . Most of them I’d known since I was playing cops and gangsters in this very room. Some of them had been made men for over thirty or forty years, coming up the ranks alongside my father before he took over for my grandfather. Now I stood in his place, looking over my shoulder just as he had done. The thing was, I didn’t have to worry about someone in the other families trying to take me out. The enemy sat right here in this room or at least someone in this room was in bed with the person pulling the strings.
I took another pull from my cigar, blowing the thick white smoke in the air, then sipping the amber liquid from my tumbler, gazing at all the high-ranking members of the Famiglia. How the fuck had it come to this? That was a stupid question. I knew exactly how it came to this. Jealousy and greed.
Several men in this room were consumed by jealousy and a hunger for power. They craved it to the point someone in this room was no longer family, but the enemy.
Since I was young, I knew my role in society, the mafia, and our Family. I accepted it. As the eldest son of the most powerful Don in both Italy and the United States, by the time I understood the power my father wielded I was well on my way to becoming his second in command—the Underboss.
As Underboss, in my short years I lived a life of crime longer than most men twice my age. By the time I turned nine, I accompanied my father to meetings with the other families, and even the executions of his enemies. By the age of thirteen I’d ‘made my bones.’ By fifteen I had taken the oath of Omertà and at twenty-two earned my title as Underboss. Groomed by the best—my father.
Now as Don, it was time to make sure everyone understood I earned my place at the head of this family. Not only because I was a Rizzo by blood, but because I put in the damn work. I was the fucking leader, and they followed me. Not the other way around. Someone in this room had nessuna lealtà. No loyalty. They believed my place was beneath them. I had a ratto. A traitor in the organization built by my family, and now it was time to flush him out.
“What is the meaning of this, Don?” He looked down at his gaudy, gold knock off Rolex. “We’ve been waiting for over an hour.”
Of course, the first one to open his big fucking mouth would be Giuseppe Travoto. The man couldn’t shut up if his life depended on it. If it weren’t for the promise I made my old man, I would have put a bullet in his head a long time ago. My father’s words always reminded me to keep Giuseppe within arm’s reach despite how I felt about him.
Keep Giuseppe close Tony. You can learn valuable information from someone who talks too fucking much, and he can spread the information you need your enemies to hear.
Giuseppe would serve his purpose. The room fell silent as everyone waited for my reply, their eyes darting between him and me. This room was only used for confidential meetings, but today I made sure everyone in attendance felt comfortable so I could find out who the disloyal bastard was and pull the fucking rug out from under them.
All this shit had to be connected to my father’s death.
Sitting at my desk, I reached for the Gurkha Black Dragon—the cigars my father always had available, I reclined in my seat. I watched the thick white smoke drift into the air, before focusing on the black beady eyes of Giuseppe. The man was two pounds away from dropping dead of a heart attack. Nearing three-hundred and fifty pounds at maybe five-foot four when he wore his designer shoes with lifts. His sweaty brow, and disheveled combover, almost made me laugh.
Giuseppe was a clown, stuck in the glory days of the old mobster movies of the seventies who believed polyester suits, and tasteless gold jewelry made him a true gangster. No matter how ridiculous the man was, he had his benefits. Something I reminded myself of every day, especially when he opened his mouth. He’d been a made man for the Rizzo’s for more than three decades, a soldier even longer, so he thought he had a place to speak when he had none.
“You will wait as long as I fucking say so, Giuseppe.”
He gave me an intense glare, but the hatred in his small eyes was comical. However, he quickly masked it. Giuseppe for as long as I could remember hated me and my father. He believed neither one of us deserved the title of Don, although the family was forged under my bloodline and the challenging work organized by my family, first in Italy and now in the States. Little did he know once he was no longer valuable, he’d be discarded alongside whoever this traitorous bastard was.
I looked down at my limited-edition Louis Moinet Acasta watch, admiring the beautiful hand engraved wedding gift from my father and gauging the time. There was only one person missing. While the men in the room became more and more annoyed by the wait, I savored the sweet taste of the cigar on my tongue.
The door opening, then closing, and the sound of her heels clicking against the hardwood floors brought a smile to my face like always, and harsh glares from some of the others in the room. As always.
Despite her angelic features, Aaliyah’s beauty was anything but innocent. Her flawless obsidian skin, whiskey-colored eyes, and blood-red stained lips hinted at a darker side. She was deadly. Deadlier than any man in this room, including me. And by the fire blazing in her eyes, she was out for blood.
She settled nicely into her role as Donna. The men close to me absolutely adored her. They would gladly defend and lay down their lives for her. She cared about them, and their families’ well-being, and would often take the time to visit some of the lower-ranking soldiers and their families, just to make sure everything was in order, and they didn’t lack for anything. She took care of her family because that was just the type of woman she was. A true Donna in every sense of the word. Yet, many members of the other families dismissed her, not giving her the respect she deserved. Many of the men in this room when it came to Aaliyah shared the views of the other families. But they all underestimated my wife. Underestimated her intelligence, and the power she held.
The tension in the room thickened—almost to the point of suffocation, but I savored it. They all should be concerned. She came bearing gifts. Now with her arrival, their laughs shifted to confusion and anger. Their bodies became rigid, no longer relaxed.
Good!
I rose from my seat, leaning in to greet my wife with a tender peck on her luscious lips. All the men done the gentlemanly thing and rose to their feet as well, whether they wanted to or not. Abasi raised Aaliyah to be a trailblazer, not a follower. She demanded respect. You gave it to her willingly or she would take it.
Today she would take it.
“Gentlemen,” she said when she took her seat next to me after kissing Alessandro on the cheek.
“Donna,” the men in the room called out in unison before taking their seats.
“Excuse my candor, Don Rizzo, but I thought this was a meeting of the Famiglia . Why is she here?” Dante asked.
The piercing look he gave Aaliyah did not escape the notice of either me or her. She slid the folder over to me on my desk. Her eyes remained locked with Dante refusing to give him the power he felt he had over her.
With a tilt of my head, I directed all my attention towards Dante Messina. Dante was another one of the older made men who didn’t approve of Aaliyah. Of course, many of the older men felt I didn’t deserve my position as the head of this family once I introduced Aaliyah as my future wife. He was among those who wanted a purebred Italian woman as my wife, preferably his daughter. It was the same nonsensical reason my father abandoned the love of his life, my sister’s mother. But I refused to follow down the same path of misery and my father refused to let me.
Fuck tradition.
I chose the woman I loved over one of the most archaic traditions of the mafia. It was time for everyone to move on and let go.
My father’s love for Aaliyah was so strong that he treated her like another daughter. In fact, he became close friends and business partners with Abasi before his untimely death. What makes them think anything would change? Whether my father approved or not, Aaliyah was and will always be this family’s Donna until I breathed my last breath.
Alessandro’s laughter echoed, filling the room, and capturing everyone’s attention. He took a sip from his rocks glass. Fury blazed in his eyes. Uncle Agostino passed away a year before our father, now Alessandro was my Consigliere —my most trusted advisor and closest confidant other than my wife. One thing these men should know about us Rizzo men was we were fiercely protective of our women against whatever came against them, including the disrespect in this room.
I held up my hand keeping Alessandro from advancing on Dante after Aaliyah squeezed my thigh putting an end to Alessandro’s impending assault. If it wasn’t for her restraint, I would’ve let my brother put a bullet in his head as an example to not disrespect my wife.
“Your Donna is here, because your fucking Don wants her here,” Alessandro seethed. “You disrespectful motherfucker!”
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the room, creating an atmosphere of anticipation. Alessandro was the calm one.
Since Laney’s passing, his temper was more upfront. And when it came to Aaliyah and our sister, all bets were off. He’d rather kill you, than listen to anyone disrespect them.
I heard the whispers from some of the men, some of the higher-ups had been plotting against my wife before our marriage and even more since the death of my father. What these dumbasses failed to realize, I had eyes and ears everywhere. Many of those beneath some of the men who were a part of the organization longer than me, had no trouble spilling their guts when it came to Aaliyah. Rest assured, those who conspired against me and my wife would face swift justice.
“I understand many of you in this room have an issue with me,” she said her tone sharp while surveying every man in the room with the confidence of the Donna she was. She looked every one of them in the eye—not afraid of the power they held, because she wielded more.
Beauty was what these men saw in Aaliyah and the way she carried herself. The years of charm school Abasi had her attend had turned her into a prim and proper lady. But they failed to see the viper laying beneath her prim and proper ways ready to strike.
Abasi Sefu was no fool. He understood how the men of this world would see Aaliyah, since there were few women who held any power and those who did, remained silent and out of their husband’s affairs. This was not Aaliyah, and it wasn’t what I wanted for my Donna. She ruled beside me, not from behind.
Abasi used her striking beauty as a powerful tool. Used her to close deals when a woman’s touch was needed. Sure, she was a genius, but above all, in this world her beauty was invaluable. And to them beauty like hers only equated to one thing—sex. However, Aaliyah was so much more. She had a very keen eye and made sure I understood coming into this meeting there wasn’t any doubt someone in this room sold us out and interfered in my business.
“But what you all will soon come to understand is,” she stood, walked to Dante, and pulled her handgun placing it against his forehead, “I, Aaliyah Rizzo the daughter of Abasi Sefu, the Donna of this family, could give two shits how you feel about me, Mr. Messina. Any of you.”
The others shifted in their seats looking to me to see if I would stop whatever Aaliyah had planned. I wouldn’t. If she decided to kill him, that was her right. He disrespected her. If she let him live, then he would learn of her mercy.
“But let’s make one thing clear,” she continued. “I’m the only reason some of you in this room are still breathing. Be grateful, because I would love nothing more than to watch the life leave the eyes of many of you by my hand. So, you’re welcome for my generosity. But my generosity only goes so far, gentlemen. So, remember that when you think of speaking against me. To speak against the one who allows you to live.”
She returned to her seat beside me and placed her gun on the desk. Dante’s shoulders slumped as he let out a long, relieved breath. He should be thankful she allowed him to keep breathing.
The looks of hatred, awe, and fear crossed the faces of the men we called to this meeting, the men who were supposed to be family. Pride swelled in my chest at my wife’s words. Rarely did she speak in authority with the men, leaving that to me. But whenever she did, satisfaction filled me, and turned me on all at the same time.
She was right. They should all be grateful, because she was the only reason they still lived despite the disrespect many of them had shown her, since I announced our engagement and our marriage. She really couldn’t care less how they felt about her. The only reason she spoke now was because their disdain for her went to a new level only because she was allowed to participate in something no other Donna had been allowed to.
“Now that you all know where your Donna stands, let’s get down to business, shall we?” I held up the folder Aaliyah slid to me. “One of our client’s shipments has been seized by the Feds. I want all eyes and ears open. I want to know who is sharing information about Rizzo business.”
“Which client?”
The exact person I needed to start asking questions.
“Which client isn’t important, Giuseppe. However, when I find out who the traitor is, his entire family will be made an example of, capisce?”
The surprise throughout the room caused me to inwardly smile. The code of the mafia strictly forbade going after women and children. I still held true to that, but they didn’t need to know that. I needed the traitor to squirm. I wanted whoever it was to feel fear at what they had done.
“Their family?” Giuseppe asked, his brows shooting up towards his non-existent hairline.
I nodded. “Sì, la loro famiglia per la mia famiglia.”
“Their family for your family?” Dante repeated my words in English and in disbelief.
“Always,” I responded looking him in his widened eyes. “My famiglia will always come first.” Aaliyah tapped my leg, and I understood immediately. Dante seemed extremely nervous.
“Which shipment?”
Another good question from Giuseppe. Although he didn’t know when to shut the fuck up, I never believed he spilled the secrets of this family. I didn’t trust him as far as I could see him, but he’d plant the information needed to flush our little ratto to the surface and deal with them accordingly.
“Our shipment of RPG’s, AK-47’s, and other Russian surplus munitions that was extremely difficult to come by and was to be delivered in two days’ time. To which client is not important, but they are not pleased that this situation has brought attention on us therefore possibly them. I want everyone’s ear to the ground.”
“Do you think it’s one of the other families?” Dante asked.
“No.”
“No?” he asked, as if he wanted me to go into a more detailed answer.
“No,” I repeated. “They wouldn’t be stupid enough to go against me.”
“Do you have any ideas of who it is then?” Dante asked.
Dante continued to ask questions he wouldn’t get the answers to, while his right leg bounced.
My eyes drifted to his nervous movements, which stopped immediately once he noticed I observed it. I focused back on him with a neutral expression.
“Dante, at this moment who I think is responsible, isn’t important because I need to know who’s responsible.” I took a puff from my cigar savoring the taste and calming my anger. “I want to know every tip, every conversation, every accusation. I want to know every fucking thing that’s said about my shipment. I don’t care who it’s from or where you get the information. Then we can talk about who. But until then, I want all the information I can gather before names are given.”
While Dante squirmed in his seat, Aaliyah tapped against my leg, again. I agreed with her observation. Dante’s nervous fidgeting caused him to move to the top of the list.
Franco hurried into the office and made a beeline for my desk, amidst the chatter of everyone trying to figure out the information I needed, except for Dante, who kept his gaze fixed on me. But I wasn’t tipping my hand no matter how much he wanted to know where my head was. Yeah, he had something to do with it, but I refused to acknowledge that I knew he did.
“Boss, Agent McGuire and Agent Grasso are at the gate,” Franco whispered to me when he arrived at my desk.
I let out a groan as I slid my hand down my face. This wasn’t the time for the Feds to be popping up. “Inform the guards to let them through the gates, Franco. When they reach the house, escort them around to the back office, and I’ll be there shortly.”
“You got it, boss,” he said, rushing back out of the room.
Hopefully, this unexpected visit had nothing to do with our traitor, although it most likely did. So far, this was the only business transaction that had been impacted. And we uncovered a plot to have more upcoming shipments seized. We stopped those shipments, immediately rerouting them through other carriers without anyone in the family’s knowledge.
Only those in the higher ranks, the men sitting in this room, knew about those shipments. Aaliyah uncovered a plot to take me out by getting me tangled up with the Feds.
“Gentlemen are there any more questions?” When no one spoke, I continued. “All information is to be brought to me personally, and not discussed with anyone, including others in this room. Do you understand?”
They all looked around curiously, but everyone nodded. I was sure Giuseppe wouldn’t keep his mouth closed regardless of the order and that was what I hoped.
“Thank you for your time and patience gentlemen, hopefully we can get this minor glitch taken care of. Make sure you keep me informed of any developments.” When they rose, I stood along with them as they exited my office. I turned my attention to my wife and brother as soon as the door closed. “We have guests.”
“Who?” Alessandro asked, buttoning up his suit jacket and downing the last of his whiskey before setting the glass on my desk.
A scowl formed on my face as I glared at him. He chuckled, picking it up and taking it to the mini bar in the corner of the room near the window.
“The Feds. Franco took them to the back office. Get Chantal on the phone and tell her I need her to get here as soon as she can. I don’t know what the hell is going on but I’m sure this is about to get nasty.”
“This could be what’s coming,” Aaliyah said, threading her hand with mine as we walked to the door.
“That’s my thought as well. Alessandro, make sure you stay close. I may need you.”
“Always, bro. I’ll make this call to Chantal, handle some of my business, then I’ll meet you back here so we can come up with a plan,” he said then exited the office going in the opposite direction of me and Aaliyah.
“Who do you think has their hands in this, Antonio?”
“Dante. I’m sure he gave the information on the shipment to whoever wanted it. But he needs someone more powerful to pull this shit off. I don’t think it’s another family, but it’s definitely someone who has some connections.”
“I’ll do some digging when the Feds leave and see what I can uncover. Do we still have someone on your mother?” Aaliyah asked. “Maybe her and Dante are working together. It would make sense since they couldn’t kill me to shift focus onto the businesses to take you out.”
“Yes. I have one of my best men in Italy on her. But I wouldn’t put anything past her at this point. She was furious when I exiled her to Italy. If Dante’s loyalty is to her, she could definitely be helping him.”