1. Massimo
1
MASSIMO
PRESENT DAY
I looked up from my phone when Antonio pulled the car to a stop. Sitting beside me was Elio, who had been silent for most of the car ride here.
On my other side was Romeo, my third brother. He looked up front and met my youngest brother Matteo’s eyes. They seemed to share a silent language none of us were privy to. Not that it mattered much now. I was sure my brothers were all thinking the same thing I was.
Nothing good came from a meeting requested by Enzo De Luca. The reason I was even entertaining our uncle was out of respect for the traditionalists who had served under our father.
They remained loyal to the dead bastard, even to this day, and to an effect, they remained loyal to Enzo. How ironic, considering our dear old uncle hated our father more than we did, and that said something, since we had experienced nothing but cruelty from our father’s hands growing up.
But Enzo hated our father for taking everything he deemed belonged to him. He wasn’t wrong. Enzo was five years older than our father. He was supposed to have inherited the empire from our grandfather. But how unfortunate that Uncle Enzo was caught in the wrong bed. One of the daughters of a politician, who also happened to be of Russian loyalty. The men could forgive Enzo for cheating on his wife with the daughter of a politician. But they fucking hated the Russians, and if there was one thing they couldn’t stand for, it was the mixing of bloodlines. Especially since the affair produced a son—Enzo’s only son. There was no way the traditionalists would have allowed Marco to be the heir to the De Luca empire.
The old traditionalists from our grandfather’s time came in and pressured him to give our father the position of capo dei capi.
It helped that Marco was too inept to run anything, let alone the De Luca empire, mixed blood or not.
I let out a sigh when my brothers turned to me expectantly. “Let’s go see what he wants.”
Matteo smirked. “Maybe the bastard will do us a favor and announce his retirement.”
Romeo shot Matteo a look. There was no such thing as retirement in our world. Hell, most men didn’t make it to retirement age.
“The only way to an early retirement is to the grave,” Elio commented.
“That can be arranged,” Matteo answered, a glint entering his eyes. If I didn’t get a tighter rein on my brother, he might just lose control one of these days and rip our uncle to shreds.
I shook my head. “Let’s just get this done and over with.”
Matteo let out a small sigh. “You take away all my fun.”
I didn’t know what more I could say to that, so I said nothing, watching as my youngest brother climbed out of the car.
“No matter what, we got your back,” Elio said when Matteo closed the door behind him, pulling my gaze away.
That didn’t need to be said. I knew my brothers had my back. All of them. There was no one I trusted more in the world than them.
I nodded. “I know.” I turned toward Romeo. “Try to stay close to Matteo. Try to keep him from speaking out of turn.”
My quiet brother turned to me with one eyebrow raised.
“That’s why I said try ,” I said, already knowing that if Matteo wanted to say something, there would rarely ever be anything that could stop him.
We both knew Matteo wasn’t easy to control. He might listen to me sometimes , but only on his own terms.
Romeo nodded, clasped my shoulder, and exited the car, leaving just Elio and me behind.
“He’s planning something,” Elio said. “I can feel it.”
“What is the bastardo going to do at his age? He’s getting too old to rule now and has no good heir to succeed him.”
No one would follow Marco’s lead.
Elio shrugged. “I don’t think there is an age limit to wanting power. And even if that’s the case, I don’t think he cared about that. He probably just wants to dig up four graves for us personally.”
I didn’t refute him. That was probably true. He knew his time to take reign of the De Luca empire ended long ago, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to see our deaths as some sort of consolation prize.
“Besides,” Elio said, looking out the window, “fifty-four is hardly old.”
I shrugged.
“Either way, be careful,” Elio said, getting out of the car. I followed shortly after, and together, my brothers and I walked to the building that housed the De Luca enterprise.
It was a nice, luxurious building located in the very center of the Las Vegas strip. It was ostentatious in every sense of the word, just the way I wanted it. We didn’t hide in the cloak of darkness and sins, even if what we did for business practice was just that. I wanted who we were and what we represented to be out there for all those to see. A middle finger to both the city of Las Vegas and the feds watching us.
This place was where we were holding the meeting now. The building was busy, bustling with life, as our employees from the more legitimate side of our business moved around. They gave us a wide berth as we walked, avoiding looking into our eyes for long.
They weren’t oblivious to the rumors swirling around the city about us, even if we were the ones signing their paychecks. It was unsurprising how far people were willing to look the other way, and how much of their ethics they were willing to compromise for such a small thing as their wage.
We got on the elevator when it opened, and no one got on after us.
My brothers were silent on the ascent, all of us readying ourselves in case things turned to shit. Given what we did, things could turn to shit at a drop of a hat.
By the time we got to the boardroom, four of our capos—the ones currently in the city—were present: Aldo Valachi, Joseph Gambino, Dario Gravano, and Federico Accardi.
All men who had come into power during our father’s time. All part of the traditionalists and all men I wasn’t sure gave me their loyalty over Enzo. They sat around one side of the table, leaving the head and the three chairs around it empty for us. Enzo sat on the chair second to the right, impatience written over his face.
I kept my face impassive as I made my way to the head of the table. From the corner of my eye, I could see Romeo putting his hand on Matteo’s chest, stopping him from saying or doing something rash.
“Let’s get this started,” I said once my brothers were seated. We turned to Enzo expectantly.
He leaned back on his chair and took in everyone before he began. “As you know, we’ve been having a little trouble with the Novikov Bratva ever since they joined in with the Devil’s Wings MC in California. They’re trying to drive us out of Las Vegas.”
I steepled my hands together but otherwise didn’t speak. I wouldn’t be saying anything until the very end, when I knew exactly where Enzo was going with this.
“So?” Matteo said, adopting a casual pose as he turned to Enzo. “You think they can? The Novikov Bratva has weakened over the last decade under the current head. It’s a surprise the organization is still standing.”
A muscle on Enzo’s face twitched. “Yes, but it’s still good to remain vigilant. And to do that, we need to form an alliance with other families. Strengthen our ties.”
I remained quiet, though I could feel a tick running up the side of my face. I had a bad feeling about where this was going to go.
“And just how do you expect that to happen?” Matteo asked.
Enzo’s eyes flashed to me. He smiled, baring his teeth. I didn’t react when he said, “It’s time for Massimo to take a wife.”
Romeo laughed. There was no humor to the sound. “An arranged marriage? Do we still live in the Middle Ages that you took it upon yourself to set up an arranged marriage for Massimo?”
“I’m his uncle. It’s my duty to ensure the bloodline lives on.”
Around us, the men nodded in full agreement.
“Then find a wife for Marco,” Romeo threw out.
“Marco is not the head of the De Luca Famiglia, now is he?” Enzo asked, unable to disguise the bitterness in his tone.
“And I assume you already have someone in mind?” I asked.
He smiled. “The daughter of the Lombardi family in Chicago. The girl is of marrying age. And from the pictures I’ve seen, a total beauty. She would suit you well.”
Lombardi.
I’d heard of them.
Emilio Lombardi had two daughters and three young sons. None of his children were at marrying age.
But his cousin, Andre Lombardi, was his consigliere and happened to have two daughters over the age of eighteen. One biological and one stepdaughter—his dead brother’s daughter.
If we wanted to keep it technical, the girl was his niece. Talk about keeping it in the family. Which daughter did Enzo have in mind? The biological daughter or the niece?
Romeo looked like he wanted to say something, but surprisingly, it was Matteo who stopped him.
I waited for everyone to settle down before I spoke, looking around and taking in the men present.
Enzo was planning something. And if I had to guess, it was with the Lombardi clan in Chicago, but what?
I smiled. “Well, if Uncle Enzo has gone through all this trouble to set up an arranged marriage for me, then who am I to say no?”
My brothers turned to me, surprise evident on their faces as Enzo threw his head back and laughed, exposing his neck. My hand twitched with the need to take my dagger out and throw it at him.
“I knew you would see reason, my boy. I’ll set up the meeting right away.”
Enzo stood up and walked out of the room without waiting for me to dismiss him. A slight on his part, which I was sure he’d done on purpose.
I let him have his fun.
For now.
Because while he was busy playing matchmaker, I was already planning his demise.