Chapter 1
Nico
Taking a sip of the whisky from the tumbler in my hand, I sigh. Seems it’s time to get myself tied down for real, and the one I’ve chosen may be a good choice, but I had to fight her father for her hand. He has taken something from the business he runs, and it is a matter of death or daughter, and as I expected, he chose to save his own life.
I’ve looked at and into many of the females that are eligible from my Consigliere to soldiers' families. The only one that even took my eye slightly was Lorenzo Palmeri’s daughter.
Lorenzo Palmeri is a fat, lazy man. He is, however, running his business as he should at eye level, as far as we know. I have placed a spy in his business building, he has found evidence an illegality is going on. The business is a casino that also holds shows, bringing in customers from far and wide. He will be used as an example; I just need time to get everything as I want it before I strike.
Tapping on the door of my office has me calling, “Come in.”
Opening the door, my secretary, who has been with me since I took over as Don, gives me a grimace. “Mr. Palmeri is here to see you. Would you like me to show him through?”
“Yes please, Gail.”
I take a seat, place my whisky tumbler on the mat placed to one side of my desk, and wait. Bruno is standing near the window and has his hands folded behind his back, waiting and watching as always. He is my most trusted man and friend, my consigliere, and third in line to run the family.
“I’m sorry for barging in, but I have urgent news to inform you of,”
Lorenzo quickly says as he walks into my office.
“What news is that, Lorenzo?”
I ask, and I don’t give him the courtesy of telling him to take a seat.
Coughing nervously, he splutters, “Elli has run. I only told her last night, and when we got up this morning she was gone. The trouble was I had told her I would never make an arranged marriage for her, so she took it badly. She isn’t timid like most of the Famiglia women. Her mother brought her up truly American.”
“You are telling me my intended has run away? You couldn’t watch her even though you knew she was a viable runner? Honestly, Lorenzo, I’m about to end you one way or the other. You find her and get her back here, or you and I will have far more than a few words.”
I have fisted my hands on the desk because this is not going to happen again. I’ll find her and marry her before she can say ‘Cazzo’. Goddamn it, I’ve not met her yet, and she has me cursing in Italian. A language I swore never to speak again.
“We will find her and she will be married without all the pomp that you would expect. I’m not fucking messing around, Lorenzo. She either marries me or you die.”
Turning to my Consigliere Bruno, I snarl, “Get him out of here, and if he hasn’t produced Elli in a month, he’s a dead man. You got me, Bruno?”
All the while my eyes are on Lorenzo, who is about to piss his pants, I’m sure.
“Yes, Don, I have my men already out looking,”
Lorenzo whimpers, showing how pathetic he is in the process.
“Got you, Boss.”
Bruno grabs Lorenzo’s arm and hauls him out of my office. I’m ready to rip someone a new one, and I have just the person in mind, and he so happens to be in the business basement.
Walking out of the office, I head to the elevator and step inside. Aeron, Luigi, and Philip all step into the elevator alongside me. Aeron looking at me with a smirk, “Seems Lorenzo needs a talking to, eh Boss?”
“He’ll get more than a talking to. He’ll get dead is what he’ll get,”
I snarl, but I’m given smirks and chuckles from all three of these assholes.
“I never liked him. He’s a slimy one for sure,”
Luigi quietly adds to the conversation.
“Well, I’d be happy to pull out all his nails, teeth, even his eyeballs…I’d do it for free, Boss,”
Philip seriously states.
“So, what did he do wrong?”
Luigi asks.
Turning to look at him, I snarl, “He lost my fucking bride.”
The three of them stand looking at me, stunned, and it’s not until the doors of the elevator open and I walk out to the basement that they seem to reanimate.
“You’re not lucky with women, eh Boss?”
Aeron spouts, and me stopping and looking at him has him taking steps back, “Sorry Boss. Shall I tell Andre to search?”
“Yes.”
That’s all I manage to say before I throw open the hallway door, and see two soldiers standing outside the basement door, which is always locked. I place my eye over the iris scanner and when I hear a click, I push open the door and stare at Frederico, the man who has been skimming dollars from the business he was entrusted to run.
I hear Aeron finish speaking to Andre and when he puts his phone into his suit pocket, I know he’s ready. “Well, Frederico, it seems you have been one naughty boy. You’ve been skimming proceeds from the business. Now, don’t lie, because all of us in this room know that you are a thieving piece of shit.”
Walking around scaring the shit out of this idiot, where he’s tied to a metal chair which is affixed to the floor by bolts, and situated over a drain. That way, we can hose the place down and keep it clean.
“I’m sorry, I’ll pay it back to you,”
Frederico simpers, as if that will get him any sympathy. One thing is sure, he’ll not be leaving this room alive.
Removing my suit jacket, I hand it to the soldier standing just inside the door. He lays it over his forearm, all the time keeping his eyes on the asshole mewling behind me.
“Would you make all that noise?”
I ask the soldier, and his eyes flick to me.
“I wouldn’t steal from you in the first place, Boss, so it’s hard to say, but probably not, watching the pathetic fucker has me thinking I wouldn’t want to look like that in the face of death.”
“What’s your name?”
“TJ, Timothy James Longshaw, Boss.”
“Well, TJ, you have the best answer. Don’t steal from the family and you won’t be in his position.”
Turning, I walk around the room, keeping one eye on Frederico. He’s only alive until I get the go-ahead that the money has been retrieved from his bank account, then he can go swim with the fishes.
Aeron’s phone rings and quickly taking the call he nods, grunts and finishing the call, he places it in his jacket pocket once more. “Got it, Boss.”
Slapping my hands together, I look at Luigi and grin, “Let the fun begin.”
Oh, the fun started, but not for Frederico. By the time we had finished with him, he had no fingers, toes, ears, eyes, dick or tongue, just a shell of a body and I’m sure he was dead before we finished playing with him.
“TJ, clean up and leave nothing behind.”
I walk past and Philip takes my jacket. I’ll need to empty the jacket pockets before it will be incinerated with the rest of my clothing. Can’t risk anything having any splatter.
“No problem, Boss,”
TJ quickly calls to the soldiers as we pass them by and I know he’s going to make a good made man.
“That’s another piece of shit off our radar, Boss. Now, what are you going to do about Lorenzo?”
Philip asks, and Luigi chuckles, knowing Lorenzo will get what’s coming when I’m good and ready.