Chapter 9
NINE
Adriano
Being a total shit to women isn't new to me but where Eliza is concerned I find it's harder to ignore the fact I hurt her feelings. I regret the way she fled from the room but with my security team alerting me to a visitor entering the property I needed to get her out of the way.
Let's face it, even if I had time to coddle her in the wake of fucking her mouth, I'm not equipped to offer that sort of comfort.
The women I've been with before didn't require any. That's why I picked them. Eliza is different and I'm not sure how to handle her.
I sit behind the desk as Lukas walks into the room without knocking as per fucking usual. He closes the door behind him and sits in the chair across from me. He never waits for an invitation.
Lukas Rinaldi is one of the most effective men Gabriele has ever employed. We all grew up together but unlike my cousin I don’t hold much affection for Lukas. He broke my Playstation when I was eight and my father beat the shit out of me for it. Call me petty, but I’ve never forgiven him for that.
There's an air about Lukas that most people would dismiss as arrogance. He'd have some right to it, I suppose. Gabriele's closest friend and consigliere is the only one of us who went to university.
He gained degrees not only here but in England where he planned to stay before Gabriele's attack brought him back to Rome.
He wields the law as effectively as he does his Beretta. It's why Gabriele keeps him around.
He's not actually arrogant, though. He just doesn't want to let anyone get inside his head so he keeps his distance. The irony is someone already took up residence in there. She just isn't around anymore.
"The Esposito property," he says without preamble. "Gabriele needs a decision by Friday."
"And good afternoon to you too, Lukas."
I have as little time for small talk as he does, but it's worth taking a pause to try to rile him up. Lukas has a stick up his ass which has nothing to do with an air of superiority. He's pining for some woman he left behind in England.
He thinks I don't know that but one of the high-end whores who works for me told me he only ever fucks her from behind and he pays her extra to call him Emily.
Why he's paying her at all is beyond me. Fucking whores is one of the perks of the job.
"You want to chat, do you?" There's a glint of challenge in his eye. "Why don't we start with Eliza Moretti walking freely around your house."
In fairness, if I'd known he was going to drop in on me, I'd have escorted her back to her bedroom myself. I don't tell him that.
"She's not free."
"No? You haven't decided to give her a little room to roam in exchange for favors?"
Beneath the desk, my fingers wrap tightly around my thigh but I show no outward signs of being pissed off.
"Favors, Lukas?"
"Her lips looked pretty swollen."
"Maybe she was having an allergic reaction to something."
He nods thoughtfully. "I've heard your cum has that effect."
"Okay." This conversation is heading toward dangerous ground and Gabriele won't be pleased if two of his closest friends kill each other in a shootout. "Back to the Esposito deal. Remind me what the problem is."
He opens the electronic tablet he was carrying when he came in. The Esposito deal is straightforward in principle and complicated in practice because egos are in play and money isn't smoothing things over.
The Espositos own a property that Gabriele wants Volante Construction to build housing on. It's one of the legitimate businesses the family owns and we all profit from.
I brokered the deal over two years ago. Gino Esposito went to school with my mother and held fond memories of her so he was happy to do business with me.
Everything was simple until Gino had a stroke that incapacitated him. His son got power of attorney and has been trying to carve out a new deal, one where he takes a stake in the construction company.
It's not going to happen. We don't let outsiders in. Ever. They don't have the same loyalty as those of us who were born to this world. We've been burned in the past and it won't happen again.
We've tried offering more money but Angelo Esposito won't budge. He’s one of those men who looks at what his father has built and imagines he can do better. He can’t, and we’ve been patient for long enough waiting for him to figure that out.
Stronger measures will have to be taken and that's where I come in, or at least, Paolo does when he gets back from vacation.
Breaking Esposito's legs will be a good way for him to get into the swing of things again after two weeks of being with his family.
Paolo isn't the type of man to chill on the beach. If he hasn't found some adrenaline sport to take part in, he'll be about ready to explode when he returns. Angelo Esposito won't know what hit him.
"So what does Gabriele want to know by Friday?"
"Whether we're proceeding with the deal and teaching Esposito junior a lesson."
"Yes, we're proceeding." I spent time and effort on that deal. It's going ahead one way or the other. "Is that all you dropped in unannounced for? This could have been a phone call."
Lukas works his jaw. He's not happy with me right now. I wonder if he's irritated that Gabriele's giving me access again. Lukas was his gatekeeper for a while there when my cousin wanted to hold the outside world at bay.
Perhaps he liked it when he was the chosen one who was given free rein to come and go. I don't blame him for it. In fact, I'm glad he was there for Gabriele when his world was shattered.
"No, that's not all. I need your opinion on a couple of documents."
"Ever heard of email?"
"Yes, asshole, I have, but Gabriele wanted me to talk you through them."
"Fine. Show me."
He opens a new document on the tablet and slides it to the center of the table so I have to lean over to read it.
"This is a new staff contract for the clubs," I say. "It's pretty standard."
"Yes." Lukas agrees. "Damiano wants them implemented across all of our operations. Because you have a stake Gabriele wanted to be sure you were happy with the new paternity leave arrangements."
"What the fuck do I care?"
Our companies, the legitimate ones, have been growing more progressive in recent years.
It's not pure altruism. We've found our staff work harder and are more loyal if we treat them well.
I almost laugh. What would our grandfathers make of us turning their crime family into a considerate employer.
Lukas shrugs and swipes across the screen to open another document.
This one is an agreement to increase our supply of weapons to the Lenkov Bratva, one of our partners in a pan-European consortium that controls half the illegal activity on the continent.
The Lenkovs operate from the south of France. Keeping them well armed helps us all, especially since we move a lot of product through Marseilles.
This is not something I needed to have eyes on, though.
"What is this?" I ask Lukas. "Why are you really here?"
I suspect I already know the answer.
"Gabriele's unsettled. He wanted me to assess your situation."
"With Eliza, you mean."
"Yes, he's worried about…hell I don't know what he's worried about. One minute he thinks she might be innocent, the next she's the devil incarnate. He hopes you're hurting her, then he prays you aren't."
Fuck. If I'd known it would cause this much angst I'd have left the fucking girl in Edinburgh.
"What does he want me to do?"
Lukas shrugs. "He wants you to find out why she helped the Hungarians. I mean we know it's because her brother was mixed up with them, but he wants to know why she didn't come to him for help. What was she thinking. What did he do to deserve her betrayal."
"And then?" I ask.
"Then he wants you to deal with her."
"I got that message already. What I want to know is how. He told me to contain her. How does he want me to do that?"
Lukas shakes his head. “He trusts you to handle it, however you see fit.” He fixes me with an appraising stare. “What will you do with her?”
“I wish I knew.” It’s not like me to admit to not knowing what my next move will be. Lukas frowns as he realises I exposed a weakness to him. He won’t use it against me. If he tries, I’ll track down his precious Emily and send her to him in pieces. “I wish I knew.”