5. Domenico
Chapter 5
Domenico
L ife begins and ends one way, with nothing you thought you owned.
I’ve always pictured my life differently. Even though I have been born into one of the most powerful families in the world, I still don’t find satisfaction in being alive.
As a second-in-command to a mafia clan, you’re nothing more than an errand boy until your father, or the Boss, deems you worthy. And my father, he doesn’t think I’m even close to ready for that throne.
No matter what I do. He doesn’t believe I’m the king, merely a pauper, begging at his heels for a place in the sun. But one day, I’ll show him just how well I’ve learned from him. The ruthless, soulless man who’s trained me, made me the person I am today, will realize I have been watching all along.
Twenty-six years is a long time to want your father’s approval. It’s also a lifetime when you never get it.
“We should go out tonight,” one of my best friends, Romano, tells me. He’s focused on my sour face. I should smile more, but that would mean I’m happy, and I’m not. “You’ll see Gisela or whatever the fuck her name is.”
It’s tempting.
A woman I’ve crushed on since my senior year in high school will be there. Even though we’ve been fucking around, enjoying our trysts, there’s nothing more to hold onto. She’s focused on her career. Even though I could give her all that and more.
Independence.
It’s a sickness that should be eradicated.
Actually, I don’t believe that.
I quite enjoy her confidence and self-assurance. I’m only jealous because she hasn’t yet submitted to me as a partner. I’m nothing more than a plaything to the woman.
She’s only a couple of years older than me, and yet she acts as if we’re on two vastly different levels. I know her hate for the mafia and the clans. But she’s a part of us no matter how much she tries to ignore that fact.
“It’s pointless,” I tell Gian, who’s also one of my best friends, and Romano. They both glare at me as if I’m speaking another fucking language. “She’s not going to?—”
“Oh please,” Gian retorts hotly. “You’re both in each other’s pants more than I change mine.”
“That’s because you’re a dirty bastard,” I throw back, chuckling when he pins me with a heated glare. “I’m serious, though. She’s hot, but I’m exhausted. I need to focus on the clan, taking over from my father.” Both of their dads work as Capos under mine. They’re not strangers to this life. None of us are.
“A party will take your mind off it for a little while,” Gian suggests. “You don’t have to see anyone you don’t want to.”
“Where’s this party?”
“The Vitale mansion,” Romano informs me and I snap my gaze to his. “I know, I know.” He holds his hands up before I can say a word. He knows they’re my family’s mortal enemies. Those filthy bastards have no right to be in this city. If I could kill them all, I would.
I shake my head. “I’m not walking into their fucking home.” The hatred in my tone is enough to have both my friends staring at me.
In the mafia, family feuds are normal. They’re expected. But with our families, there’s something different. Our domain is being threatened by theirs. It may not have started out that way, but it’s turned into a turf war.
“Come on, if we crash the party, nobody will know,” he says, then a smile brightens his face. He’s always been the troublemaker. At least that’s what my father calls him. Growing up, they were the only two friends I trusted with my life. In our line of work, loyalty comes at a price.
“I suppose we could go,” I say, hoping I’m not making a stupid decision that will only have the Boss in a bad mood. Even though he’s my father, I still have to abide by his rules. And I have to act as if I were already the head of the clan. Even though he still controls everything.
“Exactly,” Gian says.
“The worst they can do is kill us.” Even though Romano chuckles, a deep-seated worry twists in my gut. That is definitely what they can do if they see us, if they realize we’re Montesano.
A family feud that has spanned generations.
You’d think after so many years, people would forget.
But the mafia never does.
“What if…” Gian pushes to his feet, pacing the floor of my office as he taps his finger against his lips. “What if you brought something valuable back from the Vitale mansion for your father?”
He looks like he’s struck the goddamned jackpot with his assumption. I don’t know if my father would even care. But the fact that I had gotten into our enemy’s home and walked out with something that means something to them may prove to him I am worthy.
I have spent my life trying to prove myself. I wanted my father to look at me the same way he looks at the men who work for him. But more than that, I want him to see me as an equal. I’m the next in line to take his throne, and if he saw the potential in me, then he’d finally allow me to step up.
“I suppose it would be good.” I’m still unsure of this, but when both of my friends are on their feet, ready to race out the door, I realize I should just take a breath and enjoy the night. It’s not like I have to kill anyone. At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
You can never be sure that you will walk out of enemy territory alive and well. It’s not a guaranteed outcome. But I have to try. Perhaps it will be fun.
I stand, buttoning my suit jacket. I suppose I’m going out tonight. I can’t go in a suit and tie, so I have to change into something less formal. A party means I can let loose for a short time.
When I was growing up, my father drilled into my head that I needed to be formal at all times. Professional. As a Made Man, you needed to exude power, and you couldn’t do that in a pair of jeans and a hoodie.
“Let me change into something more discreet. I don’t want to walk in there looking like a goddamned Underboss. They’ll pick me out within seconds of entering,” I tell them and leave them in my office. It’s not like there’s anything in here that they don’t already know about me. As I make my way up to my bedroom, I ponder how the evening will go.
“Domenico.” My father’s voice distracts me from my thoughts and I turn to find him walking up the stairs. He’s dressed immaculately. “What are your plans for the evening?” It’s as if he knows already. The man is a mind reader. I used to ask him if he was. As a child, I was convinced my father had superpowers. But then I learned better. He was merely a human, a normal being who could read people as most devour books.
“We’re going to a party,” I tell him, blatantly ignoring the fact that I should in fact tell him it’s at the Vitale mansion.
“I want you to do a job for me,” he informs me. “There is a gala being held at the house of the enemy.”
My stomach twists. He must have been listening to our conversation. This is far too coincidental.
“I’d like you to find the jewel of Vitale.”
“You heard our plans,” I say. It’s not a question, more of an accusation, but he merely smiles. There’s no guilt in his eyes, but there is also no denying the man was eavesdropping. I’ll have to be careful about what I say in the future.
Perhaps my office has been bugged. My father should be able to trust me. He should be able to see right through me, to the very heart of me. I’m loyal. I was born Montesano and so I will die.
“Bring me back the jewel,” he throws the order out easily, waving his hand in the air. I watch him turn and head to his wing of the mansion. I wish I could leave, run a clan in another country, far away from him. But as the second-in-command, I can’t up and leave. It will show weakness that I cannot handle what the Boss throws at me.
In the safety of my bedroom, I sigh as I shrug off the formal attire and change into something more my style. The Vitales are known for their lavish parties, but I think something less stuffy will do.
I pull on a pair of black jeans and slide my leather belt through the loops before I pull on a dark gray button-up. Most times on jobs, I’ll wear a sleeveless tank top under my shirts. I don’t like getting blood on my clothes, but tonight, I hope there isn’t any mess.
I glance at my holster on the desk and decide not to wear it. I’m going to party, not to start a fight. Even though I do slip my blade into a leather sheath I wrap around my waist. I’d rather be prepared than not.
My phone buzzes and I find Romano telling me he’s outside, wanting to get there early. I glance at the time and note that it’s already seven in the evening. Most parties only start at nine, but perhaps we can fade into the crowd.
There’s only one person who will be there that sets me on edge. The one person who’s been my enemy ever since I can remember. The bastard is a thorn in my side. Cassio Vitale is nothing more than a pest, and I would enjoy eradicating him from this earth.
The feud between our families has been going on for hundreds of years. It started way back when the two Bosses were trying to work together. But one sold out the other, killed most of the Montesanos, and left us in the dust.
We fought back.
We rebuilt.
And there’s nothing more dangerous than an enemy that comes from the gutter. They know how to fight, how to claw their way up from the darkness. I respond to Romano, letting him know I’ll be right down.
I shrug on a black jacket and hope this will not stand out in the crowd. With my phone and wallet in hand, I make my way down the stairs to see my mother in the living room. She’s nursing a gin and tonic like she does every night. She told me once that it eases the fear she lives with.
Her two favorite men in the mafia. Even though my mother may come across as soft and gentle, there’s a fire to her. I make my way to her, needing to see her before I leave. I’ve learned that in this life, you’re never sure if you’re coming home once you step out the door.
“Mother.”
“Oh, my boy,” she says with a smile, pulling me in for a kiss on the cheek. “Be careful out there,” she tells me in her ominous tone. If I were going anywhere other than the Vitale house, I’d wave her off. But this time, it causes the serpent in my gut to twist and hiss in warning.
“Always, Mother,” I tell her confidently, and I wonder if she can see the anxiety in my eyes. I press a kiss to her cheek before I head out the door. When I slip into the passenger seat of Romano’s midnight blue Maserati, I breathe deeply, hoping that something good happens tonight.
And I hope to hell that I can find the damn jewel my father wants or I’ll have to put up with his disappointment even more so than I usually do.