8. Luciano #2
All eyes stare at me like they’re waiting for the latest gossip, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Jesus Christ. I stayed down the hall from her. I was tired and didn’t want to drive home.”
The entire table of men is smirking because they know me well enough to know that is a lie, but instead of calling me out on it, Alessandro clears his throat.
“Let’s get this meeting started so we can get the fuck out of here. I have shit to do,” he says.
I nod at him in thanks because I’m not ready to explain to the five men I consider my family that I stayed in the room next to Fallon because I was worried about her and felt a need to stay close.
And I have no idea why. The only women in my life I’ve ever felt this protectiveness for are my cousin Lacey and my mother when she was alive.
Even women I’ve dated in the past didn’t have this sort of hold on me. It’s a problem.
I’m the second-in-command of one of the biggest syndicates in the United States.
The last thing I need, or want, is a woman coming in and making things complicated for me.
My free time is limited, my job is dangerous, and I’m a fucked-up monster with very few morals.
Fallon should stay far away from me. I’m just not sure that I’m going to be able to give her any distance, because even as I sit here at this table, my mind is on her. I hope she got enough sleep last night.
“There’s a problem with the emeralds that arrived this morning from a port in New York. Almost half of them are fake,” Alessandro announces.
That gets my attention. “That was twenty million worth of emeralds, and you’re saying we got fakes?”
Alessandro reaches into his pocket and then drops a handful of green gems onto the table. I can tell without even looking closely that they aren’t real.
“Jesus,” Giovanni says as he reaches for one of them to examine it. “Have you spoken to the Moretti syndicate yet?”
“No. I want our men to be aware that we may have a conflict arise and to be ready before I do,” Alessandro replies.
I nod and pull out my phone to schedule a meeting with the men who report to me as soon as possible. “I will meet with the next tier and get the word spread within the organization.”
Giovanni nods and taps on his phone as well.
Each of us has a group of men who report to us.
Those men then have people who report to them.
We may be the mafia, but we run our operations as a business, which is why we’ve been so successful for more than fifty years.
But this, being shorted by over twenty million in gems, is a fucking problem.
Alessandro nods, then looks to me. “Once everyone knows, we need to arrange a meeting with the Sicilian syndicate. I don’t like those motherfuckers, but before we obliterate their entire organization, we need to investigate to be sure.
The Morettis wouldn’t know a real gem from a fake one since it’s not their expertise, but it’s possible they got greedy and stupid. ”
We have good relations with all the syndicates with territory in the United States, but the Moretti syndicate pissed off a lot of us when they sent out a batch of bad drugs throughout the States a while back.
They’ve been struggling to get in good standing with everyone since.
Being of Italian blood, we get to use their port at a discounted cost, which we take advantage of.
I just hope they didn’t dare try to fuck us over.
“I’ll get it scheduled,” I tell him.
The six of us discuss topics of other business, though I mostly listen because my mind goes right back to Fallon. When one thirty rolls around on the clock, I rise from my seat.
“I need to go; I have a hair appointment.”
Massimo smirks at me. “You went to your barber last week.”
I glare at him. “And I’m going again today. You keeping track of my schedule now?”
The men around me all laugh while Alessandro rises and slaps me on the shoulder. “Tell Fallon I said hi.”
Fucking rat.
Vincenzo laughs and raises his tattooed hand as if he’s studying his fingernails, but it’s more for performance than anything. “Our guy is in love, eh?”
My stomach flips, and my shoulders lift as every muscle in my body tenses. Love? Fuck no. I don’t do love. The only women I’ve ever loved are Lacey and my mother. And I plan to keep it that way for the rest of my life.
I definitely want to fuck Fallon. Over and over again.
I’d love to see her on her knees, sucking my cock while I stroke her pretty hair.
Would love to put her on all fours and lick her from clit to ass until she screams for me.
There are a million other dirty things I’d like to do with her, but love and romance do not feature in those fantasies.
The life I lead doesn’t leave room for confusing entanglements.
I don’t have time for the drama she would surely cause me, because I have no doubt that Fallon would be the opposite of obedient.
She would be a brat and fight me on everything—and probably vandalize the rest of my cars whenever I pissed her off.
But, fuck, I like that side of her. She’s a challenge, which I’m not used to.
And I’m not going to get used to it, either.
“Fuck off. All of you,” I snap as I turn and stride out of the room.
Laughter follows me before I slam the door behind me to block the sounds of my closest friends being nosy assholes.