Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Marco insisted on driving.
Normally, with his rank in the organization, when out on official business, he would have a driver.
Actually, he could have a driver even in his day-to-day life if he wanted. But he wasn’t the type to put on airs and have someone chauffeur him around. So, he only took advantage of that perk when the old man encouraged it or when he needed to project a certain image.
Tonight, however, he wanted to be behind the wheel. The whole situation had him feeling out of control, and that was a sensation he hated more than almost anything. Driving was at least something he could stay in charge of.
There were so many unknowns.
Was Niko trying to go behind his father’s back and pull the family into the Vegas drug trade? Or had Enzo actually changed his mind, deciding to branch out into the unethical but highly lucrative narcotics business?
As he drove through the night, the powerful LED beams illuminating the dark desert highway before him, he had to laugh silently at his own question.
Unethical? Hell, eighty percent of what the family did was unethical! Were drugs really any worse?
Marco knew the answer. At least, he knew what he thought.
Meth and all that other shit was a line you didn’t cross. He might be a wiseguy, but he still had integrity—even if it was his own twisted version of it.
From the multiple conversations he’d had with the old man, Enzo felt the same.
So why was that changing all of a sudden? Or was Niko lying out of his ass?
The man was power-hungry and desperate to prove that he could follow his father as the head of the Family. But for all the shit Marco could say about him—and he could say a lot—he’d never known Niko to lie.
Still, something about tonight just felt… off.
“You’re in your head,” Paul said.
“You’ve got that right, Paulie.” Only a few people in the organization called him Paulie, but Marco was one of those who’d earned the right.
“What about?” the older man asked.
“This. Whatever the fuck this is that we’re doing.”
From the backseat, Benny said, “Does this feel like a setup to anyone else?”
Marco gripped the wheel tighter. “Yeah. I mean, it’s crossed my mind. But the old man would go into a rage if he found out Niko did something like that.”
At least, Marco hoped that was the case. Mob families were known for shifting loyalties, but this seemed completely out of character for Enzo.
Marco checked the rearview mirror and saw the second SUV still closely behind them. It had four guys in there, all muscle to help out if things went south.
They’d packed them in a separate vehicle for space but also so they could hang back and monitor things, only making an appearance if needed. Marco felt the wisest course of action was to not roll in all hard, like they were hunting or even expecting a fight.
“Look, this motorcycle club—or whatever the hell they are—isn’t stupid enough to start shit. Right? They don’t want beef with the Family,” Paul said.
Benny leaned forward, resting his arms on both of the front seats as he stuck his head between them and spoke. “Word has gotten around town that the old man isn’t doing so good, you know? Could be that they think now is the time to make a play.”
Marco thought it over.
Benny might be right. Crazier things had happened. But a motorcycle club? They usually dealt in drugs. Them and the Family had two different business models and separate markets.
“I dunno,” Marco said. “It’s not a shit theory. And it makes sense. But the pieces just don’t really fit for me. I think Niko is up to something.”
“So, do you wanna call this off?” Paul asked.
“Hey, we’re all on equal footing here,” Marco reminded him. “And you’ve been in the Family a lot longer than I have!”
Taking his eyes off the road for just a second, he saw the older man nod. “That’s right. But Enzo has made it clear who he wants leading this thing after he is gone. And it ain’t me or Benny. It’s you, Marco-Boy. This is gonna be your show soon.”
Guilt stabbed at Marco’s insides. It was the same pain he felt every time he thought about his impending exit. There he was, trying to push the Family into legitimate operations, all while he knew he wouldn’t be around to see it one way or the other.
If things would have moved faster—if the family would have shifted to other things by now—he’d have stayed. But he couldn’t keep demanding Kelsey wait around for him to straighten his shit out.
His sweetie deserved better.
He needed to figure out this moment, though. Right now. The future was on the other side of it, so it was important he get this right.
Turning the car around right now and heading back without having the meeting would be disrespectful to Enzo, and the old man had invested too much in him over the years to just ignore.
“We go and have the conversation,” he announced. “But we play it smart.”
The two other men agreed before Marco laid out how he wanted things. Benny took out his cell, called one of the guys in the SUV behind them, and relayed the plans.
This was going down, and Marco felt it was too late to pull the plug, even if he wanted to.
Just one more errand and then, tomorrow, I’ll tell Enzo, Paulie, and Benny.
Tomorrow, I start my new life with Little Kelsey, far away from all this.
Marco hoped it would all work out as easy as it sounded.
Though he sure had a bad feeling about all this…