Chapter 18 | Nick
Nick
The day after we returned home, Michael and I met with Sal DeLorenzo.
He was in the area to visit his daughter, but the true purpose of his visit was to meet with us so we could plan the next phase of the syndicate.
Sal controlled the ports in the Boston area, and his alliance with Michael in New York was powerful.
We met at an Italian restaurant on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and ordered some food and wine before getting down to business.
“So, Rossi’s loyalists are all gone?” Sal asked, leaning back and draping his arm over the empty chair beside him.
“Mostly, yes,” Michael said. “Alexis and Nick’s abduction sped things up quite a bit. I didn’t want John to have to die, or any of Rossi’s men that could be turned, so I was willing to give it some time. When he set things in motion, I had to respond accordingly.”
Sal rubbed his large nose as he pursed his lips. “You’re more patient than I am, my friend. But we’ve reached the intended outcome, and you control the tri-state area. Phase two is eliminating the trafficking of the girls along our coasts. You have the documents for me?”
Michael pulled out a flash drive and slid it across the table.
“Alexis prepared this for us, and I’ve made you a copy.
It has all of Victor’s contacts from his files.
The main ones we need to keep an eye on are Oskar Poska, who’s based here in Brooklyn, and Sergey Kersna, the top bratva official who organizes things in Eastern Europe. ”
Sal arched an eyebrow and lifted the flash drive. “I’m supposed to know how to use this? I have some young men in my fold, but they’re better with guns than computers, Michael.”
“Alexis offered to do some video chats over a VPN with you, or one of your men if you assign them to the files,” I said. “She’s a whiz at this stuff and can help you.”
Sal grinned. “So, Rossi’s daughter is now your IT specialist?”
Michael chuckled. “In a manner of speaking, yes, I guess she is. For now, at least. The world is changing, Sal. We’re going to have to modernize if we want to maintain our empire.”
Sighing, Sal shook his head. “Flash drives, AI and social media...” He harshly rubbed his forehead. “I don’t understand any of it. What happened to family and appreciating the slow, happy times in life?”
“Humanity has evolved,” Michael said, shrugging, “and we have to as well. I’m also going to give the information on that flash drive to my FBI contact.
He can help us from his end. I think we should try to infiltrate Oskar’s local ring and figure out how he communicates with Sergey.
Although I control most of the local ports, every once in a while, things slip by in Brooklyn and New Jersey, which is infuriating. ”
“The bratva is wily,” Sal said. “They have deeply embedded contacts throughout the Northeastern seaboard. Sometimes, trafficking shipments slip through in Boston, but it’s less and less now that we’ve aligned.”
“Well, I want to eliminate it completely,” Michael said, crossing his arms. “I’ll assign two men to infiltrate Oskar’s ring and work with my FBI contact to bust their shipments. The volume is already way down since Victor’s death. If we work smart, I think we can eliminate it completely.”
“And the drugs?” Sal asked, arching a dark brow.
Sighing, Michael ran a hand through his hair. “We’re never going to stop those, and we both know it. I just want to keep fentanyl out of my ports. If the rest gets through, we’ll make sure it’s as clean as possible.”
Leaning forward, Sal placed his arms on the table. “Eradicating fentanyl from our ports is going to leave an opening for others to swoop in. Namely, Marco Nunez.”
Michael’s lips flattened. “Over my dead body. That asshole will never do business up here. Ever.”
Sal sat back and gave a slight nod. “I hope you’re right, my friend. Okay, send your men to infiltrate Oskar’s syndicate and keep me updated. You have my support. Let’s keep our ports running smoothly so I can spend more time with my granddaughter.”
Michael smiled. “I didn’t realize your daughter was pregnant. Congratulations.”
“And you? Are you going to be having a child with your pretty new wife?”
“That’s not on the table for us,” Michael said, reaching over and patting my thigh. “And I’ve already got a son. Nick is my heir, and I hope he’ll have some grandbabies for us one day.”
I smiled, unable to stop the vision of Alexis that formed in my head.
One of her grinning at me as she cupped her pregnant belly, full with my child.
I blinked a few times, clearing the image before it became too real.
As much as I secretly longed for her, I accepted that she would move on and build a life that she wanted. One that made her happy.
It was my greatest wish for her.
“He’s not a man of many words,” Michael teased, patting my thigh again, “but I trust him more than anyone in the world.”
“Then I look forward to hearing about his wedding when he meets the right woman,” Sal said, lifting his glass.
I remained silent, toasting them and swallowing the wine, which suddenly tasted bitter.
In my heart, I couldn’t imagine marrying any woman but Alexis.
Perhaps that would change with time, but it seemed so unlikely now, when most of my thoughts were of her.
..and her gorgeous smile...and those stunning green eyes as I touched her sweet little body and brought her to her peak. ..
“We’ll keep you updated,” Michael said, rising and tossing several hundred-dollar bills on the table. “The rest is for the server. Get home safely, Sal.”
We headed outside and sat in the back of the SUV as Michael instructed his driver to take us back to Brooklyn.
“You’re quieter than usual,” he said, glancing over at me. “Everything good?”
I nodded. “Just trying to return to reality. The past few weeks were a lot.”
“If you need more time—”
“No,” I said, wanting to return to work so I would keep my mind off of Alexis. “In fact, I want to stay busy. I was thinking I could check on the clubs at night, after I’m done with the things you need me to do during the day.”
Michael’s eyebrows lifted. “I mean, you can, if you want. I always need more eyes there. We’re on probation at the Queens location, and I can’t lose the liquor license at any other location. Now that we’re targeting the bratva, I want to be extra cautious.”
“I’ll head to the clubs a few nights a week just to keep my ear to the ground,” I said, thankful for the distraction from thinking endlessly about Alexis.
“That works. I’m going to need you to work with Leo as we assign two men to infiltrate Oskar’s syndicate. Who do you suggest we choose?”
We discussed logistics on the way home, and I asked Michael’s driver to drop me off at my front door.
“Do you want to come over later for dinner?” he asked, concern in his tone.
“I’m beat,” I said, opening the door and stepping out. “I’ll order in if I get hungry.”
“Okay. I can have Bianca bring some food over—”
“I’m good. We’ve got the meeting at the docks early in the morning.” We often met with the men who worked at the ports to ensure things ran smoothly. “I’ll meet you in the driveway at five a.m.”
I closed the door and headed inside, suddenly craving solace.
After changing out of my suit into some sweatpants, I sat on the couch, content to watch some mindless TV before the long days and weeks ahead.
My old life was back, and strangely, it was quite bleak.
When Michael had assigned me to guard Alexis, I’d been pissed since I considered myself much more than a damn bodyguard to a spoiled mafia princess.
But it had only taken days for me to learn she was much more than that. Only days for her to burrow into my heart and claim it before I’d had a chance to shield it.
Relaxing on the couch, I flipped through the channels, rubbing my chest as I allowed myself to miss her.