17. Dax
DAX
Amoment later, miss perky tits showed up with a small Styrofoam cup with coffee in it. “Here you go, coffee, black.”
Why the fuck do they always make me be the asshole?
“Yeah, sorry, princess, but I know an insult when I see one,” I said with a tired sigh. “Let me guess, did you spit in it? Dip the cup in toilet water or something before filling it?”
“What?” She gasped. “No, of course not. Why on earth would I do such a thing?”
“Only you can answer that, but I’m for damn sure not going to drink out of that.” Shoving out of my seat, I left the conference room and headed for the front desk.
“Wait, what are you doing?” tits for brains called after me.
Looking around the space, I ignored her as I spotted a man with an empty coffee cup heading down the hall to the left. “Since you clearly didn’t want to serve me, I’m just going to do it my-damn-self,” I muttered as I followed after the guy.
He turned into a room marked Employees Only, but I charged in all the same.
In the break room was a fancy state-of-the-art espresso machine, coffee maker, snack bar, and even a refrigerator with champagne chilling.
I spotted a stash of mugs with the firm's logo on it and assumed that’s what my beverage should have been in.
“Umm, ma’am are you lost?” the gentleman asked me when he realized I wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Nope, just getting my own coffee since the daffodil over here wasn’t willing to do her job,” I shared, taking the pot from his hand. “You were done with this, right?”
“Yeah…” Then he seemed to snap out of it, turning to the woman still making irritated noises at me. “Beverly, what's going on?”
“She asked for coffee, and I got her some, but she decided to get it herself,” Beverly grumbled. “Something about toilet water, I don’t know. She’s crazy.”
“Beverly,” the man hissed. “That is no way to talk about one of our clients, let alone to their face.”
“You asked me what happened. I'm explaining it,” she said with a pout on her lips as she talked. “Don’t be mad, Carl.”
I leaned back against the break room counter and snorted. “Wow, is that how you still have a job? Are you gonna drop to your knees and beg for forgiveness with his dick in your mouth?”
Carl looked stricken like I’d figured out some big secret or something while Beverly looked horrified at the suggestion. “I would never. He’s a married man.”
“Save it for someone who believes your shit,” I sighed. “What or who you do isn’t any of my concern. What I took offense to is your obvious dislike of me when I’d done nothing to you. There was no reason for it.”
“Why should I give you the same respect when you’re just like me, cuddling up to whoever can give you the lifestyle you want.” She sneered.
I tossed back my head and laughed so hard I almost had to set my coffee cup down for fear of spilling it.
“Oh, you really read that situation so wrong. You might want to consider toning down on the hairspray. I feel like it’s killing what precious brain cells you have left.
” I wiped my eye with a finger trying not to smear my makeup.
“Those men are my husbands, and as for the lifestyle part, I’m the one who has all the money and power, babe. ”
Beverly’s face scrunched up as she looked at me completely confused. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s okay. Everyone has to stick with what they're good at,” I shared, walking over to her and patting her on the shoulder as I passed by. “You must be skilled in other areas besides serving coffee, I’m sure of it.”
Enraged at my words, Beverly let out a shriek before she grabbed for me. I sidestepped out of the way, set my mug on a table, then grabbed her arm, twisting it up behind her as I pulled my travel switchblade out of my back pocket.
The blade snapped open and rested against her throat.
“I can handle the looks, the comments, and whatever you tried to pull with that first cup of coffee. What I will never allow is for someone to lay a hand on me. This would be the moment I would use whatever brain power you have to make a smart choice right now, Beverly.”
“Make sure you’re listening to her words, Bev,” Tommaso commented from where he was leaning against the door frame. “That is one of the most dangerous women in the criminal world who’s also known for never calling a bluff.”
“You’re going to let her do this to me, Tommy?” Beverly cried, fear making her words shaky.
Tommaso looked at her with sympathy. “Some lessons you need to learn the hard way, even if you are my sister.”
Well fuck, why the hell did she have to be his sister? How could he let her act this way in the first place? Damn, let's hope Sergio doesn’t witness this. Then there he was. So much for that wishful thinking.
“What the hell is going on here?” Sergio roared. “Unhand my daughter right this moment.”
“No, Dad,” Tommaso cut in, resting a hand on his father’s arm. “She got herself into this mess, and Dax has every right to correct her. We’ve warned her the world we live in doesn't suffer fools lightly. She didn’t listen.”
Hmm, maybe this guy is who we need to fill the spot when Diego is gone. First things first, I had to deal with Beverly dearest.
“Listen to your brother, Bev, because next time, you might do something that’s going to actually get you killed,” I commented.
“Having more respect for yourself and others might be a good place to start. All of this could have been avoided if you’d just treated me the same.
Not to mention, you might want to change your viewpoint on other women.
It’s the twenty-first century, and we’re more than able to be badasses in the world. Stop selling yourself short.”
Giving her a shove toward her father, I released her.
“If I were you, I’d stop letting her look like a hooker at work and sleeping with everyone in the office.
Not that I have anything against a woman with a high sex drive, I take issue when it's used as manipulation. Fuck whoever you want as long as it’s your idea and because you want it, Beverly.
I know how the old-school mafia men like to keep their women in a certain role.
If you ever need an out, call me. I’ll find a place for you in the Hidden Empire. ”
Grabbing my mug, I headed out of the break room and back to the conference room, where my guys looked a little peeved. I gave them a sheepish smile and pointed to the mug. “Really needed coffee.”
“Sit down,” Wes ordered, pointing to the chair I’d been seated in before. “Something tells me that’s not all that happened.”
“Fun fact, Beverly, the chick with the boobs is Tommaso’s sister,” I shared while taking a sip of my coffee. “Damn, this is good. I’m gonna need to ask what it is so we can get some.”
“For the love of God,” Picasso groaned. “Spitfire, I realize you believe you can fix any situation with enough sass and a sharp blade, but please tell me you didn’t fuck this up for us.”
Before I could answer, Tommaso walked in with two new men in addition to his father.
Valter, I knew instantly. He’d been a man we’d watched for a long time.
The older Italian man was dapper as ever in his nice suit, dyed black hair fooling no one, and cane to help with his limp.
It’s always wise to keep tabs on threats to your business or others in case a coup ever did happen.
The other man wasn’t someone I recognized and that had me slightly worried. Wes had made sure to keep track of all the big players in Valter’s top crew.
He was about the same age as Valter, tanned skin, a head of neatly maintained white hair along with a matching full beard, and intelligent brown eyes. He looked at me as if he knew exactly who I was, putting me even more on alert.
“Thank you for waiting. I felt it was in all our best interests for those in power to be here for this conversation. Dax, I assume you already know Valter Lombardo, Don of the Italian mafia based here in Boston,” Sergio introduced, then gestured to the other addition.
“This is Francois Amato, a close and valued friend visiting from Italy to attend your fight this weekend.”
My jaw dropped when I heard the name. “Wait,” I blurted. “Are you the same Francois that knows Harper?”
“Si, such a lovely friend you have in Miss Peirson,” Francois answered with a genuine smile. “Those boys are incredibly lucky they put a ring on her before I had a chance to make a move.”
I tried to keep the surprise off my face at this news, but I hadn’t exactly told her about my change in status either. “I can see she made quite the impression, must mean she really liked you. Otherwise, you wouldn't think so fondly of her and her sharp tongue.”
“Ah, that is where you are mistaken, Mrs. Blackmore. I quite liked how bold she was. While she might be new to the game, she’s got an instinct for it that you can’t teach,” he shared with a chuckle.
“But we are not here to discuss these matters, and I do not wish to take up Valter’s time with idle chatter. ”
“My apologies,” I said, turning to Valter. “I realize what it means that you’ve come to speak with us directly, and I promise this will be worth your time.”
We all took our seats once more and Wes pulled out the paperwork that had been given to us, explaining what else was found while doing our own research.
The men listened and looked over everything, allowing us time to speak before asking their questions.
While this was what we’d hoped would happen, my stomach churned with the knowledge they could take all this information and cut us out of the deal completely.
Or just kill us. That was always an option when it came to the mafia.
“What of Marco?” Valter asked, his voice deep and raspy.