Chapter 2 #3
Before we left the Romano estate, it took me ten minutes to convince this ass that my father gave us permission to come to the party.
He still wanted to argue with me, so I had to boss up on him by threatening to go back inside and tell Papà he was refusing to take us where we needed to be.
He didn’t want any of that, so he reluctantly brought us here.
Right now, I’m getting tired of him fucking questioning me.
“What did I tell you before we left? Yes, he did. If you want me to report back to him that you kept questioning his orders, I’ll be happy to let him know.” I threaten again.
His eyes grow wide with fear. He knew how my Papà could get when someone questioned his orders.
“No, Master Russo, that won’t be necessary.
I will wait here for you to return.” He gets out the car, then comes around and opens the back-passenger door for us to get out.
We take off our suit jackets and bowties before we get out.
I unbuttoned my shirt to show off my gold herringbone chain.
All eyes were on us when we stepped out of the car.
Even though we still were dressed in our slacks and dress shirts, everyone knew the future Dons had arrived on the scene.
I lead the three of us up the walkway as the boys turned up their noses like bitches, and the girls batted their eyes like butterflies.
“Davide! You guys made it!” Piero shouts from the top of the stairs.
“You know we wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” I shouted over the music as I shake his hand, pulling him into a semi-hug.
“Well, you gents made it just in time. The drinks are flowing, and the girls are tipsy.” Piero says, smirking.
That was great and all, but I only had one question. “Where’s Francesca?”
Piero laughs, putting his fist to his lips. “She’s in the house, but you better get in there because I have been threatening mother fuckers all night to stay away from her.”
Turning to Luca and Matteo, I say, “Let’s go.”
Piero falls in line behind Luca and Matteo as I lead them into the house.
It was standing room only as the inside of the house was packed.
Smoke filled the air as bodies gyrated to the beat of the song that was playing.
Searching the room, I find Francesca by the DJ booth with her friends and several guys talking to them.
One guy who I had never seen around here before was a little too close to her for my comfort.
He was tall and well built. He looked to be a few years older than us.
He was dressed better than the kids in the Level, so that alone let me know he was not from around here.
When he dipped his head and whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush and giggle, I saw red and started moving through the crowd to get to them. Luca, Matteo, and Piero follow suit.
“Francesca, come here,” I demand, pointing to my side. She jumps when she hears my voice. The guy whips his head in my direction, giving me a death stare. Francesca takes a step in my direction, but stops when the asshole grabs her arm.
“I believe I was talking to the lady.” The punk had the nerve to say, scowling at me.
I step closer, stopping a few feet from them. “And I believe I was talking to her. Now let go of her fucking arm before you have a problem.”
He chuckles. “Before I have a problem? Do you know who I am, boy?”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, nor do I want to know.
The question is, do you know who the fuck I am?
” He stares at me blankly. Clapping my hands together, I widen my stance, squaring my shoulders.
“I am Davide Russo, future Don of the Russo family.” Recognition of my name flashes across his face, but that doesn’t let him release Francesca.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are! I am Steffan DeCaprio, leader of the Ragazzi D’Angelo (Corner Boys).”
So, this was Steffan DeCaprio. I’ve heard of him.
He and his gang run the lower level in the town over from ours.
I heard he was a hardnosed prick. He and his gang did everything from selling drugs to robbing old ladies.
Most people turned in the opposite direction if they saw him and his boys coming their way.
“Leader of the Corner Boys, you say,” I pause, tapping my chin, as if trying to figure out who they were.
“Ohhh, The Corner Boys, the ragtag group that steals candy from little boys and girls and knock old ladies down.” I tease, as everyone laughs except for Steffan and his boys.
“I heard you boys were pretty tight, which makes me wonder why you’re trying to hit on my girl.
Don’t you boys like playing with each other?
Isn’t that a part of your initiation process?
” That has the crowd letting out low hisses.
Steffan finally let’s go of Francesca and closes the distance between us. His boys follow behind him. “You got a really smart mouth that’s going to get your ass fucked up.”
I smirk, squinting my eye at him. “Why are you focused on my mouth Steffan? The stories must be true, but just so you know, I don’t get down like that.”
He bucks his eyes before taking a wild swing.
I duck, catching him with a punch to his ribs.
He howls out. His boys try to jump to his aide, but Luca, Matteo, Piero, and some of his crew charge them.
All hell has broken out as the rest of the partygoers begin to scream, trying to get to the front door.
“Davide!” Francesca screams momentarily, distracting me, which allows Steffan to catch me with a right hook to the left side of my face.
“Talk your shit now, boy.” His boasts, swinging again.
This time I lean back, barely missing his meaty fist. I counter with my own swing hitting him on the left side of his jaw.
His head jerks to the right as blood spews from his mouth.
I continue my assault, landing punch after punch to his torso as he tries to retreat.
When he bends over trying to deflect my hits, I wrap my right arm around his neck, putting him in a sleeper hold.
With my left arm locked around his forehead, I apply pressure to his throat with my right arm, cutting off his air supply.
I briefly search for my crew and see Piero stomping the shit out of Steffan’s boys.
Luca and Matteo are holding their own against their opponents.
Suddenly, a sharp pain rips through my right thigh.
Somehow, Steffan has managed to get to his knife and stab me.
He pulls the knife out and pierces my thigh again.
I howl out in pain as I unlock my left arm from his head and reach inside my pocket for my knife.
Moving my body to the side, I was able to miss getting stabbed again, when he pulled the knife out and went for another plunge.
Steffan begins to fight to get out of my hold, but I keep my grip tight.
Finally, I get a hold of my knife, but just as I was about to impale him, the sound of gunshots fill the room.
Standing in the doorway with his gun pointed to the ceiling was Papà along with Don Luca and Don Leonardo. They look pissed as hell as they take in the scene before them. Pissed or not, I wasn’t about to let Steffan go. This mother fucker swung on me first and has stabbed me twice.
Papà lowers his pistol, before putting it into the holster under his jacket. “Let him go, Davide.”
“No,” I hiss.
“I said, let him go!” Papà shouts with authority.
“I will not!” I shout back. He raises his eyebrow at my defiance. “It is my right! He swung first and stabbed me in the leg! It’s my right to finish him!”
Papà looks down at my blood-soaked right pant leg. He scans further down, and I’m sure he saw the blood around my shoe because I could feel it running down my leg. Papà’s eyes jerk back at me. He doesn’t say a word as he and the Dons turn and walk out the door.
“Please just let me go. I’m sorry, man. I promise you won’t see me again.” Steffan sobs.
“You’re right, I will never see you again because I’ll never leave an enemy behind to come after me a second time,” I whisper in his ear before repeatedly stabbing him in his side.
Steffan screams out in pain. That, however, didn’t last long, as he goes limp in my grasp.
I let his body drop. I stare down at him then to the others.
Piero’s giving off an evil grin as Luca and Matteo's faces show no expression. I’m sure they didn’t think things would escalate to this extent, but they better get on board with this shit because this is what we will have to deal with once we are Dons.
Enemies will be coming for us at any given moment, and the way I saw it was it was better for me to end them when I had the chance than to steadily look over my shoulder, waiting for them to whack me.