Chapter Five
Dragna
We pull up to the back entrance of the restaurant, Lev and I in one car and five of our most trusted men in another car behind us. I wait for Mikhail to exit the car and open my door. Something we don’t normally do unless it’s a formal setting and we’re being watched.
I don’t like others knowing my men are all like family to me. It means they can be used as leverage against me if the opportunity ever arises. Which after we deal with Nero tonight, it might.
We put on the front that Mikhail is just my driver, doing his job of practically being my replaceable slave.
The back door of the BMW opens and I step out onto the pavement with Lev jumping out right behind me. We have another car of five more men parked round the side waiting for a call from Mikhail should shit hit the fan.
Some Italians hang round the back door watching us all exit our cars, sizing us up as though they believe they could actually take us on.
I almost want to laugh that they think they’d have a chance considering the Don hasn’t been around for years.
It’s why they’ve always been second to us and why we run this territory.
Nero and his father have been in New York for years, but the Don is usually away on other business, only flying back when needs be, leaving his Capo to run things here on his behalf.
What has finally brought him back here for good is the fact he has set up the new restaurant that we are having this meeting at.
Cigar smoke fills the air and the smell of food coming from the kitchen makes its way to us from the back doors being pulled open and my men make their way towards Lev and I, ready to flank us in enemy territory.
As the doors fully open, Marco Moretti, the Don of the Italian mafia steps out wearing a sharply tailored suit and shiny black shoes. He’s holding a glass of whiskey and there’s a cigar hanging out of his mouth.
Marco couldn’t get more cliché mobster if he tried. I want to laugh again, but I’m reminded about why we are really here when Matteo Conti and his fucker of a son Nero walk outside behind Marco.
I see from the corner of my eye Lev clenching his right hand beside me. He wants to grab Nero and deal with him straight away, forgetting we have been invited here for business.
“Benvenuti gentlemen. I’m pleased you could make it.” Marco greets us as he stands there assessing just how many men we have brought with us for what should be a simple business meeting.
“You don’t trust us Dragna?” He raises a brow in my direction.
“Can never be too careful Don. Can’t ever be too sure of the company you keep these days.” I reply while staring right at Nero as he shifts uncomfortably beside his father, whose expression doesn’t give away much.
“Come, let’s move this to my office.” Marco says as his men continue holding the doors open.
Lev and I walk in line silently behind Nero and his father who follow closely behind Marco with men from both sides following in behind us.
We reach the office without seeing a glimpse of the front restaurant or diners. It’s a good layout to hide their dirty business dealings I’ll give him that.
The Italians have their hands in a few different pots. From extortion and illegal gambling to loan sharking. They also have a hand in human trafficking which is why I can’t stand the fucking cunts. I’m no saint, but I draw the line at trafficking innocent people, especially girls.
It doesn’t surprise me that it was Nero and one of his bastard men who played a hand in drugging that girl the other night. It does surprise me however that they did it in my territory and thought they could get away with it.
Opening the door to his office, Marco steps inside and gestures for us to sit on the two leather chairs sitting opposite a glass table in the middle of the room.
I walk over and sit down as Marco takes the single chair facing me.
Matteo and Nero stand behind him and I look at Lev who’s still standing at the door like he’s stuck behind an invisible threshold.
Both our men and the Italians stand spread out against the walls of the room.
Marco looks at Lev and raises his hand to gesture to the empty chair beside me.
He continues to stare intently at Nero as he finally makes his way inside the room and sits down beside me.
Once he's seated, Marco sits back in his chair and one of his men tops up his now empty glass of whiskey.
“Would you boys like a drink?” He asks as he unbuttons the front of his jacket.
“No.” Both Lev and I say in unison.
I can tell Lev is holding it together as much as he can, but like me, he hates the Italians, their trafficking rings and the fact Nero was dancing with Alina while one of their men drugged her best friend.
Still, he needs to be taught to control his emotions as not to give anything away during meetings like this no matter how it affects him on the inside.
“So serious boys.” Marco says through the tension filled stare-offs.
“I invited you here tonight to formally apologise on behalf of my Capo’s son. I can assure you that when we entrusted Nero in accepting your offer, we did not send him to negotiate or for him to cause any offence.” He finishes before taking a drink.
“With the Don returning to New York, we would like an alliance and to accept the terms of thirty five percent. We’ll trade arms, use the restaurant as a front and send you sixty five percent from every trade, if you’ll forgive my son for his attempt at a negotiation.” Matteo finally speaks up.
“We actually have another reason for coming tonight.” I say and I watch Marco glance between Lev and I, holding his drink half way to his mouth before his jaw ticks.
“And what would that reason be exactly?” He raises the glass to his mouth taking a drink.
“Well, we saw something interesting on our CCTV from the night Nero was at our club.” I say looking at Marco.
Lev is still looking at Nero like he wants to slice him open from his gut to his throat.
Matteo shifts slightly on his feet and Nero blinks a little faster than he was a minute ago before his name was mentioned.
He’s angry. His father knows his son has fucked up and Marco looks back at me while he grinds his jaw waiting to hear what Nero has done now.
“A girl was drugged at my fucking bar. And while you might enjoy drugging and trafficking women, it’s not our—”
“Oh fuck off Dragna!” Nero furiously shouts, cutting off my words as he drives forward and everything descends into chaos within an instant.
Lev is on his feet, gun drawn and pointed at Nero’s head, safety clicked off. Matteo pulls his gun and aims at Lev and men from both sides all have their weapons drawn towards each other from all angles of the room.
“Basta!” Marco shouts furiously as he stands.
He looks around the room as his men all begin lowering their guns then back to me as I remain seated.
I ignore the rest of the room as Matteo also lowers his gun.
Lev however remains with his pointed at Nero and I don’t bother calling him off.
Instead I sit back in the chair, spread my legs and bring a hand up to rub my jaw.
“We have a new deal Marco. You’ll still get to trade in arms, don’t worry about that.” I say sternly.
“What was the percentage you wanted to finalise with us Nero? Forty percent was it?” I ask sarcastically in a cool, calm tone.
“Yes.” Nero grits out.
“Perfect. You can have forty percent, you’ll give us sixty and as a real apology and also a thank you for the extra five percent profit you’ll receive, you’ll let us take Nero with us tonight to punish him as we see fit for bringing shit to our door that we don’t want or need.”
Nobody utters a word. Not even Nero, as if he knows there’s a possibility his Don will agree. Another minute goes by before Marco speaks. He doesn’t even glance at Matteo or Nero before he says all but one word.
“Deal.” He clicks his fingers in the air and strides out of the room with half his men following along behind him.
Matteo turns to look at Nero who’s brimming with anger and shock that he’s been traded for a measly extra five percent.
Matteo only shakes his head at his son before he walks out of the room leaving just two of the Italian guards, Lev, Nero, our five men and myself.
Lev closes the distance to Nero and presses the gun to the back of his head forcing him to start walking towards the door.
We all walk from the office to the restaurants back entrance in silence.
I know Lev is going to want to drag this punishment out to make it as painful as possible, and I can’t blame him.
A sly smile forms on my face and I feel exhilarated at the thought of finally having some of our type of fun with Nero.
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We’re a few blocks from the Italian’s restaurant on our way back to the club. Nero is in the trunk of the car behind ours, and Lev had Mikhail put some music on to get him ‘in the mood for torture’.
“I can’t believe the Don just agreed so easily to give us Nero.” Lev laughs, his eyes a little wide with a spark to them.
“Just hold in the excitement until we get back to the club Lev. They could be planning to grab him from us before we even make it back.” I say as I look out the window for any suspicious looking cars.
“Nah there’s no way. They fucking hate him as much as we do moy brat.
” I start to get lost in my thoughts about how we’re going to deal with the Italian rat when I hear Lev winding his window down while telling Mikhail to stop the car immediately.
I almost snap my neck to look at him and lean forward, grabbing my gun from the back of my suit.
“What is it Lev?” I grit out when I notice he’s moving to hang out the window.
“My my my, imagine running into you like this my boginya.” I hear Lev half shout as Mikhail brings the car to a stop and pulls in to the sidewalk.
My idiot fucking cousin now has his head and shoulders out the window, leaning on his forearms, tensing them to put on a show for whoever he’s calling over.
“Oh my god Lev! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be at the club?” A girl replies from the sidewalk.
“Yeah we’re on our way back now. Just had some business to do.
You dve krasavitsy want a ride with us rather than walking?
” He says in a playful tone I’ve heard him use a thousand times on women.
I jab the butt of my gun in to his thigh to get his attention but the fucking asshole doesn’t even flinch.
“Moy brat we have to go.” I say in my loud business tone so he snaps back to the reality that we have the Italian mafia’s Capo’s son in the trunk of one of our cars.
He turns to me and throws me a look that says ‘don’t fucking ruin this’ and I shake my head while I tuck my gun back into my suit trousers.
“Umm I think we’ll just keep walking and we’ll meet you there Lev. Thanks for the offer though!” I hear the girl speak again.
It starts to rain and I sigh. I know Lev is going to tell the girl and whoever she’s with they can’t be getting wet and offer a ride again, and just as I think the words he says them out loud.
“C’mon kiska it’s raining and we have to keep you both looking as beautiful as you do now for the club.
” He opens his door and climbs out. I pull my phone out to text the drivers of the other two cars and let them know what’s going on.
Just as I’m about to press send a warm body is shifting into the seat beside me.
I see a pair of legs sticking out from a slit in a long black dress. They are being crossed one over the other to reveal more skin and are accompanied by a voice that sounds so soft, I can almost feel it like silk gliding across my skin.
“Thank you so much for this, and I also wanted to the chance to thank you for the other night. I don’t think I’ve ever been that drunk before and I honestly don’t even know how that happened.
I’m so embarrassed that you had to witness that, and I just needed to apologise.
Sorry, I’m rambling.” She lets out a breathy laugh before continuing with her word vomit.
“What I mean to say is thank you for getting Alina and I home safe.”
I realise at the mention of Alina that this is Lev’s latest conquest and her friend. The girl that was drugged by Nero’s guy.
I forget about the text I was sending as I look from my phone to see who the voice and legs belong to, and when I do, I realise I am well and truly fucked.