Chapter Nineteen Dragna
Chapter Nineteen
Dragna
“Don.” I say as I nod my head to him.
“Welcome. I have everything drawn out and ready to sign.”
“Ahh Dragna, qual è la fretta?” He replies all too nicely for my liking while Matteo stands behind him not looking me in the eyes.
I don’t want them here for too long and I’m pissed off that I even have to be here myself for this rather than being with Willow. She text earlier to say she changed her mind and wouldn’t be coming tonight and instead was having her friends over to hers.
I’ve checked the camera feeds every five minutes since leaving her place, so this meeting is also irritating me because I won’t be able to watch the feeds myself and make sure she’s okay even though I have one of my men watching them for me.
The only good thing about tonight is that Matteo didn’t bring Nero with him. He probably knew he’d be in for another beating if he showed his face again so soon.
“English Marco.” I grit out as I gesture for him to enter our lounge.
My men are sitting round the poker table while a few line the walls ready for anything to potentially go wrong and I stationed three men at Willows apartment too despite the cameras because you can never be too safe.
Marco rolls his eyes at me as he enters.
“You’re too serious at your young age Dragna.
We’re about to make an alliance, no need for all the formalities.
” He says as he takes a cigar out of his pocket.
He rolls it between his fingers before one of his men hands him a cutter and another appears with a box of matches.
Fucking hell the theatrics of it all, the Italians really do treat their ‘men’ as slaves.
Marco cuts the tip of the cigar and brings it to his mouth as his second slave with the matches lights one and brings it to the cigar for him to light. The arrogance is astounding and aggravates me beyond rationale.
“All you need to do is sign the contract Don, there may be a small alliance of business, but I want to make it very clear that we do not condone your other trades. We are not friends, we are not going to come running to your aid should you need it. This is business and business only, do you understand? If you’re looking for new friends, you can forget this deal all together.
” I say while walking towards our table with the contract laid out and I know Marco is following behind me because I can smell the cigar smoke surrounding him, it penetrates my nose and I hate it.
My father smoked cigars, and the scent just reminds me of the man I would rather forget.
“Tell me Dragna, who do you think you are to speak like this to me? Just because I knew your father well, God rest his soul, does not warrant the hostility. What our unaffiliated family do, does not tie into our business, I can assure you.” He replies with a tick to his eye.
I raise a brow at him because I don’t believe his words at all.
The don has always denied having involvement in what happened all those years ago between our families once my father was killed, but I have never once fallen for his lies.
“If you think for a second that I believe you aren’t involved in what the Italians are doing up North with the skin trade, then you’re a fucking idiot Marco, no offence.”
He stares at me in disbelief for calling him an idiot, but he’s forgetting who’s in charge here, who owns New York now and who owns the club he’s currently in. He puts on a sardonic smile and takes the seat at the table I’ve lead us to.
“Where do I sign so I can get out of here.” He says, grinding his jaw. I’ve finally gotten to the bastard.
“You don’t want to read over the contract Don?” Matteo says from behind his shoulder.
“Dragna is a business man who I know only cares about this deal and getting it over and done with. He wouldn’t fuck us over, we are technically still family, isn’t that right Dragna?”
He looks up at me and it makes me sick to hear him talk about family. I would rather slice my own tongue out than agree to ever having ties with them just because of my father.
“I don’t care to fuck you over or have any more business than necessary with you, but if you ever say my name and the word family in the same sentence again, I will end everything between us.
Sign the contract, my men will deal with your men when it comes to the trading and collection of money.
Easy as that.” Marco huffs a humourless laugh at my words before finally nodding back at me knowing better than to poke the wound before finally picking up the pen in front of him and signing his name on the contract.
I snatch the paper from the table and hand it to Lev who’s made his way over to us with a drink in hand for me.
He hands me the glass of whiskey and I toss it back before holding my glass to Marco in a mock cheers gesture.
All I care about is having them in our pocket and the sooner he gets out of here the better.
“First shipment will arrive in three days time. Details of where will be sent to you the day before. Pleasure doing business.” I say before I make my way to the door to open it for them.
Marco and Matteo follow me, their men following them with Lev at the back to help see them out. When we get to the back entrance of the club, I notice Marco’s car isn’t here.
“Where are your men Marco. I hope you’re not so silly as to stage something here.” I ask as I scan the alleyway.
“Never. They moved to the front for our own safety reasons so you couldn’t pull a stunt over on us.” He says and I let out a sigh as I scrub a hand over my face.
I’m partly annoyed yet also slightly impressed at the fact they thought of something like that to ensure Marco left unharmed.
“Follow me.” I say as I begin walking them round the side of the building to the front.
It’s nine thirty which means there is a queue already forming outside the club for those who like to come early and make the most of their night, but hopefully not a big enough crowd to see Marco leaving.
We make it round the front of the club and I see their car. Matteo signals for it to pull up to the curb and just as it does Lev hits the side of my arm with his. I look at him and follow his sight to see Alina getting out of a taxi.
Fuck.
Nobody knows Marco is the Don, sure there are stories in the news about all of us, but there’s never names and definitely never pictures, but it’s not hard to look at him and know he isn’t just a casual business man. I can’t have Alina seeing him leave the club.
I look back to Marco to tell him to get his men to hurry the fuck up and I see Marco looking to where Alina is making her way up the street to the queue. She looks around her before her eyes land on Lev, she smiles at him and begins making her way over to us.
As she’s walking her eyes flick over to Marco and stops dead in her tracks. She isn’t far from us now, so when she speaks, it’s heard loud and clear by all of us.
“Daddy?”