Chapter 5 Stellan
STELLAN
Matteo Prati hunches over his big hunk of bleeding cow and devours it like a beast. I watch the old man eat and try to keep my disgust in check.
A good whiskey keeps me from completely losing my shit.
Matteo’s jowls wiggle as he chews, and gray hair sprouts from his nose like mushrooms. His suit’s expensive, but he somehow makes it look cheap.
“You’re not eating, kid.” Matteo gestures with his wineglass. “Why not get some fuckin’ vino and a steak? You look thin.”
I look healthy and in shape. That’s not something he’s accustomed to.
“I’m not hungry.” I study Matteo in silence. He shrugs, not really concerned, and goes back to eating. Since it’s on my tab, he’ll gorge himself silly. The man’s nearly as wealthy as I am, but he can’t help himself, the cheap bastard.
I’ve known this old turd all my life. He wasn’t always such a frog.
Back in the day, Matteo Prati was a name to be feared.
He was quick with a gun and solid in a fight.
My father once told me he stole six cars in a single night just to win a bet.
Matteo got to where he is now, at the heights of the Corsetti Mafia, through sheer force of will and steel balls.
Those days are long gone.
“You really gotta eat, you know that?” Matteo leans back when he’s finally finished and smacks his belly. “Show the people you can afford it, right? Big meals are a symbol of wealth and power. Besides, in our line of work, who knows when it’s your last?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I put my whiskey down and lean closer. We’re in a family-owned Italian place deep in South Philly in the heart of Corsetti territory. Another place I’ve known all my life. “I assume you spoke with the council about my ascension?”
Matteo nods unhappily. “Do you really wanna skip right to business, kid? We’ve barely been drinking.”
“Have another glass.” I top him off and keep staring. “What did they say?”
“The same thing they’ve been saying for the past month, ever since your old man died, God rest his soul. You need a wife. A good, Italian wife. You know how they see you, Stellan.”
He puts a frustrated emphasis on my name.
As if I’m the one who chose it.
“I’m sure the council has more than a few options for me?”
“I can rattle off names, but I know you. Not a man in the world can get you to jump without you first wanting to leap, you know what I mean? It’s not your fault. You’re your father’s son. But you’re your mother’s son too.” He gives me a pointed look.
“This is still about my fucking mother?”
“You’re not full-blood Italian, kid. The older timers never had a boss like you before, you know what I mean?”
“My father was the Don. I’m as Italian as anyone else.”
“Except you’re not. He married some Swiss bitch who cut and ran the second she popped you out, no offense.”
I slam a hand down on the table. Wine splashes over Matteo’s glass. He doesn’t flinch, which is good. There’s still some steel in that spine.
“Talk about my mother that way again and I’ll cut your throat.”
“Good luck becoming Don then.” He grins and shakes his head. “Come on, Stellan, you know I’m on your side. The council has their issues, but you can solve them. Marry a nice Italian girl. Guarantee your kids will be nice Italian boys. Make everyone happy.”
I lean back and study the old man. I hate this position, but I know it’s necessary.
The Corsetti Famiglia is an old-school operation.
They still believe in blood and lineage.
Even if I’m the son of the dead Don, that doesn’t give me the right to take over the throne.
I have to prove myself. I can’t put a crown on my own fucking head.
No matter how badly I want to.
“I have a woman in mind,” I say shortly.
Matteo’s eyebrows raise. “No kidding?”
“She’s Italian. But she’s not in the life.”
His head wags side to side uncertainly. “I mean, it’d be better if you married that girl, what’s her name, the Di Pardo daughter?”
“You mean the one who looks like she fell off a cliff?”
“Looks aren’t everything.”
“Easy for you to say. Tell the council I’m meeting them halfway. I choose my wife.”
Matteo grunts an affirmative. “I’ll spin it the best I can. You know me.”
I most certainly do. He’s a slimy, smarmy, selfish fuck. He’s also an old gangster, and that means he knows how to play the game.
I finish my whiskey and drop a stack of cash on the table. “We’ll talk again soon.”
“Stammi bene, Stellan.” He salutes me with his glass and proceeds to drink it all down.
One month is a very long time in our world.
The underground moves fast. Men smell weakness and they move in like hounds.
The Corsetti Mafia’s always been one of the more solid operations in Philadelphia, but my father’s been sick for a while.
I did my best to keep business running smoothly during his long decline, but there was only so much I could handle.
It wasn’t easy, watching him die. Although sometimes it was. On nights when I thought about what it felt like for his belt to teach me all those ugly lessons from my childhood. All the welts and scars I still carry. Those memories made it better.
But he was a big man back then. Like Matteo, he was loud, loved his food and wine and women, and he wasn’t afraid to overindulge. Tommaso Corsetti was a force and a nightmare.
Matteo’s right about one thing: I am not my father. Maybe I really do have too much of my mother in me, and the council is right to worry.
That doesn’t bother me all that much.
The family’s stuck in the old ways. We’ve done well, but that won’t last forever, not without changes. When I finally take control, I’m going to drag my backwards organization into the future, kicking and fucking screaming bloody murder all the way.
Except first, I have to fix the biggest mistake my father ever made. The single secret he shoved into my lap with his final, dying breaths.
I lean my head against the window of my car. The glass is cool. The breakfast rush is just starting to hit the diner. I’m wired from staying up all night, but I can feel the crash coming. I should’ve gone home hours ago. Dinner’s a long-forgotten memory at this point, and my body needs a rest.
But I had to come see her.
She appears suddenly, a few minutes past six. Her shift is finally over. She melts out onto the sidewalk, moving fast, her coat wrapped tight around her.
Funny how this normal, beautiful girl might be the answer to all my problems.
She doesn’t look anything like her father.
Which is a good thing.
Or maybe it’s just complicated. I might not be so attracted to her if she resembled the man who taught me everything I know.
I put the car in drive and pull up alongside her. I roll slow, waiting until she notices me. Kira walks with her head down, face locked in concentration. She’s like a bull charging forward and doesn’t see me until she’s halfway home. Then she jerks backward in alarm.
I double park and roll down the window. “How’s the coffee this morning?”
“Bad. Like always.” She stares at me and shakes her head. “What are you doing here, Stellan?”
“Wanted to see how your shift was.”
“Fun. Loved it. Did you want to threaten me some more? Maybe a little extra blackmail?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
She wrinkles her nose. I think she wants to laugh, but she shakes her head instead.
God, she’s fucking beautiful.
Thick, dark hair. Full pink lips. Even with bags under her eyes, she looks like an angel. Great bones. Fantastic figure. If she weren’t busy grinding herself into a powder, those cheekbones could get her in the movies.
A good, Italian face. The exact kind of face I need.
Helps that the face is only a front for a strong woman. If she were soft, privileged, if she were aware of just exactly how attractive she is, I wouldn’t be anywhere near her.
I would’ve taken a look, like I planned back then, and never bothered to come back.
Instead, I couldn’t keep away.
This was never my plan, but fuck, nothing’s been going my way these days.
I get out of the car. She doesn’t run off, which is a good sign. Her defiant stare makes my heart flutter with excitement. I can’t remember the last time a woman made me feel this way. Like it’s a challenge. Like I want to be near her.
She fucking hates me.
I like that.
“Did you reconsider yet?”
She shakes her head. “Not on your life.”
“Trying to come up with another way out of this?”
“Something like that.”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“I could move.”
“Good luck with that. I can afford a few more buildings if I have to.”
She groans with frustration. “What is with you? Why do you want to go out with me so badly?”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
She snorts. “I’m covered in dog hair and ketchup. Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Not at all.”
“Go find some pretty girl to mess around with in a better part of the city. Leave me alone, okay?”
She turns to walk off. I can’t help but grin. That’s the exact attitude I expected from her.
“Your sister,” I say, which makes her stop. “Central’s a long trip for you guys. Does she need a ride in the mornings?”
Kira slowly turns around. Pure rage shines on her face. “Are you threatening my sister?”
“Not even slightly.”
“You listen to me.” She comes closer, jabbing a finger at me, teeth clenched. “You can mess with me all you want. You can make your threats and stalk me and whatever. But don’t you dare go near Gem. Do you hear me? Don’t you ever threaten her again.”
I gently push her finger away from my chest. Touching her sends a jolt down into my core. “I don’t threaten teenagers.”
Some of her bravado stalls. “Then what are you talking about?”
“I was offering to send her a car. I’ll hire a driver. I’ll pay for an Uber if that would make you more comfortable. She’d save a half hour every morning.”
Confusion and anger spasm across her face. Clearly, she doesn’t believe me and she sure as hell doesn’t trust what I’m saying. “The answer is no. Stay away from Gem.” She turns and storms off, but throws one last thing over her shoulder. “And kindly fuck off!”
I laugh. I can’t help it. What a woman. She’d kick me in the teeth if it meant protecting her little sister.
I can admire that.
But it’s a real pain in my ass, and I need to break her sooner rather than later, because I don’t know how long the Corsetti Famiglia can last without a Don at its head.
Especially while the Black Book is still missing.
The council is old and soft. They’re stuck in their ways and they’ll lead us straight into hell if I don’t do something fast.
I might have to attempt more aggressive tactics soon if Kira remains stubborn.