Chapter 2—Tommy #2
“To them, you’re just the fourth Leone in line,” he continues.
“They see you removed from the top. But they don’t know what I do, what the family knows.
You’re an equal. Not below or above. Your role is hidden, and you might not have seen it as anything but fun and games before all this, but I think what happened in Russia was just enough of a wake-up call for you to understand you’re more than just the fourth brother.
You bring an energy to this family. You have a gift with outsiders.
You play a part, the friendly one. The one people talk to.
Confide in. Come to with issues. I might have the other families vying for my attention, but you have the eyes and ears below them, the ones who carry out the decisions made above.
One man can rule, but enough disgruntled employees can overtake him.
I was taught, like you, that an army of men can make or break an empire.
And the only way to make sure you stay on top is to make those at the bottom feel like they’re a part of something.
That they have a say and are listened to.
As the youngest, they think they shouldn’t fear you.
Which is a mistake on their part, but an advantage for us. ”
I lick my lips as I absorb his words. “Bobby runs the books.” He nods. “Danny makes us safe.” Another dip of his head. “You lead. And I….”
“You decide who we protect.” He takes a drink and looks back at me.
“Who we team up with and who we destroy. I want you to be the one they come to. They go to your clubs. They drink your wine. They talk to your employees. They ask favors. They tell you things in the dark of night. And you’re the one to decide what moves up the food chain. ” He takes another sip as it sinks in.
“And the other families see it as nothing but the little brother doing a bit of partying and his big brother just giving him something to do.” I nod in understanding as I work it through in my head.
“Exactly. You decide who comes to me. I’ll still deal with the bullshit that comes from the top, but you’ve got a gift, Tommy.
The middlemen and down look to you. There’s power in that, numbers too.
If I want to rule this empire, I’ve got to make sure all are on board, not just the ones in the boardroom. ”
We might run New York and most of the East Coast, but there are other families, both here and across the country, even around the world.
They have their own ideas on how things are run, and each one is clever in their own way.
But none of them can be trusted. Too many rats have tried to crawl into our family. None ever live to tell the tale.
The other families might smile and nod along with us, but deep inside, they’re as jealous as any kid in the schoolyard who wants to be the big bad but falls short.
And with this? Having me set up my own little gig? I might just become that spy after all.
I take another sip of my drink. “Maybe Bobby didn’t get all the smarts after all.” I smirk, and Vinny does too. A rare occurrence, and I’m not fool enough to call him out on it. Like I said, he has a mean streak.
“What place do you want me to take on first?” I ask.
He grabs another folder on his desk and hands it to me.
“Ever heard of G-Spot?”
I look up at him without opening the file. “The club or that hidden spot on a woman? ’Cause I’ve found the woman’s—several times.”
“The club. A not-so-rumored club that mixes stripping and other… how should I say… circus acts into their nightly routine.”
“Circus acts? They swallow swords or something?”
Vinny actually chuckles for half a second before shaking his head. “No. But close. Go through the file and then stop in. I flagged it because Bobby had questions on it, and I want to have it looked over first before the others.”
If Bobby’s questioning it, then I know it’s because of money issues. And while he might be the Ebenezer Scrooge of the family, none of us like to be ripped off.
“Who’s running it now?” I open the file, then look up when Vinny doesn’t speak right away.
“Carl.”
“Fuck me.”
“Not even if you paid me.”
The quick response from my eldest brother does something that’s only happened a few times in my life. He leaves me speechless, and from the smirk on his face, I know he knows it too.
“Since he took over management, we’ve seen a decline in revenue. It’s in a prime location, and since the initial re-opening with us taking over was less than a year ago, I want to know why the change. The place was bought because of the amount that comes in, not because it was a project for us.”
“If Carl’s in charge, then there’s your answer.”
“Theft?” I nod at Vinny, and he does the same. “That much is obvious. But I doubt he’s smart enough to think of that on his own.”
Something I agree with as well. “So, let the fish of the Hudson deal with him and move on.”
Vinny lets out a sigh and takes a sip of his drink before looking around his office, taking it all in as he speaks.
“When we let Carl stay on, we knew to only give him enough rope to hang himself with. He’s a pawn, not the master puppeteer.
Someone wants to put the blame on him. I’ve got no issues with removing this pawn, but”—he looks at me—“I want the one pulling his strings. Someone is stealing from the family, but right now there’s nothing that tells me who. ”
“Problems on Capitol Hill?”
D.C. isn’t the only place that can turn that phrase.
My brothers and I took it up years before when Dad would talk about the politics of trying to make all the members of the family and those we’re connected with happy.
No one is all the time, but the job is to make it manageable.
Well, Vinny’s job. Usually I could walk away and just get piss-drunk at these functions.
But if I take this role, the face of the family, I’ve got a feeling I’ll be sipping on wine and sobering up for all the upcoming meetings just like everyone else.
“Only the usual cleanups. This has been going on for a while. Small and subtle. It would have looked like just another failed business avenue eventually if I wasn’t looking to change how things are run around here.”
I let that sink in and then nod. “Right. So we’re looking for a thief.”
He nods once. “And I don’t want them to know we’re coming for them. Till we know more, we need to keep this tight.”
“You saying we got a rat?” The snarl on my lip can’t be contained.
“I’m saying I trust my brothers. Everyone else can be bought. Everyone.”
I knew it. We’re looking for a rat. Vinny has a good head on his shoulders.
If he says someone or something ain’t right, then you know to pay attention.
If he didn’t think it was an inside thing, I’d get the full backing.
Him not saying shit means I’ve got to keep it to need-to-know.
And like Vinny, I only trust my brothers.
Well, my sister, too, but she’s shacked up with a Hound. And that’s a bigger dog than I want to deal with at the moment.
“Got anyone who interests you for this?” I want to know who he’s already looking into and who he’s weeded out as being this elusive puppet master.
“A few.”
I tilt my head.
“Do tell, big brother.”