Chapter 20
NICO
Mornings before a hit were always a little more stressful.
I meticulously went over plans for how we were going to carry it out.
The air in my office was thick with tension, cigarette smoke curling toward the ceiling from the ashtrays scattered around the room.
Trafficking wasn't something any of us five would tolerate in our cities.
We might be mobsters, but we didn't deal in people.
It was a new age for our business, and tolerating it in our territory would make us complacent. Make us weak.
"When do the Ajello's typically get to the docks?" I asked, knowing full well what time it was, but my men also needed to know without hesitation.
"Eleven p.m," Anto said almost before I had the question out of my mouth.
"Everyone knows their targets?" Murmurs and nods ran through my men. I looked at each face, making sure I saw confidence, readiness. Any hesitation and they'd be benched.
"What are you planning?" She marched into my office, the door banging on the wall because she'd flung it open with such force. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot.
"Emilia, this isn't the place for you." All eyes were on her, and I couldn't blame my men.
She'd just finished a run, and the leggings hugged her curves and the sports bra left little to the imagination.
Her skin was flushed, damp with sweat, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Standing, I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair and moved toward her.
"Please put this on, and I will find you when I'm done with my meeting. " My words were quiet, but forceful.
"I won't be dismissed, Nico." She pulled my jacket off her shoulders and threw it back to me. It hit my chest and fell to the floor.
"This isn't your place." Anger bubbled up through me, and I was ready to haul her out of this room.
"Whatever you're planning, you need my help. Don't be so stupid, Nico, I'm the only one who has been able to infiltrate almost every family." She spoke quietly, even though all the men in this room knew who she was and what she'd accomplished in the last two years.
Running my hands through my hair, I needed to diffuse this situation before my men questioned where my loyalty was. "Please, my dear, we will discuss this later."
"I'm staying." She crossed her arms, planting her feet.
"You're not welcome. This is a closed-door meeting."
She turned and looked behind her. "Looks like the door's open."
"Emilia, enough." My voice was louder than I'd planned. "You are not needed here. I will speak to you later." Out of the corner of my eye, I watched my men avert their gazes and look at the floor, or the walls, anywhere other than me. The discomfort in the room was palpable.
An anger flashed through her eyes that I hadn't seen before.
"You're dismissing me." I nodded. "Fine.
" She took a step back and curtsied deeply, the gesture dripping with sarcasm and rage, before spinning on her heel and leaving my office.
Glancing over my shoulder, I looked at Antonio, and he nodded slightly, fighting the smirk appearing on his face.
I walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind me.
"Emilia," I shouted as I followed her down the hall. She didn't stop or even turn. Her footsteps echoed on the marble, quick and angry. She walked into our bedroom, but left the door open. "Did you just curtsy to me?"
"Well, you're acting like a king, so I thought I might as well treat you like one."
Reaching out, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to me.
"I don't have time to do what I want to do to you right now, but when I get home, you’d better be ready.
" Lowering my head, I pressed my lips to hers, as I brought my hand to her neck and gripped it tightly.
She clamped down and bit my bottom lip. Hard.
Letting her go, I licked my lip and tasted blood. "Tonight, amore, you’d better wait up."
"Fuck you."
"Yes, you will." I walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me. The sound reverberated through the hallway.
Walking back to my office, I knew I had damage control to do. This was the second time she'd disobeyed me during meetings. "Everyone out. You know your jobs for tonight, be ready at eight. No, Antonio, you stay." I sat at my desk and watched all my capos leave the room.
"You know, Nico, she wasn't wrong." Antonio leaned back in his chair and stared at me, waiting for an answer.
"I know, but she can't keep doing this. I'm going to lose all credibility with the men."
"Oh, I don't think it's all that drastic. She's a Caminati; they have short fuses and don't always think things through. Or, at least that's the excuse you could use." He crossed his ankle over his knee and stared at me.
"What? You're thinking, and I don't like it." Leaning back in my chair, I waited for him to talk to me. Whatever it was, I knew I'd have to consider it. Anto saw things I didn't, and that's what made him the perfect underboss.
"Would it be that bad to bring her in? You saw how she handled the Espositos; she could be beneficial." He leaned ahead in his chair.
"Please don't patronize me by telling me something I already know. We don't have time to switch everything up, but after today, I will bring her in. The Four liked her; they think she's more valuable than just being my wife." I watched Anto process what I'd just said.
"I'm going to make sure everything is set." He stood and left my office.
Night fell, and we moved. I had decided to leave Emilia alone for the day; I didn't need any distractions, and my wife was the ultimate distraction. The house had been silent when I'd left, no sign of her anywhere.
The docks reeked of fish and salt water, with the sound of water gently lapping against the pier forming an eerie soundtrack.
We hid in the shadows between shipping containers, the metal still warm from the day's sun.
The hum of approaching vehicles grew closer.
Headlights pierced the darkness, three black SUVs rolling in as if they owned the place.
Car doors slammed loudly; evidently, the Ajellos didn't care if they woke the dead.
Lifting my watch to my wrist, I waited for a little commotion to mask my words.
"Once they reach the boat, be ready to move," I whispered.
Laughter and cigarette smoke drifted through the area. These guys were taking their sweet time getting to the vessel where the girls were being kept. Their conversations seeped into the darkness, crude jokes and boasting, as if they hadn't a care in the world.
Screams alerted us that they'd reached the people aboard the ship. Women's voices, high and terrified, cut through the night. Making a motion with my hand, my men fell into place, and we were on the move. I had my gun in one hand and a knife in the other.
Without warning, Antonio and I crept up behind the two lookouts and took them out without a sound. Knives were our weapon of choice. Silent, efficient, deadly. The men slumped to the ground, and we continued, dragging their bodies into the shadows.
The first shot rang out from our side, and took out who I thought was Rico Ajello. He was the second son of Fernando and a pain in the ass to everyone who knew him. His body jerked backward, a spray of blood visible in the moonlight. The world wouldn't lose much sleep over the loss.
Women's screams were louder than the sound of gunfire.
The chaos erupted, muzzle flashes lighting up the dock like lightning.
Advancing to the boat, we ushered some of the captives to waiting vehicles where they were given food and water.
Their hollow eyes usually brightened when they saw the women in the trucks waiting to help them.
Some were crying, some were catatonic, all were traumatized.
It wasn't lost on me that I had an entire crew of women to help these victims, and I wouldn't let Emilia anywhere near this life.
In an instant, a burning sensation flared in my shoulder; I doubled over but kept running, targeting the men cowardly hiding behind women.
Using human shields like the garbage they were.
My aim was sure, and I only hit my target—one between the eyes, a clean shot.
The gunfire ceased, and we looked around.
Bodies littered the dock, blood pooling on the wooden planks.
All my men were accounted for. The Ajello's were strewn across the boat and docks, and none of the women were harmed beyond the atrocities they'd experienced before we showed up.
"Deposit the Ajello's on Fernando's doorstep, make sure the women are taken to the hotel tonight and have safe passage back to their homes in the morning," I called as I walked back to my car.
"Nico, you need your shoulder looked at," Antonio said as he walked up behind me.
"It's fine, just a graze," I grumbled. It was more than a graze, but I'd had worse. Blood was soaking through my shirt, warm and sticky.
"I'll look at it when we get back to the house. Unless you want Emilia to do it for you." He arched his brow and smirked.
"She'd probably try to put another one in me," I said as the driver wound his way through the docks. Shrugging off my jacket, I was surprised by how much blood there was. The leather was ruined. Opening my shirt, Antonio looked at the wound.
"Bullet’s in there, I can see it. It shouldn't be difficult to get out." He leaned back in his seat, and we rode home in silence. The city lights blurred past the window.
Pulling into the garage, we went directly to the medical room, and Antonio took the bullet out of my shoulder and stitched me up.
The pain was sharp, immediate, but I'd learned long ago not to show it.
Over the years, we've found ways to avoid doctors and make it easy to treat minor injuries ourselves.
I doubted this was as minor as I thought, but I didn't care.
"We need to make sure we've ID'd all the Ajello men, I think Joey ran away like the coward he is. Keep your ears open. Thanks for this." I nodded and headed for the door.
"No problem, boss. Night, good luck." Antonio snickered behind me. If he weren't my best friend, I would have shot him on the spot.