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I spot the Follies 100mm Embellished red sole pumps and practically pounce on them. “Here they are. Let's pay. I'm meant to be meeting Enzo for lunch in 20 minutes.”
We pay and head out. Me, Ares and Carms heading towards Euphoria to meet Enzo and Hannah hails a cab to take her back to her apartment.
39
Enzo
Manhattan, New York City
I’m sitting in my office underneath Euphoria with Luca. I’ve just put the phone down after speaking with the Las Vegas Boss, Pietro Russo. He and his wife Valentina run the South American cartels. We need to fly out to Colombia in a couple of days for a meeting about upping the amount of product we buy and to take a look at the coca farms. I'm looking to expand our cocaine business even further. It's pulling in more business than it used to and I want to capitalise whilst the markets are still hot.
“Who are we taking with us?” Luca asks whilst he flips his knife between his fingers.
“Carms and Benny?”
Luca raises his eyebrows. “Benny?”
I shrug. “He's getting older and he needs to start seeing how things are run. Get a sense of responsibility.” He’s dropped several hints about wanting to drop out of school and focus his time on the business, it's not happening. He only has four months left. He's finishing school if it kills him. He might say he wants this life but he's young, he has no clue what he'll want later on. I’m happy for him to start getting involved more but if he were to ever change his mind in future, I want him to have as many options as possible. Also, I don't think he gets the seriousness of our line of work sometimes, he thinks it's all one big party.
Luca scoffs. “Yeah, right. That kid doesn't know the meaning of responsibility.” He pulls a cigarette out of his jeans pocket and lights it. “All though, kind of defeats the object if you have to take him out of school to do it.”
I swear this parenting stuff gets harder by the day. Everyone told me it would be Francesca that would be the one that gave me sleepless nights. She’s been a dream compared to Benny.
I slant a look at my brother. “What would you suggest?”
“Fuck knows. That's why you're in charge.” He shrugs, taking a long drag. “So we’ll leave Raff with Fran and Cas?”
“Casimira is coming with us.”
Luca smirks as he exhales a cloud of smoke. “You’re like a love-sick puppy.”
I roll my eyes at him but he is right. I've been away from her for eighteen months. I won't spend any more time without her, even if it is only a few days.
As we’re speaking the door to my office opens and Casimira steps through with a bundled-up Ares on her hip, the Birkin I brought her on her arm. Carm follows behind, his arms full of shopping bags. She’s in a leopard print fur coat and moon-style boots with sunglasses even though it’s snowing outside. Sometimes I seriously wonder where she gets the ideas for these outfits.
Who am I kidding? She could wear a trash bag and I’d think it was a fashion revolution.
She comes straight over to me and kisses me. Not sure I’ll ever get used to it. Not sure I want to. I don't ever want to take her for granted again. Ares squeals and I take him from her, throwing him in the air.
He laughs, tiny dimples appearing in his chubby little cheeks. God damn he's adorable. “Good day?” I ask Casimira whilst unzipping his snowsuit so he doesn't get too hot.
She throws me a cheeky grin. “It's always a good day when I get to spend money.”
“I'm going to need to start bringing an extra pair of hands for your shopping excursions,” Carms says as he drops the bags on the floor.
“Hey.” She exclaims, rushing over to the bags. “If they’re damaged, I'm not giving you your present.”
Carms raises an eyebrow and peeks over her shoulder into the bags. “You got me a present?”
She shrugs and moves in his way to obstruct his view. “Saw something I thought you would like.”
I set Ares down on his feet carefully, letting him use my fingers as support. He spots Luca and immediately starts toddling towards him. As babies go he's pretty advanced. Nine months and he's already starting to walk with support. Fran didn't walk until she was a year old. Benny was eighteen months.
“There he is, the young king himself.” Luca interrupts, holding his hands out to Ares. “Couldn't see you in all that fur.” He spares a displeased look at Casimira and she shrugs. “We like to match.” Luca scoffs as he picks him up and plants him on his knee whilst Ares’ hands grab at the exposed ink on Luca’s arms. Their relationship has surprised everyone. They’re like best friends. Luca doesn’t treat him like your average baby. He speaks to him how he would speak to me, like an equal. We call them the business partners.
Luca cocks his head as he gives Cas an assessing glance. “You look like a mobster's wife in that coat.”
She looks down at herself and shrugs her mouth. “I’m a mobster's girlfriend. Does that count?”
