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Alexis seemed to be just as affected as me, and I can see her release a breath she was clearly holding.
I smirk. Good.
The door opens a few seconds later, and Nat appears, frowning at us.
“On time as always, Nat,” I say, picking an invisible fleck off my clothes. “Take Alexis to a guest room and lock the door.”
Alexis’s horrified face nearly makes me laugh. Serves her fucking right for not telling me a goddamn thing.
“But—”
“But, nothing. Until I figure out who you are and what to do with you, you aren’t going anywhere.”
I stride into a dimly lit room in the back of The Underground, my expensive suit a contrast to the risqué clothing worn by the clubbers. Edo flanks me closely as I approach the table where my capos are seated.
“What’ve we got?” I ask, sitting down and snapping my fingers for a scotch. It’s immediately placed before me, and I take a sip, savoring the burn of the alcohol as it makes its way down my throat.
Paulie, my oldest capo, slides an envelope toward me. “The shipment came in today from Montreal. Product looks good.”
I open the envelope and examine the photos inside, nodding in satisfaction at the bricks of white powder. “Any hassles at the border?”
“Nah, our guys greased the right palms,” Paulie says with a grin, revealing a gold tooth. “Feds didn’t bat an eye.”
“Good, good,” I say, closing the envelope and handing it to Edo, who places it in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “What else?”
This time Nicky, the youngest capo, speaks up. “Heard rumblings that the Colombos are sniffing around our action down on State Street. Might need to remind them of the boundaries.”
A predatory smile crosses my lips. The Colombos have been a thorn in my side for a while. The Don defected from The Brotherhood—and somehow didn’t end up killed—and created his own Mafia. They’ve been trying to get a foothold in my territory for a while now.
“Have Buddy and Luciano pay them a visit. Bust up a few kneecaps if needed to get the message across.”
The capos nod, knowing my methods are harsh but effective. I drain the rest of my scotch and stand up. “I’m outta here. You guys know what to do.”
Edo and I make our way to the secluded VIP lounge where a cocktail waitress in a skimpy outfit materializes and brings over two more glasses of scotch. The pulsating beats of techno music vibrate through the air.
I smile viciously as I settle myself in my seat. This is my palace of vice and sin, and I’m the king.
My massive bodyguards stand by the doors, their shaved heads and bulky frames reminding anyone who passes by to not fuck with them.
Edo touches his ear—a clear signal that he’s receiving a message from his earpiece—and leans in toward me.
“Giorgio says Vinny’s here with Mario Rafa. They want to speak to you.”
I wave an irritable hand, watching scantily clad-dancers writhe to the music. “Bring them up.”
Uncle Vinny is my father’s brother and was once the underboss for the Iacopellis. After my father’s death, there was a power struggle as Uncle Vinny thought it was his right to claim the Don position.
But that position was mine. There was a brief skirmish where I brutally put down any of Uncle Vinny’s supporters. After that, Uncle Vinny conceded. Nat tried to convince me to have Uncle Vinny killed anyway, but I declined. Maybe it was stupid familial loyalty, but I couldn’t have the last ties to my father’s family murdered.
So Uncle Vinny has remained on the outskirts of the family and will occasionally be a voice of reason when Nat and Edo haven’t convinced me otherwise.
But Mario Rafa—ugh.
The Iacopellis and The Brotherhood have a strained relationship. We were once close allies, as I had been engaged to Mario’s daughter, Scarlett.
Scarlett. She is as beautiful as she is dangerous. Porcelain skin and big, blue eyes belie the venom lying in wait behind that angelic façade. I fell into her trap once upon a time, only seeing her outward beauty and refined elegance.
We had been in the middle of planning our wedding when Scarlett asked me to do something reprehensible. Enraged after being cut off and given the middle finger while driving, Scarlett hunted down the man responsible for this slight and found that he was a married father of two. Her plan? For me to have my men shoot up the driver’s son’s school playground as revenge.
