AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He leaned back and sipped his brandy. “Yeah, I figured.”
“If I keep pushing, it won’t end well.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll talk to her.”
“How about we all go out for drinks tonight? We can tell her together. I still want her to be involved. She’s brilliant, but maybe in a more secretive position.”
Sean scoffed. “She’ll hate it.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Shaking my head, defeat suffocated me. “I hate this job, I suck at it, and I don’t want it. The one person who does and would kill at it isn’t welcome because they’re a woman. Such bullshit.”
Uncle Sean reached over and squeezed my hand. “I love you like a son, Fred, and Aine loves you like a brother. We both know how hard you tried to make this happen, and we don’t fault you one bit.”
“Why don’t you take over?”
Sean burst out laughing. “These guys, they’re of the mind that the eldest son takes over when the father dies. None of them know you’re gay, and they won’t hear it from me. Only if they knew that would I stand a chance.”
“What if I stepped down and gave it to you?”
“They’d kill you, and you know it.”
“Maybe, but I think I’d have a better shot of convincing them you’re a better fit than Aine. And besides, I’m not popping out any kids, so the line will die with me. You’re saying they’d just disband? I don’t think so, Uncle Sean.”
“Fred, I don’t have a son. It would defer to the next male of age and closest to you in relation.”
“Who would that be?” I was wracking my brain, thinking of the family tree. Aine had no children yet, so maybe it would’ve been her son. Sean only had Aine.
“It would actually be Aiden, your driver.”
True, the driver tended to be the next in line if there was no mafia heir, but Aiden was related to me?
“I know the hierarchy that my driver would step up in my absence, but relation wise?”
“He has both. He’s in line, but he’s your second cousin. His parents are dead but he’d be the next up and honestly, not a bad choice.”
“But I can’t step down?”
Uncle Sean shook his head. “Not in the way you’re thinking. Unless down is six feet under.”
One way or another, this job was going to kill me.
“One step at a time.” I smiled and stood. “Drinks tonight.”
“Make it tomorrow night. Let’s do dinner.”
I cocked my head. “Why tomorrow? I’m free tonight. and I’m betting anything you are too.”
He tilted his head toward something over my shoulder, and I spun to look out of the small window in the door. Aiden was standing there with someone whom I thought I’d expressed quite clearly that I didn’t want to see.
“Fucking Zion.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Vincenzo
The clock read ten in the evening and Legend, one of my capitanei, texted me to turn on the news. So, there I was on my couch, watching the events of the day.
“Galileo’s, the booming nightclub in downtown Los Angeles, went up in flames this evening, shocking the community. It was closed for a private party, but sources tell me there are no survivors, and there were chains on the doors on the outside, leading authorities to assume this was arson with intent to kill. All they have to go on is one golden coin taped to a fire hydrant outside of the now-destroyed nightclub.”
