I barely let her sleep last night. Once we started, I couldn’t stop.
I’ll leave her here tucked in my bed and go find my men. I need to apprise them of the change in our situation.
Slowly and carefully, I get up. I walk into my closet and throw on gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt, putting on socks and shoes as well. Then I’m out the door. Because of the time, I know I’ll find Lorenzo in the kitchen.
“Boss,” he says as I walk in.
“What time did the power kick back on?” I ask gruffly.
“It came back on around five.”
“Huh. I slept through it.”
“Yeah, about that, I heard from Francesca that you had company.”
“That’s what we need to discuss. I’m going to grab a cup of coffee, and then we can talk in my office.”
I make my way to the cabinet and grab a mug, and after I fill it, I head down the hall, open the door, and sit down behind my desk. Lorenzo is quick to follow.
“Do you want me to call Roberto?”
“Yes.”
“Anyone else?”
“No.” Although I trust my men, the only two I trust one hundred percent with my life are Roberto and Lorenzo. Luka being a close third.
Lorenzo types out something on his phone, which I imagine is a text to Roberto because within three minutes, the door is opening, and Roberto steps in. He takes his usual seat.
“We were wrong about Viviana.”
“How do you mean? We heard her,” Roberto says.
“Yes, we heard her say what she had to. But last night, she told me everything.”
“And you think she was genuine?” This time, it’s Lorenzo who speaks.
“She couldn’t have hidden the lie from me. Not just because I can read people but also . . . you should have seen her. She was scared. She knew I would kill her. She thought I would.”
“What did you do?” he asks.
“Well, I fucked her, of course.”
Both my men burst out laughing.
“Of course, you did. And how was it?” Lorenzo falls back into friend mode, the strict underboss disappearing before my eyes.
“I’m not going to talk about fucking my wife. The point is, she wasn’t lying.”
Both men look at me for details, but I’m not going to humor them with that. What I do with my wife is my business. The idea of them knowing more doesn’t sit well with me.
“What do we do now?” Roberto says, breaking through the room. Sending us back to our meeting instead of the coffee date we apparently were on, like a bunch of fucking pussies.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We need a new plan.”
Lorenzo inclines his head down. “Should we get her involved?”
“You think we should ask her to sell her dad down the river?”
“You did say she appeared scared. There is obviously something he’s holding over her. If we can fix her problem, maybe we can use her against him still, just in a different capacity. Also, from what we can see, it has something to do with her friend’s mother. Maybe it’s about the money? The governor is paying them off, so maybe if we can cover the debt, Viviana will be more apt to help us.”
“It could work.”
“How much are you going to tell her, Boss?”
“I’m not sure yet. I don’t want to spook her. It’s still so new.”
I don’t want her to think I am using her. Even though a day ago it was true, it no longer sits well in my stomach.
“I’m thinking I’m going to spend the next few days with her. Then I’ll broach the topic.”
“And if she says no?”
“If she says no, it won’t change anything. We will have to come up with a new plan, but I’m not going to leave her out to dry. I’ll still fix her problem, whatever that problem may be. It's obvious her father has been manipulating her for years. Even if nothing comes of it, knowing I stopped that, knowing it’ll piss off the governor, is worth it.”
“What do you need us to do?”
“I only want to keep a skeleton crew here, so up the men at the warehouse. Call Tobias. Set up another order. I want you to run point and make all the collections for next month. Normally, you’re the one to pick up the money.”
He was right. Normally for intimidation, I went to every one of our clients that we provided protection for, and I collected the money, but this time will be different.
“I’m going to be busy for the next week,” I say again more forcefully. “You two will step in for me. If anyone asks, say I have other business to attend to.”
“Aren’t you worried they might not take it seriously? They might not feel pressure to pay?”
“No. You are my eyes and ears. You are an extension of me. Anyone who dares to fuck with you will see the full force of my power. The future is never certain, Lorenzo, as underboss, you need to make these men fear you the way they fear me.”