EPILOGUE
CLUB MAFIA
It’s good to be back.
My private plane touches down on the small airfield close to the clubhouse, and I’m looking forward to catching up with my friends. When I travel here, I travel light and only four of my soldiers accompany me. Silvio has naturally stepped up as my consigliere and is much happier for it. Nobody admired or cared for my uncle, and it was an easy transition to shift allegiance to me. I am one of them, after all, and have lived a cruel life alongside them under his leadership. Not now though. Now I’m in charge and it’s as fucking amazing as I always knew it was.
As I step into the waiting car to deliver us to the large fortress hiding in the wilderness, I lean back and close my eyes, loving that the madness has diminished in them. I can only give one person credit for that and thinking of Louisa safely at home in Seattle, heading back to work for her father, results in a peace I’m not accustomed to. It’s good knowing she is waiting for me. That I am not on my own anymore. I have a family, a good family who love one another and surprisingly include me in that. My future wife is strong, sexy and powerful and so beautiful it strikes me awestruck every time I look at her.
Now I have a business, a mafia business, and it’s up to me to make this life as safe as possible for all of us. So, here I am at Club Mafia, ready to touch base with my fellow dons and set in place the plan to guarantee our success.
The car stops short of the huge door that welcomes us inside and I sense the eyes of the guards watching from every lookout point. Angelo’s men, who are loyal to him, guard him like the king he is and as the door opens, I see his consigliere Roberto watching us approach warily.
Silvio murmurs, “Hasn’t he replaced that fucking dinosaur yet?”
I laugh softly. “He’s an old woman but a loyal one. Angelo appreciates his experience and goes easy on him because apparently, he’s clinging to life with his last finger.”
“Aren’t we all, sir?”
Silvio’s dry retort makes me laugh and as I step up and nod coolly to Roberto, I prepare myself for a reunion of the most welcome kind.
My men drop back and retreat to their own lookout positions, like a well-oiled operation that seems so natural.
I follow Roberto to the great hall where Angelo will be waiting. That at least is guaranteed, and I wonder who has made it here before me.
Roberto opens the door and announces in a hard voice, “Don Vasquez, sir.”
As I head inside the room, two men turn and clap slowly as I approach, and for some strange reason, it moves me a lot.
Stepping into their hugs, I am pleased to see Angelo and Malik are as emotional as I am and as we hug as a group, Malik whispers, “Good job, Flynn.”
I nod because for some reason, I can’t form words and Angelo slaps me on the back. “Two down, three to go.”
We pull back and they regard me keenly as Angelo says with amusement, “I understand how you feel right now, Flynn, and it’s a good one.”
I nod. “The best.”
“And your angel?”
Malik looks curious and then laughs as my eyes light up and I can’t prevent the shit-eating grin from revealing my feelings regarding her. “Perfect in every way.”
Angelo nods and grins broadly. “I also know how that feels. I’m happy for you, brother.”
Malik groans. “Well, good for you, but some of us are still residing in hell and seeing the two of you wrapped in domestic bliss isn’t making it any easier.”
“Your time will come.” Angelo reaches down to a table beside him and hands me a crystal tumbler of whiskey and they raise their own in a toast. “To Club Mafia and the next stage of our plan.”
I glance around. “Where are the others?”
As if on cue, the door opens and Roberto shows in an enraged looking Beast and I share a guarded look with the others as he growls, “I need a drink.”
Angelo lifts another glass of whiskey from the tray and hands it to him, which lasts all of a second before Alessandro sighs, “I needed that.”
“What happened?” Malik’s eyes narrow and Alessandro sighs heavily. “This shit is getting to me. The waiting is the hardest.”
I glance at Angelo because the two of them share the pain because whereas Winter is Angelo’s twin sister, for some reason during the short time they spent together, Alessandro fell deep and hard for the beautiful angel that is currently chained to Satan’s side. As I peer closer, I see the pain has deepened in Alessandro’s eyes and I’m worried for my friend.
Although he doesn’t live with the madness of mafia the same as the rest of us, he is still the heir apparent, and his grandfather has only allowed him to pursue his Hollywood dreams as a producer on the proviso he will succeed him as the head of the family when he dies.