“When will they get here?” Marko asked.
“In about an hour or so. In the meantime, I need you to call Sabastian and have him grab two suits and his gear. Have him meet us in New York.”
“We are still going to the meeting?”
“Yes. I am not rescheduling just because Reggie and Dwayne show up. Also, call Veronica and tell her I will need her to do some shopping for me. They are bringing a woman with them.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. But whoever she is, she is the reason they are in trouble.”
“Could this be a trap?”
“With them, who knows. What did Giorgio say the last time he checked in?”
“Just that things in the club were getting bad. He didn’t know a lot, but the club has been in turmoil with Reaper’s woman and Ghost’s woman. They are still looking into that picture he managed to send you. He said they’ve identified three of the seven so far. He also said they patched in a woman called Phantom. Apparently, she’s really good with computers. The last time we talked, he was going out on a run with Reaper.”
“If he doesn’t check-in by Friday, let me know.”
“Gio, should I be worried? He’s my little brother. I know he volunteered for this, but I can’t let my brother get killed over something that has nothing to do with us. You know that.”
“I know, Marko. I won’t let anything happen to Giorgio. I will pull him before anything happens. Plus, with Reggie and Dwayne with us, I will see what I can get out of them since they are officers. I feel that whatever is going on in that club will come to a head. The more I know, the better I can make a decision.”
“Are you still wanting an alliance?”
I nodded, refusing to say anything more. I’ve known that to expand the family business, I needed to branch out for some time. The family wasn’t like most mafia families. We made our money the old-fashioned way, we earned it through savvy business deals, but I wanted something bigger. I wanted the Family everywhere, even in government. And to achieve that, I needed to be open-minded.
When I heard what the Golden Skulls were into, I wanted in. Badly. Like most people, I didn’t hold taking men, women, and children for sport or money. I believed those who did were the lowest on the food chain.
Over the years, the Family had dealt with a few factions who trafficked, and we quickly dealt with them in the only way we could. We eviscerated them. Soon those who sold others for profit quickly learned to stay out of my town.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew there were others, and I would eventually find them. But I needed to know what Reaper knew. I needed his information, his contacts. Without them, I was just an outsider looking in. I firmly believed that if we aligned our families, we could seriously put a damper on the trafficking industry and move on to better and brighter opportunities.
“Paolo and I will go wait on the tarmac. You need to rest Gio.”
“I will later.”
Marko said nothing more as he and Paolo disembarked the plane.
Now all I had to do was wait for my cousins.
An hour or so later, I looked at my watch and noted the time as I heard Marko whistle to alert me that Reginald and Dwayne had arrived. To say that I was happy was an understatement.
I missed them dearly.
There wasn’t a childhood memory I had that didn’t include either one of them. I’ve known for a while that they were doing good, but without physically laying eyes on them, I wasn’t sure. There was something about seeing someone with my own eyes that I needed. I couldn’t explain it. I hated that they left the Family and the reason behind their departure still illuded me. That was something I planned on figuring out while they were once again in my care.
The time for secrets was long over.
I wanted my family together again. And Reggie and Dwayne were part of that family, whether they liked it or not.
I heard footsteps, and before I could blink, I looked up as Reggie appeared before me. He looked good. Strong. He filled out some, and though he was in desperate need of a haircut and shave, he hadn’t changed one bit. I could clearly see the sparkle of mischief still present in his eyes and when he smiled.
“Reginald.”
“Giovanni.”
“Where is Dwayne?”