by Anna Widzisz
CHAPTER 4
After the betrayal that had happened in the Seattle Famiglia, many things had changed. Emilio Meccuci wouldn’t stand for any other form of a scheme casting a shadow over his mafia ever again. Being the acting boss after his Capo had gotten thrown in jail had taught him more than all the years under the man’s command. Henceforth, many rules had needed to be sharpened and now bore no resemblance to the old ones. He wanted to make the underworld better and unabashedly safer for when he could get Severo Selvaggio out of his cell and give him the reigns of command again.
However, that wouldn’t happen as, surprisingly, the man fully confessed to his dealings and took all the guilt upon himself. It kept the Famiglia somewhat safe, but also extremely visible to the public eye as many reporters started conducting their own investigations, wondering whether the man was actually telling the truth.
No one believed it for a second. Not the police, not the FBI, and not even the people who had only heard about the mafia through the newspaper and the internet. But no one would openly fight their way to find out the real reason behind his actions. Get information as to why Severo Selvaggio had thrown his life away when he could have pleaded guilty to only a few misdemeanors, gotten ten years, and be out in seven. Everyone would cut off their hand before saying that the man had wanted justice for the death of his teenage daughter. Even though the supposed killer had died, he would go after the family. Revenge was the best way of handling things in the underworld, after all. The only one that provided some kind of reassurance that no one died in vain. Especially a sixteen-year-old girl who'd had her whole life ahead.
But what few people knew was that Severo blamed himself more than anyone else. Not even Marco Falcone who’d pulled the trigger. Because nothing of the sorts would have happened if not for him choosing to put the Famiglia above anything else. And even if he believed that his decisions wouldn’t affect his family, it turned out that he was left with no family whatsoever because he hadn’t been able to let it go. At least once in his life.
So, after many questioning sessions with FBI agents, their convincing threats making him remember his daughter’s limp body on the cold floor of the aircraft hangar, he gave up. Exactly on the second anniversary of her death. Because for once he realized that he deserved to answer for all the wrong decisions he’d made because there could be someone out there paying the ultimate price for his actions. Just like Lynette had. Just like he should.
And it led to Emilio Meccuci taking an oath; no longer as the acting boss, never again as an Underboss, but as a Capo dei capi.
Now, sitting in the office of a newly acquired hotel in the center of the city, he waited for Noah Falcone. They were supposed to have a long-overdue meeting to discuss business. A flickering light shone through the grate of a lit fireplace, casting a soft shade of gold across the marble floors. It had become a spot for the mafioso’s most secret meetings. Emilio didn’t repeat Severo’s mistake to invite people into his home. It seemed like an unnecessary risk that could easily be eliminated.
Brow furrowed, Emilio heard a strangely raspy male voice filled with cold scrutiny. Something about it made the sparse hairs on the boss’ neck stand up. He couldn’t distinguish who it belonged to, but it sounded oddly familiar. The only hint of the possible answer was given by the clock striking four in the afternoon. The realization that it must be the Capo of the Las Vegas Famiglia washed over him.
The doors creaked open revealing a tall, muscled man, the same coldness in his voice flashing on his face. Judging by his hardened features, there was nothing left of the twenty-year-old man that Emilio had last seen. The events from four years ago had made it clear that none of them could keep their way of being while holding the most powerful positions at the same time. They’d had to change, adapt to their new circumstances.
Noah looked around the room in search of any suspicious activity. There was no trust on either side, as Emilio gripped his belt a few inches away from his gun just in case the man had come with bad intentions. The corners of Falcone’s lips twitched slightly, barely able to hold off a smirk. For Noah, there was no question as to who had more to lose in case their shaky peace was terminated. Seattle was still under close FBI supervision, allowing little space for mistakes, while Las Vegas thrived under his new rule. Both men had secrets that could destroy everything at once; neither of them quite willing to burn that bridge yet.
Emilio nodded his head, not taking his eyes off the Capo for even a split second.
"Let’s get this over with quickly. I have other engagements to deal with," stated Noah as he sat down at the round table situated in the middle of the office. His brows raised in a questioning manner.
The older man cleared his throat, following his acquaintance’s move. "Yes," he said and placed a thick file in front of Noah.
"I hope you don’t intend for me to read that, do you?" he asked with a hint of contempt. He had people to do it for him if necessary, while he was meant to take care of other engagements. There was no way in hell he would bother with paperwork when he had so many things to do throughout the day.
Annoyance flickered in Emilio’s eyes. He hated working with someone who was so much younger, less experienced, and way too arrogant for his own good. Not taking things seriously made him seem unprofessional.
"I want a bigger percentage of your business here. Twenty percent is not enough anymore."
"And why is that? Don’t you have a few new projects in the process of being incorporated into the business? Somehow I doubt you need a higher percentage of the Japanese restaurant."
Quite frankly, Noah didn’t give a shit about how much money he got out of his business in Seattle because it was the value within that mattered to him. However, Emilio didn’t know that, and never would as long as Noah had a say in that. So, he had to cover his indifference with annoyance and distaste for what the Seattle Capo was asking of him.
Emilio frowned, clearly not happy with the way he was being spoken to. Both men were too proud and eager to show their strength. Alpha men all the way. And as they had completely different characters, it was more than certain that they were standing on thin ice, minutes away from slashing each other’s throats.
"I won’t look weak in the eyes of my men just so you can have a few thousand more in a single branch of your business." Emilio bared his teeth in a smile that could easily scare the shit out of anyone. Even Falcone himself if he wasn’t equally scary with the smirk that creeped up on his perfectly calm face.
He opened his mouth to answer, but at the same time, the doors of the office swung open with such impact that both men pulled out their guns, aiming in that direction. A young girl with long wavy blond hair barged into the room, full of anger that wouldn’t escape anyone’s attention; a woman on a mission. But when she realized that she was held at gunpoint, she paused raising her hands up in a peaceful gesture. Her eyes widened and flashed with fear.
The Seattle Capo quickly lowered his gun; however, Noah remained alert. He looked curiously at the girl. She was no older than seventeen years old and surprisingly short. She was wearing a long flowery black skirt, Nirvana vintage t-shirt and Dr Martens, and it could have been described as an odd fashion decision to pair those items together. But somehow the girl made it work perfectly. The strange, contrasting combination made her hard to read. Whether she was a scared little girl by nature or a fierce woman who wouldn’t let anyone talk shit about her. Two totally different possibilities that intrigued Noah and made him curious to know just who she was exactly. He smirked yet again and placed his gun back in its holster.
Emilio cleared his throat, stepping up to the girl. He tightly gripped her wrist. A protective gesture that only made it clear to Noah who she was. The youngest daughter. And she probably shouldn’t have been there in the first place; let alone storm into her father’s office because of a whim.
Her expression momentarily went from scared to curious, putting up a wall so fucking high that God himself would
have had trouble looking through it. Being born into the underworld prepared her to act all classy but remain cold at the same time. Just as she had to in order to survive. For women that was just as important as for men. Maybe even more.
"Hello," she regarded him, about to extend her hand and break free from her father’s grip.
Noah chuckled, seeing as she wasn’t able to do that. And rightfully so. He had no intention to hurt the girl, but he wouldn’t allow his own daughter to approach another mafia man from outside the Famiglia as if it was a common thing to do either. Maybe not even the men from within the Famiglia. Whether the teenager was a reckless idiot, or stupidly brave, was still to be determined.
"Go wait for me outside, Avyanna. I’ll be done in a moment," groaned Emilio, urging his daughter to leave them alone. After a few failed attempts of struggling, the girl gave up and walked out. However, she couldn’t resist giving Noah one last look.
Avyanna.
It was a strange name. Not a common one; definitely not Italian. Which was something unexpected given that the older man was a faithful and eager believer of the mafia world and its origin, yet he chose not to give his child one of their ancestors’ names. Because there was no woman called Avyanna in the family; that much he was damn sure of.
Noah’s eyes lingered on the closed doors for a second longer.
"Don’t even think about it. My daughter is not wife material," Emilio seethed.
Such an idea hadn’t even crossed the Capo’s mind. Neither was he anywhere near willing to get married nor would he choose a girl from the Seattle Famiglia. Too much dirty blood for his taste. Betrayal, cruelty beyond redemption, without a single ounce of morality. And if Avyanna inherited any of those flaws, he wouldn’t be able to live with someone like that. He was a bastard himself. A fucked-up man who cared about close to no-one. But there were a few things he couldn’t go through with. And there was no fucking way he would introduce anyone with as much as a slight possibility of carrying any of those unforgivable traits into his family.
"If you as much as try to approach her in any way, no fucking help from above will be enough to save you."
"My idea of help from above is a sniper on the roof," said Noah. "I will send my men to take care of the percentage deal once I’ve looked through the files. And don’t ever threaten me again because it will be the last thing you do," he added, leaving the office before he acted on his anger and ruined the peace between Seattle and Las Vegas.
One of these days.
CHAPTER 5
He punched the sandbag at full force without breaking a sweat. His muscles were flexed. Eyes dilated in a wave of excitement. Yet it didn’t provide the same rush as hitting another person would. A Bratva member preferably. Noah was dealing more and more with their gun smuggling, not only in Palermo, where his business flourished but also in Las Vegas. Especially there.
Ever since he’d become a Capo dei capi he’d decided to make Las Vegas the central city for his dealings. He had lived there for nine years already and knew everything there was about it. When he got initiated he needed to move to the States to learn business, and later oversee a couple of sources of the Famiglia’s income. And being a teachable person, he not only took care of the existing businesses but also gained new ones. He had started by looking after a few casinos and slowly went into the real estate sector to break his way through it. Because of that, moving the organization to Las Vegas was more affordable and kept boosting the revenues.
There had been rumors spreading about the things Noah was a part of even before his father died. Keeping in touch with the 'Ndrangheta and trading with them was no easy task. Especially since shipping should be consulted with the Capo and he wasn’t one at that time. But Marco’s soldiers were becoming more and more dissatisfied with their boss’ performance. He was slow with broadening their business, even though Noah had told him more than once that they should focus on that as well. They had the time for that, or so Marco had thought. But he was too scared of Severo Selvaggio and his wrath to actually focus on the Famiglia. His deal with Luca and Isabelle Venas was the final nail in his coffin.
Noah Falcone stepped up his game and made it official that he had every intention of taking over his father and expanding the business. He wasn’t one to settle for less, and he didn’t have to. With the 'Ndrangheta by his side and his own Famiglia at last, he made sure to live up to his last name and make everyone respect him without looking at him as his father’s son. He was much more than that. He was better.
The bag swung under the hard kick Noah did. He was sweaty but full of energy. With a heavy sigh, he backed away, taking the towel from the wooden bench, and dried up his face and naked chest.
"Boss, there is a girl here for you," said Cristian, coming into the gym. Noah nodded, knowing exactly who it was.
With his soldier’s leave, Inéz came into the room. Eyeing up her figure, a smirk reached his face. She was wearing jean shorts and a red t-shirt tugged into them. It was uncommon for her not to have a dress or a skirt on. From the social media accounts that Noah followed over the years, that was her usual style. The girl parted her lips slightly seeing the man in nothing but grey shorts hanging from his hips. He was muscular with a strongly defined six-pack and the V line on the lowest part of his stomach visible to her eyes. He was covered in scars but it only made him look even better. They weren’t flaws at all. There were a few tattoos but the main one was on his chest
Loyal to few, ruled by none.
The Capo grabbed his t-shirt but didn’t take his eyes off the girl. That’s how he saw disappointment wash over her when she realized he would put it on. At least it’s what she thought. But Noah just wanted to test her.
His smirk widened and the t-shirt dropped to the floor. He came closer to Inéz. "So, what did you want to talk about, cara?"
Inéz had his phone number, which she’d decided to use at last. It had been two days since their meeting in Noah’s office. She couldn’t stop thinking about his proposition. One they couldn’t refuse. But the girl still had a question she needed him to answer.
"Why do you need me?"
He raised his eyebrow. "Why do you think that I do?"
She rolled her eyes at him. He was testing her every step of the way, playing annoying games with her mind. Checking whether she was smart enough to figure out that he actually wanted something from her. She might be a lot of things but stupid was not one of them. Noah knew that.
"We can always pretend if that’s what you’d like, but there is something for me to do in your Famiglia. Even if it isn’t as your soldier, obviously. For some reason you need me, but you wouldn’t say it in front of Drew and Isaac," she said, frowning. "Why? How bad is it?"
"And here I thought that Lynette was the observant one," he joked.
Seeing her determined face hadn’t changed, he shook his head, laughing. She was too focused as to why she was essential for the Capo.
Noah sighed. "I have a problem with my Capodecina. I’ve given him a nightclub a year ago and since then I have heard that he’s become greedy and seeks more power for himself. He has all this money that frankly I don’t believe came from the business that he runs. But he’s careful around my people and I need proof before I act upon my suspicions."
"You want me to spy for you?" she asked carefully, unable to read his face.
Would he really put his trust in her to do the job? They didn’t know each other very well, and she knew nothing as to how to handle such tasks. She wasn’t skilled to become a spy. Not to mention that Noah didn’t seem like the person who would actually let a woman lead an operation. Made Men were too proud to share their work with women who were believed to be weak and docile.
"Yes, I do," he admitted without a hint of hesitation.
"I didn’t know you had a nightclub under your protection in Seattle. I thought you gave up most of the businesses to Lynette’s uncle."
"It was the way for a truce to last between our Famiglias, yes.
But I’m not talking about Seattle, cara. You can’t possibly think we are going to stay here. I just had a few things to take care of and I need to return to Las Vegas. That is my city now."
That was something Inéz hadn’t realized. She had been sure that Noah would stay in Seattle and now she was finding out they would have to leave their lives behind and move to Nevada. For a job none of them was too happy about. Just the part of finding Lynette made it slightly better.
Flavio barged into the room. He was tense, and when he saw Inéz his eyes sparked with anger. The intensity behind the look made the girl shiver. As much as she found Noah not only intimidating but extremely dangerous, he didn’t give her the same dark vibes that his younger brother did. Flavio was more reserved and even harder to approach.
He stalked towards his Capo not bothering to greet her. Then he whispered something into the boss’ ear. Noah nodded, quickly reaching for his t-shirt and a holster full of guns and knives. However, he didn’t ignore or dismiss Inéz as she thought he would. His gaze rested on her once he was fully dressed.
"Inéz, come with me," he ordered, catching her by surprise. But she knew better than to refuse him when he was in this state.
Something bad had happened.
They rushed to Noah’s Mercedes and sped off. The last thing the brunette caught sight of was the younger Falcone settling in his car. He was close behind them as they drove through the city, probably breaking all existing laws.
"Call Ryder and Henderson. You are about to have your first lesson."
That was all he said. The anger in his voice was showing through. There was no point arguing with him. She pulled out her phone and did exactly what Noah had requested. He gave her the address where they would meet with them.
