Of Mobsters and Men: WILD (Book #2)

by L. A TehPeaceMaker

  “I want all of you to remain alert. We are going to allow our enemy to get as close as he can. All we have are assumptions. The only thing that is a certainty at this moment, is death.” I started.

  They grunted in response.

  “The foe is clean, no doubt. That tells me that he’s just the one pulling the strings. Finding the source is now Obsolete. Our new objective is to hunt down the allies. Dig through all reports and files of everyone a part of The Pride. Take notice of any shifts or strange activities that’s been going on in our own backyard since the emergence of this foe. Go a couple years back if you have to. These attacks were well planned out.” I finished. I knew we were going to find something.

  Later that day

  I looked down at the text message I’d received from Alessio. Apparently Raelyn and him are somewhere making business arrangements for a project Raelyn is starting up. I hadn’t heard from Raelyn since I left home last night. She was probably pissed and this project she’s starting was most like what she wanted to talk to me about.

  Then again, she barely tells me anything these days.

  It was well into the afternoon when I heard fast approaching footsteps, followed by slow ones, walking into the living room. “Romano, stop running or you’ll fall.” Raelyn’s voice was unusually firm and loud. Romano’s miniature form appeared and he ran to me and gave me a high-five before hopping on the couch and trying to tackle me.

  I smirked and stood up, Romano’s hold tight on my form. “Oh no you don’t.” I said and spun around fast, making him laugh harder. From the corner of my eye, I saw Raelyn’s frown as she hung her coat on the coat rack. She hadn’t smiled once since she’d gotten home. Did something happen while she was with Alessio?

  “You go up and put on your training uniform. I need to talk to your mother.” I whispered to the curly haired trouble maker. Romano gave me a firm nod before taking his time up the stairs. Raelyn’s eyes met mine as I approached her. I pulled her towards me and kissed her. She kissed me back slowly, our lips in sync before she pulled away.

  “You really need to listen to what I want to talk to you about.” She started, her forehead resting against mine.

  “So you’ve decided to stop keeping me in the dark? When were you going to tell me you were thinking of starting a project?” I asked her.

  Raelyn maneuvered around me, shaking her head at my questions. Whatever she was about to tell me, I knew that it would give insight into her behavior these past few days. She took a seat on the sofa and I sat next to her.

  I was focused on Raelyn as she spoke. “I wanted to talk to you about Romano. I know we had the conversation about Romano’s future already, but I have to bring it up again. It’s just been eating me alive.” She began. The way the corner of her beautiful shaped eyes slanted, and the tightness of her cheeks stood out to me, told me she was more than bothered.

  “Yes, What’s wrong?” I asked her.

  She looked downward before looking back up at my gaze again. “I feel uncomfortable with you associating Romano with made men and taking him to your meetings.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her words. “We’ve already discussed this-”

  “But I never said I was okay with it. I understand your viewpoint. You love Romano just as much as I do, and you don’t want him to become a target, but I don’t want my son to live life looking over his shoulder and possibly getting killed.” She said, interrupting me.

  Of course this has been what’s eating her alive. How couldn’t I tell? I nodded my head in understanding, “I understand. But, Romano is my blood and when he grows up, there will be a bounty on his head. I’m sure you know that.” I reminded her.

  “Stefano, can you please stop talking like that? Please?!” She asked me. The thought of her son being a target was one she couldn’t bare.

  I closed my eyes and opened them again. “I won’t be around to protect him forever and you know that. While I’m alive, I need to teach him how to be a man. He needs to know how to defend himself and that begins with him being exposed to the real world.” I said again, trying to make her understand.

  She remained silent for a few seconds before shaking her head again. Unexpectedly, Raelyn stood up. “I see where this is going. I’ll just keep something from you then.” She said, crossing her arms and giving me a look I couldn’t decipher.

  “You’re going to withhold sex?” I guessed.

  “If you continue to take Romano on another one of your meetings or take an action to progress any further, I will not give you another child.” She said sharply.

  I furrowed my eyebrows in shock. Raelyn would make a commitment like this?

  “Raelyn-” I stood up and reached for her but she took a step back.

  “No, My mind is made. I’m not going to bring another child into this world and lose him or her. Do whatever you want, and I know you will.” She said lastly. I watched her as she left me and disappeared up the stairs.

  Her mind was made, and now I have to make up mine.

  Chapter 9

  The next day

  Punch after punch against the roughed up bag, so many thoughts swarmed around in my head. Raelyn had given me an ultimatum. In all my years of being a made man, I’ve never faced such a challenging decision.

  Raelyn is serious and I know the next time I see her face, I will need to have an answer. But, what answer will I give her? What will I decide?

  Maybe I could try to compromise with her. No, she only gave me two choices: Train Roman or expand our family. Raelyn and I had discussed conceiving another child sometime this year, but things have changed. She knew I wanted another child, and she used that fact to dangle it over my head with her ultimatum.

  She got me.

  Having another baby might be put on hold depending on my next move. I had to think long and carefully. I don’t want her to think I don’t care about ever having children with her again.

  I felt sweat trail down the side of my face.

  Having another child is risky, but I know I want more in the future. If I do go against her wishes, she won’t even give me one more. Nothing I’d do would be able to convince my wife.

  Then again, I know the type of society we live in. No one is safe. That fact dawned on to me at a tender young age. I was just 12 years old.

  March 8th, 2008

  The corner of my eyes burned with threatening tears and my body shook with convulsion as I stared straight into my biggest nightmare. I made sure to not let a sound escape me. Anger and fear kidnapped me as I realized what I had seen was reality.

  My father laid sprawled on the cold, hard, ground. His blood pooled around him, bullet holes clear as day in this dark situation. I didn’t know if it was my father’s vulnerable state, or the fact he’d just been murdered, that scarred me. I wanted to run to him and scream, but I couldn’t. If my father and I were both dead, what good would that do?

  My eyes sharpened, and my hands trembled as I held my gun. The man that had just killed my father walked towards my mother who had her back against the wall as she cried and slid down agonizingly slow on to the floor.

  No, I couldn’t lose her too.

  The only thing I could do was remain hidden behind the couch and wait for an opportunity to attack. “Where is the brat?” The man growled at my mother. He yanked her up by her arm. He gritted his crooked teeth and the missing space in his row of teeth sickened me anymore. His hand was wrapped around my mother’s neck in a manner that caused my mother to claw at his hands to release her.

  No matter how angry I was, I had to make sure to aim perfectly to finish him one time.

  “I won’t ask you again, bitch! Where is the boy?!” He slapped my mother across her face. All of a sudden, all common sense left my head. I fired the gun without thinking twice, the bullet grazed the man's neck and hit the wall.

  Shit.

  “Gah!!! Son of a bitch!” The man fell and my mother was free. She snapped her head in my direction and I revealed myself. “M
other! Run away! Run before he gets up!”

  “Stefano-” she began, shaking her head.

  “I’ll protect you, don’t worry about me! Go!” I saw the tears race down mother’s cheeks as she fled. The selfless character I had embedded in me jumped out and was ready for action.

  Seeing the ugly man stretch his hand to reach for his gun, I shot him in his legs making him scream in pure pain again. I quickly ran to him and pulled him from his side. I sat on him and balled my fists, punching his face repeatedly, the blood from his broken nose splattering my fists and white shirt.

  “Fuck. You. Dammit!” With every word I spoke, his face received a blow. “Pezzo di merda!” A stream of curses left my lips the more I looked at his face. I could only see red. I could only see blood as I squeezed his throat with my bare hands.

  I had to be ripped off of him by the soldiers of The Pride when they had rushed in and witnessed what had happened in my family home. “He killed my father! Let me go! Let me finish him!” I said to Uncle Ernesto, who was also the consigliere. He restrained me as the other soldiers took the man away into a room.

  I knew he was about to receive further torture, but I wanted to finish him off myself.

  ~end of flashback~~

  That day was still etched into my mind. The only reason I was successful in saving my mother was because of my father’s guidance. He taught me how to break free from cowardice, how to defend and offend. Most of all, he taught me how to be a man. Perhaps all the training my father made me endure, was to protect my mother in his absence.

  Romano needed to at least know what kind of dangers he was going to be up against. When the time comes, and I know it will, he’d need to be ready to step up. I rather have one child that can protect themselves than two or three that would constantly have to run for the rest of their lives. I hoped I was making the right decision.

  Walking out of the gym, I wiped the sweat off my face with my towel. My ears picked up the sound of notes from a piano. Raelyn had to be in the piano room since I didn’t see her down here. The thought of telling her my decision made beads of sweat form on my forehead again.

  I lowly chuckled. Me, a made man, afraid of my own wife.

  The door was already cracked open so I pressed on the door to open it wider. Raelyn and Romano were seated in front of the piano and I heard Raelyn instructing our son which keys to press on with his fingers. “Okay, now play those 4 keys like before.” Raelyn told Romano. The big grin on his face told me he enjoyed this mini piano lesson from his mother.

  I didn’t make a sound. I watched with my eyes narrowed and wore a small smile on my face. This scene brought back memories of my mother and I.

  She taught me everything she knew about piano and I always felt her presence with a very familiar tune of a piano key.

  “Papa look! I’m learning piano!” Romano said pouting to the large musical instrument in front of him. I smiled and walked towards him . Standing by his side, I pressed a few keys in a familiar order, creating a melodic sound.

  The expression on Romano’s face was of pure shock. “Wow! Teach me, Papa!” Romano grabbed my arm and hopped off his seat, making Raelyn laugh. I locked eyes with her and then remembered why I’d came up here.

  “Another time, Romano. Now, get outta here. I need to talk to your mother.” I flicked his forehead, making him frown and stomp out of the room.

  I watched him leave with a smirk on my face. What was I going to do with that boy?

  Returning back to my gaze on Raelyn, I saw that she was flipping through notes she could play. She was clearly ignoring me and that was something I refused to tolerate. I sighed and sat next to her, smacking my hand down on the pages she held in her hands.

  She turned to face me, annoyance written all over her face.

  “I don’t want to be ignored by you, stop it Raelyn.” I started and her face visibly softened. “I’ve been busy, but I’m here now, and I want you to tell me what’s on your mind. Tell me about this project you’re starting, that Alessio’s informed me about.”

  “Well,” Raelyn said resting her elbow on the instrument, as she turned to face me. “I was simply bored and wanted something to do. I want to use my power to do something. I can’t just take care of Romano and you everyday.” She said the last part playfully.

  If there was a way I could look at her eyes and lips at the same time, I would. Eyes that shone with innocence and beauty, and lips that stretched into a beautiful smile I never got bored of.

  She explained to me she wanted to make a safe space where talented kids could cultivate their passions, leading them to not be stuck to a way of life that wasn’t in their hearts. This space would give them opportunities the community never offered before.

  It was a unique idea and I chose not to criticize it because Raelyn’s my wife. I wanted her to get her toes wet and find something she could stick to. The last thing I wanted was a prisoner for a wife.

  “Well, you have my stamp of approval.” I told her.

  “Thank you...have you made up your mind on what we talked about earlier?” She asked me, slowly.

  I gave her a nod before answering. “I’ll be training Romano. It’s best for all of us. Raelyn, don’t think-”

  “You don’t need to say anything else, Stefano. I understand completely.” She told me. It was was as if she was expecting me to give the answer I did.

  ***

  Some days later, the wedding of Mario Batestelli’s daughter rolled around. All the greedy and prestige politicians under our protection and services were here to celebrate the event sponsored by the most crooked of them all. I was glad that we were now entering the reception. The carefree environment gave me the opportunity to do business. Enrico and Ricardo had told me they dug up something interesting and this would be the perfect place to deliver that news.

  I smirked, awaiting that information. “Vanzetti!” My name being called caused me to turn around to see the big grin of Mario Batestelli. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his graying mustache bred familiarity. His short stature was also not to be underestimated. “Batestelli, this is lovely.” I shook his hand and complimented the venue he had set up for his daughter’s big day.

  He chuckled and shook my hand quick. “Thank you for coming, Vanzetti.”

  “It’s no problem at all. I can’t believe Sofia is getting married already.” I said, speaking of his daughter. I remember going to her christening when she was just a couple weeks old and I was about ten.

  “It breaks my heart, but I’ve given her to a good man. I hate him for taking her away from me, though.” He said and we chuckled. Behind Batestelli, I saw Ricardo and Enrico make their way over to me. “Shall we continue this conversation later?” I asked him, my tone becoming serious.

  “I can’t refuse anything on such a day, enjoy the party!” He nodded his head and was brought into conversation with the next guest. I nodded my head to the back exit of the reception for Enrico and Ricardo to follow me.

  “What did you find?” I asked, leaning against the wall. Ricardo nodded at Enrico, ushering him to deliver the findings. “Like you requested a couple meetings ago, we looked through all our members, associates, and partners for shifty trends. We started with the elite first and didn’t need to progress and further.” Enrico started.

  “Senator Georgio Franklin. We noticed huge sums of money being withdrawn from his accounts in the form of cash. He was smart enough to not disperse it to an account we could track.” Ricardo added, crossing his arms.

  “How long has this been under our noses?” I asked them.

  “Two years. We were in such good standing with him that he flew under the radar.” Enrico answered me. “It’s not an issue. We had bigger fish to fry, then.” I dismissed it.

  “Two years, mmm. The man is getting old. He might just want to spend all he’s earned before he dies.” I said, bringing up the possibility they were jumping the gun on this one.

  “We’ve thought of that to
o, but the dates in which he withdraws his money might make you reconsider.” Ricardo brought up.

  Enrico then leaned against the wall as well. “I wish I had my report to back up my words, but that would be doing too much at an event like this.” He chuckled and I smirked. “Franklin is a wealthy man. The wealthy don’t like to spend money, they hoard it. The only time they spend money, is when they’re buying something big. Franklin hasn’t made any large orders besides campaign events and big celebrations. But, without fail, every two weeks for the past two years, he’s drawn out $10,000 in cash.” He said.

  Ricardo then spoke. “What’s interesting is that these withdrawals have become even more frequent this season.”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  “We know that every two weeks he withdraws approximately ten-grand. For a month now, he’s been withdrawing twice in one week. 8 withdrawals in one month, a big difference from his usual twice a month.” He added again.

  “The dates are important here. October 4th was the day of the first attack. Rico Rossi was murdered on this day. October 5th, he withdrew money. The next victim was Mark Vitale who died on October 7th. October 8th he withdrew money again. October 10th was the death of Frank Santora. October 11th he withdrew money. So on and so forth, he did the same.”

  “It might seem like a coincidence, but we’ve come prepared. October 16th was the date we were all expecting an attack, but nothing happened. October 17th, there was no money drawn.” Enrico said this time.

  “You’re saying you believe Senator Franklin is funding the attacks on The Pride?” I asked nonchalantly. They both nodded their heads. “Hm. You’ve managed to convince me that there has been a correlation with his withdrawal patterns and the attacks. I want you to still put everyone under suspicion. But, you have my permission to spy on Georgio Franklin and carry out your investigation.” I told them.

  Raelyn’s POV

  We didn’t leave the reception until later that night, close to midnight. Romano was asleep in the back and Stefano and I were alert as ever in the wake of our tension. I resisted the urge of sneaking glances his way the whole night and even up to now. I’m sure he caught on because he kept glancing at me, occasionally taking his eyes off the road.