by Ali Vali
“I don’t want to be involved in this. I’ll keep the books and twist the numbers to whatever you want, but this is too much.”
“Get them to finish and I’ll take care of it. They’re just doing this year, right?” He glanced up from the folder when Dean didn’t answer. “Tell me you’re not that fucking stupid.”
“My instructions were this year, but Naomi accessed the records from a couple of years ago. I’m sure it was for comparison purposes, which isn’t out of bounds for an audit. But…” Dean told him about the lunch Naomi and Brinley had shared across the street, and how they had their heads together through most of it. “I can’t prove it, but it didn’t look right, and Caterina met me to talk about the meeting with her father. The only good thing was Naomi and Brinley didn’t see us.”
“Did you tell Caterina they were doing the audit?”
“No way. I fucked up but I’m not that much of an idiot.”
“I don’t know about that. Get back to work, and fucking finish even if you have to do it yourself. I need it by next week.”
Dean jumped up and left quickly.
“If I didn’t need that fucker to keep everything straight, I’d kill him myself,” he said as he called for Alex, and it went to voicemail again. After he’d tried to make Alex give him a blowjob, his assistant had made himself scarce around the office, which was really pissing him off.
“Hey, you need something?” Alex asked, entering from the back door to his office.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“I sent you a text message,” Alex said defensively. “We had a fire in the kitchen and I’ve been dealing with the inspectors to get us back to full steam.”
“Don’t we have people who do shit like that? It sounds a little beneath you.”
“There’s plenty that’s beneath me, but like you tell me, it has to be done.” Alex sat across from his desk and folded his hands on his lap. “What can I do for you?”
“Are you pissed that I wanted you to suck my dick, or is it that you think you won’t get the chance to do it again?” He laughed but stopped when Alex glared at him.
“Lucan called me and offered me a job managing the club he owns close to the Rio,” he said, his tone devoid of emotion.
“You’d walk out on me? The gig next door might be a real possibility and you’re right there with me. Lucan’s never going to be as loyal to you as I am.” He slammed his fist on the desk, hating the Terzos more than ever.
“I doubt he will, but I need respect as well as loyalty,” Alex said.
“You know I respect you, and I also don’t want you to go.” The sick fact was, he really didn’t want to lose the one person who knew him best. It would be a pain to train someone new to do all the shit Alex did for him.
“Then treat me like a man you want and not some trick you can use to scratch that itch none of your women can touch.” Alex put his hand up to keep him from interrupting. “I’m not stupid, and you can’t publicly embrace me, but there has to be some common ground. If you can’t find it, I’ll understand, but I’m going to take Lucan up on his offer.”
“Alex, you know I care for you, but I’m not—”
“What, gay?” Alex laughed mockingly. “You don’t put your dick in some man’s mouth more than once if you’re not interested. From what I hear, straight men don’t do that.”
“There’s always exceptions to every rule. I trust you with all my secrets, and you understand what I want.” He stood and walked around the desk to get closer to Alex. “I need you, so don’t make me beg.”
“You need me how?” Alex asked, standing up and unzipping Robert’s pants so he could put his hand inside. He laughed when he found him hard. “You need me to take care of this? Or should I call in the airhead who answers your phone?”
“Come on, don’t be cruel.”
Alex dropped to his knees, taking Robert’s pants and briefs down with him. He swirled his tongue around the head of his dick and Robert closed his eyes. They popped open again when Alex sucked him in and simultaneously shoved two fingers up his ass. Every bit of him wanted to protest, but the surprise move almost made him come. This wasn’t what he had in mind when he’d called Alex in, but he wasn’t complaining.
He came faster than he wanted to, and before he could do anything to stop Alex, he turned him, bent him over the desk, and fucked him. He didn’t exactly put up a fight, though.
“You ambushed me,” he said once Alex came but was still inside him.
“Don’t lie.” Alex reached around and found him hard again. “I mean you can try, but this guy hasn’t gotten the memo that you didn’t love that.”
“This isn’t how I planned to spend the afternoon, but hopefully you’re staying,” he said once Alex got him off again. “Like I said, I need you.”
“Don’t disrespect me again and we won’t have a problem.”
“You have my word, but we do have a big problem.” They straightened their clothes, and he told Alex what Dean had reported, then gave Alex the two names in question. “Use two different contractors so no one has the ammunition to give us any shit later. I don’t want to sabotage our chances of moving up in the world.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Alex said, placing the slip of paper with Naomi and Brinley’s names in his wallet.
“If everything falls into place we can screw around in the villa where Victor died to celebrate. We owe it to him to finish what he was too fucking stupid to do.”
Alex gazed at him as if not knowing whether to believe him. “Are you sure?”
“About what? Moving up or fucking around with you?”
“Both,” Alex said, placing his hand on his chest.
“Trust me, you’re with me all the way in every aspect.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
“Count on it. I want you with me for years to come.” He smiled, knowing once he had everything he wanted, he’d drop this conniving cocksucker in a hole in the middle of the desert. For now, though, he’d make Alex believe he was the center of his universe, but there were plenty like Alex in Vegas just waiting for their chance. With the threat to go work for someone else, Alex had proved he couldn’t be trusted completely.
* * *
Diego Moretti glanced out the plane window and studied the Vegas Strip, a glowing oasis in a sea of darkness. He didn’t care for this place that had no real character or history. Granted, the Mob had brought the idea to life, but those guys’ true homes weren’t here. The city, to him, was for wannabes like Victor who were all about the flash, but had little to back it up.
He reached over and took Sofia’s hand. “We’re almost there, cara. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Papa. The truth is, I don’t know if I should be more mad than sad. He went out of his way to humiliate not only himself but the whole family, so it’s hard to mourn him.”
“Once we see what all this is about, you and I need to have a talk. Victor’s death might be humiliating, but it’s going to be a big problem to some people.” He tried his best not to put any judgment into his tone. “If there’s something you haven’t told me about all this, you need to, before things start to get out of hand. You know I won’t blame you, but I want to avoid any type of shit if I can help it.”
Sofia studied him with the long silence she used as a child when she was formulating an answer in a way that wouldn’t piss him off. “Was Victor doing something for you?”
“Not just me, and starting over is going to upset some friends who are better kept happy. In this case, unhappiness might put you in enough danger that it will be hard for me to protect you. That’s especially true if you knew this was coming.” He squeezed her fingers when she opened her mouth. “I’m not accusing, cara, but I need all the information you might have before I meet with Francesco Terzo. He’s a business partner, but he’s an animal.”
“Papa, I was embarrassed that my husband preferred his stupid secretary to me, but he’s the father of my children. You can’t bel
ieve I’d do something to cause him harm.”
It wasn’t a denial, which was as good as an admission. “Do you remember our talk before you married Victor?” She hesitated but nodded. “I gave you my warning, but I didn’t want to stand in the way of your happiness. It’s not your fault you were in love and didn’t want to see then what kind of man Victor was.”
“I know, I should’ve listened to you, but you’re right, I was in love.” She glanced down at their hands and took a deep breath. “My life would’ve been different if I listened to you, but now all I can do is move forward.”
“You’ll be fine, but remember, I can only protect you if you’re honest with me. I’ll keep saying that until you believe me, and the consequences of lying to me sink in.”
“Papa, I’ve told you the truth.” Sofia finally made eye contact with him, and he knew she was lying.
This was going to turn into a fucking fiasco, and if it did, there was only so much he could do without calling in some major muscle. That would be an excuse for Francesco Terzo to hit him hard for trying to move in on the territory he thought was his alone.
The plane landed and he glanced at Paolo but didn’t say anything. They had to talk, but he needed at least a couple more guys than the guards they had with them. Traveling with a small number of personnel was his way of not attracting attention, but the cops had already called them, so…safety first.
“Boss, you go out to the car with Sofia and Paolo, and I’ll grab a porter for the bags,” Diego’s guard said, pointing to the exit. “I arranged for a ride.”
“Thanks,” he said, cocking his head at Paolo’s guard so he’d drop back to stand with Sofia and Paolo. “Have you heard from my grandsons?”
Antonio nodded, but from the set of his mouth, Diego wouldn’t like whatever was on his mind. “Not now, sir, if you don’t mind.”
“Take everyone to the car,” he said, not wanting to wait on whatever Antonio had to say. “Tell me.”
“I know they’re your grandsons, but you might want to brace yourself for these guys. They might or might not be at the house when we get there. If they are, they said their father left everything to them, and you and Sofia aren’t welcome.”
Disrespect. The one thing he wouldn’t ever tolerate. “Call Lucan and tell him to take Sofia and Paolo somewhere for dinner, since he called and offered. You and me are going to catch up with my grandsons.”
Antonio took the wheel of the second car they’d gotten and followed the GPS directions to the large house outside the city that looked like some modern monstrosity. It was one more example of why he thought the city had no soul. Who fucking built something this hideous?
The gates were locked, their code didn’t work, and there was no answer on the intercom, which made him laugh. “I hope you got the insurance for this thing,” he said as Antonio turned the car around.
They drove to the other side of the street, and Antonio gunned it, knocking through the gate with the back of the large SUV. He didn’t slow down until they reached the door. Diego noticed the movement of the curtains where the living room was but no one came to the door when Antonio rang the bell.
“You want me to put my shoulder into it?” Antonio asked.
Diego shook his head and took Sofia’s key ring out of his pocket. He held one up, handed the ring over, and pointed to the door. “Open it, but with your gun in one hand.”
When the door swung open he stared at seventeen-year-old Pietro pointing a shotgun at them from the grand staircase, and fifteen-year-old Gabriel doing the same thing from the living room. Their backup, holding a pistol, was Victor’s father, Todd.
After the initial meeting of the families, when Sofia met Victor, Diego realized that every bit of Victor’s arrogance he’d inherited and learned from Todd. The uneducated bartender hadn’t been one of Diego’s favorite people since he’d gotten drunk at his daughter’s wedding and totally embarrassed himself. A man with so little self-control was no man at all.
“We called the cops, so leave now and we won’t have you arrested,” Todd said, lifting his gun higher and holding it to the side as if he’d watched one too many gangster movies. “This is my grandsons’ property and none of you are wanted here.”
“Antonio, let’s take a seat,” he said, motioning for Antonio to holster his weapon. “These motherfuckers saved us a call.”
“Papa,” Pietro said, not lowering his gun. “We’re not fucking around. Dad told us everything belongs to us, and Mom only made him miserable. That bitch isn’t welcome here.”
“That misery is probably what killed him.” Gabriel’s shotgun wavered slightly. “He gave her everything and all she could do was bitch constantly.”
Diego glanced toward the window and smiled when he saw the flashing lights. The two police officers entered with their guns drawn and it didn’t take them long to make everyone drop their weapons. Right after that Todd started yelling to the cops about how Diego and Antonio were trespassing.
“Sir, do you have anything to add?” the young patrolman asked.
Diego glanced at his watch and smiled. “I have plenty to say, but if you give me a minute, we can wrap this up.”
Another car drove up and a well-dressed young man came in with a folder. “Hello, I’m Ezra Brayden, and I’m Mr. Moretti’s attorney.” Ezra took some papers from his briefcase and handed them to the police. “This house is the property of Mr. Moretti, as you can see on the deed. It’s impossible for him to be trespassing somewhere that’s legally his. The other form you’ll find there is Victor Madison’s will. Mr. Madison was the prior tenant but is now deceased.”
“How do you have that?” Pietro asked, moving forward and trying to grab the papers out of the cop’s hand.
“Mr. Madison was also represented by our firm, and with his written permission should anything happen to him, we’re able to share it with you. That’s in there as well.”
“How is this your house?” Todd asked, holding Pietro back to keep him from getting arrested.
“Your son blew all the money he had on women and bad investments. My daughter asked for my help so they’d have a decent place to live, and I said yes. Knowing Victor and his loser ways, I kept the property in my name.” He stared at Pietro and then Gabriel. “Your father wasn’t who you thought he was and who he claimed to be, but your mother isn’t to blame.”
“He said you’d come here blowing smoke. Crawl back into your hole, old man. My father was the head of the biggest casino on the Strip,” Pietro said, and Todd placed his hand on his shoulder with a large smile. “He was an important man who didn’t need your fucking help.”
“The great man died with a rubber dick in his ass, and his dick in a nineteen-year-old girl. That’s a real role model. The only thing I give thanks for every day is your name is Madison and not Moretti.”
“You fucking liar,” Todd screamed.
“Ezra,” Diego said, and the attorney produced pictures.
The glossy colored evidence was one favor Francesco Terzo was more than happy to do for him. “The truth fucking hurts, so take these two disrespectful little bastards and get out of my house.”
“You can’t throw us out of our house,” Pietro said.
“I’m crawling back into my hole, which in this cesspool of a town is this ugly fucking place. From now on, count on Grandpa Todd here because the Moretti money is finished for you and Gabriel.” He stood and buttoned his suit jacket. “You want nothing to do with me or my daughter—fine, but the cars and all the other shit I’m paying for stays here. If you decide to test that theory, I’ll report all of it stolen, and when you’re in court, I hope Todd can afford decent representation.”
“We’ll be in court all right,” Todd said, dropping the pictures on the floor. “I’m suing you for slandering my son.”
“Slandering?” he said and laughed. “There’s the old saying about what a picture is worth, but in this case, they’ll be worth a thousand laughs. Maybe the three of you can comf
ort each other by shoving something up your asses. Might be a Madison family thing this old man doesn’t understand.”
“Fuck you,” Todd said.
“Believe me, I prefer beautiful blondes of the female persuasion.”
Chapter Eight
Tuesday morning started with unusual cloudy skies, and Reed sat in the diner close to the funeral home she figured Sofia would use. The scanner Oscar loved to listen to had clued them in to the trouble at the Madison home the night before, which had made her glad she hadn’t removed the bugs she’d planted. From what she’d heard, Diego Moretti wasn’t a man who let family relationships get in the way of what he wanted or who he needed to beat down.
“So why are we here?” Oscar asked as the waitress brought their coffee. “It’s nine in the morning, and it’s Tuesday. I don’t ever wake up this early no matter what day it is, but especially on Tuesdays if I can help it.”
“Wait,” she said as a line of black SUVs drove by and turned in at the funeral home. The courier service she’d hired was a few car lengths behind, and the delivery guy waited for Sofia to get out like she’d asked. “It turns out our favorite breakfast spot is perfectly located.”
Diego immediately got in front of Sofia but relaxed when the driver held up the package from the Bellagio. It was the only way Reed could think to make the Moretti men stand down.
Oscar ordered breakfast for both of them and waited for the waitress to leave. “Is there something wrong? From what I can see, this job is over.”
“Diego and Paolo Moretti arrived last night, as you know,” she said as Sofia waved her family inside and then opened the small box. “It made me curious about why his grandsons would’ve called the police to bar him and Sofia from the house. Diego doesn’t have muscle or influence here, but he’s the shit back east. Ordering him out of anywhere is a death wish depending on who’s doing the ordering.”
“I agree that was a gutsy call on the dynamic duo’s part,” Oscar said, pouring what looked like a pound of sugar in his coffee. “They’re lucky the old man didn’t have them shot for their blatant disrespect, even if they call him Grandpa.”
