Page 13 of Unrestricted
Since the Russian bombshell came into his life, he's been less tense. The color has returned to his cheeks. He reminds me of the boy I grew up alongside. For a while after the attack, he treated everyone like an unwanted guest. We’re past that now.
I knew the first time I saw them together that Katya would be good for him. She's brought sunshine into his life. A force of nature, she won't let him get away with that shit where he tries to retreat from the world.
He stands as I approach and we embrace. We've always been close, ever since we were children. Being the same age means we hit the same milestones together. We attended the same classes at school, were inducted into the family business at the same time, got our driver's licenses within one month of each other. We even celebrated our eighteenth birthdays jointly at a clubDamiano owned. I had a wild night. Gabriele looked as if he'd have preferred a quiet evening at home.
"You have her?" he asks.
Despite letting him down when I lost Eliza in Sydney, I told him I was heading to Scotland to pick her up.
"She's at my house."
He nods and looks out over the gardens, a muscle working in his jaw. Despite how far his life has moved on, the thought of Eliza being a mere twenty kilometers away still affects him. I don't know what that's like, to know the woman whose treachery had such terrible consequences. I'm not squeamish but even I have trouble looking at Gabriele's face sometimes. It's hard not to imagine being held down and cut like that. I'm glad he's wearing an eye patch today.
"Is she okay?" His question is unexpected. Before I can answer, he shakes his head. "Never mind. I don't want to know."
He gestures for me to sit. As I grab a seat, his housekeeper, Maria, appears with coffee for Gabriele. She smiles when she sees me.
"Signore Adriano. May I fetch you a cup?"
"Please."
She nods and hurries off to get it. Gabriele waits until she's gone before he speaks again. Though his staff are thoroughly vetted by Gabriele's right-hand man, Lukas, and they know what will happen if they repeat anything they hear, Maria is fairly new. Trust needs to be built and that takes time.
"There's a new gang selling drugs in San Lorenzo." Gabriele gets straight to business. "They beat up the owner of Galaxy two nights ago."
Galaxy is one of our clubs, catering to the lower end of the market. Since it doesn't attract a wealthy clientele, we don't provide the same level of security there as we do at some of ourother establishments. That makes it a soft target for wannabe mobsters trying to muscle into our territory.
"Do we know who they are?"
"Yeah. The leader is Massimo Vetti."
Vetti is a name I haven't heard for a long time. Frankly, I hoped to never hear it again. "One of Gianni's sons?"
"The eldest. It seems he wants to reclaim his father's territory."
I roll my neck, working out the tension that's threatening to develop. "You want me to help out with that?"
Though technically I report to Gabriele and we both answer to Damiano, we both tend to operate independently. As long as we're all moving in the same direction and the Volante family coffers are being filled, Damiano doesn't interfere. Those of us who share the boss's bloodline enjoy an elevated position within the organization but family ties don't save us if we fuck up.
My father's an example of that. He pissed Damiano off a few years ago by briefly losing control of the port. He was kicked out of the organization and told to consider himself lucky he wasn't being buried in landfill.
I bear no ill will toward Damiano for it. My father's an asshole and an incompetent one at that.
"Lukas has it under control." Gabriele smiles tightly as Maria appears with my espresso. She sets it down on the table in front of me and hurries away. "But ask your men to keep their ears to the ground. Vetti was a pain in the ass and I'm betting his son will be as bad."
Pain in the ass is an understatement. My instinct is to deal with Vetti junior decisively before he gets any bolder. But if Gabriele wants Lukas to take the lead on this I'll keep out of it. For now.
I pick up my coffee and smell the rich aroma before taking a sip.
"Anything else brewing?"
"Not here but the situation in Marseilles is getting worse. The Albanians blew up a warehouse in Fos-sur-Mer. Attracted a lot of unwanted attention."
"Fuck. What are we doing about it?"
"Since it affects us all, the consortium wants a coordinated response."
That makes sense. My family works with other mafia and bratva organizations on a number of joint projects. It's better for all of us if we're not constantly trying to kill each other. Of course it means collectively we have a lot of enemies but that's part of the fun.
