Page 4 of Greed

We both squint down the range, but I reach the binoculars first and then chuckle. “A little better; you hit an eight this time.”

Bruno sighs and steps away.

I take my place, and Bruno watches me. “What are you going to do about Romano Esposito’s death?” he asks. He’s trying to sound casual, but I can tell it’s bugging him.

“There is a lot we can do.” I take my shot and check it before moving aside from Bruno. “He’s left an empire completely unprotected with no heir to inherit it. I hear his brother Marko is trying his best to hold it together, but he wasn’t built for our kind of life. He’ll sell it.”

“And you’re going to buy it?” Bruno asks before falling silent and taking his shot. He checks it. “Fuck it. Seven.”

“You’re not focusing,” I say as I lock the rifle into my shoulder. “And yes, we can buy it. I’m thinking of expanding the family business, and places like Romano’s casinos will make the perfect cover for money laundering. And we can upscale everything with that kind of business.”

We fall silent as I take my shot and check it. “Bullseye again.”

I reach to the table behind us for a bottle of water and sip it, my rifle sitting neatly on the table, safety on. “We need to outbid any other family who makes a play for it, but I don’t think there’ll be many takers.”

Bruno sips his own water, his rifle now next to mine. “That’s a brilliant idea. That expansion will not only guarantee us more money, but power as well. We have the money; we are in a great position right now. If we make a bid on the three big ones, Seminole Hard Rock, Magic City, and Carnivale, it will establish us as the unassailable leading family.”

I smack my lips and chuckle. “Exactly, all the other families will work through us or fall into ruin.”

“You don’t think the other families will make this play as well?” Bruno asks.

“Of course they’ll try, but will they really be able to outbid us? I’ve never seen anything I like that I don’t get, Bruno, you know that.”

We resume shooting. Bruno’s shots remain between seven and eight, and although I hit a few nines, I mostly hit bullseyes.

We finish our rounds and start to pack up. “So when do you want to do the bid?” Bruno watches me as I finish up.

“As soon as possible. I’ll contact Marko before anyone else gets the idea to put a plan into action,” I comment.

I pick up my rifle and swing it over my shoulder. Bruno carries his, and we walk toward the exit. The owner of the range sits at the desk outside and nods to both of us respectfully as we pass. We get into our car, and I pull off. The drive home is quiet and uneventful before I pull into our vast estate and up the drive.

One of my guards comes down the stairs and takes the car to park it. I head upstairs, taking my sunglasses off. I toss them in the cute tray Chiara made in pottery class for me for one birthday. As the glasses land with a soft clatter, Chiara and her twin Lucia appear at the bottom of the main staircase.

“Matty,” Chiara coos, smiling up at me. “How do we look?”

I inspect their outfits as I go back down the stairs. They’re both in short skirts, Chiara in black and Lucia in red. They both are wearing low-cut tops and their hair flows over their shoulders.

I frown. “You need to wear something less revealing. Where are you going?”

“We’re going out with friends to the club,” Lucia says. “It’s not really that big a deal, Matty.”

“You’re only twenty-one,” I point out. “You shouldn’t be so focused on going out and partying, especially not in clothes like that.”

Chiara throws her arms around my neck from one side, and Lucia follows suit from the other side. They both kiss my cheeks.

Chiara looks up at me. “You worry too much. We’re adults, Matty. We can take care of ourselves.”

“Like hell you can,” I grumble.

I hear Bruno chuckling to the side, and I look at him. “What?”

“If you’re so worried about the girls going out, why don’t you go with them?” Bruno points out.

The girls both groan. “Bruno,” they whine.

I give Bruno a sharp look. “Fine. I will. But only if you come with us.”

“What is this? A family vacation?” Lucia asks.