Page 54 of One Wild Night

“No, he can stay where he fell. Perhaps when he awakes in the morning, he’ll apologize for his tantrum earlier,” Carlo fumed, not even looking at his son. “Ryan, thanks for keeping watch while I was out.”

“It was no problem, Carlo.”

“Do you have time for a glass of whiskey before you go? I think my brother has a lead on this Paul Jenkins you’ve been trying to track.”

“Of course,” I replied, intrigued.

“That will be all, thank you, Adam. Ryan and I have business to attend to.” Carlo gestured as I followed him into his study.

“I think your office is the only room Tony didn’t trash,” I mused while Carlo poured us both a glass of his favorite whiskey.

“Will my son ever be as controlled as you, Ryan ? Nothing ever fazes you,” Carlo sighed, slumping back into his chair. “I knew Tony would be angry, but I didn’t expect this much destruction. His temper will be the death of him one day.”

“He’ll calm down in the morning. Something tells me he’ll have a hangover from hell when he gets up, but he’ll come round. You know how hot headed he is.”

Carlo chuckled, nodding. “What do you know of the Leoni family, Ryan ?”

“I only know of the battle between them and the Carelli family in the early eighties in Miami, why?” It had been quite a battle and costThe Bossof the Leoni family his life. His brother had taken over after his death. I couldn’t recall their names.

“Paul Jenkins works for the Leonis,” Carlo stated, watching my reaction.

“What would the Leonis need with our suppliers? They have their own contacts.”

“I’m not sure, Ryan, but we need to get to the bottom of this. Rumor is that Paul Jenkins and his boys have been seen in Chicago these past few weeks.” It suddenly dawned on me, those three fuckers at the Fight Club last night...had that been Paul Jenkins? “What is it?” Carlo asked while I was deep in thought.

“I think the asshole might have been at City Limits last night,” I glowered, downing my drink. That fucker thought he could case me. He was a dead man when I laid eyes on him again.

“I have no idea why they would suddenly take an interest in my family. We have never had any issues with the Leonis.” Carlo was keeping something back. I could see it in his eyes. I sat waiting for him to continue. “There is something that has been playing on my mind since Vincent informed me of this information, though.”

“You can tell me, Carlo,” I pressed.

“When I sent Tony away for a few days...” Carlo stopped, but I had an idea of what he was going to say.

“Tony went to Miami,” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. What had that motherfucker done now? I stretched my hand out; it was still aching from the fight last night.

“I hope that Tony wouldn’t create trouble but...” Carlo sighed deeply, “it does tend to follow him around.

“That might not be the case, Carlo.” I tried to reassure him, even though I suspected the worst. Tony must have done something in Miami. More fucking work for me to do to when I got to my office later! “Perhaps the Leonis are getting a little greedy. You do have one hell of an empire.”

“Is that what you really believe, Ryan?”

“Tony is a lot of things, but he wouldn’t bring a war to your doorstep.”

“I hope you're right.”

“Do you want me to go after this Paul guy? He could be a rogue player. Just because he’s working for the Leonis, doesn’t mean the entire family has an issue with us.”

“I have a feeling Paul Jenkins will show himself, Ryan. He’s here in Chicago for a reason.”

“And I’ll be waiting.” Getting up, I gave him a sly smile. I would always have his back.

“Get some rest,” Carlo commented, worry in his eyes. The world was on his shoulders. It made me wonder how he did it some days. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon for a debriefing. I’m going to try to get some answers from Tony when he awakes.” Nodding, I left him with his thoughts.

I woke up early the next morning after tossing and turning for hours. My strong desire for Siena, Tony’s possible screw up in Miami, and the fact that Paul Jenkins might be casing me, had my mind spinning all night; it didn’t leave much time for sleep.

Siena was at the forefront of my mind. I needed to keep focused these next few weeks and that meant keeping my distance from her. That was going to be difficult.

I went for a run along the route used for the ChicagoRave Night Runonce I was up. It was a favorite running spot for me, with its views of the Chicago skyline, Lakeshore drive and Lake Michigan. It was a clear morning which helped my speed and the views.

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