Page 16 of Family Secrets

“Dad’s a fucking liar!” Gino roared. “Monty The Mooch was pinched last night, one of the cops called me when they found his truck full of this shit.”

“So? Monty’s a piece of shit, don’t mean it’s tied to Dad.”

“Motherfucker, would you stop sucking his tit, Sully? Monty wasn’t alone in the car; he had the goddamn chemist with him who nearly shit his pants when the cops put the cuffs on him. Dad’s been buying this shit for years, selling those bricks to hundreds of dealers across the country, who break it down and sell it for a song.”

Sully looked to the white brick, reaching out and running his finger along the edge. He refused to believe his father would lie to him, but he would never go against Gino.

“Okay, what do you need me to do?”

“You still have access to the warehouse on Fifth?”

“Yes, but so does Dad.”

“Good, then he won't be surprised when he walks in and finds a cutting lab inside.” Gino reached for his cup. “I want Mario involved. It’s time we give him an opportunity to prove his worth to the Family.”

“I’ll make it happen.” Sully agreed, pulling the bag closer. There was potential in this, Sully thought to himself. He owned several warehouses like the one on Fifth, ones Gino and his father didn’t know about. He would need to involve Mario and several members of his family in Harlem, but if he managed to pull this off, he could have the kind of money he always dreamed of.

“I have no doubt,” Gino agreed over the edge of his cup. “Anything new I need to know about?”

Sully nodded, “I hired a new girl to work in the office.”

“Better not be another one of your fucking strippers. I still haven’t forgiven you for the whole Stormy fuck up.”

“No, this one is legit, checked her shit out myself. She’s a cunt hair away from graduating college with a degree in accounting.” Sully held his mask of indifference at his brother’s reference to the stripper who nearly took down the Family. He’d been careless, thinking more with his dick than with the sense God gave him.

Stormy, or Allison Murray, as Gino thankfully discovered before it was too late, walked into one of Sully’s strip clubs, asked for the owner and then dropped to her knees, giving Sully the single most incredible blowjob of his life. He gave her a job, but jealousy got the better of him and he moved her to the office he and Gino used as a front for their operations. Stormy fit right in with the other women and it wasn’t a half a second later Sully put her up in one of his apartments on Park Avenue in Manhattan, the same one where he kept most of the real books on the Vitale business. Gino caught her red-handed, the contents of one of the safes spread out all over the living room rug, her cellphone in hand snapping photos like an Instagram whore. After a few hours of interrogations, which included the removal of one of her fingers to run her prints, her true identity and occupation was discovered. It had nearly killed Sully to put the bullet in her head, but he’d screwed up and allowed the FBI to infiltrate the Family. In the Vitale world, there were no second chances. You cross them once and they end you, no matter what’s between your legs.

“She can do our taxes and handle the legit business details.”

Gino wasn’t as trusting as his brother, and a plan to check out this new girl was already forming in his head.

“And does this girl have a name?” Gino questioned, his tone teetering on boredom, the polar opposite of how he felt about the matter.

“Elizabeth Smith. She’s twenty-three and a friend of Lisa’s. For the past several years she’s worked for some Co-op in Middleton, Kansas as their accountant. She’s recently lost her Nona and was looking for a change in latitude.”

“Kanas? When the fuck did you go to Kansas?”

“I didn’t, asshole. She and Lisa are Facebook friends.”

“Facebook!” Gino shouted. “Oh, now I feel so much fucking better about having her around. How do we know she isn’t another FBI plant?”

“Because, dear brother. I checked out her college records, her taxes for the past few years and found out the name of the funeral home who handled her Nona’s services. She checks out, Gino. She’s as legit as that gym you own.”

Gino lifted his cup to his lips, keeping an intense gaze fixed on Sully.

“Speaking of Lisa, what’s up with her spending the night? Having a girl in your bed longer than taking a piss after sex isn’t your norm. Did she finally convince you to make her your girlfriend?”

Gino turned, pouring himself a second cup of coffee, not bothering to offer Sully a refill. “Lisa isn’t my girlfriend, nor did she spend the night.”

“Does she know this? Cause from what I saw when I walked in…”

“Lisa is quite aware of the parameters of our relationship.”

“Speaking of parameters,” Sully pointed at Gino’s midsection. “You might want to spend time in that gym you own for something other than watching a fight. It looks as if Momma Vitale’s home cooking gave you a set of love handles, and you know how you are about anything to do with love.”

Gino picked up a nearby salt shaker, tossing it Sully’s head, deliberately missing him by a mile. “Fuck you, Sully. Get the hell out of here and back to your bitches.”

Sully tossed his head back in laughter, “I hear Jenny Craig is half-priced this month.” He added, slipping out the door before Gino could toss the matching pepper mill.

Gino glanced down at his stomach, finding the same definition he’d worked so hard to achieve. Granted, he’d been too preoccupied with his uncles in Sicily to get in a single workout, but he didn’t see much change. Choosing to deal with it later, Gino picked up his phone, pressing a single button as he checked his reflection in the hall mirror.

“Find out what you can on an Elizabeth Smith from Middleton, Kansas. Her most recent employment was with a Co-op, whatever the fuck that is.”

“Boy, for as much as your mother spent on your education, you’d think you would know something other than how to separate a young lady from her panties. A Co-op is a member-owned organization which helps its members get the best services they can. And since this Co-op is in Kansas, I’d say it dealt with crops like wheat or hay.”

“Whatever, Niko. Just do what you do best and find out who the fuck this girl Sully hired is.”

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