Page 20 of Family Secrets

Chapter Eight

Gino shoved his key into the lock of one of the condos he owned, opening the door wide before stepping inside. The scent of Lisa’s perfume overwhelmed him as he walked through the foyer and into the living room, cursing under his breath he stepped over discarded shoes and clothes. He’d moved her into this particular condo shortly after purchasing it, needing the nosy neighbors to see a young professional come and go so they wouldn’t suspect anything was amiss. Lisa was gorgeous enough to turn the heads of the old men in the building, yet sweet enough to fool the rich widows who had nothing better to do than peek out their doors and windows.

Laying his hand on the wood panel of the wall outside of the kitchen, his mind drifted back to the woman he saw getting into Lisa’s car this morning. Gino suspected this was the young woman Sully spoke of and Niko rattled on about for two hours last night after he’d dropped her off at the Waldorf. Despite the glowing review and squeaky-clean record, Sully claimed the girl had, Gino would keep an eye on her until Niko could prove the accusations he tossed at him last night.

Pushing the faux wall to the side, Gino dropped the bag from his shoulder to the floor, twisting the dial of the safe in the correct sequence to open the door. Once inside, he wasted little time counting and placing the money he needed for his meeting later into the leather satchel.

One of Lisa’s many qualities, at least in Gino’s opinion, was how predictable she was. Even without calling to check, he knew she was sitting in a chair at Mia Bella’s, getting either her nails or hair done. Most likely, based on how rough he’d fucked her the other night.

Lifting the bag onto his shoulder, Gino turned to leave when he caught sight of Lisa’s home office and the papers teetering off the edge of her printer. Normally he would have ignored them, unwilling to drudge through her clutter to investigate. Today, however, he saw what looked to be a map, and his curiosity got the better of him. Stepping over discarded bed sheets and a bag of trash, Gino nearly tripped over a pile of dirty clothing when the leg of one of her panties caught on his shoe. Righting himself, he glanced at the colorful page on top, a map of the Flat Bush area with several red indicator dots scattered about. Studying the map, Gino recognized two of the locations as property belonging to his brother Sully but had no clue what the other five were. Pulling out his phone, Gino snapped a photo of the map, his meeting later would take him past one of the unfamiliar sites.

* * *

Gino tossedthe leather bag onto the table, his gaze locked with Stavros, the leader of the Greek Family. One of his men unzipped the top, quickly counting the cash inside, nodding his head in affirmation and lifting the bag from the table. A cold wind chilled Gino to the bone as the door at the back of the room opened up, allowing a forklift with a massive crate to drive in.

“You never told me, Vitale. What changed your father’s mind about trading with my Family?”

Gino smirked and dropped his gaze. “My father’s attention lays in the snatch of too many women, not in strengthening our alliances. This deal stays between us.”

The last thing Gino wanted was to take the reins of a nearly bankrupt Family. His father was a shit businessman who relied on Gino and the profits he made hand over fist with the various business he owned around the city. Jonathan was old school, believing intimidation and reputation would carry him forever. He refused to adapt with the times, perfectly content to continue with shakedowns and protection money. Sadly, that was the old Mafia. While there was still money to be made, it wasn’t a tenth of what Gino pulled in with his money laundering and gun trafficking.

Stavros extended his hand across the table. “Your money spends as good as his, this allegiance stays silent until you say different.”

Gino took Stavros’s offered hand, gripping his palm the way his uncle Saul taught him. “Gentle hands are for loving a woman, not for sealing your word in a handshake. Grip that hand, Gino, give him a taste of the power you have.”

Dropping Stavros's hand, Gino walked around the table to where the crate stood. “Open it up, let’s see what you have for me.”

Stavros took a crowbar from one of his men, sliding the flat edge between the seal, he grunted as he separated the nails from the wood. Reaching inside, Stavros retrieved one of the guns, tossing it in Gino’s direction.

“No serial numbers and no way to track them. If you like them, I can get as many as you need.”

Gino examined the gun in his hand, turning it back and forth before aiming it at the wall across from him.

“Excellent,” Gino praised, tossing the gun to Niko who replicated his examination before tossing it back.

“Shall I take them to the warehouse, Gino?” Tony, one of his men, questioned from behind him.

“Not this time, Tony.” Gino corrected, handing the gun back to Stavros who laid it carefully into the crate. He’d made a point of driving by the places on the map, all of which turned out to be warehouses. A few phone calls and the names of the registered owner was revealed, garnering a series of lewd oaths and a few pounds of his fist on his steering wheel with the recognition. “I have somewhere else in mind this time.”

* * *

Gino heldthe door open as a handful of his men, dressed in coveralls, wheeled a box with a well-known piano company’s logo stamped on the side into the freight elevator. He made a point of speaking loud enough with the security guard about the impending delivery of the treasured instrument for his girlfriend, a surprise to celebrate their anniversary. He smiled inwardly when Mrs. Stapleton, one of the city’s most notorious widows, gave a hard look at the truck parked along the curb, then reached into her overpriced bag and began clicking on her cellphone, no doubt spreading the word to the other tenants of his generosity. What he wouldn’t give to see her face if she knew what was packed inside the wooden walls.

Arriving on Lisa’s floor, Gino unlocked the condo door, pushing back the clutter and rug on the living room floor, as Tony used a crowbar to open the crate. It was the oldest trick in the book; hide the contraband in plain sight, using the assumption the more affluent the neighborhood the less chance of illegal activity going on. Gino had dozens of apartments just like this one, all costing a fortune with perfect places to hide his shit. He made it a point to spend a few hours at each one every week, making sure to be seen by the residents so his presence wasn’t questioned.

“That’s the last of it, Gino.” Tony admitted, wiping the sweat from his brow. He’d come to work for Gino a few years ago after he was kicked out of the military. Niko vouched for him, which was good enough for Gino.

As they stood on the street outside the building, Gino made a grand gesture of sliding off several large bills from his money clip and handing it to his men before they hopped into the delivery truck, waving to the security guard before getting in his car. A quick glance in the rear-view mirror confirmed the news of the new piano will be the talk of the building as he watched Mrs. Stapleton come around the corner, her trusty cell phone in hand.

Half an hour later, Gino pulled his car to a stop outside the back door of his gym. His meeting ran later than he’d planned, and he hoped he wasn’t too late to catch Kane training. Entering the building, he smiled when he found him in the center of the ring sparring with his manager, Brody King.

Shrugging off his jacket, Gino tossed it to a lone chair not far from the edge of the ring, his pressed shirt fluttering to the cement floor below.

“Your jab could use some work.”

Kane dropped his gloves, turning in Gino’s direction. “Hey, man. What are you doing here?”

Climbing into the ring, “About to school you apparently.” Gino half-teased, motioning to King for his gloves.

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