Page 12 of Mafia Handbook

Chapter Five

Bash felt like a new man as he walked into the Los Angeles restaurant, the hot shower and five hours of sleep helping him recharge. Removing his sunglasses, he nodded at the woman standing behind the counter. Scanning the room, Bash found his uncle waving from the back of the restaurant.

“Hey, Sebastian.”

Bash couldn't help the smile coloring his face as he watched his uncle stand to his full height.

“Uncle Kevin,” wrapping his arms around the man who’d practically raised him, placing a kiss to his cheek. “You’re looking good old man.” Kevin Kelly had been the underboss for the Hannigan Family in Boston for as long as Bash could remember. Kevin was a collector of sorts, gaining information on practically every Family leader there was, which is the primary reason Bash sought him out.

“That’s your Aunt Cora’s doing,” Kevin waved his hand toward the booth in invitation. “Woman makes me feel like I’m twenty years old.”

Sliding into the booth, Bash waited as the waitress set a cup of coffee in front of him before disappearing down the narrow aisle.

“You sounded cryptic on the phone. Mind telling me what this is about?”

Lifting the cup to his lips, “Frank Rossi.” Bash didn't have to look at his uncle’s face to know there was a strong reaction.

“Tell me you’re not going to work for that bastard.”

Sipping the scalding-hot liquid, Bash cringed as he set the cup down. “Fuck no. Have you forgotten how hard I pushed back when you asked me to come to work with you?”

Uncle Kevin worked as an underboss for a Family back in Boston. Everyone assumed Bash would join the ranks, but supported him when he announced he had other plans.

“So why the sudden interest?”

Leaning back, Bash held his uncle’s gaze as the waitress took their food order.

“It’s for a new client.”

“Let me guess, a jilted lover who wants revenge?”

“What do you mean, jilted lover?”

“Like most men in his position, Rossi is accustomed to having beautiful women hanging off his arm. Skyla, his current wife, is usually pretty good about pretending to turn a blind eye, however, the minute she feels her position is threatened, the claws come out.”

Bash saw the humor dancing in his uncle’s eyes, feeling slightly guilty as he was about to shift the conversation.

“Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't about who he is or isn't sleeping with. It’s about his daughter.”

“Oakley?”

“Who?”

“Oakley is Rossi’s daughter.”

“She said her name was Milena.”

Falling back in his seat, Kevin’s mouth ran dry as the name he hadn’t heard in years dropped from his nephew's lips.

“Motherfucker,” Bash swore under his breath, his curiosity piqued. “Start talking, Uncle. I need to know what the fuck I’m stepping into.”

“Frank took over the Rossi Family after his older brother was killed in a prison hit some suspected was organized by Frank himself. A few years later, his mother arranged for him to meet the daughter of a friend, Lena Diangelo. It was love at first sight for Frank who dragged Lena to the church and married her. Two years later, Frank and Lena announced they were expecting.”

Kevin dropped his gaze to his clasped hands, “You’ve seen firsthand how much I love your Aunt Cora.”

Nodding, Bash allowed his mind to drift back to the day Social Services took him to live with his aunt and uncle. How he was confused by the tenderness his uncle showed his aunt.

“It’s nothing compared to how much Frank worshiped the ground Lena walked on.”

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