Page 149 of Creep

Most of the restaurants around were owned by them, and more likely than not, they would be conducting business there, on full display for everyone, as if to say they didn’t give a fuck if you knew or not.

But that wasn’t where we were heading. Theo drove to the Hunts Point neighborhood in South Bronx, famously known for housing one of the largest food distribution centers in the world… and high prostitution and drug deals.

Theo pulled up to the corner in front of an old, decrepit building and turned off the car to avoid drawing attention to us.

“This is where they’re having the meeting?” I asked.

Theo shrugged. “Brings less attention to themselves.”

I nodded. I trusted Theo. “Then let’s go.”

He stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder. “Are we really doing this?”

“What?”

“Infiltrating the Cosa Nostra?”

I grinned. “Yup.”

“You do realize we are vastly outnumbered, right?”

“It’s a good thing we came prepared.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, because those bastards aren’t carrying guns as well.”

I laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re scared, little brother.”

“Of dying? No. But I don’t think you would want to do anything that might prevent you from making it home to Lia, would you?”

That took away all my amusement. I looked off to the side. “It won’t come to that.”

I could see Theo nodding from the corner of my eye. “I hope so. Just… be cautious. Be less…you.”

“Are you saying I’m not cautious?” I asked as he opened the door and got out. He bent down until he could meet my eyes. The streetlamp nearby allowed enough light for me to see him.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he responded, closing the door behind him and leaving me in the silence of the car for a beat before I got out. We crept to the building, where made men stood guard in the front. Getting past them wouldn’t be easy. Good thing we weren’t planning on entering through the front door. We walked up to the building next to it and went inside, quickly moving to the back door that led out to an alleyway between the two buildings. We scaled the building using the fire escape ladder until we hit the roof.

Theo had already been by earlier and managed to leave the door on the rooftop open.

When we got inside, I followed Theo’s lead, taking the stairwell down seven stories until we reached the basement.

I could hear the loud chatter of the men before I saw them.

It almost looked like a party.

We stayed pressed against the wall and waited for the meeting to begin.

The Cosa Nostra was ruled by Giovanni Tacchini for the last fifteen years. Tacchini came from the original Cosa Nostra in Italy until it was rumored he was putting a group of men together for an uprising to take on the head, Dante Giordano.

The uprising never happened. Giordano chased Tacchini out of Sicily before he could betray him, despite Tacchini’s claim of loyalty and innocence, even to this day.

It didn't matter if the rumors were true or false. A whisper was all it took, and now the fucker had settled in New York and was somehow working with Briggs and Lia’s father.

I didn’t know how it all worked, but I was going to find out sooner or later.

It didn’t take long for Tacchini to show up. He was a brute of a man.

Dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin. And if his size didn’t draw attention, the thick black mustache he sported undoubtedly did. He wasn’t forgettable.

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