Page 22 of Assassin Daddy

Fortunately for Kyan, Matteo had sensed that Kyan would need more than a burner phone to keep him occupied and was ready to deliver an answer to that in more ways than one…

Chapter 10

Matteo

Matteo typically loved nothing more than cruising around in his vintage Porsche, but this mission called for something altogether different.

Matteo’s Porsche had been perfectly maintained and kept in a condition that could pass as brand new were it not for the fact that it was from another era. And the loud engine purred and roared like a vehicle that was fast becoming a thing of the past in the modern world of electric vehicles. The truth was that Matteo’s beloved 911 was becoming increasingly conspicuous and a real head turner – and a huge signpost to his presence for anyone who knew him in the Fendi family.

With this in mind, a beat-up old Toyota Corolla was the order of the day as Matteo, flanked by Faustino and Michael took a watching brief outside a laundromat in one of the downtown neighborhoods where criminal activity was as blatant as you could find in the whole of the city.

‘You know, this car isn’t all bad,’ Faustino laughed, digging through the selection of CDs in the glove compartment. ‘Whoever owned it before you had great taste in music.’

‘Thisismy car,’ Matteo said, his eyes trained on the laundromat. ‘It’s strictly for spying missions or when I need to travel a little less conspicuously.’

‘And let me guess, never on official Fendi business?’ Michael asked.

‘Got it,’ Matteo laughed. ‘Not that there’s too much of that, typically. But my old man told me that even when it feels like your safe in the family, you need to keep your wits about you.’

‘Same story I was brought up on,’ Faustino concurred.

‘Yup. And me,’ Michael chuckled. ‘Who would have guessed that having three Fendi fathers would have resulted in the same God damned advice?’

The three men laughed.

Matteo was eternally grateful for having grown up with a father who taught him well. The same was true for Faustino and Michael too. But while it was nice to have had such a solid grounding in the way that the family operated, it had made Matteo cold and ruthless from a young age and sometimes he wondered what he had missed out on. But now wasn’t the time for pondering the past – now was the time for concentrating solely on the issues at hand…

‘What I’m hearing is that some of Alphonso’s right-hand men are running their own hustle on the side,’ Matteo said, nodding in the direction of the laundromat. ‘It’s a sign of weakness on Alphonso’s part. It might be that the men are plotting against him, or maybe they’re just looking to earn some extra money on the side. But it’s a sign of weakness at the top of the organization. It shows us that Alphonso is losing his grip on the crown.’

‘It doesn’t mean he’s not as dangerous as hell,’ Faustino said, adding a note of caution.

‘If anything, it might make Alphonso more dangerous,’ Michael said. ‘A dying animal is more likely to lash out with all its venom. And we don’t want to be there when it happens.’

‘Agreed,’ Matteo said. ‘But weakness is weakness. We need to take Alphonso out before anyone else does. The last thing we need is any record of Kyan, or the fact that I didn’t go through with the hit. Remember, if it’s not us who claim the crown, we might be working under someone else… and we don’t want our names tarnished. New kings will often clear out those who are seen as disloyal or a threat. We don’t want to be those guys.’

The truth was that Matteo had never set out to make a play to be the king of the Fendi family. His days as an assassin had meant so much time alone that the ability to network and plot a way to the top had passed him by – and more than that, Matteo had never felt an urge to work like that either. As far as Matteo had always been concerned, he was a killer: ruthless, deadly, and always ready to serve the family.

Other men had always made their ambitions clear. And often, these men had fallen either before they could make their play for the crown, or when they made their intentions clear. These tended to be the more outspoken men, the ones who never missed an opportunity to push their own cause or seek their own gain.

Matteo, Michael, and Faustino were always more focused on simply doing the best they could for the family – even if that meant not pursing their own advancement in the hierarchy. Maybe things were changing now. Maybe the situation that theyfound themselves in demanded a new approach… and perhaps a different outcome for them too.

Whatever the future held, the three Daddies were in agreement.

It was certainly a perilous moment in the life and times of the Fendi family, and Matteo knew that him and his two cousins were right at the center of it.

‘We’ll keep a lookout for an hour, or two’ Matteo said. ‘Nothing will happen today. But the more information we gather, the better.’

Matteo took a sip from his bottled water and fixed his eyes on the laundromat’s grimy exterior. All he needed was one sighting, one glimpse into what was going down with Alphonso’s men.

With that in mind, the three men settled in together for the long haul.

Their fates wouldn’t be decided today, but they could all go a long way toward securing their futures.

Later that afternoon, Matteo was busy in his house’s grand dining room. However, there wouldn’t be any four course meals being served there any time soon…

‘Okay, hand me the drill please,’ Matteo said, calling over toward Kyan. ‘Yup, that’s the one.’

‘Daddy, this looks… awesome,’ Kyan said, duly walking over with the drill in his hand and taking a moment to admire thecastle style climbing frame that Matteo was assembling. ‘Thank you so much for doing this for me.’

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