Page 5 of Veil of Obsession
“Uh… How beautiful you are. I don’t think any of us have told you that today, have we?” I look to my brothers for some help, but I swear I see an amused glint in Matteo’s eyes and Emiliano’s left eye twitch.
“Cut the shit, boys. What are you wanting to tell me?” She settles on the chair beside Romiro, crossing one leg over the other.
Eli shoots me a glare before clearing his throat. “What Lucio wanted to tell is that we’ve decided on some security changes. For Mara and you, specifically.”
I cut in before anyone else says anything. “Hey! Who the fuck is ‘we’? Are you fuckers talking French or something, because I sure as fuck wasn’t even involved in deciding. You and the mute fucker over here decided between yourselves.”
“Shut up, Lucio,” Eli says before looking at Ma.
“Don’t tell your brother to shut up. And what have you decided for your sister and me without even asking us?” Ma narrows her eyes at Eli. If looks could kill…
“That it’s for the best to send you both to Italy with Nicolo Esposito,” he says with what can only be described as a grimace on his face.
Ma doesn’t even flinch before she gets up, takes Bianca out of Eli’s lap, hands her to me, and throws her glass of wine in Eli’s face, soaking his white shirt with red. Romiro smothers his laugh with the back of his hand, but I don’t attempt to conceal my own amusement.
“You’re lucky you’re holding my daughter in your hands, you ugly fuck,” he snarls at me.
Who the fuck is he calling an ugly fuck? Not me, for sure. I know my brother can be stupid sometimes, but not blind.
“Just say you’re fucking jealous of my beauty. You won’t be the only one,” I tell him.
Romiro mutters, “Christ,” under his breath as if he’s the one who just got called ugly.
“Back to what’s important. Emiliano Folonari, I did not raise you for you to make decisions for your sister and I without even considering our opinion. Neither I nor Mara will be stepping foot out of New York City, never mind the damn country,” Ma calmly says as she sets the wine glass on the table in front of her.
Eli stands, wiping the last droplets of wine off his face. “But Ma?—”
“Not a word. I’m not some pet for you to decide for me. You will not disrespect me in my own home. I didn’t take shit from your father—God rest his soul—just to take shit from my own son.” She doesn’t wait for another beat before heading back inside the house, not turning to look back once.
My older brother looks at me with murderous intent. I can tell from that gleam in his eyes; he often gets that look when I push his buttons too much. That’s when I know the crash-out is coming. This man is more hormonal than a teenage boy.
Are we even sure that he’snota teenage boy?
Matteo elbows me in the side.
“Ouch! What the fuck man?” I turn to look at him, but he juts his chin in Eli’s direction.
“I don’t even know what the fuck we keep you around for,” Eli says as he steps closer.
I hand him Bee, who has been surprisingly quiet the entire time watching her Nonna throw wine at her papa. “You keep me around because I bring in millions for the Camorra, whether you hate to admit it or not.”
And I’m good with my hands when we want to dismember some fuckers who think they’re cute and decide to fuck around and find out.
I killthe engine of my car before stepping out into the damp, cold air. The wind picks up some wrapper from the floor and carries it across the concrete while the strong smell of the ocean burns itself into my nostrils.
It’s past nine when I reach the docks. One of our contacts had mentioned something about suspicious activities near here a couple of days ago. And coincidently—not—we have a shipment of cocaine coming in today. I double check that I have my 0.22 tucked in my waistband before I reach our two guys, Joseph and Umberto. Old fuckers, but loyal.
“Anything suspicious tonight?” I ask once I reach them.
“Boss.” They both jump out of their chairs, tipping their heads as acknowledgement. “No, there hasn’t been anything around here, but about a mile from here, there are two cars stationed with blacked-out windows. Vito messaged earlier to let us know.”
It could be one of three: the fucking Feds, the Outfit, or one of the other factions in New York is looking to steal some of our “product.”
Pulling out my gun, I cock it. “Call unit six. They’re around the corner and will get here faster. Stay alert. The shipment is coming in very soon.”
They both nod and pull out their phones. My eyes narrow, but I ignore that nagging voice that tells me something here is wrong. It’s too quiet, especially for a night that a shipment is meant to arrive.
Pulling out my phone, I quickly dial Matteo. He’ll have intel on who should be at the docks to receive the shipment, because there’s no fucking reason for just the three of us to be here to ensure the safety of the product.
