Page 17 of Stolen Kisses
Things we didn’t speak of not even to each other. It didn’t require much work, but it needed to be done. Raphael had set up things in a way whereby it ran itself and we didn’t need to run around like criminals from the past.
What started out as plain and simple money laundering became this empire and as long as certain people were kept happy they looked the other way. Turned a blind eye to what was really going on behind the scenes.
It was the same now.
If certain people needed certain things done,certain impossible things, they still came to us. Gio looked after the private clients who needed various arrangements, andme…
Sometimes I thought Claudius played favorites with me, maybe because he’d known me the longest. He’d given us each the same title of capo, but he’d given us a rank. I was number one, Gio two, and Alex three.
I managed the money with him, the hitmen, and the secret squad. I had more dealings, however with the secret squad, because they kept watch for anything unusual and threats. We got rid of the threats as soon as they came about in whatever way that meant.
That was the business at large. We met a couple times a week to discuss business at large.
This club and restaurant was me though. I’d called it Fortegra, because I thought the name carried that class and vibe. I wasn’t wrong, because right now I was rolling in the dough.
I had never expected to do this well for myself. Me, a mobster doing well for myself in an actual legit way.
I couldn’t complain.
Gio straightened up and I remembered he had looked like he wanted to ask me how I was earlier. So, I thought I’d be the one to tell him how I felt and maybe share the latest news of the comeback of Maria, the lost goddess.
“I’m okay.” I told him.
He searched my eyes and looked a little cautious. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m okay. I have to be. Ma’s still a mess. Made me feel like shit. She gets like that every year.” The birthday memorial was nine days ago. Ma grieved the same way every year and got stuck in the same cycle of depression.
She’d remarried a few years back and the new found happiness seemed to help, but only slightly. Edward, her husband, always took care of her and we both geared up for the yearly service.
Because of the way Christina died, we’d decided that we would commemorate her birthday instead of her death anniversary. Last Sunday I allowed Edward to take care of Ma because I felt I couldn’t. Guilt had worn me down, plaguing my mind for the fact that ten years had passed and I’d been unable to do anything.
“You know, I wouldn’t know this, but I’m going on the basis of what I’ve seen. Vengeance may bring some justice, but you’ll always feel hollow. Because no matter what it won’t bring her back. The only thing you can do is turn your focus to something positive.”
I nodded. I knew that he was right. Completely right.
“Positive … like hoping this new guy Claudius found will lead us somewhere.”
“Yes, exactly that. I was wondering about using him too, but we’ll see right? Our fallen weren’t taken by any ordinary run of the mill people. This guy seems like he’d dig in the dirt to find the bones, or at least what’s left.”
“I hope so. I just need something more to work with Gio. More than what I already know.” What I already knew probably counted for nothing.
I’d seen Christina with Donny, and to me that said there was some links to the Antonellas. In those days I could only guess that, but in light of recent activities I knew the relationship between the Manellos and Antonellas was a lot stronger than what I’d previously assumed.
Last year when shit went down and Claudius was able to catch Marissa’s killer we all saw that the relationship between the Antonellas and Manellos had to be strong to pull off a heist like stealing nukes. They were all in it together. Thick as the thieves they were and it wasn’t just them either. There were some other crime families that were involved too; the Salvatores and the Fontanes. All of them bad. Claudius hadn’t really said all that much about the part of the plan that was revealed, but I knew it had to be down to easing off on things that didn’t concern us.
In this business you had to know when to look the other way and when to separate out what was important to you. That was the key.
Claudius had wanted Goliath and that was all.
The same principle applied to me, but the main difference was I knew to truly dig deep I’d have to piss on tradition and stick my nose where it didn’t belong. I’d have to jump into the deep end by myself and swim with those fish who were above Claudius.
I would do it though. I would do it for her—for Christina.
I had tried to in the past, but until last year the Antonellas hadn’t been seen in well over a decade, maybe longer. The Manellos were just as scarce, couldn’t find them anywhere. Claudius had been looking for Joe Manello, capo to their family, because of his ties to the plans that killed Marissa. I rode off the back of that. Nothing came of it. He never said, but I knew if Claudius ever found Joe, he would kill him.
“I can see your mind working bro,” Gio sat forward and tilted his head to the side.
“What do you mean?” I quirked a brow. “Is that a new power of yours?”
