Page 104 of Rosetti Family New York
Hector Galletti looks like he stepped out of an Armani ad, complete with too-white teeth and a smile that belongs on billboards. He waves me toward the elevator, his eyes lingering a moment too long on Besiana.
“Domenico! Good to see you. I see you brought company.” Hector’s voice booms over the noise as he makes a show of looking everywhere but at Besiana. Smart man. He flashes another ad-worthy smile before I can respond and gestures to the elevator.
“Yes.” My tone cuts short any further questions. She’s none of his business. “Let’s get started.”
We thread through a maze of high-stakes dealers. Hector keeps glancing back, probably wondering why she’s here. He’d really wonder if he knew what went down at the warehouse. We step into the elevator, and I press the button for the third floor. It’s all class up there, private lounges with thick glass walls overlooking the chaos below.
I lead us to one of the lounges and gesture for Hector to take a seat. He doesn’t, so neither do I. This isn’t my first game, and I know how to play it. Hector’s eyes dart to Besiana again as I stand next to her, his curiosity practically buzzing.
“I’m thinking upscale, Domenico.” He leans in, lowering his voice. “Exclusive clientele only. Word gets around that the Rosettis are dealing in a luxury product, you’ll be even more legendary.” Those teeth-baring smiles never quit with this guy.
“Obviously.”
I let Besiana settle against the dark leather couch and sit next to her. Hector knows how to piss me off, parroting back my ideas like he thought of them first, but he knows the right people to distribute the product. That’s why I called him in on this deal.
He’s about to reply when the door slams open, and Raffaele storms in like a damn hurricane. His black leather gloves creak as he points a finger at Hector, then at me.
Raffaele doesn’t bother with a greeting. His eyes blaze right past Besiana and Hector, pinning me with accusation.
“You cutting me out, Dom? What the hell?”
His words are a bullet, no hesitation, no care for the fallout.
Anger rises inside me, but I keep it locked down. My voice is calm enough to chill the room.
“I don’t discuss family matters with you here, Raffaele.”
I throw a glance at Hector, who’s watching us like a fox. How dare Rafe bring this out in front of a business associate, showing the Rosettis as fractured? It’s reckless, impulsive, the usual damn Raffaele way. I’m letting him know exactly that with a look, but he just glares back.
Rafe shoves a hand through his hair, ignoring the warning, ignoring everything except his own accusation. Then he shifts, backs away from questions of family loyalty and starts in on distribution. “I just want to do best for everyone. Iride is a party drug, not a Birkin bag. We make more selling to everyone.”
He’s pacing now, gloves clenched at his sides, working up a full head of steam.
I watch him, weighing my words. “We’ve been through this,” I say. “We want the right people to have it. We’re going upscale.”
Does he think I haven’t already done the math? We have an image to protect, a legacy to maintain, something he’d know if he bothered to think past his own damn fists.
“Upscale? What the hell, Dom?” Rafe’s voice is a roar. It bounces off the glass walls, draws attention, makes Hector’s eyebrows lift in amusement. “We want it on the streets, everywhere. We need volume.”
He’s deadly serious. He always is, when he feels like I’m stepping over him.
I feel Besiana’s eyes on me, cool and observing, waiting to see what I’ll do. I need to keep this rogue brother in check.
“We don’t need you getting yourself arrested,” I say, my voice slicing through his accusations.
“Cops aren’t gonna touch me.” He’s loud and relentless, the complete opposite of Hector’s smug poise. “We’re losing money doing it your way.”
“And we’d lose everything doing it yours.”
I look at Raffaele, daring him to test me on this, my eyes cold and precise. We’ve played this game a thousand times, but he doesn’t seem to see the walls closing in on him yet.
Hector clears his throat like he’s trying to swallow the discomfort of getting caught between Rosetti tempers.
“Perhaps I should give you a moment?” he says, trying to ease away from the storm brewing in front of him.
“Stay,” I say, cutting him off, wanting him to see every inch of this.
Now that he’s seen the beginning, I need Hector to witness how I end family disagreements. Raffaele starts pacing like an animal caught in a trap. He knows how this ends, and he still hasn’t figured out a way to win.
