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CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Angelo
Fisher was taken to Merriweather, where the best doctor money could buy looked at him. He wasn’t badly hurt, with only a black eye and swelling from where he had been restrained. He had certainly seen better days.
“I’m fine. I just need a shower,” Fisher argued, looking straight at me as the nurses looked over his body. I knew he wanted to talk to me; I could see the anger in his eyes, and I knew what it said. I had not done my job. I called to Mike.
“Mike, once Fisher is done here, I want you to drive him home and then come find me, you understand?” I spoke in a tone that I only used when I wanted to convey the severity of what I was saying.
“Sure thing, Boss.” Mike nodded and walked away, checking the car keys before putting them back in his pockets.
I turned and headed back into the hallway. When I found Benny and Leonardo waiting for me, they got to their feet and we took the elevator, heading back to the car.
“What do you want to do, Boss?” Leonardo asked, breaking the silence.
“It's time to call a meeting.” I began. “Benny, we need a location for this. See what we have in the area that will be available.”
“Sure,” Benny replied, pulling out his phone. “Are we calling the top brass?”
I turned to look at him as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, “Every member of this family. Check the parking lot from last year; that should do nicely. If we are all set, then let's head over to Juan’s building. That’s a safe place to discuss things for now.”
Leonardo hurried to the car and got into the driver's seat as we took off into the city. I thought of all the smaller units of the family that we intended to meet with.
I needed them to see me face-to-face and to know just how serious things were and why they had to be present. There was no way I could take this one sitting down. If Vasquez wanted a war, I was obliged to give him one, regardless of the cost. Benny made the calls as Leonardo drove, taking us from place to place.
By five, we had reached every major member of the family, and I was certain that everyone was aware of the meeting. They came by with their cars and sat parked, waiting for my arrival.
Leonardo pulled the car into the center of the fourth-floor garage and killed the engine. I stepped out and was greeted by a cool evening air. It was always a nice feeling to get out of the smell of airconditioned rubber and back into the real world. But I could not dwell on little things like that now. The most important meeting of my life, as Don of the Preston family, was about to begin. I greeted some of my close men and positioned myself in the center so everyone could hear me.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I began. “It’s an honor to be here today. But sadly, this is not a celebratory meeting. Many of you here are aware that our businesses all over the city have been going through some difficulties. We’ve been attacked and, frankly, that is absolute bullshit. I’m sure you know who is responsible for these setbacks and why I have not said the person's name, which is all on our minds. The Commission forbids such a thing, and while I have chosen peace for so long, it is apparent that they have refused to do the same. We can no longer sit and watch while these atrocities happen to our family and our businesses.”
I turned and looked over at the city. It was my home, and I had served in it my entire life: working with the mafia, growing businesses, and helping the family in whatever ways I could. But Vasquez had his eyes on them, and he was not going to slow down.
“You’re all covered by me from now on. If anyone comes after you, defend your property with your blood. Kill them, and I’ll keep you safe. You must protect yourself. We cannot live in fear anymore. So, from this moment on, let everyone know that we are atwar.” I looked at the faces of everyone present, allowing them to see the anger in my eyes, “We do what we have to, to keep our family running, but under no circumstance do we name the enemy. When they see us ready, they’ll have no choice but to back down. Let everybody know of it.”
The next couple of hours were spent deliberating the best way to defend our assets. I had gone the way we did in the past, having some of our men on call, 24/7, ready to show up wherever trouble appeared. There was a lot of work to be done and many discussions to be had.
I got into the house by ten, wondering if Maria had fallen asleep already. I had checked with Benny, and she had not reached out to either of us. However, there had been no signs of her trying to get out of the house. I doubted she would be trying; even if she left, I would easily find her again. The elevator doors opened, and I walked into the living room, finding it empty. After staying up so late to wait for me, I guessed she had gone to bed already.
I walked up to the table and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass from the minibar. I noticed a knife had been left on the bar, and I thought it was probably not the best idea to leave a switchblade out like that. It was the last gift my father gave me before he was murdered, though I had never used it for anything.
The sight of the metal glistening in the ambient light reminded me of the night I had found him dead. The sounds of the gunfire, the pandemonium. I wanted to shake the memory away, but it was there, something I had tried to suppress, and now it was rushing back to the surface again. I took another shot of the drink and looked in the mirror, seeing the resemblance between my father and myself. I was a lot like my old man, or at least I tried to be. It was not an easy task.
The sound of stirring in the pool outside drew my attention. I took a second look at the bedroom and walked towards it, seeing that the bed was empty. That meant that Maria had gone out for a swim. As expected, I found her in the small pool of the balcony, fit with a stained-glass wall on the side that allowed for privacy. I took off my clothes and walked out to the pool completely bare, pretending not to see Maria. She looked up, a little shocked to see me. I couldn’t tell if it was the fact that I was naked, or just the fact that I was there, but she eased into comfort soon enough.
She was wearing a bikini, which I had not seen before, but which had most likely been acquired by Dorothy. As I slipped into the pool, the water relaxed me, allowing me to unburden myself from the stress of the day. Maria looked at me for a second and then turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’ve been in here long enough, I should dry off and head to bed.”
I disappeared into the water and appeared next to her a second later, the pool was small, and I was a decent enough swimmer, covering the distance between us in a second. I grabbed her by the waist and brought her close to my chest. “I’d like you to stay, if you don’t mind.”
Maria looked up at me with contempt in her eyes. I could tell that she was itching to leave, that she wanted to be away from me, and yet that she couldn’t bring herself to go. Watching her fight with what she thought she wanted and what she really wanted for the past few days had been such a sight to watch. She lowered her eyes and turned back to face me.
“Okay, but only for a few minutes.”
I smiled; she was going to stay as long as I wanted her to. “Thank you, sweet lioness. Did Dorothy get you some dinner? I’m sorry I did not come home earlier.”
