Page 12 of Revenge of Sin

It’s hard not to smile.“You can handle it.Call me with any information.”

I take the stairs two at a time to the second level of the club with no time for the private entrance.It’s barely after breakfast but it’s still bustling with activity.Mostly staff preparing the space for the activities of the afternoon, evening, and well into the night.

I walk with purpose to the back of the club and rap on the closed office door.Len opens the door with a cigar hanging from his lips.I swear between him and my little brother Gianni they could keep the cigar companies in business.He gestures for me to come in with a wave of his hand and points to the phone at his ear.

He sets the cell on the desk and hits the speaker button as soon as the door is closed.He slides back into his chair, and I fold myself into the one directly across from him to listen.“I’m back, Benny.What do you have on the information we requested?”

Benny clears his throat.“Bastian Gallini is a bastardo.They say his brother was ruthless, and a brutal son of a bitch.They also say Bastian is worse.Apparently, he has a hard on for Anna Cassone.He blames her for the death of his brother and went as far as putting a billion-dollar bounty on her head before Massimo Roselli announced his sister-in-law was dead.”

My jaw tightens with irritation.All of this I know.What a waste of fucking time.How Nicolo has the patience to deal with this type of shit day after day, but he does and he’s fucking good at getting to the bottom of anything we need, too.Unlike my impatient ass who would rather use a gun and get the information in a minute or under.But yet, Len has his ways and has come through time and time again.I clench my jaw together in an effort to bide the time, cursing my agreement to take this meeting for Nicolo.

Len flicks some almost falling ash into the ashtray.“Benny, if I wanted a fucking summary of what I already fucking know I’d read my goddamn notes.Give me something worth the green that we’re giving you.Capisce?”

“Yeah, yeah.Cool your fucking jets, Len.I’ve got something for your ass.Bastian Gallini is in Jersey City right now meeting with one of the Sarone brothers.”

Len inhales a deep breath.“Aren’t too many of the assholes left after we stopped them in their tracks.Lousy fuckers think they can try hitting one of our clubs?They didn’t even make it across the street.Pansy fucks.Who’s Gallini meetin’ with?”

Now we’re getting somewhere.Len may be older, but he’s one of our most loyal employees.Works the documents, keeps track of the casino accounts for us, and can always be counted on to get the scoop from outside sources when we need info on the down-low.

His source is quiet for a moment, a longer than normal pause.

My eyebrow arches.

Len holds up a couple fingers and rubs them together.

More fucking money.He knows he doesn’t need my approval to cut a deal to get info we need, unless it goes outside the norm, but it’s a sign of respect since he’s sitting in the same room with the boss.

I give him a nod.

His father, same fucking loyalty to my own.That’s why Len’s living out his later years in a nice office with a cushy job in our most exclusive club.

He clears his throat.“Look, let’s save ourselves some time.You push up the cost, I try to rein you in?I got no fucking time for that shit.How about another ten k on top of what we said?”

“You got yourself a deal.”

“Let’s have it then,” Len says, taking a long draw on his cigar letting smoke drift into the air.I swear who needs a fucking bullet with him and Gianni around, we’re all going to die of secondhand smoke.Fucking joke, it’s not.

Now that Benny has the money he’s looking for, he’s all open mouth.“Gallini and Enzo Sarone are planning a meetup tomorrow night.Down in your neck of the woods.Word in the back alleys is that Gallini wants the Sarones to join forces with them.”

Now he’s got my fucking attention.

Another short grey ash gets dumped in the ashtray.“You know what the long game is?”Len asks.

I nod, because this is where we want the conversation to go, that’s what we want to know.

There’s some rustling of papers and a pause.

My jaw tightens as the pause draws out.Len taps his cigar ashes into the ashtray.A long-time habit because he hasn’t even taken a drag since the last time and it sure as hell hasn’t burned that fast.“You’re topped out, Benny.Give me what I need, or you know I go somewhere else and you become invaluable.And you know what happens to invaluable people who know too fucking much?”

My eyebrow raises.

Benny clearly knows.“Fucking fine.Apparently the Gallinis are going after the Rosellis in Jersey City.Someone in one of your clubs whispered sweet nothings in the ear of a Gallini ally.Told them a story about a pretty little Cassone daughter being alive and well, instead of dead as hell.Gallini is out for blood.Says the Rosellis are responsible for the death of his brother, and that Anna is the reason for it all.He wants them dead and plans to take her as his wife.”

8

Anna

The minute you find an opponent’s weakness you optimize it, exploit it, use it to your best advantage and that’s exactly what I plan to do.After a run in place for an hour and some exercises on the floor, and the day whiling away, I hit the shower.