Page 4 of Waste of Worth

“Riley.”

That was all Dino really needed to say, and he knew his uncle would get the hint. Theo, a young, made soldier in their mafia family—much like Dino had been before getting his Capo title—sometimes had a problem with authority. Although he knew to follow the rules. Mostly, he did that well.

Given the fact that Riley Conti was the front boss for the Chicago Outfit, he often got the majority say where the Capos and the business were concerned on the streets. While the main boss, Terrance Trentini, and the underboss, Dino’s uncle, made the calls for the family as a whole.

It was all a delicate business, really.

Four factions of Capos made up the crews, with Dino heading the DeLuca side of things. The Rossis handled business at the top of Chicago, working alongside the Trentini family, while the DeLucas were at the bottom of Chicago, running business against the territory lines of the Conti family.

Delicate, yes.

Sometimes, the families—the Capos, really—didn’t work well together.

Sometimes they were a breath away from killing each other.

Sometimes Theo had to work with people he would rather bury.

It didn’t help that Theo didn’t particularly care for Riley Conti and hadn’t for quite a while. And for good reason. Who would care for a man who once nearly beat him to death with a metal chair over a simple disagreement?

That had been years ago, but it still happened.

Theo didn’t let shit go.

Not that Dino blamed him.

“Well, handle that,” Ben finally said, bringing Dino from his thoughts. “We have a meeting coming up and the last thing I want to do is listen to Theo and Riley bark at one another again.”

Dino nodded, his gaze sweeping through the people in the pews to find his younger brother. He didn’t bother to explain that Riley was actually bothering Theo about him, because Ben wouldn’t give a shit about that fact. He didn’t care that Riley enjoyed bothering Theo, simply because he could, or that he took shots at the young soldier’s age like he didn’t deserve to be where he was—or the button into the family that he had earned—if only because he was younger than most in the position.

Theo was good at his job. He worked under his older brother with the goal of having the actual Capo title. He helped to manage the DeLuca crew, and other than the bosses above them, the only person he really had to answer to now was Dino.

He fucking deserved the credit for that.

But …

Outfit men were bastards.

Each and every single one of them.

“I’ll get whatever little dispute they’re having handled,” Dino assured, never once giving his uncle his full attention.

It was easier this way.

Easier for him to pretend like all he had time for where Ben was concerned were passing moments and a quick, quiet conversation.

That way, he wasn’t letting Ben in.

Not close enough to hurt him again, or to find something to take from him.

Ben liked that too much.

He’d already taken enough.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Ben said as he stood.

Dino grinded his molars when he felt Ben’s hand land on his shoulder. The older man’s fingers squeezed tightly, and while it didn’t hurt, it certainly make every muscle in Dino’s body freeze like blocks of ice.

The touch was meant to be affectionate.