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I glanced around the casino as if somehow, I would get a clue to the nature of my mother’s emergency by simply checking my surroundings. I excused myself from the kitchen, and within minutes, I’d made it through the restaurant to my office. Mamma waited with red and puffy eyes. “Mamma?”
She rushed to me and held tight. “Santini was stabbed at the close range right outside the Voodoo Fest.”
“What? He was supposed to be home with his wife like I ordered him to.”
Roberto walked in at that moment, his eyes bloodshot, his fists balled. “Well, he wasn’t, and your precious Diamond had him killed. Men are already on the hunt. If they see any Desire Crew, they are to be exterminated.”
I grabbed him up by his lapels, and Mamma tried to get in between us to no avail. “I didn’t give an order. I didn’t fucking give an order.”
Mamma yelled, “I did. I gave him the orders. This what we do when someone kills one of ours, we kill one of theirs.”
I pushed Roberto away from me and faced my mother. “But without facts, Mamma. We don’t have all the facts. How can we justify killing the wrong people? Everything just happened a couple of hours ago. Since when do we retaliate this soon? We’re operating out of emotions, which always ends badly.”
“And I don’t know why you’re not emotional, ready to end someone’s fucking life. I thought you loved Santini?” Roberto accused.
“I do, and my heart is breaking because I saw this happening. I told Santini to go home, but he didn’t listen.”
Roberto’s eyes lowered to slits. “What do you mean you saw this happening? Did Diamond say something to you?”
I gritted through my teeth. “I act by instinct. Always have. Always will. For the last fucking time, Diamond had nothing to do with Satini even if a member of Desire killed him -”
“Which they did,” Roberto interrupted.
I continued, “Even if a member killed him, it doesn’t mean she gave the order.”
He ran his hands through his curly mop of hair. “That’s because you’re fucking blinded by your dick.”
Mamma quickly intervened, “Please calm down. We have to work together.”
“How can we work together when you undermined me by giving an order I would never give this soon?”
“That’s exactly why I did it, son. We have to show that we’re still a force in this city. The Desire is not the only ones gunning for us, lest we forget.”
“So you go behind my back? How can we remain a team if we can’t trust each other?” I looked at Roberto. “Tell everyone to stand down, now. Once we have more answers, then I will decide the best way to handle it.”
He stared at me.
“Roberto. If I must repeat it, I’m removing you from your position.”
“And replace me with who? You can’t run the streets, the restaurant, and the casino by yourself.”
“I make the final call on every fucking thing in this organization. Are you in or out?” At his continued silence, I uncharacteristically yelled, “Answer me, damn it.”
His jaw clenched, and he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his burner cell. Once someone answered, he demanded, “Shut everything down until further notice. No one should be on the streets. We will deal with the Desire at another time.”
“Now go home, and we will meet again early in the morning. Tomorrow with cooler heads, we will plan our next steps.” I looked at Mamma. “Has anyone reached out to his wife?”
She shook her head.
“Then give her a call tonight, and first thing in the morning, my driver will take you to see her. Let her know we’ll take care of the funeral arrangements and that she and her children will never have to worry about money. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
I looked at both the hurt, anger and sorrow in their countenances. We were dealt a mighty blow, and they reacted out of pain more than anything else. And for that, I could forgive them. I went to Roberto and hugged him tightly. “Tonight, we lost our friend and family. I promise you we’ll find out who did it. I will handle it even if Diamond has something to do with his death.”
He gripped me tighter. His voice trembled. “I’d just spoken to him, and then thirty minutes later, one of the dealers called me to say he’d just been stabbed by one of the Desires. We were just joking about how henpecked he is.” Roberto pulled back from me. “Promise me you won't let your feelings for Diamond interfere with what needs to be done?”
“You have my word. Go home quickly and double on security. I don’t need to lose you too.”
