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“Because,” Gabbriello’s tone was sharp as he looked directly at Nicholas. “I need to remind that mutherfucker that it’s not healthy to mess with the Deluca family. If he fucks with one of us, he fucks with us all, and that includes our women. If he had anything to do with it, I’ll see it in that fat fuck’s shifty eyes.”
“Gabe, we don’t want to start a war before we know what happened. If he came in here accusing you of that, you would put a fucking bullet between his eyes before he could even think about leaving the property. We have enemies. We don’t need to antagonize them.” Mariano said.
Everyone fell silent. Gabbriello took a deep breath and allowed his mind to drift away. Why did his thoughts move to Miranda? Did his family antagonize another family and they sent a message by killing Miranda? Maybe if he had done things differently, she would still be alive.
Gabbriello killed the man who pulled the trigger, but he never found out who was behind blackmailing her and eventually ordering her execution. He remembered how he felt when she was shot. The way her body went limp as he held her in his arms and the guilt that came over him when he realized he could have prevented the entire thing. It was too late for him to save his girl, but it may not too late for Jeffrey.
“Okay,” Gabbriello said letting out a breath of frustration. “Jeffrey, go home. Nicholas, have some of the men scour the streets, but you stay here, at the club. Mariano, go back to the hotel. Rinaldo and I will have a civil talk with Donato Balotelli.”
Rinaldo smirked.
Gabbriello put his hand on Jeffery’s shoulder. “We’ll find her, one way or another.”
CHAPTER 7
It didn’t take them long to arrive at the Big Deal Casino, which was in a secluded part of Northeast Philadelphia. It was a small casino, but it did well financially. Of all his business ideas, the one thing Gabbriello didn’t own was a casino. Well, at least not a legal one. Gabbriello had certain rooms in the Deluca Hotel that were reserved for gambling, but that was for an elite group of clienteles. The buy in for the poker games were twenty thousand dollars and the pots sometimes went to over a million dollars.
Donato Balotelli, aka Big D, made over twenty million dollars annually on his small casino alone. Once he made his mark among the city’s A-listers, Big D wanted more. He went after Deluca’s money and attempted to steal their clientele. Gabbriello had his eye on Big D ever since and one day he was going to kill that overweight Al Capone impersonator.
Andrew opened the door of the SUV. Gabbriello and Rinaldo stepped out. Gabbriello adjusted his suit and walked through the lobby of the building where the casino was housed. Andrew followed close behind. The building stood tall and held a few different businesses within its walls. They walked through the lobby, towards the elevator, and pressed the button to go up to the sixth floor.
Gabbriello knew Big D was aware of their presence. He was sure whoever was watching the cameras notified him the moment he walked through the doors. With a sharp ping, the doors parted, and they walked onto the casino floor. Tables sat throughout the room with a sizeable crowd of people gathered around. There were tables for poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette. Servers dressed in vests and bow ties were scattered around the room, giving people free drinks and taking empty glasses back to the bar.
“Gabe!” he heard in a distance.
Gabbriello pulled his attention away from the crowd of people around the room and looked straight ahead. A man, wearing a three-piece suit that was two sizes too small for his obese body and a cigar hanging from his lips, approached Gabbriello.
Big D.
He was holding a black cane in one hand for dramatics and pulled the lit cigar from his mouth with the other. He stood between his two bodyguards. Gabbriello knew he was in his late fifties, but his pale, wrinkled skin made him look twenty years older.
“Big D,” Gabbriello said unamused.
“Please, call me Daddy,” he responded as he extended his arms out wide, gesturing to the exciting atmosphere.
Rinaldo stepped forward to say something, but Gabbriello shook his head and Rinaldo stepped back. He didn’t want to cause a scene, at least not yet.
Big D cleared his throat. “What brings you here to my territory?”
Gabbriello’s dark eyes held a tight stare. “We need to talk. Now.”
Big D put his cigar between his lips and inhaled before smiling brightly. “Why so serious? Come on, this is a party. Enjoy yourself, lighten up. I’m sure a man like you could use some alone time with a woman. I can call one of my girls and she can do anything you want. Free of charge.”
Gabbriello’s dark eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at Big D. “Don’t fuck with me, we need to talk now.” Gabbriello’s tone was sharp and stern.
Dig D knew not to push Gabbriello too far. His reputation of being a hothead proceeded him. “Alright, alright, you know I was just joking. Don’t be such a dick. We can talk in my office.”
Despite Big D being about six inches shorter than Gabbriello, he attempted to put his short arm around Gabbriello’s broad shoulder. Gabbriello gave him a death stare and he put his hands up in defeat. He leaned into Gabbriello and whispered. “Let me tell you something, Gabe. Do you want to know the secret about making it big in business? The key is confidence. You have to spend money like the rich to get them to spend their money on you.”
Big D’s two bodyguards, along with Andrew and Rinaldo, follow them to the back of the room that led to a silver door that said Employees Only. Big D continued his ramblings as they made their way down the long hall. “It’s classic psychology. If you want people to buy what you’re selling, you must know how to sell yourself. It’s all in marketing. They will invest in you if they believe you invest in yourself.”
Gabbriello glared at Big D as he rambled on with useless information about how to run a business.
“Once you have those two things down, my friend, you will be among the best of the best.” Big D. continued as the men stopped at the first door on their left. Big D opened the door and walked into the large room. There was an enormous desk in the middle of the room with one chair on each side and a large bookshelf stretching from wall to wall. Big D sat down at his desk, and Gabbriello took a seat across from him.
“You know, you guys need to come down this way more often.” Big D said.
Gabbriello said nothing. The last thing he wanted was for people to think he frequented one of Big D’s businesses.
