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“He wants a bigger slice of the pie. He says he’s putting in more than the other contractors and has a bigger crew. He threatened to walk if I don’t cut him a new deal.”
“So let him walk.”
“I can’t find anyone else who can start right away and has enough people to get this project done on time. If the work stops, the money flow stops. For fucking everyone…including you.”
Nico nods. “So, what do you want to do about it?”
I roll my eyes at him. “What the fuck do you think I wanna do? I want to smash in his skull!”
“But you haven’t so far. I’m proud of you.” Nico snickers.
“I’m damn close, though,” I mutter, taking a sip of the biting-hot liquid. My mouth twists. I really don’t like espresso, but it’s a lot like me…sharp, bitter, and hard to swallow. I know my ways didn’t always sit well with everyone in the organization, but they got shit done. Now I’m sitting here with my thumb up my ass because I can’t get people to do their damn jobs even if I wave hard cash in their faces.
These schmucks seem to respond better when you’re holding a tire iron against their faces instead.
I guess the threat of death is more of a driver than money.
“You’ll handle it. I have faith in you.” Nico taps his fingertips on the desk. “Seriously, I know you’re under a lot of stress right now. Your father is flaking out, leaving all of this on you, but I want you to know we all appreciate you rescuing this project. It’s gonna mean a lot of money for all of us once it’s all finished. Nobody is going to forget who got the job done, Max.”
I rake a hand through my hair, my throat tight. I do not want to talk about my father, and I know Nico well enough to see that the conversation is headed in a very bad direction. I need to divert. Now.
“Are you guys going down to Miami for her spring break this year?” There. That’s a good segue. I think I heard Shaye mention something about a trip while I was fantasizing about Sloane during our drive to school the other day. That’ll keep Nico’s focus off of my father, wherever the fuck he is right now.
Sometimes I think it’s better that I don’t know.
Especially when I already have some pretty damn serious suspicions, ones I don’t dare share with anyone.
Loyalty to the family comes before loyalty to anyone else…parents, siblings, children.
That’s the code. And it’s understood by everyone.
I’ve just been ignoring it lately, but the time will come when I will have to make a decision.
The clock has already started. And I’m angry as fuck enough to pull the plug on him and whatever game he’s playing.
“Nah. We talked about taking my parents and Lily, but Dad is still recovering, so I think it needs to wait a little longer.” He nods his head at me. “How about you? You thinking about taking a break at all?”
“With all of this shit hanging over my head? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“You need to get away, Max.” Nico’s voice drops. “Clear your head. Get game ready. This project is going to launch you to the top, but you need to reset. At least for a long weekend.”
I rake a hand through my hair. “I can’t. Not yet.” I wonder what Nico knows, and what he might do if I’m suddenly out of the picture for a few days.
My best friend always has an ear to the ground. He knows shit before anyone else. Part of it is because he’s been so ingrained in this organization, practically from birth. He sees things that most people miss, and he knows how to connect dots.
I hate that about him. It makes it harder to keep him in the dark. And I know there’s something going on with my father, something bad. Something dangerous for all of us.
“With Luca and Frank both gone, the Cappodamo family is effectively crushed. Moretti may have given you a few headaches, but even he’s not stupid enough to cause issues with this job. He’ll come around because we’re the big game in town now. If he wants to work, he knows it’s gonna have to be with us.”
“You seem pretty sure of that.”
“Who the hell else is gonna be lining his pockets? And besides, where does he get off making demands on you?”
“I don’t know. I just feel like something is off. He’s never been this much of a prick about our arrangement before.”
Nico shrugs and takes another sip of his espresso. “If it bothers you so much, look into it. Figure out if there really is something going on that we don’t know.”
I watch Nico gulp the rest of his coffee and toss the empty cup into the trash basket in the corner. He doesn’t look fazed at all about this Moretti bullshit. I must be making shit up in my head. And if there was something to worry about, Nico would already have it covered. Not that he’d necessarily tell me about it. Everything is on a need-to-know basis with this family. It drives me fucking bananas sometimes, but that’s the way we roll.
