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“What does he want?” I ask, immediately changing my direction and heading toward my office door. I don’t know why I bothered to ask. Danato never had a relationship with his father. When he’s in trouble or needs money, he always comes to me. I guess that’s what he’s here for today.
“I don’t know what he wants. Ricardo dealt with him. He told him to wait in there.”
“And where is Ricardo now?” I ask.
“With him, of course.” Sylvia sniggers. She knows how much I dislike my nephew. I don’t trust him in my home, and I certainly don’t trust him around my family.
“Go to Riley, tell her I’m home and to wait for me in our room.” I feel my cock start to stiffen just at the thought of seeing her again.
Sylvia gives me a knowing nod before she heads up the stairs on her task, and I pull in a deep, calming breath before I go and face my nephew.
Danato sits in the chair opposite my desk, tossing and catching the paperweight that used to belong to my mother in his hand. Ricardo stands across the room from him, his eyes narrow as they drill into his, warning him to make just one wrong move.
“Ricardo, we have a new member of staff. Stefano traveled back from Sanina with me. He will be taking Luca’s place. Please show him around and make him aware of my expectations.” I dismiss him by gesturing my head toward the door, and Ricardo moves out, not releasing Danato from his stare until he’s left the room.
“Uncle Rafe.” Danato over pronounces the f sound in my name, just like his father used to.
“How much do you need?” I ask, stepping around my desk to take out my checkbook.
“I don’t want handouts anymore. I want to earn.” The boy smiles at me wickedly.
“You’re too young. Maybe when you grow some hair on your balls, I could find you a position in one of my offices.”
Danato laughs at me as if he’s the mother fucker in control here.
“I don’t want a job in one of your laundering businesses,” he chuckles. “I want to get my hands dirty. I want to train whores, and learn the family business the way Grandpa taught you.”
Now I’m the one who’s laughing.
“You have to be a man to train a woman,” I point out, pouring myself a whiskey from my decanter without offering one to him.
Danato looks a little embarrassed, but he quickly recovers.
“You’re watching the Souls, aren’t you?” he mentions casually, quickly earning my attention.
“How would you know that?”
“Because I know they stole from you and that Gioele has men watching them.” He shrugs, placing down the paperweight on my desk where he took it from.
“You know too much.” I take a sip of my drink, watching him over the rim of the glass.
“Did you know they are moving in on Pueblo, taking the town? It’s only a matter of time before they run it. They will be in charge of what stock comes in and out of it.” He talks as if that’s a problem. Pueblo means nothing to me. I used to run an auction from there, and I have a small training place on the outskirts, but that will soon be shut down.
“The Souls can take Pueblo.” I shrug, acting unbothered.
“Just not her, right?” Danato’s eyes fall to the picture I keep of Riley on my desk. The one I caught of her with my phone the day Gabriel took his first steps. She looked so beautiful that I’d picked a rose and tucked it behind her ear.
“Nobody takes her,” I tell him sternly.
“I just came here to offer my services. I spend a lot of time in Pueblo. I could keep my eye on the place for you. You can’t trust anyone like you can family, right?” There’s something in his voice that suggests there’s more behind his words. “The Souls nearly have full control. It’s getting harder and harder to score there these days. It will be as clean as Manitou Springs by the end of the month.”
“I don’t deal in narcotics,” I remind him.
“No, you deal women, and these Soul brothers seem to want to fuck that up for you,” he shoots back.
“And you want to work for me?” I check, an idea suddenly coming to me.
“You’re my uncle. I’ve always wanted us to be close. I know of the bond you shared with my father. You should know it didn’t die with him.” The knowledge in his tone slithers down my spine like ice. Adriano surely wouldn’t have shared a secret as dangerous as ours with him, he’s just a boy, and the pair of them never even spoke.
