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I curse under my breath once again, regretting letting Antonio talk me into going digital with our records a few years ago. It may be easier to access information, but it slows down our ability to plug holes in our organization. Luca could’ve been stealing from us for months, and we had no idea.
“If we were still doing paper records, we’d know exactly how long this has been happening and how much was missing.” I cast an accusatory glance toward Antonio.
Antonio throws up his hands in surrender. “Electronic records were the way to go. Paper records are an antiquated way of tracking information, not to mention time-consuming. Just putting the clubs downtown into a digital bookkeeping software has saved us almost 1000 man hours over the last quarter.”
“And lost us lord knows how much money.” I glare at him, but it has no effect.
“Maybe you’re the one that needs to get laid,” Matteo says, throwing his head back and laughing loudly
“If you weren’t like a brother to me, I’d kill you.”
“But then, who would do all your dirty work? Your suits are too expensive to be replaced every other day.”
I would love nothing more than to put them both in their places, but my cell phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I notice an urgent text message from Santiago.
Santiago Gutierrez
We had a situation at the bodega with your girl this morning.
My mind races, trying to make sense of his cryptic text message. After noticing all the burrito wrappers lying around Celia’s apartment when I was searching for clues, I stopped at the bodega on the corner near Celia’s apartment this morning, purely on a whim. Promising to pay the owner handsomely to look out for Celia and immediately relay any troubling events to me wasn’t the worst idea I’ve ever had.
“We need to sort this out quickly,” I deadpan, sliding my phone back into my suit jacket. “We’ll pay a visit to Luca at Nocturne, but I have a stop to make.”
“Are we canceling our meeting with Mr. Cerone this afternoon?” Matteo questions.
“I don’t think we need to go see Cerone. They have no choice but to fall under our banner at this point. They’re practically bankrupt. They are only still afloat because of my good graces,” Antonio chimes in before pushing back from the table.
“It’s a matter of respect. You know this, Antonio. You must give respect to get it. The Cerone family has been one of our strongest allies since our family came over from Naples in the late eighteen hundreds.”
“Spare me the history lesson, Salvatore.” Antonio rolls his eyes. “None of that changes the fact that he needs us more than we need him.”
Antonio has always been a pain in my ass with a huge chip on his shoulder. Even though the two of us are twins, we’re nothing alike. He takes nothing seriously, wanting to do what he wants when he wants to. He lives a carefree existence with no responsibilities and then expects me to bail him out of the mess he’s gotten himself into. My father did it until he passed a few years ago, but I refuse. At some point, Antonio needs to grow up and take his place beside me in the family.
“There’s no need to cancel the appointment, Matteo. I just have a stop to make, nothing too serious. I’ll meet the two of you at Nocturne?”
I push back from the table before standing and heading for the door. I want to speak to Santiago as soon as possible.
“I don’t know who died and made you king of the castle…” he mutters, completely unaware that I can hear every word he’s saying as I walk past him.
“Our father. That’s who died and made me the king, as you say. I am the oldest, after all.”
“By three fucking minutes, Salvatore. Are you ever going to let me live it down?”
“No. But maybe if you took your place beside me as the head of this family, things would be different.”
“True.” He winks before standing. “But we both know that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The last thing I want is to be chained to anyone or anything.”
“You act as if your responsibilities don’t matter.” I continue out the door, with Matteo and Antonio right behind me.
“I don’t have any responsibilities to anyone but you, Salvatore. Even if this entire empire came crumbling to the ground tomorrow, I wouldn’t care. My allegiance is to you. None of this other bullshit matters.”
His statement makes me pause for a moment. I never once believed I needed to know that my brother supported my decisions. He’s a pain in my ass and causes more problems than almost anyone in this organization, but having his support means the world to me.
“Thank you, brother.” I wrap my arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a one-armed hug.
“What a beautiful Hallmark moment.” Antonio ducks out of my embrace before clearing his throat. “Time to go crack some heads.”
I laugh at my brother’s antics before unlocking my car and climbing in.
