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CHAPTERONE
DANTE
Romeo leans back in his dark brown leather chair, folding his arms over his chest as he looks around the room at his most trusted men. As the second in command of the Di Salvo crime family, I sit on Romeo’s right side during these meetings as a symbol of respect and power. Next to me is Armando, the meat-headed Enforcer, and across from me is Valentino, one of our top Capos.
“After the incident last month, we’ve beefed up security,” Romeo states.
Heads nod around the room, everyone remembering when Romeo’s woman, Thalia, was lured away and taken by our rivals, the Colombo family.
The Don goes on to detail the changes around the compound as well as safety precautions for when Thalia goes outside. I try to pay attention, but my goddamn phone has been vibrating in my pocket for the last twenty minutes.
I know who it is without looking. Cambria, my father’s nurse. I also know what the text says without even reading it. She wants me to go to Chicago and visit my old man.
Not a fucking chance, sunshine.
I pay for the very best in-home healthcare, the most up-to-date medical technologies, and the top doctors in the area for my father. Isn’t that enough? It’s not like I’m taking care of him out of love or gratitude for the cold bastard. He chose to deal with life’s blows by falling into a bottle of whiskey and not surfacing until he was diagnosed with kidney disease.
No, I don’t do it for that bitter, ugly old man. I do it for my mother, may she rest in eternal peace.
A familiar dull ache forms in my chest, and I rub my hand over my heart to break up the tension. I’m a few years shy of forty, and my mother has been gone for most of them. Still, her death is the one weak spot in my otherwise impenetrable walls. The less I interact with my father, the less I have to think about such sad, troubling things.
My phone buzzes again, and Armando shoots me a glare. I don’t acknowledge him, which is a general rule of thumb when dealing with the brute. He would rather storm onto a scene and crack skulls without a second thought. On the other hand, I prefer to lay out all of our options, study the eventual end of each of them, and then choose the wisest path accordingly. Needless to say, we don’t see eye to eye on much, but Romeo has reminded me over and over not to question who he brings into the inner circle. At the end of the day, I trust Romeo more than I dislike Armando, so it is what it is.
Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I unlock it and stare at the thread of texts from Cambria.
Cambria:Morning, Mr. Santarossa! Just checking to see if you have any time this week to come to see your father?
Cambria:I know you’re a busy man, but surely you can spare a few days for family.
Cambria:I think you’ll be impressed with the progress we’ve made despite the setbacks this year.
I don’t ask what the setbacks were. I don’t care. I pay Cambria and the company she works for a handsome sum to deal with the ups and downs of caring for a cranky old man. Besides, he hasn’t kicked the bucket yet. He’ll probably outlive us all, fueled only by bitterness and hate.
Cambria:Yoga has helped with some of the muscle and joint stiffness, and believe it or not, I got your father hooked on meditating in the mornings!
My eyes roll to the back of my head at the mention of yoga and meditation. If Cambria weren’t the best nurse we’ve had to date, I’d tell her exactly what I think about all that new-age bullshit.
As it is, she’s lasted three times as long as any of the previous nurses. Between my father’s grumpy ass and my supposedlyunrealistic standards, the two of us have managed to run off everyone who has applied for that job within a few months. Sometimes a few weeks. One lady quit on her first day.
But Cambria has been with my old man for over a year, so that counts for something. It certainly says a lot about her constitution. From personal experience, I know it’s hard to please my dad, and according to the dozen or so nurses who came before, I’m just as impossible to deal with.
Personally, I think the younger generation isn’t used to hard work. They want to be coddled, but that’s not how the real world works. I don’t have time to hold the hand of every caregiver who dares to take up the challenge that is Raul Santarossa, so having Cambria be so competent was a much-needed breath of fresh air.
Until she started in on this whole coming-for-a-visit thing. That shit is getting old real quick.
I stare at the screen, watching those three little dots bounce up and down, indicating she’s working on another text. She’s persistent, I’ll give her that much.
Cambria:Maybe you could try meditating when you’re here. It’s a total game-changer!
For some reason, this is what triggers me to respond. My fingers start typing before my brain has a chance to catch up.
Dante:I have never, and will never, meditate.
Cambria:Raul said the exact same thing!
I growl at her response, then shove my phone in my pocket again. Romeo turns his attention toward me, giving me a hard glare. I straighten up and nod once, letting him know I’m here and I’m all in. No more distractions.
My phone buzzes again, but I remain resolute, focusing on Romeo's update about the Colombos and our deal with the meat packing plant union. Everything got fucked up last month when the Colombos tried moving in on our territory and taking over our money-laundering operation via the union pension funds. Shit hit the fan, and our contact was shot in the head, along with his goon, who just so happened to be Thalia’s brother.
