AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know you didn’t wanna make the move, but it was time to break away and do this shit on our own without any East Coast interference. Start new.”
“You said the same thing when we branched out to Manhattan from Brooklyn, but—”
“Shit, we moved a borough away, five stops on the subway, not two thousand miles across the country.”
“You think that’ll stop Frank if he wants to get his claws in us or this operation? He already found a way to fuck with us on our opening night with that douche Tommy.”
“Just his way of fronting.”
“Exactly what I’m talking about.” Samson let the statement drift between them, then added. “We both know Frank’s not gonna give up easy, and putting two thousand miles between us isn’t gonna mean anything.”
“Frank was definitely behind it, or do you think Tommy was just spitting bullshit to pass the blame and save his ass?”
“I’d already smashed his kneecap, so he was past the point of saving his ass.” Samson knocked a cig out of the pack on Nick’s desk.
“About that.” Nick mashed his lips together—a sure sign he was thinking shit over. “We gotta handle our business differently out here.”
“Different, how?”
“Not as proactive.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means hands-off. This isn’t Brooklyn.”
“No shit. I spent twenty minutes trying to track down a decent bagel shop only to find out a Vegas bagel is the equivalent of eating glue masquerading as dough.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I—a goddamn shame when you can’t find a decent bagel. And don’t get me started on the pizza. More like soggy bread with cheese on top.” Samson shivered. “Fuckin’ disgusting.”
“Stick to hands-off in the future. You’re an exec now, not the guy in charge of breaking heads.”
“Wearing designer shit is your thing, not mine. I’ll stick to breaking heads.”
“Too risky. We can’t take any chances out here. That’s why we hired a high-priced security team and made a deal with the Serpents. Security ushers them out, and if another step is needed, we call Cobra.”
Samson drew in a breath, then conceded. “All right, but it’s gonna be hard for me to step off.”
“You’ll get all the exercise you need throwing fists in the cage, and until we get a foothold here, we gotta keep a low profile because Frank is just looking for a reason to shut our asses down. He’ll do everything in his power to fuck with us, which makes this meeting with Alex Monroe so important. He’s one of the biggest club promoters on the West Coast with enough leverage and power to cancel out any ties Frank might try to use.”
“I hope it’s worth it.” Samson had his doubts. He’d read all the online info about Monroe, and yeah, he represented all the heavy hitters in Vegas, LA, and the Orient, which proved he was a good businessman. It meant nothing against a ruthless fucker like Frank Barnett, who had mob connections going back to the days when the Five Families ruled New York.
“We’ve been over this.” Nick barely covered his frustration. “He’s the one who raises clubs to the next level.”
“He’s also the one who takes over most of the profits.”
“It’s a percentage and nothing compared to what we stand to bring in.” Nick mashed his lips together. “It’s our chance to go completely legit. Make this a mega club instead of a place to wash Frank’s dirty money.”
Samson rose from the chair, stood by the massive windows, and directed his gaze toward the mountains on the horizon. Getting Frank out of their lives was the goal, but at what cost?
“You know I’m right, and you also know we’re not the only ones tired of Frank controlling all the strings. Everybody connected with cage fighting down in Searchlight came from Brooklyn looking to break away and put more cash in their own pockets. Three-quarters of the guest list here on opening night were players from New York and LA, and if we get enough people on our side, Frank will have to back the fuck down.”
He admired Nick’s confidence, but Samson’s experience as Frank’s muscle back in the day exposed him to the mobster’s deadly, sadistic nature. As in, if someone pissed him off, he revved up the chainsaw.
Nick joined him at the window. “If we surround ourselves with people we can trust and can call our own, like the Serpents, it's a start. In New York, everybody danced to Frank’s tune, us included. Out here, we’ll call the shots. Then we get Monroe to promote Wicked, and we’re in a different echelon. We’ll become untouchable, even for Frank.”
“Backing from the Serpents is huge. They carry a heavy rep, but nothing comes for free.”
