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“Yeah. Who would have thought life would be this fucked up?” The sadness in her voice has me instantly regretting my fucked up choice of words.
We’re about the same age. Grew up around the same kind of lifestyle. The only difference is I’m an underboss and she’s a godmother. But that’s what happens when your father– the godfather– and his entire regime get whacked, in one night. An instant promotion. The hard way.
Fuck,I groan at the thought of my Uncle Marco being killed in cold blood and Adrianna having to pick up all of the pieces.
“Don’t be such a fucking sissy, Nico. It’s been three years already,” she scolds me as though I’m a child.
“Hey, you aren’t the boss of me,” I reply playfully.
“A good thing too. Or I’d put your ass to work,” she laughs.
“Yeah. Yeah. I hear ya,” I chuckle. “But don’t worry about this Bosko guy. I’ll see to it personally.”
“I knew I could count on you, Nico. If you ever need the favor returned, I’m good for it.”
“I have no doubts.”
“Ciao. Ciao.”
The call ends and I look at the phone display in disbelief. She is the only person besides my father, my mother, and my baby sister, who can get away with hanging up on me. Anyone else would have hell to pay.
“Everything good, Boss?” Basque Casserino, my top enforcer and best friend, asks. He’s leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
“Yeah. Adrianna needs a favor. Where’s Tech?” I look around the room at the other guys.
“Tech is probably down in his lair, Boss,” Carlile, one of my father’s caporegimes, speaks up.
“Gregg, give him this and have him locate the guy by the time this meeting is over.” I hold up the paper I used to jot down notes while talking to Adrianna. Gregg walks across the room and takes the paper from me.
“You got it, Boss,” Gregg replies, before heading off to find Tech.
“Alright,” I say, leaning back in my chair and clapping my hands together. “Now on with business.”
Chapter Three
Mia
“It’s just one night. It’s just one night,” I chant, looking around the inside of my room.
The pictures online were definitely misleading. There’s crappy drywall patchwork all over the walls. Cigarette burn marks in the thin, dingy, floral comforter. Half of the sink is missing… literally. It looks like a damn T-rex took a bite out of it. And, the shower curtain is also missing.
“What the hell have you gotten yourself into now, Mia Caldwell?” I curse, dropping my bag onto the wobbly table with my phone on top of it.
For years, I had dreamed of living in a big city. Having the world at my fingertips with the variety of stores, foods, and cultures. I imagined the fast life to be just what I needed to rejuvenate my soul. Life in Minnesota was peaceful but beyond dull. Nothing exciting ever happened other than an occasional runaway farm animal.
I glance around the room again and a groan escapes me. My shoulders slump in defeat as I close the door and lock it with the shifty-looking chain lock.
“It’s just one night. How bad can it be?”
It was meant to be a rhetorical question; however, a loud thud sounding from the room next to mine told me that the universe was giving me an answer.
I take a few steps closer to the wall, carefully listening in. It sounds like furniture is being thrown around. A man is shouting. I can’t make out what he is saying but I can definitely tell he is angry beyond words.
“Zero manners,” I huff, turning to walk toward the bathroom. A woman’s screams yanks my attention back to the wall. Before I know it, I’m running over to the door, unchaining it, and bolting out into the hallway.
My fist bangs against the door next door. I anxiously wait for someone to open the door. Clearly, I hadn’t thought any of this through. I should have called the police or at the very least the front desk.
The door finally flies open. The smell of stale cigarettes, booze, and other atrocious scents strikes me. My stomach knots and I fight the urge to vomit.
