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I tried not to let what Barney said affect me, but I would be lying if it didn’t. I knew Montana wasn’t a saint by any means. I had no right to expect him to pine away and wait for me. That wasn’t his way. Never was. Instead of thinking about the women he’s been with, I got right to the point. “I need my old job back, Barney.”
“Tess,” he moaned. “Are you trying to get me killed because if I hire you, he will kill me.”
“Not if he doesn’t know I’m working here.”
Chapter Five
Montana
Two months later,
“Prez, Romano is here.”
Taking off my glasses, I looked up at one of the new club prospects. The kid was green but had a decent head on his shoulders. A recent graduate from MIT, the kid landed in my city with dreams of making it big.
Fuck me. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that saying. My city wasn’t for the weak. She would chew anyone up and spit them out without a second glance. New York City was harsh, aggressive and cut-throat. Only the strong survived here. Kids like Pippen made their way to the big apple with dreams and hopes of making it big. Unlike most who fail miserably, Pippen was one of the few that survived. His little start-up hit it big right before graduation and when he landed in my city, the kid was already worth billions. Needing a bit of direction, the kid sought out the Sinners and never looked back.
As a new club prospect, Pippen was required to devote twenty hours to the club while maintaining his business. He had one year to double his net worth, while paying his dues to the club. Fail to accomplish that the club would cut him loose. If he could pull off the impossible, then Pippen would become an Intern, where a branded brother would sponsor him for five years, when he was required to devote thirty hours a week to the club while tripling his net worth and expanding abroad. If he could accomplish that, then and only then would Pippen become a branded brother.
The Soulless Sinners didn’t want slackers, weak pussies who couldn’t succeed. The Soulless Sinners weren’t for everyone. It took a certain breed of man to succeed in business while maintaining their allegiance to the brotherhood. Only brothers with the determination and drive to succeed in life reaped the rewards.
The spoils always went to the victor.
“Did he have an appointment?”
“No,” Pippen replied, “Said it was urgent, though.”
“Okay.” Closing the folder I was looking at, I placed it in my top drawer. Before Pippen left to get Romano, I asked, “Anything on that personal matter Storm talked to you about?”
The kid shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve got the preliminary standard shit done. The deep dive is going to take longer.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Yes, Prez,” the kid said, as he waved at Romano.
Renaldo Romano was a partner of sorts. A descendant of Anthony Romano, he was now the head of the Romano family after intruders murdered his father a few weeks back. I sent my condolences when I heard the news and offered my help in bringing those sick fucks to justice, but I never heard from him. Renaldo was a solid dude and capable of handling his own business, so I was curious why he was here after all this time.
I inspected the young man, sizing him up as I would anyone coming to see me. Didn’t have time for fucking games and shit. I was a businessman, and my time was money. Strong like his father, Renaldo had that hungry, determined look I was used to seeing. He looked a lot like his father, even dressed to perfection. Standing, I held out my hand and greeted the man. “Renaldo.”
“Montana.”
“What brings you by?”
“I’m sure you are aware of my family troubles?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Once again, my condolences. Did you ever find who put the hit out on your parents?”
“No, but that’s not why I’m here. I need your help.”
Curious. “Okay. With what?”
“My sister Ava has been missing since the night our parents died. We all thought Ava was at school in California, but when she didn’t show up for the funeral, we knew something was wrong.”
“Was she taken?”
“We thought that at first, but they have made no demands. Did some digging and found out that Ava had a roommate at school named Tia Andrews. The girls were close and partied together all the time, even after Tia hit it big in some movie.”
“Okay? Still don’t see how I can help.”
