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“This is good. If you have the support of the people, that goes a long way. That’s how I inevitably took over in Colombia. The people loved me. They helped me fight the other guys that were trying to take over. There’s something to be said for the popular vote, if you will,” Trino said, a small smile on his face. “What about the police? Are they with you or against you?” he asked.
“Most of the precincts in the city are with me. I’ve made sure that the other bosses maintain order in their areas, keeping crime to a minimum. Given that we’re still heavily involved in illegal businesses, the city is quite peaceful, which makes the cops’ jobs incredibly easy. Violent crime is kept to a minimum. They get their cut, of course, but I have a good relationship with the commissioner. They’ve come to me before with funding issues and the like that I’ve helped them solve,” I said.
“Just you or the other bosses as well?” Trino asked.
“Mostly me, when it comes to the commissioner. The other bosses deal with the local police chiefs in their areas,” I said.
“I’ve never had a conversation with the commissioner, but I have a great relationship with the police chief in my area of the city. They would back us, I think, if it was needed,” Armando added.
“I got the impression that Anthony and Lorenzo were planning something big in the city as a way to get back in. They were trying to convince me that there was already disorder in the city, with you being gone. They also tried to convince me that Mando had been killed overseas. I knew for sure that you were still alive when I met with them, Jefe, but I didn’t get word on Armando until a few days later when my people saw him back in the city,” Trino said.
I noticed Armando was slightly surprised at this revelation. He didn’t know that Trino had people in the city. None of the other bosses knew. Trino was never concerned about Armando, but he was about the other bosses, so I agreed to let him have people in the city. He was also in regular communication with some of my people. It’s one reason that he’s stayed so loyal to me. I’m as transparent with him as possible. I recognize his value and he recognizes mine. Mutual respect goes a long way.
I sighed. “We think they’re planning on creating chaos in the city. They had a test run where they gave two guys brawn and sent them on Sephie and Misha. They’ve been working on a new formulation that increases the violence even more.”
Trino and Martin both cursed under their breath. “I do not like this new drug, brawn. It’s dangerous. It’s also lethal if you take too much. Why would you want to kill your customer base? That’s bad business,” Martin said.
“Most of the bosses had cut it out of the city. It hasn’t been around for a few years now. The dealers were forbidden to make it. Apparently, Salvadori has been quietly working on this new formulation undetected. Or maybe Anthony was working on it. That kid is off the rails,” Armando said.
“Is it true he’s been trafficking girls?” Trino asked.
I nodded my head. “It took me a while to get confirmation on it, but he has been for some time now. He was smart about it and very discreet, so I didn’t find out right away. He runs that operation from outside the city, with help from Lorenzo in Sicily. Apparently, when my father banished Enzo, he went to Sicily and that’s how he made money and built his fortune back up. He’s got networks throughout Europe.”
Both Trino and Martin looked disgusted. It was a big problem worldwide and they wanted no part of it.
“It fits Anthony’s profile, if I’m being honest. He needs to…compensate for a very significant shortcoming. He can feel powerful when he’s determining someone else’s fate,” Sephie said.
We all turned to look at her, not entirely sure what she meant. She looked at all of us, like she was trying to get us to understand what she meant, silently. “Oh, you’re gonna make me say it? For real?” she said, her cheeks slowly turning red as we kept looking at her. She sighed. “He’s got a tiny dick. There, I said it.” I raised an eyebrow, demanding more of an explanation. She clearly saw my anger rise to the surface quickly, which made her shrink back from me slightly. “He, uh, pressed himself against me when he was choking me in the hallway that night in the restaurant,” she said quietly. She quickly looked at the floor, her hands starting to fidget.
I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her to me. I kissed her temple. Trino looked surprised. “He did what to you?” he asked.
I held Sephie tighter, answering for her. “At the last meeting at the restaurant that Sephie used to work at, Anthony dared to lay his hands on Sephie in the meeting. He saw my anger when it happened. It was the first time I’d seen Sephie, but I knew I loved her from the first moment. Anthony caught her in the hallway alone later and tried to touch her, but she resisted. He choked her. Viktor and Andrei pulled him off her and beat him senseless.” I could feel my anger threatening to take over. Sephie, of course, felt it. She reached over and grabbed my other hand, holding it with both of hers. Her fingers lightly fidgeting with mine.
“And you didn’t kill him right there?” Trino asked, shocked.
“I wanted to, but I still had an ounce of respect for his father, Salvadori, at the time. I wish I would have now. We might not be in this mess now,” I said, sighing.
Armando spoke up. “I’m really beginning to question whether he needs the other bosses at all at this point. I say get rid of all of them. Ghost can run the city on his own.”
Sephie looked up at me, somewhat surprised. I don’t think she’d thought of that option yet. “It makes sense. The city loves you,” she said, pulling her knees up, so her feet were on the couch. She leaned her legs in my lap.
“They have their rightful King and Queen. What more do they need?” Trino said, smiling.
“Please tell me you have a sister that loves Colombian men,” Trino said, after Sephie had given her insightful opinion on how to separate Dario and Massimo using the information she had just given him.
“Sorry to disappoint. I’m an only child. But I can offer my vetting services if you’d like me to interview potential girlfriends for you,” she said, laughing.
Armando shifted in his seat. “I can vouch for her professional skills. I’m going to pay her to be at as many of my important meetings as possible.”
Trino still looked like he was both lost in thought and also completely captivated by Sephie when Viktor walked into the room. He looked directly at me. “Boss, we’ve got a problem.” I felt Sephie sit up a little straighter next to me, all of us waiting for Viktor to elaborate. “I just heard from Andy. One, he needs us to get him out. Two, he said he can fill us in on Salvadori’s plan. He wouldn’t say much over the phone, but he said he saw it with his own eyes and it has the potential to be very bad.”
My mind was busy thinking through possibilities when Sephie asked, “Who’s Andy?”
“He’s one of Sal’s most trusted men. He’s the one that informed Boss about Anthony’s extracurricular activities. He’s been giving us information when he can, but Sal is on to him now. Sal’s been suspecting something for a few months. Andy has been able to placate him, but he started asking too many questions about the details of the plan and he thinks Sal has caught on to him. He knows Andy is feeding info either to Boss or Armando at this point. Neither of which is good for Andy,” Viktor said.
“Where’s Misha?” Sephie asked, before I could.
“I think he’s outside. I’ll go fetch him,” Viktor said. Before he left the room, Sephie added, “Ivan too, please.”
