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Chapter 9
Neo opened the wooden cigar box with his father’s initials burnt into the wood. He knew it was a 30th birthday gift to Adriano from Grandpa Deluca. Neo took the cigar and picked up his father’s gold embossed lighter. Hesitantly, he lit the tip of the tobacco and brought it to his nose, sniffing the scent. He then took a drag of the cigar, trying to act cool, but swallowed some of the smoke.
“Shit!” he swore.
Coughing and sputtering, he almost tossed the cigar into the trash can, but Neo had never been one to back away from a challenge. He took another drag, channeling his father’s fortitude. Everyone thought he was a tough kid, but Neo knew that was just a show. Inside he was still Mommy’s and Daddy’s little boy who yearned for his father’s bear hugs and his mother’s kisses. However, with all that had happened during the last week and the battle that lay ahead, it was time he grew up. It was time to take charge.
After a few more drags on the cigar, with some coughing in between, he got the hang of it. To his friends at school, he seemed like a bad boy who had done everything teenagers did. But the reality was that he had never smoked and he’d only drank light beer since his sixteenth birthday. There was once he attempted tequila shots with his brother, but both of them passed out before the third round.
If he was going to take charge, he must be like Adriano DeLuca. With that in mind, he walked over to the drink cabinet and opened it. Some of the most expensive scotch and bourbon were stacked on the shelves. Someone had cleaned the office since the last time he was there with his uncle and had removed the bourbon that had been on the desk, replacing it in the cabinet.
He took out a low-ball glass and poured some of the bourbon in it, then brought it to his nose. The dark amber liquid had a sweet vanilla scent that played on his senses. Tentatively, he took a tiny sip and allow the unfamiliar taste to linger on his tongue before swallowing. The second sip was a mouthful, and this time when he swallowed, he felt the warmth in his stomach and a slight burning in his throat. The drink wasn’t as sweet as he’d imagined and would take some getting used to. But he finished it all and set the glass down.
He was about to pour another drink when his uncle knocked and entered the room. “Hey slugger, how you holding up?”
“There’s been no contact with the woman since I solved her stupid riddle. I have no idea where my mother is, Uncle Robert,” Neo sighed exasperatedly and sat in his father’s high back chair. “How do I find her? How do I even know she’s alive?”
“Have you heard from your street team yet?”
He nodded. “They have hit a dead end so far, but still searching.”
“This Balthasar, are you sure he’s dead?” Uncle Robert asked.
“The team is looking into it. He was from Columbia, so it might be difficult to dig around the Colombian cartel to find out about this guy.”
“Listen,” Uncle Robert walked up to the desk placed his palms down and leaned over speaking softly. “I have some contacts in Santa Marta. I’ll see what they can find out, if that’s okay with you.”
“You don’t need my permission Uncle,” Neo replied.
“Of course I do. That’s the way the family operates, we run everything by the head first to get approval. You need to know these things in order to become the leader your parents expect you to be.”
Neo stood up and reached out his hand to his uncle. “Thank you for training me uncle. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come to rescue me.”
They shook hands firmly, but his uncle didn’t let go immediately. “Don’t mention it, that’s what great uncles are for,” his uncle grinned impishly. “By the way, I have a training schedule for you to follow.”
“Training?” Neo narrowed his eyes. “I’m busy uncle, I’m trying to find my mom. I don’t have time for exercise.”
“My boy, trust me. You’ll thank me later.” Uncle Robert started walking away. “Meet me in the armory in ten minutes and change into something less formal.”
Neo looked down at his suit. He wasn’t accustomed to wearing anything else except for his motorcycle gear, and that was once in a while. He leaned back in the chair with a groan as he was not looking forward to doing anything remotely physical. The armory was not a place Neo frequented and had almost forgotten it existed. The last time he was there was before heading out to University two and a half years ago. He’d gone down there to secure the sword his brother had gifted him some years ago as a birthday present.
One entire wall was the vault where the weapons were kept, while the other three walls held makeshift weapons made of wood, as well as photographs of people whose identity Neo didn’t know. His father had many business associates and acquaintances and double the number of enemies. These photos could be in one of those categories.
Tomorrow was his brother’s funeral and he wasn’t looking forward to seeing them lower the casket into the ground. There weren’t any leads on his murder as of this minute and Neo was in a lot of pain that he tried to hide for the sake of taking the reigns of his father’s empire. It was then he recalled one of the many life lessons taught to him by Nino. Exercise releases endorphins, which means those who stay active are happier people.
Reluctantly, he left the office and changed into shorts, t-shirt, training boots and a pair of workout gloves. After some internal pep talk, he was ready to do whatever it took to get him ready for whatever tasks lay ahead. His father had been a fitness buff, training at least five days per week. And his mother was no pushover, she could easily whip Adriano into shape with her martial arts skills. Although Giannino had no interest in the business, he also trained often to keep in shape. Neo realized he had been the lazy son, feeling quite ashamed about himself right about now.
Jogging into the armory, he was prepared for whatever Uncle Jim threw his way … until he saw his opponent. She was wearing leggings with a t-shirt that hugged her torso and rounded breasts. The sleeves of the t-shirt were rolled up to reveal toned upper arms. Could a woman be any sexier? And that thought alone incensed him.
The tables and few chairs kept in the area were pushed to one corner and a sand bag leaned against the wall. Neo noticed that a hook had been bolted to the concrete ceiling in preparation for the sand bag. A wooden sword fell at his feet and he looked over to see Neeky holding on to another.
“Show me what you got,” she invited. “I heard you’re good at it.”
“I’m not playing sword with you,” he remarked.
Neeky scoffed. “You’re such a misogynist. You’re nothing like your brother.”
“Trust me, I have nothing against women.”
