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Leaning against the front of my car, I huffed, looking entirely pissed off. It was an act I didn’t have to try too hard at. I could thank my father and the Pagani genes for that one.
Gio spotted me right away, his grin getting bigger as he realized who I was. What Lorenzo hadn’t known was that I knew Gio. We’d gone to the same school before my father had moved me to an all-boys private school. Maybe it was something I should have mentioned to Lorenzo—I made a mental note to and came back to the here and now.
“Romeo?” Gio called as he got out of his car. His bright red Ferrari was a show of the money he had—money he was earning by selling people.Scumbag.“What are you waiting out here for?”
I pointed at the restaurant, rolling my eyes like a teenager. “Not allowed inside.” I paused, looking at him, making sure I had all of his attention. “I’m not important enough, you know?” Gio always had a chip on his shoulder, even as a young boy, so I knew this would gain his attention and intrigue. He’d always been passed over, looked away from, that was until Lorenzo had appointed him as head of the Pozzi family.
A fuckin’ mistake I was sure he wished he could take back.
He sauntered toward me, only halting when he was about six feet away. “Yeah, I get it. It was like that for me.” He spread his arms wide, his grin so fuckin’ big. “But look at me now.”
I laughed, but it was humorless. “Yeah, I somehow don’t think I’ll be head of a family.”Bait. I was bait.
He narrowed his eyes on me, probably trying to figure me out. Too bad for him that it would never happen. He was studying me, but I was a master at hiding things and portraying a false pretense. And he was falling for it if the glint shining in his eyes was anything to go by.
“Do you want to be boss?” His tone was entirely serious now.
I shrugged. “Who the hell doesn’t want to be boss?” I paused, pushing up off my car. I glanced around as if I were making sure no one could hear me, then lowered my voice. “Problem is, I have two Berettas in the way of that happening for me.”
Gio glanced over at the restaurant, knowing full well he was late and that they would all be waiting for him. Lorenzo would treat him like he always would when he was late, at least, that was what he’d told me. But he’d know it was because he’d been talking to me.
We were putting the plan in motion. The problem was, I had no idea how long it would take to earn his trust and get an inside look at the businesses that he was keeping secret.
“What if they weren’t in the way?” Gio suddenly said, coming closer to me. “What if I put you at the head of the family, and I inserted myself as head of The Enterprise?”
Well, fuck, I hadn’t expected him to say that.
I frowned, making out like I was mulling it over, but in reality, all I could think was:It couldn’t be that easy, could it?
I saw the glint in his eyes, the one that said this wasn’t an idea he’d only just come up with. He wanted Lorenzo out of there, there was no doubt in that. Had that been his plan all along? Was that why he constantly riled Lorenzo up at the meetings? Or was that just a front for the other heads of families to give him an excuse?
Either way, he needed an answer. I had to play it cool. Had to keep calm and not look too eager.
“I’m listening,” I murmured.
He watched me for a full minute, then pulled his cell out. “Give me your number.” I reeled off the digits, and a second later, my cell buzzed in the front pocket of my jeans. “Meet me there Monday night, eight p.m.” He stepped back, thrusting his chest forward like he’d just won the damn Super Bowl. “We’ll talk then.”
I grinned at Gio, tilting my head toward him in a way that told him we had a silent understanding.
This was his demise, and he had no idea.
Gio Pozzi had just made a new best friend—and an enemy—he just didn’t know it yet.
CHAPTER 4
ROMEO
I stared down at the screen of my cell, reading his message yet again.
Gio
271 Laton Street. 8 p.m.
Glancing up, I stared at the building. From the outside, it looked like any other building on this street—dark brick with a single door and no windows to tell you what was inside. It was a side street with a dead end in the middle of the city, one that people probably only walked down to get to these buildings. It was tucked away in a corner, wanting to not be bothered. The perfect damn spot for his business.
Gio wasn’t stupid, that much was abundantly clear. Which was yet another reason why I wasn’t surprised this wasn’t only not a declared business with The Enterprise, but that nobody knew about it. It wasn’t a well-kept secret that everyone knew—nobody knew.
The heads of each of the family organizations had to declare everything so that nobody stepped on anyone else’s toes. It kept for a peaceful few years, but it was only a matter of time until that peace was over. What would happen after that was anyone’s guess. But we were about to find out.
