by K. D Clark
“I’m gonna get us some drinks.” He called over the music.
She nodded and turned back around making her way to the office. Once she made it to the second floor she could barely hear the music downstairs. Gio sat on one of the couch’s outside of her office. He was wearing his usually outfit of slacks and a button up shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. Showing off his tattoos that covered his arms and and neck. Gio wasn’t a huge guy standing at 6ft with minimum muscles cut but it was the way he carried himself that made him so dangerous. He was around the same age as Cassandra both of them being born into the crime world. While Cassandra was married to her husband, Gio had been working his way up the ranks to underboss. Gio was like a old friend to Cassandra and she continuously trusted him with her life.
“Gio!” His face split into a smile.
Although she tried hard to show her tough exterior to her other men it was hard to keep that wall up with Gio. He had proven over and over again that she can trust him and for that she was grateful. He was like a best friend she was never able to have growing up. Her father and Gio’s father often spend time together at her house in the office. Gio and her would play in the backyard and steal cookies from the kitchen table while her mother wasn’t looking. He rose from the couch opening his arms as she stepped in for a hug.
“How was Mexico?” She asked once they had stepped back from one another.
“Hot.”
She smirked Gio was a man of few words, only speaking when he felt it was important. Which made him a great underboss. He never gossiped or ran his mouth when he wasn’t suppose to. For that reason people tended to listen when he spoke. She lead the way into her office, sat in her chair and started rolling a blunt as Gio sat across from her.
“Is everything settled or did I pull you out too early?” She asked cocking a eyebrow at him.
“Perfect timing actually. The cartel wants nothing to do with us. It seems that our friend was working on his own, so to speak. Only a few of them thought it was a good idea to gather Intel into Cosa Nostra. The cartel disagreed, we won’t hear from them again.”
Cassandra nodded sealing the blunt and laying it down to rest.
“We got a bit of a problem on our hands here.”
Giovanni nodded waiting for her to continue.
“We got competition in the street. At first it was no big deal, they were cutting into our profits and I sent Calvin to find out what was going on. They shot him.” Gio gave no reaction to the news just
simply waited for her to continue.
She picked up the blunt and lit it. “I think its starting to get bad, Gio I have everyone searching high and low to bring one of these guys in so we can find out what’s going on and shut it down. I don’t even think they know what they’ve gotten into. Depending on what we find I might need you to set up a sit down or we’ll just kill one off and send it as a warning.” She offered the blunt to Gio, he took it and inhaled before speaking.
“How close are we to finding one of them?” He let out a breath of smoke filling the office with the smell of weed.
“Not close at all. I have Lucas on it though so it shouldn’t take long. He’s pretty riled up about the whole thing.”
Gio nodded passing the blunt back to her. “And how are you?”
She opened her mouth to answer as Leo stuck his head though the office door clearing his throat.
“You got a visit.”
She waved her hand indicating for Leo to let Andre in. He strutted inside, Cassandra expected him to look uncomfortable, most people were in Giovanni’s presence, but she forgot this was Andre she was talking about. He held two drink in his hand a Long Island for her and what looked like whiskey for him.
“Thank you.” She said as he set the drink in front of her and sat back on the leather couch in her office. Looking comfortable and relaxed as if he belonged right where he was. Giovanni lifted a eyebrow.
“Andre, Giovanni. Giovanni, Andre.” They nodded at each other neither one standing up to shake hands. If anything they seem to be staring each other down. While Giovanni looked like a cold blooded killer dressed up in nice clothes. Andre wore his suit like the business man he was, relaxing drinking his whiskey as if waiting for us to continue. It was unusually for someone to be allowed to walk into my office and look so relaxed.
“New guy?” Giovanni asked in Italian already knowing the answer. No one new to Cosa Nostra would be allowed to step foot in her office. Let alone bring her a drink and look so comfortable doing it.
She shook her head. “Where were we?”
Gio’s eyes flashed to Andre’s again.
“He stays.” She said answering his unspoken question.
Andre smirked at that. “Yea, I stay.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes already tired of this little pissing contest they were having.
She spoke fast in Italian. “He’s a friend. I need you to show your face with the capos tomorrow. So they know this is getting serious maybe even talk with the crew. Find out what you can. Lucas should be ok on his side of things for now. Go home and rest you did good in Mexico.”
Gio nodded standing and leaving the room. Once he left Andre stood up and took his chair.
“Who was that?” He asked. Cassandra picked up the rest of the blunt that Gio had left in the ashtray.
“Giovanni.” She said as she inhaled.
“I know that.”
“Good.”
Andre sat straight up setting his whiskey down on the table and putting his elbows on his knee’s. His face serious and his eyes were filled with fire, something Cassandra was not used to. It wasn’t often she got scared but she could feel the hairs rising on her neck. As Andre stared her down.
“Don’t do that.” He said surprising calm but his tone was dark and said he meant business.
Cassandra swallowed. “Do what?”
“Brush me off. I’m not one of your men waiting for you to order me around and taking whatever sarcastic answer you give me. I asked a question, who was that?”
Cassandra hadn’t even noticed she had brushed him off it had become such a habit. Her first reaction was to tell Andre to fuck off and get out of her office but she figured that wouldn’t go over well.
She nodded. “He’s my underboss, we kind of grew up together in this business.”
He seemed to relax some at her answer.
“You wanna come down to the bar?” He asked.
Cassandra shook her head. “I got some more work to do, I’ll probably be here late.”
” Alright, Matteo is down at the bar i’ll probably drink with him and then meet you back at your place?”
“Matteo?”
Andre smiled. “You’ll meet him soon enough.”
Andre stood and lightly grasped her chin. He tilted her head up before placing a light kiss to her lips before leaving. Cassandra stayed in the office the rest of the night collecting money from her capos and working on the books for the club. Lucas was the last capo to stop by setting his duffel back on the desk and sitting down in the chair. Cassandra pulled out the stacks of money rubber banded together and set the empty bag on the floor. She unwrapped the first stack and started to count silently. When her father was Boss tribute used to be a bigger deal. Everyone would gather together for food and drinks and the underboss would count all the money out while they discussed business. Cassandra found it easier this way and it gave her one on one time with her capos as she counted.
“Find anything yet?” She asked continuing to flip through the stack.
“No got some leads but nothing major.”
“Giovanni’s in town. I want these thugs to be handled and put this shit to rest.”
Lucas nodded. “Me too.”
She finished counting out each stack in silence when she was done she looked up at Lucas who seemed lost in thought staring down at his hands in his lap.
“You OK?”
Lucas flinched as if he forgot where he was for a second before
nodding quickly.
“Yea i’m good just ready for this to be over.”
Cassandra stared at him for a second longer before nodding. “OK, you’re good to go. Let me know what you come up with, yea?”
He nodded, “Yea”
She pull out her phone and sent a quick text to Giovanni. Keep an eye on Lucas I think he’s got something on his mind. It wasn’t often that Lucas seemed so withdrawn. Maybe it was just Calvin’s death weighing heavy on him but at this point she couldn’t take any chances.
9
Chapter Eight
One Week Later
They had fallen into a routine of sorts. Once Andre was off ‘work’ he would pick up food and go to Cassandra’s then they would eat and go to Tempest. Andre would leave early to go back to her place and then she would come home later. It was comfortable. He hadn’t been back to his penthouse besides to grab some clothes. As he sat at the conference table talking with Liam on speaker phone he couldn’t wait to get back to her apartment. Things were going good. His men were still in the streets and they were keeping quiet. He had started to build relationships with the dock workers for the gun trades. He was filtering money through the restaurant and real estate. Things weren’t moving as fast as he would have wanted but they were moving. Liam assured him things were cooling down in Montreal but Andre knew it was only a matter of time before he had to go back and show his face. The last thing he wanted was his men questioning his status as Boss since he was spending so much time in the states. Once Andre ended the call with Liam, Matteo strutted into the office leaning back in one of the chairs.
“Going to Cassandra’s?” He asked. Andre’s eyes flickered to the clock hanging on the wall.
“Yea, you got this?”
He nodded once. “Things are getting serious huh?”
Andre shrugged. “I guess.”
“You’ve been living at her place.” Matteo wiggled his eyebrows.
Andre rolled his eyes as he got up to grab his jacket. “She’s cool, not what I expected.”
Matteo nodded but seemed to have something on his mind.
“What’s up?” Andre asked
“I get it. But don’t forget who she is Andre. She kills grown men and sells drugs for a living.”
Andre face pulled up into a smirk. “I believe we have a very similar occupation.”
Matteo shook his head. It was very rare that Matteo got serious about something. “I don’t think so. You both might both be running the mafia but she’s ruthless Andre.”
“I know…”
“No you don’t.” He cut in. “I’ve been keeping my ear to ground. You know just last year she cut a man’s tongue out.”
Andre’s eyes widened but he kept his composure.
“Simply because he insulted her. What do you think she’s going to do once she finds out about you.”
“She’s not going to find out.” Andre gritted out
Matteo shrugged leaning back in his chair. “If you say so.”
Andre walked out of the office and got into his Lexus. He headed towards Cassandra’s and he couldn’t stop thinking about Matteo’s words. He was right. Andre had let himself get comfortable and cozy with the side of Cassandra that was funny, and sweet and a bit of a chaotic mess, completely ignoring the ruthless mob Boss she became at night. Even though he could recognize his mistake he knew there was nothing he could do at this point. He was in too deep. He had let Cassandra trust him, rely on him and had finally broke through her walls that she had built around herself. When they were together in her small studio apartment she resembled nothing of the notorious faceless criminal that the public heard about. She was just Cassandra. And as he walked into the apartment and the smell of food hit his nose he was instantly calm, he felt at home. He walked in to see Cassandra standing at the stove dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt with a lit blunt in one hand as she stirred a pot of something on the stove. He never wanted this to end.
“You cook?”
She jumped dropping the blunt on the floor. “Shit!” She cursed as she looked to see where it fell before picking it up. “You scared the shit out of me Andre!”
He smirked and nodded towards the stove. “You cook?” He repeated.
She nodded walking over to the bedside table to put out the blunt. “Yea, I am Italian.”
“Then why have we been ordering take out all the time?”
She shrugged. “I like to cook. I just don’t usually have time and I haven’t really had anyone to cook for.” She walked back to stove and started to drain the pasta noodles.
“Ah, so you can be domestic.” He ducked. Barely missing the spatula she threw at his head.
“I am not domestic, I just like to cook.”
Andre put his hands up in surrender, laughing, “Ok you’re not domestic.”
Cassandra placed her hands on her hips “That’s right i’m a cold blooded killer feared by all, don’t forget that.” She winked and went back to cooking.
“Feared by all, except for me.”
Andre sat on the stool by the island watching her as she fluttered around the kitchen lost in thought. She seemed so relaxed and calm, in her natural element. Once she was done she plated the food and joined Andre on one of the stools to eat. One bite of the food and Andre was in heaven. He gestured down at the plate.
“This, every night.” He mumbled his mouth full of food.
She giggled. “I’m guessing you like it?”
He nodded.
“I was always in the kitchen with my mom when I was younger, she’s a busy women but more ‘domestic’ then I am. She cooks every night.”
“I would like to meet her.”
She paused about to take a stab of her pasta. “My parents?” She asked eyebrows raised.
He nodded. “Why not?”
She looked away going back to eating her food. “Maybe.”
Cassandra’s phone started to ring on the kitchen island. She grabbed it and waited for whoever was on the other line to talk.
“You were right about Lucas. Want me to bring him into the office?” Giovanni’s voice said over the phone.
“How long?”
“Just a couple weeks I hear.”
“Yea bring him in. Don’t leave him alone I’ll be there soon.”
She ended the call and set the phone back on the island letting out a sigh. She had suspected that Lucas might be involved in something. She suspected the FEDS might have gotten to him and she wasn’t wrong. Talking with the FEDS in Cosa Nostra meant death but she was willing to hear him out. Lucas was too loyal to snitch but if he was getting trailed he should have came to her or Gio. She look over at Andre who was finishing his dinner.
“You gotta go?” He asked.
“Yea.” She said, as she slide off the stool and headed towards the closet to grab a outfit. She flipped through the hangers landing on a dress. She held it up to examine it when Andre’s arms snaked around her waist.
“I like that one.” He whispered his breath hot on her neck. She melted into his touch before straightening up and struggling out of his hold.
“No no I know what you’re trying to do.”
His face faked innocent. “Do what?”
“I have to be at the club.”
He stepped towards and she stepped back.
He smirked and lifted a eyebrow. “Really? Your going to make me chase you?”
She ran to towards the other side of the bed but he caught her midway throwing her against the mattress breathless as she giggled he laid a kiss to her lips and she didn’t protest.
* * *
“I wanted to come to you but with Calvin’s death I needed to do my job. I haven’t talked to them I swear. They’ve just been trailing me. I’ve been smart, trading cars and taking the main streets.” Lucas explained.
Cassandra’s eyes flickered to Giovanni standing across the room for confirmation. He nodded once.
“I’m not a snitch Boss you know that. I’m just trying t
o do my job.”
Cassandra said nothing as she stood from the other side of the desk and sat down in the chair next to Lucas. She leaned back and pulled the knife from her high heel boots swirling it in her hand.
“Tell me Lucas what happens when the FEDS get hot? What do you do?”
“Say something.” He mumbled
“That’s right. You say something because if you don’t say something then what?”
He didn’t say anything.
“If you don’t say anything,” She continued. “Then they start to get information. I could have shut this down the first day, you know that, so it makes me really suspicious Lucas.”
He shook his head. “I swear, Boss I haven’t said anything. I’ve been doing what you told me…”
Rage settled in her stomach and she slammed the knife down stabbing the wood desk a mere inch from Lucas’s hand. She leaned over the chair getting close to his face. He didn’t even flinch, he had been in the game too long for that.
“Did what I tell you to do involve the FEDS following you around for two fucking weeks?!” She spat she could feel the heat in her face. “Who knows what information they got now Lucas, because you didn’t open your goddamn mouth!” She screamed and grabbed on to his leather jacket bringing his face close to hers. “You think i’m going to risk spending the rest of my life in a fucking jail cell because you can’t pick up the phone and say that you’re being trailed!”
Lucas stayed still his face a blank slate. He had seen her mad many times and knew it was better to keep quiet. Cosa Nostra was always personal but it was times like this that she was reminded it was her life and freedom on the line.
“Get the fuck out of my face.” She pushed back on his jacket letting go so he slammed back into the chair. “I want 50% tribute next month, you’re done finding Calvin’s killer. I’m going to take care of this but if I hear the FEDS are following you again…” She leveled a glare at him lowering her voice as she said, “I will kill you, Lucas.”