by Anna Widzisz
They left Flavio alone with the man and followed Noah upstairs. The Capo led them towards the front of the restaurant to show the boys the rest of the massacre. Inéz took Isaac’s hand, knowing his upcoming reaction and squeezed it lightly to provide him with some comfort. Henderson was tough but he needed more time to get used to the thought that from this day on he was a part of the mafia. If someone had asked him a year before where he saw himself in the future, that wouldn’t have been an option on his list.
It was different for Drew. He had worked out different scenarios over and over in his head. Anything that could make him a constant in Lynette’s life. Even though he wasn’t Sicilian and his father was an FBI agent. He would do anything to spend the rest of his life with the girl. That’s why he shook off any doubts. Being with Lynette was still a possibility. No matter how long he’d thought she was dead. She was somewhere out there and he needed to find her.
Noah stopped in the center of the restaurant looking at the scene. A thrill ran through his body. As if it was his own work. He could see himself going on a killing spree like that. He had before for his father. But what made him mad was the fact that it was his restaurant, with his shipment and his people. Retribution was bound to happen one way or another.
He looked at Inéz who was playing with her hands, trying not to look at the bodies again. Drew and Isaac had their eyes wide open. They couldn’t comprehend how someone was able to do so much damage.
"Did the man downstairs do it?" asked Inéz finally, still trying to connect the dots. Noah nodded.
"This restaurant was the only business I got to keep in Seattle after I retreated to sustain the truce with Lynette’s uncle. I needed this place to hide the shipments that I robbed from him. There might be peace between our Famiglias now, but I don’t fool myself into thinking that it will last for long. That’s why I need assurance and leverage in case something happens. But the New York Famiglia intruded and we're one step away from starting a war that I have no intention of fighting right now. Luckily, the shipments were taken at night and sent to Las Vegas so they didn’t see or take anything."
"So that was a one-man job? That’s impossible," said Drew.
"It’s not impossible, really. However, it wasn’t one man only for sure. Cesarino had help but they are already dead. We just needed the person who ran the show to stay alive a little bit longer."
"So why haven’t you got any answers from him? You didn’t even ask questions. Isn’t that the reason for torture in the mafia?"
Falcone smirked at Inéz’s observation. He had to admit that they knew more about the way business was done than he’d imagined. It was impressive. At least, less information for them to gain.
"Because I’ve already found out everything I needed. I know whose men were here, who led the action and on whose orders they were carried out. As for the torturing, I just enjoy it, if you couldn’t tell." he shrugged and lead them to the exit so they could go unnoticed.
"You can go home and come to the gym tomorrow at eight o'clock, all packed up to leave Seattle. Inéz knows where it is. Deal with all your affairs because you won’t be back from Las Vegas any time soon." he gazed at the brunette. "Cara, you will come with me. There’s one more thing for you to do."
Noah saw the boys off and went to the front entrance. He couldn’t leave with Inéz the same way as the others. They had already been seen going in.
§ § §
The girl was shocked when Noah told her that they were going to his apartment. It was the last place she thought he would take her. But she wasn’t in the mood to fight him. Not after what she’d seen. The way his people respected and feared him. She should too. That much was sure.
She still wanted to know more of the task Noah had in mind for her. The information that she would spy for wasn’t enough to keep her going.
Falcone opened a big white door for her to go in first. She saw a bright apartment with marble floors. The living room was an open space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Seattle skyline. White walls contrasted with the black couch and other furniture. It looked modern but lacked anything to show that someone was living there. If she didn’t know that it belonged to Noah, she wouldn’t believe it was occupied.
"Why am I here?" She asked, not bothering to look around the place. It most likely resembled the ones from any top-shelf quality furniture catalog.
Noah hadn’t taken his eyes off the girl but when she asked him a question, he stalked towards the drawers under the TV set. Pulling one of them open he took out a file. It looked just like the one that Capo had given Isaac a week before. Inéz’s heart skipped a beat. She wondered if he actually took the time and went through her life the same as he had with her best friend. Unfortunately, there were things to be found. Events that she would rather forget than dig deeper into.
Waving at her to come closer he put the file on the small table in front of the couch and sat down, waiting for Inéz to read it. Hesitantly, she walked up to him not sure if she wanted to know what was inside of it.
"Open it," he ordered, annoyed with how scared the girl seemed. "It’s not a time bomb, cara. You won’t die because of it."
"Can you stop calling me that? I hate how you use nicknames for all girls," she said. Noah looked at her surprised.
"I like calling you that, so no, I won’t stop doing it, cara."
Rolling her eyes, she opened the file, carefully looking through it.
"That is all the information about my Capodecina Gastone Conte. You will need to study it so they won’t catch you by surprise with anything," he said matter-of-factly.
"They? Who’s they?"
"Workers, his soldiers. You name it. No one can find out who you actually work for. I would hate to have to kill you to prove a point."
For the first time, Noah’s threat did nothing to her. With her, he was all talk, but no action. Inéz hadn’t taken it seriously. He needed her, so there was no way that would change in a matter of seconds.
The brunette looked at him irritated and slammed the file down on the table.
"You want me to work in a nightclub? Are you insane? I don’t know the first thing about waitressing, Noah," she grunted, trying to imagine herself doing such a job. It was not her scene. She had only been to a club a few times and it never made her like it more. Just to have some fun and relax from time to time. However, big crowds weren’t her favorite thing. Not to mention drunk, sweaty people.
"Who said that you will be a waitress? Cara, being a fucking waitress wouldn’t let you find out anything about him. I want you to be one of the pole dancers. Gastone likes getting to know the new dancers, so you will do whatever necessary to catch his attention and keep it."
Her eyes widened.
It was even worse than she thought. Noah really didn’t care about her safety and, at this point, she believed him when he said he would kill her. If he wanted to use her as bait, it could only mean that Noah would make her do whatever's necessary to achieve his goal to put down the Capodecina.
"No. There’s no way I’m going to do that! First of all, I don’t know anything about waitressing, but about pole dancing, I know even less. And you telling me that he likes getting to know new dancers makes what you expect of me crystal clear. I won’t have sex with him."
"You will, cara. If that’s what he desires, then you’ll give him the best fucking night of his life. Maybe even more than one. I am your Capo and you will do what’s expected of you. Do I make myself clear?"
He was mad. People usually didn’t object to him. They just did whatever he wanted because they respected, or feared him. But there was so little respect towards him in Inéz that it annoyed Noah even more. He was starting to regret his decision to initiate her.
"Noah, for God’s sake, I am not good for that job. Can’t you choose a real dancer? Why on earth would you think that I know how to do it?" Inéz changed her tone after she saw a flicker of anger in his eyes. She was pushing him too far and one thing s
he knew after today - there was no humanity in him. Just darkness and cruelty.
"Inéz, you have the body for it and don’t make me remind you of your twentieth birthday party. If you haven’t been in a club and tried pole dancing, then I believe you have a twin sister."
It surprised the girl. Her birthday had been a while ago and she hadn’t been keeping in touch with the Falcone for him to know it and see it. "I was telling the truth when I said that I know more about you than you think. It’s my job, cara. You were actually pretty good, so with a few more lessons you will be great and audition for the job."
"Audition? So it’s not even certain that I will get the job?"
"You will, don’t worry. But I can’t get involved with choosing you because Conte might suspect something and we don’t want that, now do we?"
She didn’t want the job at all. And she, sure as hell, didn't want her involvement with Noah to never see the light of day. There was no use fighting him. She wouldn’t be able to persuade the Capo into changing his plans. Inéz just had to swallow her pride and pray for the best. However, she hated the idea of dancing on a pole in front of men. It just seemed as if she would be a stripper, but without undressing. Not to mention the clothes wouldn’t leave much to the imagination anyway. There weren’t many differences.
"What are you planning to do with Anastasia?" she asked, changing the subject. She wondered where the scared girl from the restaurant was right now.
"Who?"
Noah laid back on the couch getting more relaxed. He took off his holster, keeping it close to him just in case. He didn’t trust people so he didn’t leave his house unarmed, and even in the house, he made sure to always have something to defend himself with.
"The girl from the restaurant. Have you actually forgotten her name so quickly?" The Capo laughed at her annoyance. He could see that the girl was actually worried about the teenager. It was obvious from the second she’d seen her in the basement. "Did you have her killed?"
Inéz couldn’t be sure that her words wouldn’t anger Noah once again if she’d openly accused him, so she opted for a question instead. And in spite of all, she knew of the man, her words were still were filled with as much fear as hope.
"No, cara, I haven’t. And I don’t intend to do so. I’m not sure what I will make of her yet, but killing isn’t among the alternatives."
Inéz was surprised by him again. Noah didn’t seem like the type with morals. She hadn’t expected him to sound so disgusted with the accusation. But it was almost like he cared.
"Famiglia might not make differences between men and women, but as far as I know she did nothing wrong. She was a pawn in this game. I just wanted to make Cesarino think otherwise. He wanted to seem like an uncaring father but I knew better. Regret was the last thing on his mind when we left and I certainly hope that it still was when Flavio killed him. Unless he is still having fun breaking the fucker."
Thinking of the younger Falcone covered in blood, cutting the man over and over again and hearing agonized screams wasn’t something Inéz wanted to picture. She didn’t know him, but she wasn’t sure which brother was more messed up. They were insane and deserved one another.
"So it was all an act when you spoke about kidnapping his wife, the whorehouse and having sex with Anastasia?"
"Oh no, it wasn’t an act. I still will kidnap his wife. She’s the fucking cousin of the New York boss so it’ll be to my advantage. He will do whatever I want to get his family back," he explained, before continuing. "And having sex with Anastasia? I fuck, cara. I don’t have fucking sex. But I haven’t decided yet. As I said she won’t pay with her blood, nor am I going to have her raped, but who knows, she will probably be a willing participant if I make up my mind."
"Not every woman is into you."
Noah smirked getting up from the couch. He circled it to stand behind the girl. His hand pulled back her hair from one arm as he moved his lips closer to her ear.
"You are, so your point is invalid, cara," he whispered, sending shivers down her spine as she felt his warm breath on her skin.
Next thing she knew Noah grabbed her forearm and turned her around so she was looking into his eyes, barely able to hold his scrutinizing gaze. His eyes flashed with some kind of realization, but Inéz couldn’t put her finger on what that was exactly.
"I don’t intend for you to fuck my Capodecina, Inéz. We will figure out the approach that can make him give up the information beforehand," he promised.
It made Inéz understand something really important. Noah liked playing mind games with people, but it was all there was when it came to her. He was mad and threatened her because of that. However, there never was a question as to how far she would have to go while spying for him.
CHAPTER 8
It was afternoon when they arrived at Las Vegas. The travel time was filled with Noah explaining to them exactly how they were about to get initiated. Seeing the pride emerge from the man as he spoke, it could be easily seen how committed he was to this insular mafia world. As a kingpin of the underworld, he led the organization. It was the inside that was important, the sordid deals, violence and murders. Not the coverup of being a businessman in the real estate industry. Of course, the Falcone brothers were billionaires because of the properties they owned - hotels, casinos, offices. Most of The Strip belonged to them. While Noah was known as the CEO of Falcone Enterprises, Flavio acted as the sales representative. It gave the brothers the perfect false pretense as to why they were so rich, how come they invested in all those different businesses. But double bookkeeping was any crime family’s forte. Most mob members were on the payroll but doing different jobs than what they were listed for on the official papers. That’s just how it worked.
Inéz hadn’t said a word during the flight, as she was already too enraged with the part she would have to play in the Famiglia. Also, the Capo still seemed to be infuriated with her behavior earlier, and it would only lead to another fight. She was scared. With the idea of becoming a pole dancer just to spy on the Capodecina, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if he found out. With becoming a full-fledged member of the mafia. The risk was immense, and she wondered whether it was worth it.
Even worse was the voice in her head, announcing over and over again how extremely thrilling and wonderful the whole experience would be. A voice that she wanted to shut up once and for all because her feelings were scarier than the actual actions.
"What about Inéz?" asked Drew as they landed and headed towards the center of the city.
Noah was driving his Aston Martin to his penthouse where all three of them would be living for a while. When they were officially initiated, they would move out and get their own place together, or each of them individually. Whatever they preferred. Attachment to the omertà also meant a vast range of possibilities to earn a lot of money, get involved in numerous businesses and have a backup plan at all times. People could say many things about the dangerous mafia world, but if the crime was done right it paid off. And that was exactly why people wanted to become part of this life. Because they were not alone, many resources were shared and the risk was not as high anymore.
"What about her?"
Noah knew exactly what it was about, but needed more time to figure out if it would be wise to tell them what the girl was supposed to take care of. The fewer people knew, the better. He looked at his brother who gave a barely noticeable shake of the head.
Don’t say it.
"You said it yourself that she wouldn’t be initiated the same way as us and she still doesn’t know what she is supposed to do. You need Isaac for the computer job, me to become a soldier and keep an eye on the FBI, and Inéz to do what exactly?" Drew turned his head to look right where the brunette was sitting. "Have you even asked?"
"Inéz knows enough."
"Lynette told me that women weren’t supposed to be involved in the mafia business. They didn’t fight or anything."
"And has she told you that she’d been trainin
g with Luca because she didn’t really care about those rules?" Noah raised his eyebrow.
Each mob family was different as far as the rules went. Things that one Capo dei capi said to be forbidden, another didn’t mind and encouraged. Some customs of Cosa Nostra were passed down from generation to generation, but every boss had one thing in common - they wanted to stand out. Shibboleths that didn’t work anymore were changed. And that is what happened in the Las Vegas Famiglia. Noah detected how important a woman’s role in the mob circles could be. They had more power than most men but played their parts behind the curtain. Something Falcone wanted to slowly change with Inéz’s involvement.
"I could see it at the airport when she took your father down like it was nothing."
"Then why do you even ask? Women in the Famiglia might be well protected but it’s a dangerous world for them, so I would rather they were able to defend themselves. Inéz will need the skills so she will train the same as you."
He looked in the rear-view mirror at the brunette, confidence written all over his face. It just made Inéz more uneasy. The man basically admitted that the task will require her to know how to fight. Silent challenge flashed in his eyes. She swallowed, trying not to think about it right now.
Drew didn’t give up. "What is her job?"
He cared about his best friend and it seemed like she wouldn’t have it easy judging by Noah’s words and her reaction.
"I am losing my patience over here. Stop with your fucking questions. You really need to learn how to shut the fuck up."
No one dared to say anything after that. It wouldn’t be a wise move.
§ § §
The apartment was a massive penthouse sky villa which belonged to Noah alone. From the foyer it expanded into an open-space living room. On the left, there were two big couches and four armchairs which faced the TV set that took up most of the wall. It gave off vibes of a cinema with dark decor of grey and black. Behind the furniture, there were floor-to-ceiling windows. However, it was the height of the penthouse that caused shocked gazes and heads to look up. It was around thirty feet, entirely covered in glass. The breathtaking view of Las Vegas added to the proportion. In the middle, a grand black piano was situated, creating the illusion of separating the living room into two different sides. On the right, there was a spiral staircase that led up and behind it, you could get a peek of an open kitchen and a long table with twelve chairs. Right next to the kitchen there was a corridor with just two doors.