by Anna Widzisz
Luisa Falcone, however, lived in a reality where those beliefs had been rejected when the Sicilian Famiglia had become a part of Cosa Nostra. Noah was known for breaking traditions just as his father had before him. But while there still had been remnants of the old ways when Marco had been Capo, now, even more, was changed rather than not. However, appearances had to be upheld so that there would be no mutiny among Made Men. The approach towards religion, marriage and family was everything for Sicilians and even Noah wouldn’t be able to push against and change those deeply ingrained notions. And he didn’t want to touch those topics as he was also a firm believer as far as family went. But not everyone deserved to be part of his family at the same time.
"Alright Noni, there has to be a reason for your unexpected visit. Don’t get me wrong, I don't mind that you are here, but it’s not without a good motive," said Noah as they finished eating.
Many things could be said about the Capo, but he respected his grandmother. His voice was calm and collected. No annoyance or anger. Even when she teased him, his expression didn’t change and didn’t have a negative effect on him. However, she wasn’t one to visit him often. It was usually him who called and stopped by her place to check up on her at least twice a week.
Luisa sighed, shaking her head. "As always straight to the point," she commented. "Your cousin wants to take down the house back in Sicily. You need to stop him."
Noah frowned. "You live here now. Why does it matter what happens with a house in Sicily? It’s not like you’re the owner, grandpa was. And now it belongs to my cousin just like most of the territory does."
"But it’s still my home, even if I don’t live there anymore. I’ve been raised there and lived decades in that house with my late husband. I won’t have it destroyed just because it’s of no use to them," she wailed.
There was a minute of silence as the Capo thought his grandma’s request through. He had the power to stop his cousin. After all, Noah had appointed him to take care of the business back home, while he was expending in the States. "I will talk to Flavio and he’ll find out why it is to be destroyed and stop it," he agreed.
"No. Give me your word that you will take care of it yourself. Your brother is an influential person, but it’s you who trusted your cousin with everything. He will listen to you rather than Flavio."
"You don’t trust me?"
Luisa chuckled. "Picciotto, I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you. You’re a mobster, and I’m not a stupid old lady who thinks of you any differently."
She had a point, so Noah wasn’t bothered by her words. After all, it was what he wished Inéz would think soon enough. Trust needed to be limited as far as he was concerned. And since his grandmother already knew that, others should learn it, too.
He nodded, agreeing to her terms. Meaningless jobs weren’t his go-to, but as long as it was a member of his family that asked for it, he would get it done. And seeing as he should have already been on his way to the meeting, it was the quickest way to end the conversation.
"Noni, it was nice of you to come here. Thank you for breakfast. I hope you are well," Noah said when he was seeing the woman off. It didn’t take long for her to realize that her grandson was in a rush. "I will visit you soon."
"Take Inéz. She’s a bright, young woman."
Noah shook his head. "Don’t meddle, Noni. She’s part of the Famiglia. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t tell anyone about her for now."
The woman agreed. "Just make sure that she’s safe. There’s a reason why women aren’t supposed to be initiated, picciotto. Sicilian or not, she’s your responsibility now."
With those last words, Luisa went into the elevator and disappeared.
CHAPTER 29
Inéz was on her way to the changing room when she heard the unmistakable loud sounds of a fight coming from Gastone’s office. Normally, she would ignore them, but finding out what it was about was part of her actual job. She moved closer to the door, focusing on the voices.
"I wouldn’t care even if the man was a fucking president. I gave you this job because I didn’t have time to take care of it myself, Alberto. So, you find as much dirt as you can on him and make him shut the fuck up. We cannot afford the prosecutor freezing our assets. Even though we have more than enough money stashed away, there’s no way to explain why we won’t stop the construction," Gastone roared.
"Don’t worry, I will."
"You’ve said that before, and look where we are now. I won’t have Flavio fucking Falcone sniffing around my business, and that’s what’s going to happen if we screw up with the prosecutor." There was a pause. "Now, tell me what you’ve found out about this Layla girl."
Inéz walked even closer to the door as she heard her fake name being said. Noah had warned her that they would investigate her as soon as she started working. Hopefully, there wasn’t anything out of place with the documents Isaac was supposed to set up.
"She’s clean. Everything checked out with her. But if you want to know more personal things about her, then Amanda got close to her. Maybe she mentioned something worth knowing. However, she is who she says. There’s nothing shady about her."
"Good."
"Are you going to call Coluccio about her?" Alberto asked.
"Why would I? She’s going to bring me a lot of money with her shy personality. Putting her in a high-end Gentlemen's Club would be a mistake. With dancing, she’s able to prove herself. It wouldn’t work anywhere else."
"Alright. I’m just asking because I saw Noah Falcone interested in her when he was in the club during her first day. He might be thinking of introducing Coluccio to her."
Gastone snorted. "Nonsense. Falcone rarely cares about which girls are involved in his soldier's business. Never before had he meddle with mine. But keep an eye out for it because I don’t want to get blindsided," he said.
"Layla?"
The girl heard a male voice coming from behind her. She whirled around, scared. Her eyes widened when she caught Julian's baffled expression. He was standing a few steps away with narrowed eyes, probably trying to figure out why she was listening in on their boss’ conversation. And she had to think quickly of an answer, that wouldn’t jeopardize her mission.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Sorry, I just heard my name and wanted to know what it was all about," she explained, pulling away from the door. "I am kind of worried about the boss’ intentions towards me."
She opted for the truth. It didn’t reveal her real motives but would also get Julian off her back. The man seemed astute, and there was a chance that he already knew Gastone had shown interested in her.
He regarded her and nodded slowly. Whether he believed her or not, couldn’t be said for sure. Without another word he returned to the main area, leaving Inéz all alone. She sighed going into the changing room at last and pulled out her phone. The girl only knew about Julian the most basic information that had been needed once she’d started working in the club, but at the present time, she wanted to know if the man would become a problem and rat her out. She sent a message to Isaac to check his past for any unusual behavior.
§ § §
Following her routine rehearsal, she took a quick break to hydrate. With ease and grace, she slid down the pole, taking a deep breath. Her back was hurting a little from overexertion, so she needed a few minutes before going back to creating a new dance routine for her upcoming performance.
She heard clapping and raised her head. Gastone was sitting in his usual booth with a few files spread on the table in front of him. However, he didn’t seem interested in them at all. His eyes burned with desire as he watched her.
How long has he been there?
"I must admit, hiring you was one of the best decisions I’ve made recently," he said as he checked her out.
It made Inéz uncomfortable as usual. Her shoulders slumped, in an attempt to make herself smaller. Gastone smirked, patting the space next to him, inviting her over. A refusal
rested on Inéz’s lips, but she had to swallow it down and hesitantly moved to the booth. With a frightened expression, she tried to calm herself down, so that the Capodecina wouldn’t realize just how much his closeness affected her. She didn’t look up into his face, but could easily feel his eyes traveling up and down her body. At that moment, Inéz wished she was wearing something different than a flimsy tank top and a pair of shorts. Too much of her body was exposed for her to feel at ease.
"We didn’t get a chance to talk last time. I apologize for having to leave," he drawled.
Inéz was far from being sorry that it happened. Frankly, she’d never been more grateful to anyone than she had been to Alberto when he’d appeared in the office. But it wouldn’t always be like that. Not everyone wanted to save her from her boss, and sooner or later he would get his way. The girl could only pray that by that time she would have enough information on him to walk away.
She nodded.
"How are you doing so far? From what I’ve seen, you’re one hell of a dancer. The clients have started asking me whether you’re available for the VIP rooms."
"I..." she stuttered.
"I said that you’re too precious to be allowed after-work activities." Gastone took a gulp of his whiskey, his grin as terrifying as it could be.
"Thank you," Inéz whispered.
No way the Capodecina had said that to protect her from other men, but rather to keep her for himself. So, there was no thankfulness in her voice. Just a simple white lie that might prevent her from getting too deep, too fast in this sticky situation. However, Gastone hadn’t caught it. He put his arm around her waist and gripped her hip.
"I should go back to rehearsing," she said, trying to get up but the strong hold dragged her back down. She was unable to leave the man’s side.
His face flashed with anger which suggested that he didn’t like when the girl attempted to find an excuse. But in that exact moment, one of the soldiers called his name, and soon they both disappeared backstage.
Inéz sighed with relief and got up to return to the stage. Her eyes darted to the files lying on the table. Those didn’t look like bills or taxes related to the club’s operations. She ensured that Gastone hadn’t come back and reached her hand to grab the documents and see whether there was anything that she could use.
"Don’t," someone warned her in a low, dangerous voice.
Flavio Falcone took a few steps and effectively blocked her way. With a disdainful look, he grabbed her wrist and shoved it away from the table, his eyes narrowing at her. Displeasure flickered in his eyes.
"There are cameras here. Do it and we might as well go to war with these people," he murmured.
The girl swallowed but believed the man and didn’t check around to see whether he was telling the truth. It would look suspicious if anyone saw the recording later. She could only hope that no one realized her intention to read the files.
"If you’re ever left in Conte’s office alone, then you can search through them. Not here," he added. "Isaac looked Julian up and he’s clean. Why did you need the information?"
"Because he caught me listening in on Gastone and Alberto by accident. I had to know whether he would just believe my excuse or go tell on me," Inéz confessed.
Another flash of displeasure passed through the Underboss’ expression. He pursed his lips and walked away from the girl with a small nod. He disappeared backstage but quickly returned with the twins, the three of them soon leaving the club.
CHAPTER 30
The Las Vegas dojo was a vast property where most soldiers were used to spending their free time to train and fight as they pleased. It was usually filled with men, however today there was no one. For some reason, the gym had been closed off to all others.
Drew glanced at the Capo curiously. Ever since they started their training it had never been the case. But then again, Noah was hardly there, to begin with.
"Why are you here with us?" asked Isaac.
Noah rolled his eyes, changing into his fighting shorts. "Because I need to make sure you’re ready for the initiation tonight," he said.
"And what does that have to do with fighting? It’s just a blood oath."
While Isaac believed those words, Drew knew how the initiation actually worked. Lynette had told him about it, and he knew the day was going to be as dreadful as it possibly could. Him shooting Cesarino was a whole different thing. Judging by the serious expression on his boss’s face, the night wouldn’t end with a wound that could be healed. He would have to kill someone.
His throat tensed up. "Who?" he asked.
"There’s a prosecutor that needed to be taught a lesson. Sadly, he didn’t get the last message." Silence. "Another reason that should be enough to get rid of fucking Gastone. He’s infuriating me every single fucking day," Noah seethed, hoisting his weight to the ring.
He grabbed the bandages and began to wrap them around his hands.
Isaac peeked at his best friend with a terrified look. Drew had been determined to become one of the best fighters in the Famiglia ever since he started. It gave him satisfaction and a sense of belonging that he hadn’t felt before. The horror stories he’d heard from Lynette were pushed to the side, and he had to admit that, besides making sure that the love of his life was safe, he actually wanted to join the organization. Nothing horrified him anymore. Surprisingly, not even killing someone.
But his friend was different. He still carried a part of his innocence. It hadn’t been mercilessly ripped away from him four years ago as Drew’s had. And Noah had said from the start that Henderson would mostly handle the computer side of the business. Thinking back however, there was no guarantee that the man wouldn’t have to prove himself one way or another. This time it involved killing someone.
"That’s one person. What about the other?" Drew pressed.
"No one important. Just one of the low-life scums that used to deal for the Famiglia." The Capo explained. "Now come on, we don’t have all day to chit-chat."
§ § §
The initiation went smoothly, considering that two outsiders were pulled into the Famiglia and none of the captains were thrilled about it. No one said anything against it, however. Mostly because it wouldn’t change a thing. Other than that, Noah could lose his temper and more people would die than be initiated on that day.
Yet, it hadn’t been easy for Drew, and neither for Isaac. And it shouldn’t have been because that would make them the same as any Made Man, and that wasn’t their intention. Their priorities were different, something which Noah had known from the start. They couldn’t be changed in a matter of weeks. Neither of them had been born into this world as he had. From a young age, respect towards the Capo had been burned, beaten and mentally ingrained into him. And that was one of the things that the young Falcone wanted to change. He needed people’s respect because he’d earned it. Treating his soldiers the way Marco'd had was the reason why the Famiglia hadn’t been completely reliable. That alone forced his hand to get rid of so many people after taking charge.
Having returned home after the initiation, Noah changed his clothes quickly and left once again. This time, he drove to his brother’s apartment which was a few minutes away. There was no particular reason behind it, but the Capo didn’t feel like being alone for the night because he would most likely end up in Gastone’s club to watch Inéz. And that wasn’t an option. No matter how much he wanted to do it.
With a sharp knock at the door, he pushed down the handle. He usually announced his presence but didn’t wait for the invite. It was just for his peace of mind, in case Flavio had female company, which he sometimes did. Entering the penthouse, he heard the sound of plates being used which made him follow it to the kitchen.
Flavio’s apartment was much smaller than Noah’s because the younger Falcone didn’t like extravagant things and was used to doing everything low-key. It had only one floor with two bedrooms, a big living room overlooking Las Vegas with big glass walls, connected with the k
itchen, and a bathroom. No bar, spiral stairs or hot-tub. However, it was still impressive and expensive for an ordinary person’s standards. Not everyone could afford it. As an Underboss, he had a lot of money but wasn’t used to spending it much.
Turning the corner from the hall to the kitchen space, he abruptly stopped as his eyes settled on a dark blond-haired girl who was most likely on her way to open the front door. At least that was what it looked like.
Noah smirked, shamelessly studying her. She was wearing black sweats and a casual white t-shirt. Nothing special. "I wondered where my brother had accommodated you. I would have imagined one of my hotels or something. Certainly not his apartment," he said.
Anastasia breathed out, lowering her gaze. She was uncomfortable in the Capo’s presence and was well-aware that he enjoyed it tremendously. It was his pastime with everyone. She didn’t answer.
"Where’s Flavio?" he asked.
The girl pointed to the doors on the far right. Bathroom. "He’s taking a shower," she whispered.
Noah nodded and passed by Anastasia, sitting down on the couch in the living room. He pulled out his phone, checking his messages as he waited for his brother to get out. In the corner of his eye, he registered that the girl had gone back to whatever she’d been doing in the kitchen before he interrupted her.
"Why has Flavio taken you here?" Noah asked after a few minutes of silence.
He could only guess the reason as Flavio wasn’t the most straightforward person and his motives probably differed from what Anastasia was thinking, and what Noah was imagining. But it wouldn’t hurt to try to find out.