“After you, gentlemen,” Lila said as Knox, Dustin and Landon passed through the doorway.
The Velvet Room was an intimate setting with stained cherry paneled walls. Small circular tables peppered the room with red velvet-upholstered arm chairs at each. A bronze chandelier hung from the ceiling and offered dim lighting for the patrons of the Velvet Room. Tea lights twinkled from each table, and the sounds of Chopin’s Nocturne Opus Number 9 gently flowed through the room. Lila led the Capadonno brothers to the center of the room. Knox lowered himself into an armchair, giving Lila a wink as she walked off, disappearing behind a sheer curtain. Dustin and Landon took a seat, Landon peering around at his surroundings uncomfortably. It was clear that this was not a setting that he was used to. Dustin, on the other hand, looked bored and unfazed.
Lila reemerged from beyond the veil with a chalice of chianti in her grasp. She placed it down on the mahogany table and passed each of the men a leather menu. Running her hand along the curve of the table, Lila’s eyes fell upon Knox‘s face. Her hand stopped just short of his own, almost as if it was an invitation, but rather than accept it, Knox held his hand up, indicating the need for space.
“Leave us,” Knox said coolly as his brooding eyes grazed over the young woman’s face, her eyes recoiling from his rejection.
Wrong audience, darlin’, Knox thought, as he watched the hostess saunter off, giving him one final glance. “Sergio will be right with you.”
As the leather door swung shut, Landon’s eyes shot across the table towards his brothers.
“What’s going on?” Landon asked in a voice full of skepticism.
Knox grabbed the chalice and slowly poured himself a glass of the fragrant wine.
“Well, that all depends on your theory. The old man needs to appoint a replacement.”
“A replacement?” Landon asked, trying to draw a conversation out of Knox.
“Acting boss,” Dustin said quietly as he turned his cell phone off.
“Who is he thinking of? Has he said?” Landon asked as he leaned forward in his chair.
“It’ll be a Capadonno…” Knox explained cryptically, not elaborating further.
“I expected so,” Landon admitted. “It’ll never be me. He doesn’t trust me.”
“I have no idea why, you’re a good enough kid,” Dustin admitted as he reached over and shook his younger brother’s head full of blonde hair.
“Argh! Knock it off!” Landon complained as he flattened down his short but thick head of hair.
Knox took a sip of his wine as Dustin watched him.
“How can you drink that shit?” Dustin asked as his chair skidded out from the table.
Making his way over to the bar, a few bottles clanged loudly as Dustin looked for his drink of choice.
“Yo, Landon, pick your poison!”
“Dangerous words, coming from the Capo…” Knox said as he winked at Landon.
“Snakebite. Think you can handle that?” Landon asked with an edge to his voice.
“Nice. Shouldn’t be a problem…” Dustin said nonchalantly as he turned back towards the bar.
“What are you drinking?” Knox asked Dustin as he watched him begin to mix his drink.
“Irish Car Bomb,” Dustin admitted. “I foresee a long line of them comin’ my way.”
“Your Italian ancestors are probably spittin’ on you,” Knox said with a laugh.
“Fine by me. My Irish forefathers can kick their Mafioso asses.”
“While you’re over there, pour me a drink! A Manhattan,” Knox demanded.
“Lazy bastard,” Landon said with a laugh. “Just who do you think you are? Flashy ass DA…”
Knox laughed smugly. “They only call me the DA in New York. Around here they just call me Consigliere…”
Consigliere… Landon thought. Counselor to the boss.
Landon had never heard Knox admit it out loud.
Shaking his head from side to side, Dustin mixed their drinks and prepared for the conversation at hand. Landon, looking up at Knox with a dark tone setting in his eyes, wondered where his brother’s loyalties truly lay. Which of his roles did he really hold true to, the hard hitting DA of New York, or the loyal to the death Consigliere, and right-hand man of Michael Capadonno? Landon thought he knew where Knox’s chips fell, one could never be too sure though. Especially with a character like him.
“So tell me,” Landon began. “Who do you think the old man is going to put in charge?”
Knox swirled his wine in his glass. Looking up at Landon, he had a look of deep scrutinization on his face.
“The question is, Landon, who do you think Michael will choose?” Knox said as he nodded his head at Landon.
“Well, I always assumed it would be you,” Landon admitted coolly.
Dustin let out a dry laugh as he carried over three drinks to the table. “Fat chance.”
Knox’s eyebrows arched in amusement.
“Definitely not me,” Knox admitted. “I’m way too high profile.”
“Mr. Celebrity,” Dustin said as he rolled his eyes.
Quietly, Dustin placed a Manhattan in front of Knox, causing Landon to lift an eyebrow in interest.
Mr. DA sipping on the drink of choice of the Italian mafia. Interesting, Landon thought.
“So who, then?” Landon asked as he prepared to take a swig of his drink.
Dustin laughed slyly as he looked at Landon.
“You?” Landon asked in surprise.
“Fuck that. I’m good where I’m at. Besides, the old man finds me too mouthy,” Dustin explained just before downing his Irish Car Bomb, chugging the stout and whiskey combination before the Bailey’s cream could curdle in his throat.
“Then who? A cousin? One of Uncle Sonny’s kids?” Landon asked.
“Think about it, kid,” Knox begged. “The old man is not stupid and he always has an agenda. Who is the one of us who has the most to lose?”
Knox’s knuckles tapped against the wood of the table as he stared at Landon. Slowly, a look of recognition took over Landon’s face.
“No…” Landon said in an exasperated voice.
“Now we’re on the same page,” Dustin said calmly, giving his brother an apologetic stare.
Knox patted his youngest brother on the knee as he rose to get another drink. Landon followed Knox’s shadow across the room as the reality of the situation set in.
In a voice barely more than a whisper, Landon said in a hollow tone, “Miles.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A FRYING PAN SIZZLED in the kitchen of Juan Alves’s house as Miles Capadonno dropped another handful of raw chicken into the pan of simmering oil. With the stereo playing Bruce Springsteen’s Essential album, Miles swayed along with the beat as he prepared dinner. The sound of Letty and Juan’s spat had been drowned out by the music and Miles was happy for that, because no kid should have to listen to his mother’s distressed cries. Miles hoped that Letty and Juan would come to a happy conclusion. The way he saw it, no matter what Juan’s opinion was, Miles was in Letty’s life now. There would be no getting rid of him, unless he hired the Capadonnos himself, and let’s face it, Juan and Michael Capadonno were not exactly BFFs.
G sat happily in his booster seat at the kitchen table, nibbling on a manila wafer Miles found in Juan’s pantry. Beating his hands along with the tempo of the song, “Blinded by the Light,” G seemed to share Miles’s passion for the Boss’s music.
“Tell you what kid, you’ve got style. I like that...” Miles said with a laugh as G squealed along to the music.
Grabbing a spoon off of a hook on the wall, Miles stirred the chicken, and proceeded to pour a bag of brown rice into a pan.
“It won’t be as good as your momma’s cookin’ but it’ll be all right,” Miles said to G.
G seemed to agree with Miles’s statement as he covered his face with one of his tiny hands.
“I know, man. I know,” Miles said with a smile.
“What’s g
oin’ on out here?” Letty asked with a smile as she emerged in the kitchen with a tear-streaked face. Juan followed behind her with an embarrassed look upon his face.
“G and I are attempting to cook dinner...” Miles said with a laugh as he scooped some of the chicken from the pan. Though he was no Emeril Lagasse, Miles’s chicken was perfectly fried to a golden crisp.
Letty crossed the kitchen floor and placed her hands on Miles’s back, giving him a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades. Grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter top, Letty wiped her face and gave Miles a sheepish smile. Juan, catching Miles’s attention, cleared his throat. Peering over his shoulder at Juan, Miles nodded his head respectfully at Juan. Miles noticed Letty’s father was holding a large army-green metal box that was secured with a combination lock. Lifting an eyebrow, Miles gave Juan a knowing smile. Moving aside to allow Letty take over the cooking of the meal, Miles leaned against the kitchen counter, keeping Juan in his sight. As Juan placed the metal box on the kitchen table, he finally spoke.
“I did what I thought I needed to in order to keep my daughter safe,” Juan explained, giving Miles an apologetic look.
Nodding at Juan, Miles understood why he did what he did. He tried to put himself in the man’s shoes. His only daughter at age seventeen was involved with a member of the Capadonno family. Miles shrugged.
“If it were my daughter, I probably would have done the same.”
“I’m still not cool with this,” Juan said as he pointed to Miles and Letty. “But Letty has made it clear that, in her words, ‘She is a grown-ass woman and she isn’t about to let me dictate who she can and cannot see.’ Don’t hurt my baby and we won’t have a problem, son…”
Juan had a serious look upon his face as he stared up at Miles. There was a foot of difference between the men. As Miles stared down at Juan, he didn’t feel as if he was a bigger man than Juan. The two were on equal footing.
“I’d never dream of it, Mr. Alves.”
“Just call him One,” Letty laughed. “G does.”
“Funny…” Juan said as he gave his daughter a wink. “Hey son…” Juan said to Miles, bringing him back into the conversation.
“Yeah, boss…”
“That boy right there,” Juan said as he nodded towards G. “He’s our whole world. Don’t you let nothing happen to him.”
Miles glanced over at G as a heavy feeling weighed in his heart. Giving Letty an emotional glance, Miles replied, “I would go to the ends of the earth for your daughter, and that extends to G, and everyone else she loves. You have my word, Mr. Alves.”
“It’s Juan.”
“One!” G corrected.
Letty smiled as she focused on the meal she was preparing. As her eyes welled with tears, she stroked it away with her free hand as she dished out the meal onto round plates.
“All right everyone, it’s dinner time…”
Passing a plate to each of the men that held a piece of her heart, Letty prepared to sit down to the first meal of the rest of her life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE FRONT DOOR of the Capadonno residence swung open as Fish hobbled through with a limp. Holding a white pastry box in his left hand, Fish closed the heavy door with his free hand. Casting a look of frustration towards the men that filled up the chairs around Michael Capadonno’s bed, Fish looked fit to be tied.
“’Bout time you showed up!” Tony Bergoglio called out with a disgruntled look upon his face. He wiped his hand on the pants of his track suit, the white powder of cocaine leaving a white smudge on the black material. “I called you last winter! Fuckin’ donuts are probably melted!”
“Like you need any more fuckin’ donuts!” Big Bang said followed by a round of boisterous laughter.
“Last winter…” Fish replied as a flash of rage crossed his face. “I got a fuckin’ bullet in my shoulder! Insensitive pricks!” Fish complained as he dropped the box of pastries on the coffee table with a thud.
“Aye!” Michael Capadonno called out, his face turning a vibrant shade of red. “The fuck’s your problem, huh?”
“Lemme reiterate…” Fish said as he pointed to his shoulder.
“Re-wha?” Tony asked with a confused look on his round face. “You takin’ night classes, Fish, wit’ those fancy words?”
“It means repeat, you ignoramus! Like why do I gotta repeat the fact that I got a fuckin’ bullet in my shoulder and you nutjobs choose ME to go get your precious Susumelles and Panforte!”
“You shoulda listened, numb nuts!” Six spat as he slapped the Fish hard in the back of his head.
“I told you to leave Letty Alves alone,” Michael Capadonno said coolly, his hardened gaze drilling towards the Fish.
“Yeah…” Fish said, sounding reluctant. “Yeah, you sure did, Butch. I was tryin’ to protect the family.”
“Who died and made you boss?” Big Bang said, his voice bellowing through the house.
The Fish became rigidly still. He felt as if he was shrinking down, failing under the pressure of the stares from the men around him. The men who he considered to be his brothers. His family.
Big Bang adjusted his tie, as he glowered at Fish. “So who the fuck shot you?”
Big Bang was doing the talking but Fish couldn’t take his eyes off of Michael Capadonno’s steely gaze.
“Miles did. Bastard came out of nowhere like a bat out of hell. Told me he’d kill me if I went near Letty again!” Fish griped.
“Well, Fishie,” Michael began. “If you would have did what you was told, you wouldn’t be in this little predicament. Would ya?”
“Like I was sayin’, Butch, I was just tryin’ to do you a solid. She saw too much.”
Michael waved his hand, quickly interrupting the Fish as he spoke.
“See, Fish…” Michael began. He cracked his knuckles as he glowered up at Fish with a sickly smile growing across his face. “You put me in a compromising situation.”
Michael’s eyes lit up with dark amusement.
Fish attempted to defend himself. “How was I to know that Miles still held some spark for her?!” Fish asked. “Seriously! I always thought she was one of your comares!”
The room went silent as everyone’s eyes darted to Michael’s face. His reaction was lethal. All remorse had escaped from his eyes and now only the look of a cold and calculating killer stared back at Fish.
“Who I fuck is none of your business!” Michael spat.
Michael’s eyes flickered to the gun that sat on Big Bang’s lap. Before Big Bang even knew what was happening, Michael had grabbed the gun. Pointing the weapon at Fish, Michael continued to glare at his old friend.
“You made a huge mistake, Fish,” Michael said as he took the safety off of the gun.
“All this over a comare? A simple bitch?” Fish demanded to know, hoping that he could shock some reason into Michael. He knew that now was not the time to show fear.
A snarl rose from Michael’s lip.
“Letty Alves is so much more than that, and you made a mistake crossing me.”
Fish, preparing to defend himself once more, opened his mouth, but the words on his tongue would never be uttered. Lifting the gun, Michael Capadonno plugged a hole in between the Fish’s eyes.
Not a sound was uttered as Fish stared back blankly, not breaking his connection with the Butcher’s steely gaze. Finally, in what seemed like an eternity, the Fish fell to the marble floor face first. His limp body crashed upon the cold floor with a loud thud. No one spoke or moved for a few moments as they looked at their former comrade with a strange hint of sadness in their eyes. Big Bang shook his head as he looked up to Michael with a question on his face.
“Hey, Butchie…” Big Bang asked with a perplexed look on his round face. “Alves ain’t your comare… She’s as clean as they come.”
Michael chuckled to himself. “Letty Alves has dodged me for years. She’s never so much as let me touch her lips. He disobeyed my orders and he tainted a good girl’s name
. Fish got what was comin’ to him.”
Big Bang shrugged. “That’s what he gets then…”
“Aye!” Tony yelled out. “Somebody clean that up!” Tony demanded as he pointed a stubby finger at the Fish’s dead body. As several men casually removed themselves from their seats, the front door swung open. Several pairs of footsteps echoed through the foyer.
“Oh, fuck. Look who it is. Mr. Big Shot.”
“Aye! Where’s your three-piece suit?” Big Bang yelled at Knox.
Knox stood in the doorway of the parlor with Dustin at his side. As Knox glared at the men, Dustin’s eyes darted to the floor where Fish’s body lay. Quickly, Dustin turned on his heel and ushered Landon out of the house.
“Go,” Dustin said in a hushed tone to Landon. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“And go where? What the fuck is going on?” Landon demanded to know.
“Anywhere but here!” Dustin spat as he passed his car keys to his younger brother. “Go on, get outta here,” Dustin pressed with a hard edge to his voice.
Landon recognized the fear in his brother’s typically unreadable eyes. Swiping the keys from Dustin, Landon turned to get in the brand new black Mercedes Benz. Dustin didn’t wait for Landon to pull off. As soon as Landon took the keys, Dustin turned and locked the front door behind him, rejoining Knox in the entryway.
Knox, who was staring down at Fish’s dead body with a disgruntled look on his face, quipped, “Now that’s one dead fish.” His look of muted amusement caused the other men to roar with laughter.
Dustin didn’t seem to see what was so funny though. Attitude and angst poured from his every movement as Dustin glared at his father. “You just can’t seem to stay the fuck outta trouble, can ya, ya old crazy bastard!”
Miles Away (Carrion #1) Page 14