by Carsen Taite
They reached the top of the stairway and turned to the left on the wide landing. Royal shot a quick look to the right and noted there was a door at each end of the hallway and one in the middle. From what she could tell from the outside of the house, this third story was about half the size of the two floors below. She shifted her initial impression that Siobhan might be taking her to a bedroom because she had a hunch these rooms, strategically placed in the compound, were the operation center of the Mancuso family business. When they reached the door at the end of the hallway, Siobhan placed her hand on the knob and looked back at her.
“Are you ready?”
The question was deceptively simple, but without knowing for sure what was behind the door, Siobhan had the upper hand. Royal suspected she usually did. She mustered the kind of swagger she knew was expected from anyone who was interested in rising in the ranks and said, “I’ve never been more ready.”
Siobhan eased the door open and held up a hand at the large man standing on the other side. He wasn’t visibly armed, but considering his size, he didn’t need to be, and it was pretty clear he was a gatekeeper. Royal followed Siobhan through the doorway and looked around. She’d been expecting to be standing in a room, but this was an entryway, a fake entrance of sorts, leading to another door a few feet away.
“Is he alone?” Siobhan asked.
“Waiting for you,” the man answered. He pointed at Royal. “Who’s this?”
“New business.”
Royal watched the exchange, noting Siobhan’s confidence—very sexy—and the easy way she smacked down his question. The dynamics were interesting and exactly the kind of thing she was here to observe. The allure of Siobhan wielding her power was a total bonus.
The man stepped aside, and Siobhan opened the second door a crack, but before she swung it wide, she fixed Royal with a look and placed a finger over her lips. Royal nodded to show she understood and then followed her into the room where Don Carlo Mancuso, dressed in a tuxedo, sat behind a giant desk.
She’d expected to see Carlo today, at the wedding reception, but not this close and not this privately. Her gut clenched a little at the idea her identity might’ve been discovered, and she mentally recounted everything that had happened so far that day from the moment Leo had picked her up at the house to the heist at the semi this afternoon. Instinctively, she hung back while Siobhan strode confidently to the desk.
“Siobhan,” Carlo said, taking both of her hands into his. “I hear you have declined your detail. Tell me that’s not true.”
Siobhan laughed. “I guess I better stop trusting Neal to keep my secrets. No, they still follow me everywhere, but I wanted to drive myself today. I haven’t had much of a chance to enjoy your very generous gift since things have heated up.”
Royal took note of the easy affection and informal discourse between Carlo and Siobhan. She was indeed like a daughter to him, but with her law degree and position as consigliere, ten times more powerful.
“Would you like to introduce me to this new person before we move on to other matters?”
Despite the inflection, it wasn’t a question, and Royal watched with interest to see how Siobhan handled the command.
“Carlo Mancuso, I’d like to introduce Royal Flynn.” Siobhan motioned for her to come closer. “She’s working with Robert.”
“Yet here she is with you. Who is taking care of our guests?” Carlo asked.
Royal paused mid-step. “It’s an honor to meet you. I assure you, sir, everything is going well, but you’re right. I should get back to the reception.” She bowed slightly and started to back away.
“No, stay,” Siobhan said, holding up a hand before turning back to Mancuso. “Royal is the one who saved my life last week. Without regard for her own safety.”
“And she believes she is owed a reward for this favor?” Carlo asked.
Siobhan met her eyes before turning back to Carlo. “No, she doesn’t. In fact, she hasn’t mentioned it again. But I believe she has earned a chance to prove she can be of even more value to the family.” She turned back to Royal. “You’re not averse to taking on more work, are you?”
“Not averse at all,” Royal replied, knowing there was only one answer.
Carlo interlocked his fingers and studied Siobhan, his face devoid of expression, as was hers. Royal watched the silent yet meaningful exchange between them, curious about the fact they spoke as if she wasn’t in the room and wondering how often Siobhan pressed a point with Mancuso. Judging by his surprise she was doing so now, she figured it wasn’t often, and it was cheeky to risk outright rejection in front of a practical stranger. Royal filed the fact away with the many other random bits of information she’d gathered about this secretive family and vowed to sort it all out later.
“Come closer, please.”
Royal snapped to attention and followed Carlo’s command, but she waited to speak until she heard what he had to say, taking the time to notice, now that she was closer to him, that he was pale and his hands trembled slightly. Was he ill?
“I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving the life of someone I hold dear. You wish to redeem this debt by working for me?”
Royal kept her voice calm and even. “I could think of no greater honor than to be in your service.” The cloying words were thick and hard to swallow, but she did her best to sell the deference she didn’t feel.
Carlo patted the desk. “Very well. We will find a place where you can do well. For both of us. Siobhan will discuss the details with you later.”
Siobhan caught Royal’s gaze and offered a hint of a smile. Royal desperately wanted to stick around, but she was certain Carlo’s words had been a polite dismissal. “Thank you, Don. Royal, we’ll talk later,” Siobhan said, her tone making it clear they were done for now.
Royal nodded and started toward the door, but before she reached it, it flew open and a tall, gorgeous woman she instantly recognized as Dominique entered the room.
“Well, well, well. Who is this tall, gorgeous specimen?” Dominique said. She downed a half-full champagne glass, set it down, and stopped to run her hand along the edge of Royal’s lapel. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” she said, her voice a smooth purr.
Royal felt the heat of Siobhan’s glare from across the room. She wanted to tell her not to worry, she was the target of her supposed affections, but instead she leaned into the attention from Dominique, sensing any conflict that might arise from being at the center of this faux sibling rivalry might prove interesting. She’d learned a long time ago to look for wedges anywhere she could find them and exploit when necessary. She stuck out her hand. “Royal Flynn, nice to meet you.” By now she was able to deliver her phony last name smoothly.
“Poppa, you’re supposed to have security that blends into the background. This one won’t do at all, though I suppose there’s some value in having someone this distractingly good-looking on the clock.” She ran a hand down Royal’s arm. “I may have to steal this one for my own.”
Royal balked at Dominique’s objectifying language, but she played the role of dutiful servant and didn’t speak or otherwise react to Dominique’s touch. She did take in the piercing glare in Siobhan’s eyes and knew Dominique had gotten a rise out of her even as she tried to squelch any display of an emotional response.
“Dominique, we have business to discuss.”
Siobhan’s voice was sharp and commanding, but Dominique didn’t fall in line. Instead she leaned close and whispered in Royal’s ear. “I’ll find you later.”
Royal took the cue and strode toward the door, taking care to appear indifferent about being dismissed, but inwardly wishing she had a valid reason to stay, certain that the underbelly of the Mancuso criminal empire would be conducting all kinds of business this day judging by how many notables from other crime families she’d seen at the reception so far. But as she left the room, she couldn’t deny the thing she was going to miss the most was the opportunity to be in the presence of the enigm
atic Siobhan, and she hoped that “later” would come soon.
❖
“Who was that?”
Siobhan wished Dominique would keep her mouth shut, but years of hoping she would be more discreet had only convinced her wishing was futile. “Royal is working with Robert, but we’re considering giving her more responsibility.”
“Has she been checked out?” Dominique asked. “Or is looking delicious our new criteria for promotion?”
“She handled a run today like she’d done it dozens of times before. Not to mention she saved my life before she even knew there was anything to gain by doing so.” Siobhan crossed her arms to signal the conversation was over, knowing that with Dominique it never really was. Fast friends as kids, the two of them had learned to trust each other as adults, but only because Carlo expected them to work in tandem. As they’d grown older, their interests had diverged, and they were constantly testing the power balance between them. Siobhan knew every decision both of them made was for the good of the family, but increasingly, they had very different ideas of how to define their goals. She was careful and calculating where Dominique was bold and brash, taking on unnecessary risk. So far, Dominique’s methods had yielded crazy profits, but her strategies were the reason Jimmy had wound up being arrested by the feds, and if she kept up her current trajectory, she could very well endanger the inner circle of the Mancuso family. That Dominique would question Royal when she so easily embraced risk in every other aspect of the family business was laughable, and Siobhan was certain it was because bringing Royal on hadn’t been her idea in the first place.
Hell, she questioned her own judgment around Royal. What was it about this woman that threatened her composure whenever they were in the same room? Sure, Royal was strong and good-looking, and those piercing eyes were mesmerizing, but she had her pick of many similarly beautiful women. Maybe it was Royal’s nonchalance. The women Siobhan usually met, whether for a quick lay or an actual date, were all more interested in her role in the family versus her as an individual, but from the first moment they’d met, with Royal hurtling herself between her and the oncoming SUV, she’d known Royal was different. They hadn’t known each other at all then, but in that moment, by her actions, Siobhan knew more about Royal than any background check or date night conversation could reveal, and she trusted her now because of it. Careless? Perhaps, but her instincts were her most trusted resource and they’d served her well thus far.
“Speaking of saving lives, has anyone figured out who tried to run down our little Shiv?”
Dominique addressed the question to Carlo, but it was clearly designed to get a rise out of her and she wasn’t going to take the bait. “I think it was Petrov’s people. They haven’t been happy since we cut ties last month. We delivered the message, so they delivered one back.”
Siobhan was skeptical. It was true—they had stopped doing business with the Russians when they’d learned the events they’d catered for them that were supposed to be a cover for a mutual bootlegging operation and money laundering scheme were also being used as a wholesale prostitution ring. The Mancusos’ enterprises consisted of mostly illegal activities, but they drew the line at human trafficking in any form. “Maybe it was Petrov, but I’d expect a more personalized message if it was. A random drive-by doesn’t seem like his style.”
“I think it’s exactly the kind of thug move the Russians would make, and I think they’re also responsible for the nuisance hits we’ve been taking—the thefts, the poor reviews. Sitting around and letting them get away with this stuff signals weakness,” Dominique said. “It’s time to deliver a decisive message in return.”
“What do you want to do?” Siobhan asked. “Tail them and run down every higher-up in the family? You’ll start an all-out war.”
Dominique shook her head. “They’ll back off at the first sign of strength. They don’t have the stomach for a real fight.”
“No telling how many lives you’ll risk testing that theory. Mikhail Petrov is a reasonable man. I suggest a sit-down before things escalate out of control,” Siobhan said.
“Waste of time. Besides, who’s going to do it?”
Carlo held up a hand to signal the conversation was over. “A meeting is a good idea, but he hasn’t earned the right to sit down with me. Siobhan, set it up and convey to him my deepest desire for a truce.”
Siobhan heard the coded language and knew she was being tasked with convincing the Petrovs that if they didn’t stand down, they would go down, and sending her when she’d been the object of their violence was a signal the Mancusos were fearless. Her task would be complicated by the fact she’d be showing up to a meeting of a family head without the power balance of the Mancuso don, but she was up for it and grateful Carlo hadn’t decided to assign Dominique to join her. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What other business do you two have for me today?”
“Martin Vedda would like to talk to you about a business opportunity. I think you should hear him out.”
“More of his family’s old-fashioned, outdated ‘opportunities’?” Dominique asked, using air quotes to signal her opinion about Martin’s business plan. “Why is he coming to us?”
“Because it’s not outdated, and his own family can’t sustain what he has planned. Be glad he’s coming to us instead of one of the other families.”
“He still sweet on you?”
Siobhan shrugged off the needling. “It’s business, D. Let it go.”
“It’s always business with you. Poppa, tell Siobhan she needs a more well-rounded life.”
“If I wanted to hear you girls bicker, I’d tell you so. Focus, please.” He motioned to Siobhan. “What is this new business that’s so ambitious the Veddas can’t sustain it without our help?”
“I’d prefer to let him explain it to you.” She waited, fairly certain he would grant her this request, but as always trepidatious about trusting his favor.
“Fine. Bring him in.”
Siobhan motioned to the guard at the door and hoped Martin had shown up outside as she’d asked. She needn’t have worried. He was right outside the door, pacing. “Are you practicing for a marathon?”
“Very funny.” He pointed at the door. “Is he ready to hear my idea?”
“Certainly,” Siobhan said. “You’ll have fifteen minutes, including questions.”
“Generous,” he muttered under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear.
“I have a long list of people who would give up half their fortune for such a slot. If you don’t want it, let me know and I’ll move on.” Siobhan waited a moment and then started walking back toward the door.
“Wait.”
She stopped but didn’t turn.
“I want to talk to him.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Come on, then.” She pushed through the door while he scampered to catch up. Dominique was now sitting on the sofa to the side of Carlo’s desk and she’d switched from Champagne to a martini.
“Is this Mr. Big Idea?” Dominique said with a hint of a slur. “Hey, what’s the big idea?”
She laughed at her own joke, while the rest of the room was uncomfortably silent. Siobhan saw the flash of disappointment cross Carlo’s face before he motioned to Martin. If Dominique would keep her act together, she was destined to one day run the Mancuso empire, and Siobhan would never understand why that wasn’t a superior motivation to keep it together. In the meantime, it was up to her to keep things on track. She made the introductions. “Don Carlo, Martin would like to discuss a business opportunity. I informed him you have granted fifteen minutes of your time to hear what he has to say,” she said in case Martin tried to overstep.
Carlo rolled his hand at Martin, signaling him to begin.
Martin punched a few buttons on his phone and held it up to display an app. “Liquor delivery. Not long-haul trucks from wholesale to retail, but delivered by rideshare, direct from the wholesaler to the consumer.”
“Already be
ing done,” Dominique blurted out.
“Not really,” Martin said.
“What makes your app special?” Siobhan asked. “I get emails from a half dozen others touting their service.”
“Everyone offers two-hour delivery or even same day service, but the one thing none of them do is deliver direct from wholesale.”
“And?” Dominique asked.
Martin grinned like he’d been waiting for someone to ask him that very question. “And the result is every other app relies on the inventory of retailers over which they have no control. By delivering direct from a wholesaler like say, Valentino’s, you would have complete control over your inventory. Plus, you can track consumer sales so you know what to stock. You can underprice everyone else on the market because you’re cutting out the middleman, and you’ll run the books on the backend.”
Siobhan would swear he winked at that last statement, but the gesture was so subtle, she couldn’t be sure. “Who owns the app? I mean right now.” She wanted to know who in the Vedda family she’d need to get to sign off before they made a commitment.
“I own the program. The copyright is already registered, and it’s ready to be licensed.”
Siobhan started to say if they were going in business with him, they wouldn’t be licensing his app, they’d own it outright. Carlo wasn’t big on owning things that weren’t tangible, but she decided it was best to iron out the details after Carlo decided whether he was interested at all.
Dominique and Carlo spent the balance of the fifteen minutes asking Martin more questions and then Siobhan escorted him out of the room. She motioned to Michael, who was waiting outside. Michael nodded at her and held out his hand for Martin’s phone.
“What?” Martin’s eyes narrowed, clutching his phone to his chest.
“He’s going to check your phone,” Siobhan said, “give him your password.” She hoped Martin wasn’t stupid enough to ask why. She watched while Michael scrolled through Martin’s photos and checked for recordings. He handed the phone back to Martin, but addressed his comments to her. “It’s clean.”