Top Dog_A Mafia Romance

by Rye Hart

“Then I think a walk around the city would be nice,” I said.

  CHAPTER 17

  ROMEO

  I knocked on Vincent’s door and waited for him to answer. I needed advice, and I needed it from someone outside of the family. Vinny had been my father’s right-hand man up until he left the business two years before my father died. He said he got tired of looking over his shoulder all the time and wanted to live his life with the money he’d saved from the dirty work he’d done over the years. He’d made guarantees that nothing he knew would ever leave his lips. Not that he’d needed to make those assurances; one of the people he’d hurt the most by talking to anyone was himself. Vinny and I were close. He was like an uncle to me.

  And I needed his advice.

  “Romeo. What the hell are you doing on your feet?” he asked as he opened the door.

  “I found a baby monitor underneath my bed,” I said.

  “Sounds like the handiwork of your mother. Did she put Antony on your tail?”

  “It wouldn’t shock me. I turned on some music in my room and left it at that. Antony’s probably still playing on his phone like he was when I passed right by the damn car.”

  Vinny chuckled as he led me into the house.

  “Make yourself at home,” he said.

  “I need your advice.”

  “I figured that was why you were here,” he said.

  “How much do you know about the break-in at my place?”

  “I knew you were hurt, but that’s about it. What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m close with a cop on the force, and he was there checking out the house,” I said. “He told me that a detective working the case is trying to tie me to those guys that ended up dead on the docks.”

  “Uh-huh. And you had nothing to do with that, right?” he asked.

  He sighed when I shot him a look.

  “I have to admit, you covered it up well,” he said. “I saw it in the paper. Nothing about it screamed ‘Martine.’”

  “It isn’t what you think,” I said. “I told them I didn’t want the guns, and they held the family over my head. Said I would pay for the guns, take them, and then keep them in mind for the next shipment that I was going to order.”

  Vinny snorted and shook his head.

  “I tried talking my way out of it. I even brought a check for twenty thousand to pay them for their troubles and what the boat probably cost them to ship the product. They would’ve had no issue unloading those guns to anyone else for twice the price they were asking.”

  “Then it sounds like they backed you into a corner,” he said.

  “But when the police started looking around the house, nothing was missing.”

  “So it wasn’t a burglary.”

  “It doesn’t look like it. I’ve walked that house four times. Checked every safe and turned over every rock. Nothing is missing.”

  “That isn’t good, Romeo.”

  “I know that.”

  “Have you checked to see if they planted anything in the house?” he asked.

  “I’ve been keeping an eye out. But so far? Nothing. I have no idea why those guys broke into my home, Vinny. And I have no idea how that detective somehow knew to look at me for those gun runners. I left no trace. Nothing. The police had nothing there to tie us to that shooting.”

  “I think you already know the answer to this question, you’re just waiting for me to say it.”

  “I was hoping you had another theory,” I said.

  “Someone’s trying to set you up. At least expose you for what happened down at the docks. And there’s only one reason anyone would cross a Martine like that.”

  “Fuck,” I said with a groan, knowing exactly what he was about to say.

  “Someone wants their hands on your business.”

  “And that doesn’t help me at all because Dad made plenty of enemies in his spare time.”

  “There are whispers of you trying to clean up your family’s act. If anyone perceives that as a weakness, that might be why they’re coming after you now. They think you’re a pushover for trying to clean up your family’s reputation and see you as an easy target.”

  “And I’m not one,” I said.

  “There are other off-handed explanations about what could’ve happened that night, but none of them fit with the rest of the surrounding circumstances,” he said.

  “I’d be open to hearing them.”

  “I’m hesitant to tell you because none of them are nearly as bad as the one you’re set on. And if you work with the worst-case scenario—”

  “Anything else is a pleasant surprise.”

  “So you were listening all those years,” he said with a grin.

  “You talk too much. Some of it was bound to rub off.”

  “Do you want a drink for the rest of this conversation? We could sit at the kitchen table.”

  “I’ve been lying in a bed for the past two days. Standing feels good right now,” I said. “Vinny, what if those assholes planted evidence in my house? Something that seemed so innocuous that I missed it.”

  “That’s one theory. Another is that break-in was staged as a way to get the police in your house and snooping around in order to plant the evidence themselves. If you’ve got a cop friend, they probably do too. Maybe this detective that’s sniffing your balls.”

  “What the fuck,” I said.

  “It’s nasty business. Cleaning up your family’s reputation isn’t going to be easy. Especially when people back you into corners that make you react the way your father would. And the motive could be a number of things. Taking over the family business. Dethroning you. Teaching you a lesson that things work a certain way and you shouldn't change them. But not knowing that motive is going to make it hard to filter through the enemies your father and I made.”

  “Has anyone lashed out at you recently?” I asked. “Anyone pop up out of the blue?”

  “Nope. Everything’s been quiet here,” he said. “But I keep it that way for a reason. This is the only place where I don’t have to look over my shoulder all the damn time.”

  “Do you have anything you could give me? Any place to start?” I asked.

  “I do, but you’re not going to like it.”

  “I don’t give a damn. I need something. I’m four steps behind, and I’m tired of seeing my enemy’s ass.”

  “Come. Follow me,” he said.

  I walked behind Vincent and followed him into his library. He headed straight for a globe and rotated the top. Up it popped and underneath the hood of the globe were crystal glasses and a small container of dark amber liquid. He poured each of us a glass and handed it to me, then he walked over to the corner of the library.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Just come over here,” Vincent said.

  I walked over to him, and we tucked ourselves away like he was about to tell me a dirty secret. I didn’t like where this was going. “Why are we standing in the corner?” I asked.

  “Romeo, I don’t think I have to tell you twice that Stefano Bianchi is a psychopath,” he said softly.

  “Nope. I’m pretty aware of it,” I said.

  “What if I told you I thought he was behind the murder of his own brother?”

  I paused, my glass against my lips as my eyes locked with his.

  “I’d tell you that you better have some good fucking evidence,” I said.

  “I do. A couple of months before Giuliano died, he and your father were talking in the shadows.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “They had occasional off the books meetings I attended as your father’s personal guard. The two of them were discussing peace among the families, brokering a truce that would put an end to their rivalry and benefit both families financially.”

  I was so stunned I couldn't even speak.

  “Your father knew about your son. And he told me time and time again that the newest generation of Martine deserved a life they could be proud of. That a grandson was a
wonderful reason to clean up both family’s acts. But Stefano was infuriated. He crashed one of our meetings, and I had to draw my weapon on him. He was in Giuliano’s face roaring about how Martines could never coexist with Bianchis. That we were dirt that needed to be overturned.. Stefano was irate with Giuliano and your father.”

  “So you think Stefano orchestrated the killing of his own brother because he didn’t want peace between the families?” I asked.

  “I do. The night of that car accident, your father and I were waiting for him to have another meeting. We were across town in the kitchen of a rickety diner when the accident happened. Your father was nowhere near that thing, but guess where Stefano was?”

  “Where?” I asked with a growl.

  “Two blocks down the road in a restaurant. And then Stefano came out of the woodwork and was the first one to mention that it looked like a Martine.”

  “Vincent, what you’re telling me, it’s insane”

  “I know, but so is Stefano Bianchi. If what I believe to be true is in fact so, that means—”

  My head started to pound as I finished his thought. “That means that he killed my father in retribution for a crime he committed himself.”

  I gripped the glass so hard in my hand it shattered. The amber liquid soaked through my pants as the glass fell to my feet.

  Matteo.

  That psychotic murderous traitor was under the same roof as my son.

  “I have no proof other than my involvement,” Vincent said as he bent down to pick up the busted glass. “But I’m almost certain that’s how this all panned out. Which is why it would make sense that Stefano would be after you the way he is.”

  “Because he’s heard my family wants peace and that pisses him off,” I said.

  “Taking over your family business would be a way for him to ensure that peace between the two families never happened. It would make all the scheming and conniving he’s done up until this point worth it.”

  “And I threaten that.”

  “You do.”

  “Then how does Julia fit into the equation?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Julia’s expressed to me her uncle’s want for peace between the two families. On two occasions. What would be the point of using her as a pawn?”

  “To get closer to you? To get you close enough to take you out? A million different things could be running through his mind, but one thing’s for certain in all of this.”

  “Julia and Matteo are nothing more than pawns to him,” I said.

  “Stefano has long desired control. Power. Unfettered access to everything regarding both businesses. He was envious of your father’s dealings, and now he has a way to get to them. With you out of the way, he could seize control of everything. But you need to be careful. Stefano is the kind of man that has several different plans in play. Julia could be a part of a greater scheme, or a distraction he knows he can send your way.”

  My vision was dripping with reddened anger.

  “If one plan fails, Stefano’s got another one cocked and ready to go. You need to watch your back, Romeo. Being behind his plans could be used to your advantage. If he thinks you’re completely clueless, he’ll treat you as such. That might make him slip up, but that’s the only thing you’ve got in your corner right now.”

  “Holy fuck,” I said.

  “Watch your back. Play this from all angles, Romeo. Stefano is ruthless. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. If I’m right, then he killed his own brother to get what he wanted. He won’t hesitate to kill Julia or your boy if anything seems off.”

  “I need to know what’s going on inside that police department, Vinny. It’s the only lifeline I’ve got to know how far this is careening out of control.”

  “I’ve got some old contacts that are still around. I’ll look into it and see what I can do. But you need to watch your back.”

  “I need to watch Julia’s back.”

  “It does you no good to watch her back if it takes you out. She’s a strong girl, and she’s not an idiot. That much I know about her. Play the long game, Romeo. Don’t get caught up in the romance of it all. Not now. It’s too dangerous.”

  I leaned heavily against the bookcase as Vincent finished his drink.

  “I’ll clean up the glass,” I said.

  “Don’t bother. But you need to get out of here. If Stefano catches wind you’ve been here to see me, it could tip him off in a direction you don’t want him to go.”

  I nodded and thanked Vinny for his counsel. I’d come in to this meeting with no idea what was going on, and now I had a head full of possibilities, and every one of them sucked.

  CHAPTER 18

  JULIA

  I sat down on a bench and waited for Romeo to show up. I’d gotten a frantic call from him saying we needed to talk as soon as I could pull away. So I left Matteo with Enrico and my uncle, making my way to the park as fast as I could. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about the conversation I had with his mother; if that was something Luisa wanted me to keep secret or not. But the sound in Romeo’s voice frightened me, and I was anxiously awaiting his arrival.

  “Julia.”

  “Romeo.”

  I stood up and watched him approach me before we both sat down on the bench.

  “What’s wrong? You sound panicked. It isn’t like you,” I said.

  “I need you listen. And I need you to keep an open mind, okay?” he asked.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Julia, your uncle’s setting me up.”

  I blinked several times before I furrowed my brow.

  “For what?” I asked.

  “For the death of the gun runners.”

  “So you didn’t kill them?” I asked.

  “Let me rephrase that. I think he’s planting evidence to make the police look my way.”

  “So you did kill them.”

  “Julia. I—”

  He groaned and put his face in his hands and worry started to bubble in my gut.

  “Okay, okay. My uncle’s planting evidence on you. Why?” I asked.

  “To get me out of the way so he can take over the Martine empire.”

  “Have you been drinking?” I asked.

  He smelled lightly of scotch and I wondered how much he’d had before he came here.

  “Look, I went to go talk to a trusted friend of mine. Someone who worked alongside my father for years. He has proof that Stefano has orchestrated everything to get to this point. So he can take over my family’s business.”

  “What would there be to orchestrate?” I asked.

  “The death of my father,” he said, taking a deep breath. “And the death of yours.”

  I felt my blood run cold in my veins.

  “You’re accusing my uncle of killing his own brother?”

  “Julia, my father and your father were having backdoor discussions on peace between the two families. Your father told mine about Matteo. He said that the future generation of both families deserved a better life than the ones they’d been given. My father knew about his grandson, Julia. He was reaching out to broker peace with your father so we could make things better for our son.”

  I scooted away from Romeo when he reached out for me.

  “Where are you getting this from?” I asked breathlessly.

  “Stefano’s been working behind the scenes, Julia. My father? He was nowhere near the site of the accident. My trusted source was with him when the accident occurred. But Stefano was in a restaurant two blocks from where the accident occurred.”

  “I know,” I said. “He was the one who went running after my father’s body!”

  I shot up from the bench and backed away from him.

  “Julia, none of this is what it seems. And it’s hard for me to process as well. But Stefano’s out to frame me for the murder of—”

  “There’s no framing, Romeo. You killed them!”

  “Not out of spite, Julia.”

 
I felt sick to my stomach as tears rose to my eyes.

  “Stefano’s encouraging you to spend time with me so he can get close to me and take me out.”

  “No. My uncle’s goal is to take you under his damn wing, put old grudges to rest, and unite our families for Matteo’s sake!”

  “No, it’s not. It never has been, Julia. Your uncle killed his own brother to take control of the Bianchi empire. And now that I want peace so I can have my family, he’s using my own family as a pawn against me to take me out and get what he wants. He’s power-hungry, and I have to get you and Matteo to safety. We have to go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said breathlessly. “How dare you. How in the world could you accuse my uncle of killing his own flesh and blood?”

  “Think about it, Julia. Who was the first one to scream that my family was responsible for your father’s death.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. Your family did kill both of my brothers!”

  “But we didn’t kill your father. Who was the one in your family responsible for all of the bloody work your father did up until a certain point?”

  “Stefano was only doing what needed to be done.”

  “Who is the one sitting on the Bianchi throne right now?” he asked.

  “That doesn’t mean he killed his damn brother, Romeo!”

  I clenched my fists at my sides. My nostrils were flaring with anger. My mind was spinning a thousand miles a second, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

  “You killed them,” I said.

  “You have to get past that, Julia. You have to see the bigger picture here. You and my son are in danger.”

  “He’s my son.”

  “Just because you won’t let me near him doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for him.”

  “Yes, it does,” I exclaimed.

  Before I could think, I cracked my hand across his cheek and his head flew off to the side. I stood there, stunned, rooted to my spot. His stoic blue eyes slowly panned back around, and my stomach dropped to my toes. His cheek was a fiery red against his tanned skin, and my jumbled thoughts suddenly fell into place. My father was working on peace for Matteo?

  “Your uncle is a brutal killer, whether you want to admit it or not,” Romeo said as he dabbed at his lip. “That man has slaughtered more innocent lives than my father and yours combined. You talk about wanting to keep him from me because I neutralized a very real threat to my family, yet you willingly leave Matteo in the hands of someone whose past is saturated with red. For fuck’s sake, Julia, you just said he ‘did what needed to be done’.”