August
Prepared sounded like an actual plan. Swirling the drink in my glass, I thought about what he was saying. Maybe I was trying too hard to read between the lines, but I had a bad feeling about this conversation and the ramifications around everything he was saying. My father was leaving me breadcrumbs. Every trust needed to be questioned. “If he’s trying to sell us out, he’s going to have to come through me.”
“Not necessary and I want you to be careful. Stay away from the streets. You have a full life ahead of you. Who knows, maybe children one day.” His grin was more mischievous than I was used to. “I know you mentioned that you were working with Lorenzo. I also know about this club you’re in, son. What do you call it? The Sons of Darkness?” He laughed, suddenly breaking into a coughing fit.
“How did you know?” I gave him a wry smile. The old coot.
He yanked a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping his mouth. “I know everything, son. While I’m not entirely certain it’s a good idea and not something that us old lions would have ever considered, maybe it’s time for the new blood to take over. New power. Eh?”
“You’re not trying to tell me that you’re giving up control?”
“I’m not retiring yet.” He rose to his feet. “You know, when your older brother didn’t want anything to do with the business, I was pissed, but I’m glad you’re the one by my side. You were made for this work and you’re well respected.”
“You don’t think I’m getting too soft?” I asked in a teasing manner. My father gave rare compliments and this one touched me more than I was willing to let on.
“The love of a beautiful and vivacious woman is better than anything you can have in your life, son. Money. Cars. They mean nothing without a special lady.”
“I can’t love her, Pops. She’s far too innocent and pure.”
“Remember that none of us are truly innocent, Dom. Not a single one of us.”
My father and I usually didn’t have heart to heart talks. We’d never been close, his love of my brother consuming him until Victor left, promising never to return to New York. He’d kept his promise for almost seven years. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Well, I have a few issues to contend with.” He eased away from the chair. “You know, I feel like everything I worked for is crashing down. Pisses me off. I am going to get to the bottom of this but my way.”
“Are you feeling all right?”
Giordano had never been sick a day in his life. Seeing him this way, run down and riddled with despair, yanked at the darkness within my soul. Drummand held some key to all of this bullshit and I was determined to find out what.
“I’m fine. Why don’t you get back to that lady of yours? Leave the grunt work to the capos. That’s what we pay them for.”
“We’ll get through this, Pops. We will.” I don’t know why I repeated the comment, maybe hoping I’d actually believe my own bullshit.
He patted me on the shoulder before heading toward the door. “Yes, you will.”
I knew my father well enough. We were being set up.
Rage. I was used to the emotion more than any other and right now, that anger needed to be fed. I knew exactly what had to be done.