Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6 by Olivia Thorn

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 28

As we approached the airport, I pulled up my window shade and looked out.

Sicily is the biggest island in the Mediterranean, just west of the toe of the ‘boot’ of Italy.

Palermo is its biggest city and sits on the northern shore. Through the window, I could see the port and the massive docks for all the cruise ships.

The city itself was an odd mix of the old and new. There were lots of ancient buildings, usually tan with orange-colored roofs… and then it became this sprawling, modern city that stretched for miles.

What I noticed most of all were the mountains. They surrounded everything: the city of Palermo and pretty much the entire northern part of the island.

The plane landed at the airport, which only had two runways.

When we got off the jet in a hangar, a black BMW was waiting for us.

The driver – a sour-looking guy in a suit 15 years out of style – stood by the car.

“Your names?” he asked my brother in a Sicilian accent.

“Niccolo and Valentino Rosolini.”

He gestured to the rear doors. “Get in the car.”

Not much in the way of hospitality.

Niccolo and I settled into the backseat. At least the car was a lot newer than the jet.

“We will reach the Don in 30 minutes,” the driver said to us as he pulled out of the airport.

I looked at Niccolo. “Does Don Vicari live in Palermo?”

“No, that’s just where we’re meeting.”

“Why didn’t we fly onto his property?”

“Because no one knows for sure where it is, and he probably doesn’t want us to know. One more lesson: Sicilians are famously paranoid.”

“You would be, too,” the driver said in a grumpy voice, “if everybody tried to kill you all the time.”

“Agreed,” Niccolo said pleasantly, then gave me a look. See? Be careful what you say.

We drove for 20 minutes along the coast. Once we got off the highway, we started down winding streets bordered by tan residential buildings. The two- and three-story ones looked like they were a couple of centuries old, but the taller apartment buildings might have been built in the last few decades.

It wasn’t the best neighborhood. A lot of the buildings looked rundown, and there were piles of garbage along the street. Cement walls along the road were plastered with tacky billboards for grocery stores and car dealerships.

If this guy wants to meet HERE, I thought, I don’t see how he’s the richest man in the Cosa Nostra.

I had to eat my words. The rundown neighborhood gave way to a nicer area, and the car pulled up to a huge hotel that sat behind a tan wall with metal gates.

A white-gloved porter let us in, and we parked in front of the lobby.

I noticed a couple of things.

Number one: the valets eyed our car nervously and kept their distance.

Number two: when the driver got out, nobody came over to take the keys from him or drive the car somewhere else. Apparently he was just going to leave it there, and nobody was going to say otherwise.

Number three: when Nic and I got out, the driver didn’t make the slightest effort to open our doors for us.

Not that I cared; I wasn’t a spoiled little rich boy who needed my car door held open for me. But it was interesting that the driver genuinely didn’t seem to give a fuck about offending us.

He led the way into the lobby, which was insane.

In The Godfather Part II, Michael Corleone goes to Cuba to see another gangster about investing in Havana casinos. The problem is that he goes at the end of 1958, just as Fidel Castro’s forces are about to seize control and turn the island communist.

Anyway, the hotel in the movie is amazing: beautiful, huge, and built over a hundred years ago with a lot of old-world charm and luxury.

That’s what this hotel reminded me of: the Cuban hotel in The Godfather Part II. It looked like somebody had transported it right from the film into modern-day Palermo. The polished wooden check-in desks… the plush red-and-gold carpet… the white hallways and high-arched doorways.

The driver led us past all that and down the hall.

I noticed once again that all the desk workers and bellhops glanced nervously at us as we passed. Still, nobody said anything or even smiled in greeting.

Apparently they knew we were there for Don Vicari…

And they knew who – and what – he was.

The driver ushered us into an elevator made of dark wood and brass trimmings. When we got out on the fourth floor, we walked down the luxurious hallway past a dozen rooms until we reached a couple of big-ass doors. On the wall was a brass plaque engraved with the words La Suite Presidenziale – The Presidential Suite.

The driver knocked twice.

At the same time, Niccolo flashed me a look: Don’t do anything stupid.

Then the door opened, and we walked into a completely different world.

Half a dozen guys stood around in the foyer of a giant suite. They ranged from my age to late 40s, and they all wore suits that were either cheap or a decade out of style.

These guys definitely didn’t give a shit about fashion.

A couple of them patted me and Niccolo down. Satisfied that we weren’t carrying, they led us through another set of doors…

And into the main living room of the suite.

At the far end of the room, in a throne-like wooden chair, sat Don Vicari.

He was in his late 50s – about my father’s age when he died.

Once upon a time, Vicari had probably been a real bruiser. He was built like a heavyweight boxer and still had a muscular body, but he also had a gut.

He wasn’t fat, though – at least not around the face. No jowls, no double chin. More like he was just… solid. Meaty. A guy you did not want to get into a fistfight with.

His suit was even worse than his men’s: casual, old, and out of style. It looked like he’d stopped buying new clothes 20 years ago.

The only flamboyant thing he wore was a diamond set into a heavy gold ring. Not like a wedding ring, with the rock exposed, but with the diamond sunk deep into the gold base.

His hair – combed straight back from his forehead – was thinning slightly but still jet black.

The mustache was exactly the same as I remembered it: big and bushy, a real porn ‘stache. No beard, although he had five o’clock shadow on his chin and cheeks. Which was impressive, considering it was early afternoon.

But it was his eyes that stopped you in your tracks.

They were just… dead.

The brown irises were so dark that they appeared almost as black as the pupils… and he stared at you like a shark would: utterly unconcerned about whether you lived or died.

A stone-cold killer’s eyes.

liked to think I was pretty

this guy looked at me,

said cheerfully.

said in a gravelly voice as he gestured at

How do you

No Thanks for coming.

Just Sit.

We sat.

and played the part of the respectful

great honor that your don couldn’t

angry. More like he

brother’s life. Blame me for his absence –

at me. My skin crawled as he peered at me like he was buying a horse. “So this is

said theatrically,

looked me up and down

you

stare like I’LL KILL YOU

But Vicari laughed.

he gave one single, barking

apparently didn’t let

“Heh. That’s funny.”

don with a desperate grin. “Valentino…

and looked back at Niccolo. “Let’s

hand like, Go right

Vicari said. “In addition, I’ll loan

hint of displeasure I’d heard from

Sicilians are worth a hundred Tuscans,” Vicari said – not boastful, just like it

smiled tightly. “We have the money

me, I knew that

for the first five years. You can come visit, but he

“Reasonable,” Niccolo agreed.

person – and that my entire life was being negotiated without me having any say in the matter

moment, I

Vicari said. “Lots of them. And

Niccolo

say anything, Vicari looked at me and

“Understood,” Niccolo interjected.

to hear him say it,” Vicari said, not taking his eyes off

understand,” I

was taking my measure. After a few seconds, he spoke. “You got something

discussed the situation – ”

raised a hand without looking at

Vicari asked me.

at him for a

your

without any change in expression. “What you mean

started panicking. “I’m sure

son-in-law,” Vicari said without

up and just sat

a pleasant-looking girl,” Vicari said. “Not a great beauty, but nice enough. But she’s an odd duck. Always got her nose in

didn’t care for any of them. But she’s 24 now. It’s time. She waits any longer, she’s gonna be

Jesus…

a lot about Sicilians, but he

she’ll be a great wife, but we’ve got servants for cooking and cleaning,” Vicari continued. “You’ll have to

“Why me?” I asked.

you were pretty enough for her. Plus, your family’s desperate,” Vicari said. He wasn’t mean-spirited, just matter-of-fact. “And I want to expand out of Sicily. It’s a

“What about Mezzasalma?”

controlled the southern part of Sicily. Ragusa, Pozzallo… Rosolini, too.

family’s name was the same as the town my grandparents came from. I’d

enforcer. Then Mezzasalma killed Gargano and his entire family. Wiped

okay with that?” I

He was in charge back then. He never had a problem with Mezzasalma. Mezzasalma was respectful to him. And he always paid my family our cut. Besides, Gargano was weak; Mezzasalma was strong. In Sicily, the strong eat the weak. That’s just the

rich off the drugs he was smuggling in from North Africa. Of course, he was making me rich with the percentage he was paying me – but I knew he’d eventually try to do to me what he did to Gargano. So I

to me and asked to go the mainland, I gave him my blessing. I took over his territory, promised him a cut of all future profits, and off he went.” Vicari shrugged. “Mezzasalma stopped being my problem and became

– ours,”

me, but

didn’t seem

take down your family. He was always sentimental about your grandfather.

us if you’d known?”

“No,” Vicari said matter-of-factly.

“Why not?!”

like you didn’t owe me

“And why’s that?”

my daughter, you become sangue

meant Blood of

‘blood of

literal translation of Sangue di mi sangue

it was a Sicilian saying

had no idea

“…what?” I asked, puzzled.

oath,” Niccolo

said. “Older than omertà. You know

of silence,”

said. “Sangue di mi sangue is an unbreakable promise. It means that you’re not only part of my family… you’re my flesh and

be supplying us with more than 20 men?”

him, then I’ll take it

“Wonderful,” Niccolo said drily.

of your blood,’” I said sarcastically, “then you would have warned us

Mezzasalma went after, the strongest would win – and that’s exactly what happened. He went after the Agrellas and he slaughtered them like pigs. Then he went up

fucked his

first time, Vicari smiled – although it was the most chilling,

his shit

where the strong eat the weak,” I

wanted the marriage. Any men who could take

I laughed.

“What’s so

girl who took out

at

jumped in. “Actually, Adriano was the one who

wrecked the

credit where

you

“My sister-in-law.”