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

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 39

It was a long drive back to Don Vicari’s. I dreaded what would happen the entire way.

Rocco had probably already let his father know what happened in Pozzallo…

And Don Vicari was probably going to have something to say about it.

I was right on both counts.

When Paolo pulled up to the compound, a foot soldier was waiting for me by the side of the gravel drive. “The Don wants to see you.”

Great.

Paolo gave me an uneasy half-smile – Good luck, bud – and I followed the foot soldier into the house.

He took me to a door at the far end of the house and knocked.

“Come in,” said a gruff voice.

The foot soldier gestured – Go in – then walked off.

I entered a small study that was white like all the other rooms in the house.

It was lined with shelves. There were very few books, though. Mostly it was displays of old hunting rifles, knives, and binoculars.

Don Vicari was sitting behind a large wooden desk, which took up half the width of the room.

As soon as he saw me, he got a sour look on his face.

“Sit,” he said, pointing to a wooden chair across from the desk.

down and braced myself to get

go quite the way I expected,

he said grudgingly. “I’ll give you that much. Going up against my son, in front of all his men, in a town you don’t run? You got a bleeding heart and shit for

you… I

the fuck were you

wife,” I said. “I didn’t want to see an old man

chin

he finally asked, “Are your brothers

immediately got angry.

they just let

doesn’t steal from old men,” I

at me. Is that

to say, Well, YEAH

swimming in dangerous waters and needed to be

so they give contracts to the people we tell them to. We pay off judges to throw out cases or give verdicts we want. We pay the police to make

of money for those government contracts, and those court cases, and those botched police investigations. Businessmen. Other politicians. Rich people whose

the docks on the west coast,

‘misplaced’ – but we’re dealing with businessmen. Politicians. Rich people. What we don’t do is go around beating up old men who don’t have any money because their wives are

me

I just waited.

that in a negotiation, after you’ve laid out your offer, the

pretty much hated my brother right now

he was

in this case, he was

a heavier hand than he should with civilians. When it’s pimps and drug dealers, it’s fine to break

told him to use a lighter touch with the shopkeepers. Most of ‘em are scared shitless and pay on time. If they want to pay but can’t, I told Rocco to just run up the debt and tack on interest. Keep them on the

refuses to pay and threatens to make trouble – don’t burn down his fuckin’ shop. Don’t