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

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 47

After collecting from the pimps, Rocco said we were going to break for lunch. He and his buddies strolled towards a pizza joint, the kind that serves fast food to tourists.

He’d just collected over $10,000 in protection money, but he was still going to eat at a shitty restaurant.

Figures.

“I’m surprised, Movie Star,” Rocco sneered. “You didn’t try to pay for a single one of them.”

“I only pay for normal people, not pimps and drug dealers.”

“Oh, you’ll be happy then – we’re doing the shopkeepers after lunch,” he said, and all his thugs laughed.

Suddenly Paolo came trotting up. “Hey, Valentino, something important came up – I need you to come with me.”

I immediately saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

I turned to Rocco. “Look, I don’t want to be there for the shopkeepers, and you don’t want me there – so can we call it a day?”

Rocco gave me a smile of smug superiority. I’d just asked his permission in front of his minions, establishing that he was the boss.

But I could see the wheels turning.

I could guess what he was thinking:

Do I humiliate him and MAKE him watch me shake down the shopkeepers?

Or do I let him go now, avoid another scene, and keep it so everybody KNOWS I’m the boss?

chose the second

With a twist.

“Say ‘please,’” he sneered.

and made a calculation of

to hang out with this asswipe for the rest of the day

say one little

to make it sound like I meant

eyes like he was pissed I hadn’t completely bowed down to

wasn’t worth the chance I’d make him look

he said dismissively, then walked into

Paolo and smiled. “That was great.

but I was serious – I need you to come

“What is it?”

there.” Paolo started down

as I followed

friendly and eager as always, but I

farther we went down Gela’s winding streets,

me to get killed by some

But –

Why?

made no sense. I’d

Uncle Fausto had cut a

then why out here, where a dozen people

to kill me until I was

was sure Don Vicari had the local police in his pocket – but probably only as far as protection

murder

street – a cobblestone