CARTER

XVIII

I'm overheated, can't be defeated

CARTER

I held the phone to my ear, and wait for the ring to stop and for my father to pick it up. He pick on the third ring "Where the fuck were you?" I lie "Swinging. Wanna join?" He grunts "Don't be smart with me, boy. Where the fuck are you?"

"What do you want?"

"Get here in ten minutes."

"What's wrong?"

"Giovanni is here."

I smile, I knew that greed will get to them. Greed gets to us all.

♡

I reach home in five minutes and Elijah is pacing back and forth outside the door like a stupid cat. I never got his anxiety about waiting for long. He spots me and grabs me by the collar "What the fuck did you do?" I say with my face calm and bored "Don't get kinky, sunshine." He grunts, and pulls his hands away "Fuck, Carter, what did you put in your dad's head?" I shrug "I didn't do anything." He raises his brow "Bullshit! I think you keep forgetting that I've been your way friend for more than sixteen years. I know you more than your father. Why the fuck would you tell him to take Giovanni under his wing?" I push my fingers inside my hair and stretched myself with a yawn "Greed triumphs destruction." He rolls his eyes "Not again with your Buddha bullshit."

"You know that wasn't what the Buddha said."

"No, but-" he notices the look in my eyes, "she said it, didn't she?" I nod "You know she was never wrong." He huffs "We haven't found Rossi, and we don't even know which trail we should follow, you're fucking this up for yourself. If all hell breaks loose here, you and I will be caught in the middle of it all, Carter. Giovanni's son is not to be messed with. You know better than that. Bitch is a lawyer for a reason. You know how many times he got his father out of the shit and put innocent lives behind jail to save his father and his mafia. You can't keep this up. Not until we know we're getting out the next day." I smirk "You're coming with me?" He shrugs "Where the mustang goes, I go."
I raise my brow "And here I thought you cared about me." He smiles "I care about the mustang and then the Tesla, and then maybe, just maybe you. But that is even pushing it." I grunt "Fuck you." He chuckles but warns "You better be careful. Luca likes playing with words, he likes noticing every movement and he's sharp about it. Stay still, speak less, be sharp." I nod "Who else is in there?"

"Just your father, Giovanni, Luca, and Nico."

"Okay, you come with me."

"Fuck no. Luca scares the shit out of me. Remember third grade?"
I snort when I remember how Luca gave Elijah a wedgie in front of the whole class. His balls stung for weeks.

I sigh, "Fine. I'll go alone, wuss." He smiles and moves out of the way. I stand straight, push my shoulder back and then open the door.
I'm greeted by Nico first. Thick nose wide with anger, lips pressed in a thin line as he stands behind my father.
My father is on his usual chair behind his desk, a cigar in his hand. They all looked like they stopped mid-sentence. Giovanni turns to look at me but Luca, that bitch will never budge. He plays, he knows how important movements are, how only one move speaks a thousand words. He knows when a person is confident and he knows when a person is anxious. A fucking sadist he was. Always will be.