The Heirs: A New Gamble

Chapter 1

Author's Note: Sorry -- all translations were done with Google, so please note they may not fully accurate!

Chapter 1

Leo Moretti, Age 20

July, Gilmore Island, UK

Brannon's Cliffs are my favorite part of Gilmore Island. This island boasts a lot of rich history, various castles, places to hide, and the like. But the Cliffs offer a silent sort of danger that I can appreciate. I arrive first, looking over the edge at the swirling dark ocean below.

It's a foreboding vibe – a churning, silent chaos. The air feels thicker. The winds are changing. This year won't be like the others.

There's always power at play. The boards shift constantly between the powers-that-be. The Irish syndicate, the Russian bratva, the Costa Nostra, and my family – the Office. The Italian mafia in Providence.

Joe Corozza is the leader of the Office, aligned with the likes of the Marinos Outfit in Chicago. My grandfather, Danny Moretti, has been Joe Corozza's right-hand since they were children coming up together. Together, along with the Murphys and Carmichaels, they took down the nefarious Tazza crime family – sending the remaining Tazzas to lick their wounds and beg for sanctuary with the Rossis' Costa Nostra in New York.

Like I said, alliances and power are always shifting.

It's all a game. A balancing act.

My father and grandfather are powerful in the circle of the Office, working right alongside Joe Corozza, whom I've called 'godfather' since I was born.

My blood isn't pure Providence blood, though.

As with all families, we have our tumultuous history.

You see, my father, Anthony Moretti fell in love with the wrong woman. He fell hard and fast, in a way that was irreversible and would cause a new ripple in our underworld.

The first moment Anthony Moretti laid his eyes on Simone Rossi, he knew he was a goner. Simone just happened to be the younger sister of Rocco Rossi, the Don of the Cosa Nostra. She was set to marry in their ranks, until she ran off in the night with my father.

Our blood has been split ever since.

Although neither of my parents ever regretted it or looked back once.

I don't acknowledge my Rossi blood – my Cosa Nostra blood.

The Rossis are formidable in their own right. They have eyes absolutely everywhere. And more power than they know what to do with. Including here on Gilmore Island.

There are two divided groups, even here.

The Black Wolves and the Silver Knights.

The Wolves consist of the Providence, Boston, Chicago, Moscow, and Dublin mafia families. Because of my family's allegiances, I'm loyal to the Wolves.

Where it becomes complicated is that my cousin, Gabe Rossi, leads the Silver Knights.

Our relationship is strained at best.

I check my phone as the clock changes from 11:59 to midnight.

I once again look over the edge of Brannon's Cliffs, thinking about the game of it all. The person I have to be. The people I have to keep happy. What is it all for if the result is still strain?

My feet are both fully grounded with the Black Wolves.

And yet...

My bloodline calls me to and screams at me to think about who I am, who I should be loyal to.