Luca pays someone a visit before he goes home.
Luca's pov
I had called Detroit as soon as we drove into New York and I saw familiar bridges and roads. I was itching to get home and put my arms around my girl, but I was still at work technically. I also had to pay someone a visit before I made it back to our apartment.
Lorenzo and his gang had been successful in obliterating the Purple Gang. It didn't hurt that we had supplied better weapons but that was neither here nor there to me.
I had my own Rat to squeeze out. Luckily for me my cousin Frederico had gotten an address to a bed and breakfast in the area close to where Caroline and I were.
No doubt to keep a close eye on us, I was happy to return the sentiment.
Armeda Russo owned the B&B. I knew her because her late husband had done some work with my father when they were young men. When he passed and her kids were grown she'd turned her home downtown into a thriving business. I always liked women. Her home was always warm, inviting and smelled like food.
I met her in the hall and discussed why I was there. She'd met Caroline at the hospital once. She slipped and fell. My mate had been her on-call nurse for several days before she'd been released home. Caroline had called her to check up on her once or twice. Armeda liked her so once I mentioned that her border, Joseph Turner may have ill intentions towards my wife well, she became more than accommodating to my request for a spare key to his room.
I didn't bother walking in with several of my men. I figured that if Joseph didn't care until recently that he'd put his whole family in danger, my mate in danger and didn't bother checking up on her till almost a year later, that we both knew his intentions were not good towards her.
That was a threat I took personally.
He stood up immediately and went for a gun. Armature.
"I wouldn't." I smirked at him and rolled up my cuffs so he could see the black hand tattoos on me and I sat down gesturing to him to do the same. My men all had their guns out or were reaching for them. Even if he shot me, he wasn't making it out alive.
He had a little table and two chairs by the window overlooking the street. That street I crossed everyday on my way to a business.
"How'd you get in here?" He asked timidly and looked down at his shoes submissively. I chuckled darkly. Caroline was right, he wasn't the brains so the original idea to play the gangs had to have come from her step mother. I filled that information away for later.
"You come into my town, my territory deep in the heart of New York City and you are surprised I have access to local business?" I asked and leaned forward. I was truly amused now. "Let me make this very clear and simple for you Mr. Turner, I have access to every building, every business and every single fuckin person in this city. You won't even find one enemy of mine that's stupid enough to take you in this great state." I leaned back and crossed my leg, removing my hat. I was staying for a while.
He fidgeted for quite awhile.
I knew to let the silence build between us. He was a weak man, silence made him uncomfortable, it was a useful tactic for a man like me. I could be patient. I had the power here.
I looked out the window and around the room taking in every corner and every shadow hidden in case I needed to come back and pay him a painfully personal lethal visit. If he was smart, he'd move on and leave the city. I hadn't made up my mind if he was leaving the room yet.
I started drumming my hands on the table and gave him a tight smile to move things along.
"I never wanted Caroline involved in this. I just wanted a better life, that's why we are Americans right, Mr. Changretta? We want the dream, the American dream of money and good fortune." I continued to look bored and slowly reached into my pocket to pull out my cigarette case. Her father jumped and smacked his knee on the table. I knew without a shadow of a doubt he meant us harm now, maybe not him but he was a player in it.
"Relax Mr Turner. We're family. I aint gonna shoot you." I smiled wickedly and laughed, my men laughing with me. I wasn't going to shoot him, they would do it for me but her father didn't seem to know that. He nervously chuckled but I could see his pulse in his throat. He was terrified.
" Caroline said you were her mate." I put my cigarette out on the table right in front of him to make sure he saw the burn mark it was leaving behind. It hissed and crackled on the cold wood.
"Now, you need to understand something Turner, You daughter and I talk all the time. I'm also very close to my staff. I know for a fact that when you arrived she slammed the door in your face. You didn't talk to her. She's not a stupid woman, you and I both know that." I stood and moved the heavy lace curtains. I am getting pissed now. I hated liars.
"You have a nice view of our apartment complex here." He squirmed in his seat and looked away from me. I continued. " I find it interesting that you found the daughter you barely spoke to. You didn't go to the hospital or call round there, no you came directly to my home Joseph, which tells me you knew exactly where she was and who I was. " I leaned forward on the table, closing the distance between us. If he blinked out, eyelashes would intersect.
"Let me make something clear to you or whoever is telling you to reach out to us. I have no intention of you ever seeing my mate again. Whoever is pulling your strings clearly thinks they can get to us, to me. It aint gonna happen. "
He stuttered and started begging me to understand, he never told me what I needed to understand though because he turned into a blubbering mess.
"We just want to see Caroline." WE. Who was we, I wondered.
"Course you do, get her alone in my place, I don't think you'd hurt her Mr. Turner, but whoever you brought with you would. Maybe they'd draw it out over a few months to let her have the babies but we both know you ain't up for a long game. I don't play games." I stood up and closed the door behind me. Two of my men had stayed behind.
A soft pop echoed through the upstairs as we descended. I didn't need to keep Joseph around to keep my mate safe.
The man behind it all would come to me soon enough. Especially since now he knew emotionally manipulating us wouldn't work.
"Hey, Matteo, I wanna stop at that bakery and pick up Cari's macarons, eh. Can't show up empty handed after I left my pregnant Mate alone for a while." My men smiled and Matteo nodded. He'd spent some time with my mate to protect her. He knew she was enjoying being a spoiled housewife now. Had to keep living up to my reputation as her amazing mate.
________End of chapter___________________________________________
