the Made Men

CHAPTER 2

In Boston, Leonardo de Luca was facing the aftermath of a shooting at an Irish pub. With two younger brothers, Silas and Nicola, Leonardo was the least favorite family member. When people thought of their father, Fazi, the Mayor, they thought of either Silas, the son who was following Fazi's Political footsteps or they thought of Nicola, the law student turned Private Investigator. Leo, unlike his brothers, was a college dropout and a long-time criminal.

Though there were rumors before Fazi was Mayor he was the boss of the De Luca crime family in Boston. And Fazi, like all fathers, cared about legacy. He had high hopes for his replacement. He vetted Nicola with the understanding that he would take his place. But instead, Leo was the only son who stepped up. Though Leonardo was the oldest child, he was the most irresponsible.

Most American families were getting ready for the Holidays, stuffing turkeys and buying their best get-ups to spend quality time with one another. But every year, Leo and his two henchmen, Ronnie and Caleb, went on their winter tour of Italy. The tour started centuries prior as a way for young Italian boys to learn their heritage and culture but quickly turned into a winter-spring break where anything goes.

Following the church bombing that killed Ricardo Gambino, Leo was devastated and figured a few months out of town was for the best. Plus he didn't mind the change of weather. So he did what any Boss would do. He put Irv Harrison in charge of the family while he was gone with guarantees that he would get regular updates.

Once Leo got on the plane, he left all his troubles in Boston. The first stop of the tour was Venice. It was something about the Grand Canal and the architecture of St Mark's Basilica that made Leo feel right at home. The food, the weather, the woman, he loved it all. Though the boys spent most of their days sleeping, tanning, and getting high, they came alive at night. Being able to walk into clubs and skip the lines made them feel like Kings.

Life on vacation felt like a fairy tale. Being in a place where no one knew them but only knew of them. Everyone knew who Leo was because of his dad but Ronnie and Caleb weren't so lucky. But when they were with Leo they were treated like royalty. The nightclub they attended gave them a section with free hookah and free liquor. Everything was on the house. It didn't take long before the three of them filled the section with beautiful women they met in passing. Loud music blared throughout and strobe lights danced off the walls.

"Life is good boys." Leo smiled as he looked around the club like he owned the place. He was seated in between two girls, then poured himself a glass of champagne which he followed with a shot of tequila. "The nights just getting started."

"These women are total smoke shows." Ronnie had a cigarette that hung from his lips. "Muy caliente." He lit the opposite end then inhaled and exhaled.

"I could stay here the whole trip. I don't think it gets much better than this." Caleb shrugged then he put his arm around the pretty girl seated next to him.

"No, no, no, you know the rules." Leo shook his head. "This train doesn't stop." He got cocky and drank the champagne from the bottle.

The girl next to Ronnie asked, "How long are you in town for?"

He smiled back at her. "However long you want, sweetheart." Then he kissed her cheek.

One of the girls next to Caleb gave him her number but told him that she had to go find her boyfriend.

"Boyfriend?" Caleb questioned. "What's he have to do with me? He doesn't let you have friends?" he continued. "Is your boyfriend even a donor?"

She looked confused. "I don't understand the question."

Caleb placed his hand on her lower back. "If your boyfriend's not a donor how can he really give you his heart?"

Hours passed, and different girls rotated in and out of the section. The later it got, the more packed the club got. While standing on the couch and dancing with another girl, Ronnie saw a familiar face from afar in the crowd. He immediately tried to yell over the music at Leo. "Vanessa's here."

"Vanessa?" Caleb laughed. "Here in Venice?"

"Right over there," Ronnie added. "The one who broke Leo's whittle heart."

"Shut up," said Leo. As he looked out into the crowd, that's when he saw her too. She was dancing with a guy but from a distance, she looked exactly the same. Vanessa was dark skin and Haitian and had what Leo thought was the face and body of a God. There were many versions of what led to Leo and Vanessa's break up but Silas believed she was the love of Leo's life. "I should speak, right? I mean she's with this douchebag but I can't be rude, right?"

Ronnie and Caleb didn't know why Leo asked. It wasn't like he ever followed anyone's advice. Soon after, Leo left the section and made his way across the club. When he got closer, he went up to Vanessa and tapped her on the shoulder.

When she turned and saw him she was surprised. "Leo, hi, what are you doing here?" she questioned.

"I could ask you the same thing. Small world I guess." He smiled. "How have you been?"

"I've been really good."

"Yeah I bet," he observed her. "You look great."

"Thanks." She nodded and then finally introduced the guy she was with. "Leo, this is my boyfriend, Sebastian. He's actually why I'm here...to see him...I'm visiting." Sebastian was the same height as Leo, had shoulder-length hair, and wore a partially buttoned shirt.

"Huh." Leo nodded. He expected the guy after him to be something more. Nonetheless, he wasn't impressed. "You should come to the section with me and the guys."

"I don't think so, Leo." Vanessa gave a fake smile. "Thanks though."

"It doesn't look like your boyfriend here can afford you nice things. I was just trying to be friendly." Leo looked directly at Sebastian.

In turn, Sebastian squinted his eyes. He was clearly offended. "What's this guy's problem, babe?"

"What's my problem?" Leo glared. "You're my problem, jerkoff. Now what tough guy?"

Vanessa interlocked hands with Sebastian. "Excuse him. He's visiting from America. As you can see he's as rude as they come."

"Ah, American. Like, uh, how do you say, Tony Soprano? Fiction." Sebastian brushed his fingers through his hair. "I'm a real Italian, baby. Born and raised."

"A real Italian." Leo laughed. "That's funny." he looked at Vanessa. "Can I talk to you alone? Maybe outside?"

"Who is this guy?" Sebastian looked at Vanessa. "A stronzo."

"A stronzo?" Leo grinned as he pushed Sebastian.

Then all hell broke loose. Just as Leo planned, Sebastian moved Vanessa out of the way so he could throw the first punch. Little did he know that Leo started arguments because he liked to fight. So their brawl was brief and hardly fair. After a few punches to the face, Leo knocked Sebastian unconscious. And before being thrown out of the club, Ronnie and Caleb came to save the day. They grabbed Leo and left on their own accord. Leo smiled and stared at Vanessa while being dragged out. The tour of Italy had only just begun.