CHAPTER 21
VINCENT
Slamming my hand on my desk, I pace the length of my bedroom. I’m back in my apartment by school, here to grab a textbook for Number Theory. The fact that Eve was on High and Low—and her name was mentioned in connection with mine—is a huge goddamn problem. Thankfully, I know the girls who run it. The moment I told them to remove the photos and the article, they took it all down. But if Daniela saw the article, there will be hell to pay.
My doorbell rings, and I open the door to see her. The bitch has timing; I’ll give her that. I take a deep breath as she waltzes into my apartment.
“Vincent.” She drops her designer purse on the floor carelessly.
“Daniela.”
Sitting on the edge of the couch, she crosses her legs—high-heeled boots and a skirt so short it’s practically indecent.
“I saw you got that article taken down. So, contrary to everything you’ve told me, you obviously care about her.”
“Care? She’s no one to me,” I scoff. “Now do me a favor and get out. I’ve got work to do.”
“You think you can just get rid of me? You’re funny, Vincent. Do you know how many men would give their right arm to get me in bed?” She puts her arms on her hips.
“Good for you, then.” I laugh angrily. “Go fuck whoever you want.” I walk into my kitchen, pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge.
She trails behind me. “Look at me,” she says, grabbing my arm. “Me and you go together. Me and you are together. We. Are. Together.”
I shake my head slowly, amazed that a girl this smart in the books can be so delusional. “We aren’t anything, Daniela. Not now and not ever. You need to find another man and move on. I’m sick of this bullshit.” I can feel the tendons straining in my neck. I know I need to calm down, but it’s becoming damn near impossible.
“Another man? What other man? Look in the mirror, Vincent! Me and you make sense. Me and you are perfect. Our families—think about the connections! We’d rule the world. I totally accept your life. Hell, I more than accept it. I love it. We,” she starts, gesturing between us, “make sense!” Her lashes flutter faster than normal; the girl is unhinged and clearly on something.
I put the bottle to my lips, swallowing the entire thing down.
“It’s her! That fucking bitch charity case!” She’s panting. “You think I’m blind? I saw how you looked at her at the club before break, Vincent. I know you bought her that fucking jacket! You help her with her studying. I already knew you were fucking her, but I figured she was a passing fling!”
“You need to be committed to a mental hospital, Daniela. She and I have nothing between us.” The lie burns my throat.
She starts moving through my room, emptying drawers. “Does she have her shit in your room? Is she here every night in your bed, where I’m supposed to be?” She runs into my bedroom like a dog on a scent, throwing my drawers open and pulling out my clothes.
“Calm the fuck down!” I yell. My shirts and underwear are scattered around the room.
“Calm down?” she seethes, facing me with her fists balled up at the sides. “Don’t tell me to fucking calm down! You swore to me you’d never bring another girl into our orbit. You could fuck anyone you wanted, so long as it didn’t infringe on what we have. And when I get calls from my friends telling me that my man is staring at another girl and I better get my ass to the club to intercept it? People are going to think there is trouble between us! People are going to think we’re breaking up! I saw how you looked at her. I watched you go after her in that club after she was dancing with that guy!” Tears start to fall down her face.
“Jesus FUCK Daniela. You don’t own me! I’m done with you. Get out!”
She stands tall, a smirk growing on her lips. “First, I’m going to call my father to pull the plug on your business. Second? I’m going to get that whore of yours thrown out of school for indecent behavior. I read up on the expectations of scholarship kids. Underage drinking? That’s academic probation. And third? I’m going to publicly humiliate her. I will make sure the entire world knows that she. Is. A. Homewrecker!” Her breaths turn shallow and hard. “You think you can walk away from me? Humiliate me with some piece-of-shit loser?”
I step up to her. “Have you forgotten who I am?” My voice is terrifyingly low; I feel my jaw clench. My anger is catching hold of me. Part of my brain is telling me to calm the fuck down, but the other side is only getting hotter until my judgment is officially clouded over.
“A-are you threatening me?” Her voice turns shrill.
I pull out my gun from the waistband of my jeans. Pushing her against the wall, muzzle pressed underneath her neck. “Who the fuck do you think you are, Daniela? If you so much as even attempt to do what you just said, I will end your fucking life.” She shudders, but I don’t let up. “What? You think I’m going to be shitting in my pants over some dumb bitch like you? You think you can control me?”
I step back and she falls forward, tripping over her own feet and landing on the floor. Hysterical, she grabs her purse and runs out of my room, the front door slamming against the wall with a bang. I laugh as she runs.
***
I’ve been stewing for hours, pacing my room and going through every possible scenario that could go wrong when I get a call from Tom on my work phone.
“Yo.”
“Serious trouble here at the port, man.”
“What are you talking about?” My breath turns shallow. “Didn’t we already deal with the rat?”
“Yeah, but someone is stalling our shipment out of Columbia. We were ready to accept today, but the flight turned around mid-fucking-air. My dad told me to call Antonio right away to let him know, but I wanted to let you know first. This isn’t because of Daniela, right Vincent? Because I think one of the Feds infiltrated a labor union here, too. I can feel shit going down—”
“Got it. Thanks.” I hang up the phone, cursing.
I pick my work phone back up, dialing my driver. I have to see my father. I check the time and know he must be home right now. I throw on a sweatshirt and take the stairs to my building’s lobby; I’ve got a shit ton of energy right now I need to expend.
The car ride to the townhouse is quick. I grew up here, on Ninety-Third Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue. Unlocking the front doors, I strut through the hallways lined with money. Famous art hangs to my left and right, each piece valued between thirty-thousand to close to a million.
I stop in the living room and take a seat on a navy velvet couch, a red and blue Persian rug under my feet. My father will call me when he’s ready; he knows I’m here. In fact, I’d bet he’s watching me on the security camera right now. I breathe deeply, getting my head on straight.
“Vincent,” my father’s stern voice calls out on speakerphone. “Come down.”
I exhale as I get to the staircase, walking down two flights of carpeted stairs into the basement level. Opening the second door to the left, I enter our meeting room. The walls are painted in black lacquer and a huge crystal chandelier hangs from the center, giving the room a dark glow. He sits in his black leather chair at the head of the table. In this moment, he’s no one other than the leader and boss of the Borignone mafia, and I can tell from his body language he’s angry as all fuck.
“I’m waiting for an explanation as to how all of this shit broke down. I already heard from some of our friends that Costa was behind stalling our shipment today. You’re my right hand. Who the fuck is causing a crack in the empire I’ve built? Tell me you didn’t piss off the daughter, Vincent.” Sitting tall in one of his custom suits, he stares at me with fury in his eyes. He brings his cigarette to his lips, taking a heavy drag. The smoke wafts through his lips and nose, momentarily covering his face. I can tell he knows. He’s waiting for the confirmation.
Without any preamble, I begin with the night Eve and I met. I fill him in on the important details, including what happened to her at the hands of Carlos and the fact that we’re together right now, in secret. I end with Daniela’s threats.
His breaths turn shallow as he drops his head, seemingly gathering himself. “Do you know what you’ve just done?” His voice is low, eyes turning to thin slashes in his face. “And for a piece of pussy? I expected more from you, Vincent. You aren’t one of these dumb fucking kids who can’t think without his dick!” He slams his fists against the table. “I raised you better than that! We had a vote. You weren’t supposed to fuck shit up with her!”
“I’m a man. Not Daniela’s bitch!” I spit out. “She doesn’t control us, and she sure as fuck doesn’t control me,” I yell back.
“Ah, so now my son is twenty-two and knows it fuckin’ all, huh? Our entire business is shaking right now because of this bitch! I don’t need to remind you we’ve got three hundred kilos of cocaine on that plane. That’s close to fifteen million dollars.” His red face flashes.
“And on top of that, Lieutenant Wall called. The Feds are gathering evidence to file a suit against us under RICO. They’re trying to bar us from any business involvement at the ports and in any union activity around the harbors. They’re catching on about the unions being in our back pockets; according to all the shit Enzo has picked up, they’re not going to grab us on drug trafficking, but instead, embezzlement of union funds.”
I look up at his angry face. “For RICO, they’ll need to show a pattern of racketeering activity. Do you think they’ve put surveillance inside the unions?” I pause, my mind running as it puts together different possibilities. If they’ve been listening in on union activity, we’re completely fucked. We are so closely tied to labor that they’re essentially another arm of our organization.
He grips the side of the table. “They don’t need to prove criminal acts. All they need is to focus on behavioral patterns. Patterns, Vincent. That isn’t difficult to show. And now that you’ve fucked with Costa’s daughter, we’ve got another fight on our hands.” The cords in his neck strain. “If we don’t get him to send our flights back here, we’ll be taking a huge hit.”
I swallow hard, my mouth completely dry. “The RICO case is just a continuing vendetta by the government to try to throw our name around. There have been decades of investigations, which have led nowhere. Maybe they’re just trying to scare us—”
“The threat is real. And I’m going to bet that within the week they’ll take in the labor officials. The FBI is knocking on our goddamn door. We’ve had a chokehold on shipping and all other waterfront activities for the last sixteen fuckin’ years, and we’re gonna to have to give them something.”
“If they bar us from activity in the ports, they’d basically be putting an entire marketplace under court supervision. That’s just not possible. All businesses will stall.” Sweat beads on my forehead, dripping down the sides of my face.
“It’s possible. And it’s happening.”
I drop my head into my hands. Everything I prayed wouldn’t happen, just did.
“And Costa controls half of South America. Look what he was able to do within moments of you fighting with his daughter! Turning our planes around? Fuck!” He slams his hand back down on the table. “He’s obviously waiting for our phone call to clear up this goddamn mess!”
I exhale, trying to stay focused. “Call him. He’ll want a bigger cut of the money we give him to launder and house. That should be enough to shut him up and free up our shipment.” I grind my teeth, internally agonizing.
He stands before grabbing the phone; I can see a tremor in his hand. Millions of dollars could be lost because of me.
He tells Costa not to let the squabble of kids fuck up the goodwill they’ve got going on between them. I can hear Costa yelling through the phone. They go back and forth until finally agreeing that Costa will keep thirty-five percent of all monies sent to him for laundering. He’ll also release the plane within the hour. My father hangs up the phone, pulling out his gun and aiming it straight to my head.
“You realize the loss we’re taking? You fucked up big time, Vincent.” He says my name like a curse; if I weren’t his son, he would shoot me in the head. He brings the gun back down and lights up another cigarette.
***
An hour later, twelve of us sit together around the table. Smoke billows around the room as my father updates the family. Everyone talks over each other, enraged that I went against their orders and pissed off Daniela. I’m not sure they realize that Costa is essentially turning into the largest shareholder of Borignone mafia. Now that he’s taking this much of our profits, we all have to wonder who works for whom. Luckily, my father doesn’t mention Eve in connection with all this drama. If anyone knew she was the reason all of this went down, it wouldn’t bode well for her.
My father clears his throat. Voices simmer, but the anger level is still high. “It’s fucking horrible what’s happened, but it’s done. We gotta send Vincent out to Nevada as soon as possible to start gaming and get us out of Costa’s hold. We also gotta discuss this potential RICO charge that Enzo believes is coming on the quick.”
Hell is pouring down. My shirt is soaked in sweat, but I continue to keep myself looking controlled. I can’t let my emotions rule me.
Enzo shifts in his seat. He has the same sandy-blonde hair and big build as Tom, but probably fifty pounds heavier. “At least one of us has to go to lockup, Antonio. Someone needs to plead guilty to a lesser charge, or we risk seizure of all our assets under RICO. And I’m not talking about soldiers we can pay off to do time. The Feds are going to want someone from around this table.”
My father turns to me pointedly, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. I can tell what he’s thinking. Tom warned me. Hell, I knew the consequences when I got into it with Eve, but I took the risk anyway. My day of reckoning has come. I may not have been the one to tip off the Feds about our union involvement, but the fact that my fuck-up led to giving Costa this much of our money is all my doing.
“I’ll do it.” My voice comes out clear.
They all shift in their seats and stare at me, faces hard as stone. “I’ll go,” I repeat.
“No,” my Enzo declares firmly. “The build-out in Nevada is the most important thing on our agenda. And you’re the only one with the key because of your birthright. If you’re in lockup, we’ll be stuck with Costa for another goddamn decade.”
“I’ll still be able to work; I don’t need to physically live out west to get it done. If I hire a lawyer to do business on my behalf, through a power of attorney, I can do it all from prison. I’m sure we can even arrange weekly meetings, too. Nothing about what I’m doing out west is illegal on its face; in fact, by design, it’s one hundred percent kosher. We can all rest assured that within five to seven years, the complex will be operating and we can be free of that fuck.”
Luciano’s voice clears from the end of the table. “What if you get hurt? If somethin’ happens to you in lockup, there will be no casino complex.”
Everyone starts talking again, turning to each other in debate.
I clear my throat loudly. “Let’s put it to the table. Let’s vote.” My voice is strangely calm.
“Why don’t we send Tommy in there with him?” Luciano chimes in.
Enzo shrugs. “Not a bad thought. My son won’t leave Vincent’s side. Plus, we’ve got seven soldiers already in Canaan. We’ll cut a deal to make sure the boys go there so they’ll have protection.”
“There’s something else,” Luciano says. “In Canaan, they’ve got tough regulations for e-mail and internet access. If we send Vincent, they’ve got to lax those rules for him. Otherwise, he won’t be able to work.”
“True,” Enzo replies. “Let’s make sure to bring that up with Goldsmith when he works out the plea deal. That’s gotta be non-negotiable. In writing.”
“And how about Daniela?”
Luciano shifts in his chair. “She’ll find a way to spin it in her favor. Of that, I have no fuckin’ doubt. Anyway, shit with her is done, right? Antonio worked out that deal with Costa; his daughter’s feelings don’t matter to us no more.” The men nod and grumble in agreement.
A part of my chest loosens. The days of Daniela owning me are done.
My father leans back in his chair and lets out a deep breath. “A’right. I’m gonna call Goldsmith. Let’s get everything organized with him quickly. I’d say Vincent and Tom have about a week. Vincent, you think that’s enough time to get your shit in order?”
Enzo chuckles. “It’s gotta be enough. Right now, RICO is a hard threat. We gotta stop that train before it runs us over.”
I crack my knuckles, one by one. The men all stand to leave, shaking my father’s hand and then mine, as they exit the room. I’m taking the fall, which means I’ll have paid my debt for this fuck-up.
Once the men are gone, my father sits up. “Prison.” He shakes his head as if in shock and picks up another cigarette.
I pull his pack toward me, taking out a smoke for myself and light up. I take a deep inhale, thinking about the fact that I’ll be behind bars for God knows how many years of my life. My exhale is long and slow. What have I just signed up for?
“We’ve all been there. And you’re tough. Sergey will make sure to give you pointers before entering; he’ll show you how to make weapons, too. Once you’ve established yourself, general pop will leave you alone. They will know who you are, and you’ll have proven your worth. After that, it’s just time. Time where you can get everything moving for Gaming. Whatever you need done from the outside, we’ll make sure it goes through.”
I nod my head, keeping my gaze strictly on him, and letting him know with my eyes that I’m both hearing and listening to his words.
He leans back in his seat. “I met her, you know. She was at Angelo’s. I scared the shit outta her. Let me tell you, that girl looked at me like I was the fuckin’ devil,” he chuckles.
I look at him questioningly, wondering what he’s getting at.
“Going to jail makes many alliances, but also many enemies. And a girl like her?” He raises his eyebrows. “I don’t have to tell you that plenty of men would want to take her. Especially to retaliate.”
Blood rushes into my head and my stomach churns. I clench and then unclench my fists. He has his own reasons for wanting her out of my life. Of that, I’m sure. Still though, he has a real point. I shuffle in my seat, not wanting him to see that my chest is caving in. If anyone knew I had a woman I was leaving behind…if she even came to prison for a visit…it could mean her death.
He puts his hand out to me, and I steel myself, shaking it firmly. Before I can let go of his grip, he squeezes my palm. “Get shit set for Gaming so you won’t lose any time while you’re locked up. The sooner we get it off the ground, the sooner we can cut Costa loose.”
He’s all business. I nod my head, swallowing hard. “I’ll send you hard copies of my plans, and I’ll scan and email myself everything. I already discussed with Erez about how many men we’ll need to pressure the Tribal Council. As we discussed, it’ll probably be bloody getting them to agree to this.”
“You going away is a fucking travesty for the entire family, Vincent. You’ll come out stronger, though. No room in this life for love. Love is for pussies. Prison will teach you.” He holds my hand for another beat and then releases me.
I move to leave, when he clears his throat. “One more thing. Tomorrow morning, you gotta get inked. It’s time to get the Borignone insignia.”
“I’ll call Shane, then.”
He looks at me gravely. With a swift nod to the leader of the Borignone mafia, I walk out the door, my fate sealed.