The Better Brother

There was a string of crumbling Italian businesses that had been tanked because of a racketeering investigation the FBI rained down on the neighborhood. I grew up on those streets. I knew those faces. I knew how scared they were and how their livelihoods were in the toilet. I went around to them and promised them I’d purchase their businesses, breathe life back into their neighborhoods and homes without asking for any disgusting favors in return.

But this family—the Del Vecchio Family—brought my attention back to the past. They killed my father. Put out a hit on him because they thought taking him out meant taking his property. They didn’t realize he was grooming me to take his place. They didn’t realize he’d already transferred many of his assets into my name already.

And now they were making a statement.

It didn’t matter that my father had slaughtered most of the Del Vecchio’s friends. What mattered was that they killed my father when I was only a teenager. The only reason my father killed the head of the Del Vecchio clan was because they were behind

my mother’s death.

At least, that’s what my father believed. And no one ever questioned my father.

Ever.

For years, I’d been working on rooting out the rest of this damn family. I’d had some of them killed and some of them thrown in jail. I had some of them take the fall for crimes I’d committed in order to get more information on their growing empire. Piece by piece, I was building the underground kingdom my father had always wanted and I was chipping away at theirs in the process.

But, like a hydra, the moment I cut off one of their heads, two more would grow back.

I was going to have to give this matter my personal attention in order to make sure it was seen through properly. I couldn’t allow this savage, bloodthirsty family to gain a foothold in this city. This was my city. This was my turf. This was where I grew up. These were the streets I ran on.

They belonged to the Moretti Family.

“You think they know?” my brother asked.

“I think we should take them scooping up these businesses as a sign that they at least know the game we’re playing,” I said.

Secretly, I hated life in the mob. I took over the family business because it was expected of me by my father and no one ever questioned my father’s wishes, if they valued their life. He groomed me from the time I was young to take over his seat one day and, by the time I was seventeen, he began making the moves he needed. My guess was he knew the Del Vecchios were coming for his head and he figured he could pull the wool over their eyes by succumbing to them and still not giving them a fucking dime of his shit.

It worked, but it led me down a path I had no passion to follow.

The issue?

I was fucking good at what I did.

It came with a lot of dirty work. I buried more people I loved than I ever wanted to admit and, every time I talked with my brother, I treated it as if it were my last time. We were both silent on the phone as my eyes gravitated back toward the screens and, just as I was about to address my brother, it happened.

She walked through the doors.

A vision in white, draped in lace. Her curves were smooth and fluid, and it looked as if she was floating on air. Her jet-black hair poured down between her shoulder blades, practically taunting my fingers to wrap themselves up within its softness. That dress looked as if it had been tailor-made for her beautiful body, and I lost myself in her grace as my brother tried to get my attention.

“What should we do, Camillo?” he asked.

“I’ll handle it personally,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. Take care of that nephew of mine. Love ya, brother.”

“Love you, too, brother.”

I set the phone down before I leaned in toward the video feed. The girl looked nervous. Her hands were wringing in front of her, and her eyes were darting all over the place. There was another young woman with her, clad in some sort of gaudy, dominatrix dress. She looked much more comfortable in this arena, which could only mean one thing.

The woman I’d found to be mine tonight was new, and the thought already had my cock pulsing with anticipation.

Chapter Three – Rose

As I walked into the massive building, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Crystal’s hand was on the small of my back, escorting me while I took in the sights and sounds. Everyone was clad in all sorts of getups. The women were in revealing costumes, with leather, lace, and chrome. Some were walking around in bodysuits with whips and things that looked like split bamboo. Most of the men were dressed in various forms of suits. A few were dressed in revealing costumes that showed off their best assets.

And yes, sometimes that meant their asses.

I craned my neck around while Crystal kept pushing me to the dance floor. I could feel eyes on me, taking in my costume as I walked across the floor. The music was pumping and the lights were dancing around in hypnotic patterns. People were throwing back drinks while some couples were walking around with leashes in their hands. Never in my life had I seen so much I didn’t understand all at once and I found myself backtracking into Crystal’s grasp.

“I’m right here,” she said. “Just take a deep breath.”