Finding Beauty in the Darkness

Her eyes stop at the tattoo peeking out of my shirt. It’s a saying in Italian.

Dalla nascita. Per sangue. Famiglia. By birth. By blood. Family.

My grandfather, my father, and my brothers all have the same tattoo. We were taken to get the ink done the day we turned eighteen, when we were officially brought into the organization. The moment she realizes I’m watching her check me out she blushes an adorable shade of pink. The men that frequent this place would eat her alive.

I motion for her to have a seat, then sit down as well. “How may I help you?” My tone comes across as let’s get straight to the damn point instead of polite, and she looks down at her hands for a moment, taken aback by my bluntness. Maybe she was hoping I’d offer her some coffee and pastries. As cute as she is, I don’t have time to fuck around. I have a girl who’s been hurt and a Senator who’s going to pay for hurting her.

Ashley looks up at me, her shoulders squared, back straight. “I need a loan for thirty thousand dollars and I was told by Don you could help me.” I gotta give this girl credit. She’s holding her own.

“Hmm… Did he now? Did he tell you what I accept for collateral?” I hold back my smirk because really, I’m just fucking with this woman, but she doesn’t need to know that. She doesn’t own shit other than a house that will more than likely be foreclosed on in a few months, which is why Don threatened her with working for me, hoping it’ll motivate her to pay me back.

“Yes, women,” she chokes out, and I’ve immediately gained respect for her. You can see it written all over her face she’s scared shitless, yet she’s still here, with her chin up, asking for a loan, knowing if she can’t pay me back, she’ll be working as an escort here at my bordello: La Stella Gentleman’s Club. Stella was my nonna’s name, which translates to Star. When my father came over here from Italy and opened the bordello forty years ago, he named it after his mother—my grandmother—who died in a shooting shortly after my father was born.

“So, you understand, if at any time you can’t pay me back the set monthly payment you’ll be required to work it off here at my gentleman’s club?”

“Yes, I do.” Her voice wavers, but she keeps her chin up.

I have Johnny run a more thorough background check on her, and once she checks out, I lend her the money. She argues about the interest rate, and for a second I almost feel bad because I can pretty much guarantee this woman won’t be able to make these payments, but at the end of the day that’s not my fucking problem. My job is to bring in money, not give it away. Twenty percent interest is considered low with the people I deal with, but no matter how confident this woman is, she’s playing a game she has no business being a part of. What she doesn’t know is that by Don vouching for her, if she doesn’t pay up, he’ll end up taking over her loan.

Once she has the money in her hands, I have Johnny see her out. More than likely I’ll see her again, when I’m forced to go after her for the money she owes me, until I know she has nothing left to give. Will I actually drag her here to work for me? Hell no. I prefer all my woman to come willingly, but if she knows that, she won’t even bother to attempt to pay me back. More than likely, she’ll lose her house then she’ll sell her car. Soon after that, she’ll rack up whatever credit cards she has. After she’s gone down all those avenues, she’ll borrow money from her family or a close friend, and once she’s out of options and she’s hit rock bottom—because they always do—Don will have to take over. Either way, I’ll be getting my money back with interest. Because unlike Ashley, who has no idea what she got herself into, Don knows I don’t fuck around. I have a reputation to protect, and in the business I’m in, your reputation is all you have.

I’m Giovanni Valentino, and my family runs one of the most powerful crime organizations in Italy as well as Nevada, and I run one of the most exclusive brothels in the United States. I am also one of the biggest loan sharks on the West Coast.

My grandfather, Joe Valentino, is now retired and lives in Italy with my younger brother, Mario, who runs a hotel and restaurant over there. My other brother, Nico, runs the hotels and casinos here in Las Vegas while my father and his adopted brother Stefan, who is Cecilia’s dad, deal with the underground aspects of the business, which includes the illegal gambling as well as the exporting and importing of various contraband. We knew from an early age our grandfather and father were powerful men. This life we live is not for the weak.