Page 11 of Vicious Fall

Which is why I speak before he does. “No one is trying to insult anyone here, if we were we wouldn’t have bothered to reach out to you,” I lie to Easely, because Giovanni was most definitely being insulting on purpose. “But your uncle’s blood is on our hands and that’s not something that we can deny or ignore. We need to know if it's going to be an issue.”

Easely doesn’t say anything for a long moment, just watching us. His head tilts to the side and his lips purse. He inclines his head back the slightest inch to look at Vitali and the two seem to have a silent conversation before Easely lets a drawn out sigh escape before looking at Giovanni.

“To be truthful with you, I had plans to put a bullet in good ole Uncle Sheffield soon anyway.”

Air leaves the room and my shoulders tense at the revelation.

If Easely was willing to kill his own uncle and be blatant enough to admit it to us, then there’s no telling what else he’ll do.

I spare a glance at Giovanni out of the corner of my eye but he still seems to be relaxed and I don’t know if it’s a front or not.

Still, I calculate whether or not I can get to my gun before Vitali gets to hisandget a shot off first.

Based on the rumors I’ve heard about him, I know it's a fifty-fifty chance.

“Oh yeah, and why did you plan on doing that?” There’s Giovanni, cool and smooth.

Easely shrugs his shoulders. “I was looking for power and my uncle was looking for a bitch. The two didn’t make a good combination.”

“Sheffield mentioned that you were wanting to do more than be a money pusher,” Giovanni confirms.

Easely nods his head sharply. “Yes, which is why I don’t know what it is you think I can do for you. I don’t plan on being in anyone’s shadow, including yours, Giovanni Costa.”

If nothing else, I can respect the fact that the man is honest, saying exactly what he thinks, it’s going to save us a lot of time.

“Your deal with my uncle, it was to have members of our family join your family.” Easely shakes his head. “That deal doesn’t work for me.”

Which means that this meeting is over.

But Giovanni doesn’t move, continuing to watch Easely as he thinks. “You want to run your family, get involved more in what? Drugs, trafficking? Guns?”

A lot of what the York family does now is move small drugs and do a lot of illegalbodyguardingfor unsavory people.

“Something along those lines,” Easely confirms. “A little bit of this and a little bit of that.” He waves his hands in a lazy gesture.

“Then you’ll have a war on your hands before you even begin. There’s no open territory or market for you to move in. The area is already run by the outfit. Our family, the Damones, the Accardis, the Rossis. Families you don’t won’t to fuck with.”

“Are you threatening me?” Easely asks, sitting up. Vitali shifts behind him.

“No, I’m offering you a deal. And if I were you, I’d listen carefully or else you’ll find yourself dead before you can even get started and that’s not a threat, Easely, it’s a promise.”

Easely’s eyes narrow and I don’t know which direction he’s going to take Giovanni’s words in but finally he nods. “Let me hear what you’ve got to say.”

“Lionel Mosely,” Giovanni says simply. “He runs the drug and guns market in Okham, Washington. But he’s made a lot of enemies and his gun supplier is looking for someone else to pick up his route. His gang is being eliminated one soldier at a time and he’s ripe for the picking. You want power, your own trade, that’s where you go. I know all of his connections and the best way to get him out of the picture. It’ll keep you from going to war with the outfit and encroaching on our territory.”

Easely seems to be thinking this over even though I can tell from the pinch of his brows that he isn’t completely sold. “What makes you think I want to leave here, my home?”

“It’s not about what you want, it’s about the smart decision, and I’ve just laid it out right in front of you.”

“And what would be my end of the deal? What do you want from me in order to help take over this Lionel Mosely’s territory?”

“I need you take my call when it comes in…” Giovanni’s eyes drift to the side before he looks back at Easely, “two to three months,” he says.

“And when that call comes?”

“Bring guns with you,” Giovanni says.

Easely is thinking again, but he’s going to take the deal. Everyone in the room knows it. He’s young and while his family may be on the uprise now that he’s in charge, they wouldn’t be able to take on the entire outfit. The last gang that tried to encroach on The Rossi’s territory were left crucified to the flagpoles in downtown with their eyeballs removed. And that wasafterthe old man had gone to jail and shots had been left to his sons.

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