Page 8 of King of the Bronx

“Boss, I—”

“Shut the fuck up,” I said. “You’re both a part of this crew, so stop embarrassing me. If I have to break up a fight again, I’m going to take it as a personal attack against me. Go home and sober up. I’ll meet with you both tomorrow at Bella Vita.”

“Yes, Boss,” they both said as they walked their separate ways. Charles left a trail of blood behind him from his still dripping nose.

I ran a hand over my face. Running a crew of criminals could be the most exhilarating part of my day or the most exhausting. I walked back to the underground, Harris following behind me, but when I got back down there, the woman had disappeared.

*****

I woke to the soft clicking noise of Bello’s paws as he paced outside the door. The dog had gotten in a bad habit of sleeping with me a couple months ago, so now, I had to close my bedroom door and hear him pace outside. Nothing ruined a one-night stand as much as a dog crawling into the bed.

I sat up on the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Amber stretched and opened her eyes. We’d hooked up a few times, and once I was ready to call it at night, I’d asked her to come over. She had bright blonde hair and fake tits. She was nowhere near as beautiful as the woman I’d seen at the blackjack table, but she was better than nothing.

“God, I’m sore,” Amber said, her voice filled with sleep. I bet. I’d fucked her last night like I was angry. Completely exhausting myself was the only way I was going to get to sleep.

“You should leave before I get out of the shower. If you take anything, I’ll know, so don’t try it,” I warned her before getting up and going to the en suite bathroom. I turned the shower water on and let it run over my sore muscles. It seemed like my body was always sore, not from working out, but from my inability to relax. I was always going from one place to the next, and when I was at home, I wasn’t alone. I complained about sore muscles, but I’d rather be completely exhausted than bored.

I got out of the shower and came out of the bathroom. To my surprise, Amber had actually listened, which meant she was using me just as much as I was using her. Maybe I’ll hit her up more often since we have an understanding. The bedroom door was open, so Bello was now sitting on my bed. The dog’s giant tail hit against the mattress as he wagged it.

I smiled at the big guy. I’ve had Bello for a few years now. My mom gave me Bello as a gift. She thought it would make me slow down and be home more. To a certain extent, it did. I started to feel guilty if I was away from home for too long. Sometimes, I dropped him off at a dog day care if I was going to be gone for a while. He loved other dogs, so it wasn’t a problem. I also hired a dog walker to get Bello as needed.

“Can I get dressed first, big guy?” I asked the dog.

Bello tilted his head to the side and I laughed. I pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt before walking into the kitchen. Bello followed behind me. I fed him before grabbing a bowl of cereal for myself. My apartment was the on the top floor of the nicest building I could find in the area. I liked to stay close to my crew as much as possible. Each capo was in charge of a different part of New York. I’d drawn the unlucky straw and gotten the Bronx. Crime was high, which meant I had a lot of competition when it came to drugs and my businesses. I had to compete with a lot of lower-level street thugs and organizations.

Once I was done with my food, I grabbed the leash from the hook on the wall and attached it to Bello’s collar. He licked my face as I bent down to attach the leash. We took the elevator down to the bottom floor and walked out the lobby door. The street traffic had slowed a bit, so we were able to walk without worrying about bumping into anyone. Leaves rustled over the concrete, and Bello watched the squirrels as they climbed up the trees and chased each other. He wouldn’t go after them. He was good like that. I made sure to take him to training classes as soon as I could. I didn’t have time to deal with an untrained animal when there was already so much on my plate. Bello was the friendliest dog I’d ever seen, but he could also attack you at the slightest command from me. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone to call the two shitheads from last night to let them know to meet me in an hour. They both must have been asleep when they answered the phone because their voices were groggy. Part of my job as a capo was keeping my crew in line. At the end of the day, the goal was to make money and keep respect. That couldn’t happen if my men were ready to kill each other. Bello led me around a couple of blocks before heading back to the apartment. I left a Kong for the dog before going out again to deal with these idiots. The life of a capo never quit, but I was starting to get tired.

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