Page 10 of Inherting the Mafia

"I'm not wearing the tie."

Vito shook his head. "If that is your choice, sir."

I rolled my eyes.

"We have an appointment in twenty minutes to get your passport," Vito stated. "After that, we have to meet with the head of the Borelli family."

I gulped as a sudden fear slithered down my spine. "Vinnie Borelli?"

"You've heard of him?"

"Anybody that has set foot inside of New York City has heard of Vinnie Borelli. He runs Manhattan."

He was not a man to be messed with. He'd had a huge hand in the downfall of the O'Donnells, the Irish crime family that had run Queens for decades.

"Why do we have to meet with him?" That was one meeting I'd avoid if I could. I liked breathing.

"It's just a courtesy call," Vito said. "While we have different families, it's polite to visit when in the same city."

"I've lived here all of my life and never once have I had to meet with a mob boss." I'd kind of like to keep it that way.

"You are now a mob boss," Vito pointed out. "That means you have to make a courtesy call to keep peace between the families."

"Fiiinne."

"Don't worry, beyond pleasantries, you won't have to talk to him. We shouldn't even be there for more than thirty minutes."

Thirty minutes was way too long for my comfort.

"Boris!" Vito called out.

My eyes widened when a massive form filled my doorway, blocking out every bit of light. I took a cautious step back. He was all bulging muscle inside of a dark suit that was straining at the seams.

God, did this guy even have a neck?

There was a slight upturn of Vito's lips as he said, "This is Boris. He's your new bodyguard. His sole purpose is to make sure no one hurts you or attempts to kidnap you. Do not go anywhere without him. If someone tries to separate you, ignore them."

I wasn't sure how I felt about having someone whose sole purpose was to keep me safe, even at the detriment of their own life, but if anyone could to it, it was this guy.

Pretty sure he could fight a bus and win.

I sent him what I hoped came across as a friendly smile and not an "I'm terrified out of my mind" smile. Boris nodded once and then clasped his hands together in front of his body and took up a position by the door. He was like a statue.

I wasn't even sure he was breathing.

I watched him for a moment before returning my attention to Vito. "So, what's the plan here? We get my passport and meet with this Borelli guy and then what?"

"Your jet is currently on standby at the executive hangar at the airport. Once we have your passport and we finish meeting with Borelli, we'll board the jet and fly home to Italy."

"I have a jet?"

"You have four jets, sir."

My left eye twitched. "Why would I need four jets?"

One would be more than enough, wouldn't it?

Vito sighed. "One is always on standby for you. One is on standby in case your main airplane needs servicing."

---