Page 52 of Twisted Obsession

I reached out and moved the mouse in my hand, awakening the screen, and quickly found what I was looking for. The title on the page read sundries. I scanned the figures quickly.

‘The consumption of Charlie has increased within the casinos,’ I read out loud. ‘Just under four million Euros worth over the three sites.’

‘Correct,’ Ricco spoke and I turned my head to look at him.

‘And the losses?’ I enquired, furrowing my brow as I looked at him.

‘Roughly seventy thousand.’

‘Roughly?’ I repeated, with an indignant tone.

Marco cleared his throat, and I knew what he was getting at.

Calm it.Don’t react to him.

As always, I found it hard where Ricco was concerned. I’d fought alongside him as our families fought for survival and our way of life and had the upmost respect for the seasoned warrior he was, but, as De Luca’s man, I made sure I was always on my guard around him. Ricco had been tasked to “help me” run the Maltese part of the family operations. With the death of Salvatore De Luca Snr, his position of bodyguard to the old man had become defunct. With this job, he had been treated with the respect he had earnt. He retained a position of use. Under me, he ran the casinos as a glorified bouncer and the new to us cocaine business. Cocaine that I refused to sell anywhere other than inside the casinos, where I knew it was inhaled only by rich idiots and not kids. Unfortunately, I had always been aware that because Ricco had no head for business, he was more useful to my brother-in-law as a way of keeping tabs on me.

Call him my virtual electronic tag.

Letting out a frustrated exhale, I glanced at Marco to let him know I’d heard him and at the same time I reached out with my forefinger to begin to flip over the small white box towards the side of the desk. Allowing myself a few seconds to calm the fury I could feel rising up inside me, I flipped my cigarettes over a few times until I was satisfied I could resume the conversation without going off the deep end.

‘What’s going on? Are the two of you losing your grip?’

‘It’s not that,’ Marco answered.

‘No?’ I retorted sarcastically. ‘Then what’s happening? Tell me!’ I fell back into my chair and picking up my solid silver pen from my desk, I rolled it between my fingers in irritation.

‘I think what started off…’ Ricco began.

‘You think?’ I interrupted. ‘I’m not asking you to fucking think. I want an answer to my question.’

Slamming my closed fist down to the desktop, I stood abruptly and leant over the desk to direct my anger at them both.

‘I’ll tell you what’s happening. What was once the expected skim off the top of our businesses has become larger. It can only mean one thing; someone is working against us and the family.’ I added the last bit as I knew family had a stronger meaning to Ricco. ‘It needs to be stopped and fast. Find them and together we will punish them for their wrongdoing. You have a month to find out what the hell is going on. A month, before I report back to Calabria… Is that understood?’

‘Yes, boss,’ Marco acknowledged.

‘Of course.’ Ricco stood, and I waved my hand at him to release him from my office. As he reached the doorway, he stopped, having seemingly remembered something. ‘One thing, Dante. Gerit wanted me to ask you to lunch one weekend.’ Ricco spoke of his much younger Maltese wife.

‘I’m sure I can manage that,’ I nodded at him as he began to vacate the room, ‘thank her for the invitation.’ I managed a stiff smile at him before he disappeared from my view.

‘I will,’ Ricco replied as he closed the door shut behind him.

Muted laughter left Marco. ‘You’re aware she’s after you, aren’t you?’

I understood he was talking about the fifty-eight-year-old Ricco’s, thirty-year-old wife.

‘Yes, but I can’t keep coming up with an excuse to turn down his invitation.’

‘I understand… surely, he must be able to see what she’s up to.’ He shook his head. ‘I mean she practically climbs you like a fucking tree every time she’s within arm’s reach.’

‘Who knows.’ I shrugged my shoulders at him before picking up my cigarettes and lighter and leaving my desk to go andstand at the window. As I placed the Muratti between my lips, I released some of the tension that seemed to permanently live with me in a long exhale through my nostrils. I sparked the lighter to life and drew in some of the poison I nowadays couldn’t seem to live without. I’d picked up the dirty habit during the first few months of my enlistment and hadn’t cared enough since to try to give up.

Taking in another drag, I watched as down below me Ricco climbed into the back of the ancient looking black sedan he favoured, and then as his men jumped in after him. Knowing that what I’d watched indicated he was going home, which was in a village at least an hour’s drive from Valetta.

‘I’m just glad she’s his problem and not mine. So, what do you think is happening? You’re on the ground.’ I looked behind me at Marco, before extinguishing the half-smoked cigarette on the windowsill. Leaving yet another dirty smudge on the pristine stone. He leant forward in his seat, placing his elbows to his legs, clasped his hands together, and stared back at me intently over my desk.

‘Two years ago, when we arrived, corruption was rife. We learnt huge lessons in the way others could undermine operations for their own gain. We learnt them, dealt with them, made sure others knew we meant business in our dealings with those that worked against us, and subsequently tightened up the way we operated… my money is on an inside job.’

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