Page 77 of Enzo DeLuca

––––––––

Someone was tryingto set him up.

For some reason, that shit brought a smile to Enzo’s face. When he smiled in situations like these, it wasn’t because he was happy. It was because he was thinking of all the ways he could make a bitch suffer for daring to pretend to be a DeLuca.

Orazio Cattaneo continued talking. “I think someone wants us to believe it was a DeLuca behind our cousin’s kidnapping.”

“Someone who didn’t expect you to come to me and discuss it like a man,” Enzo added.

Orazio nodded. “Yes.”

“You don’t think I’m behind this?” Enzo asked.

“I don’t know you,” Orazio confessed. “But I’ve talked to your grandfather many times. The last time I came to Italy, my dad and I had dinner with your grandfather. We owe a lot to Ermanno DeLuca. He and Pietro DeLuca saved my grandmother, my father, and his siblings. He’s the reason our family was able to start over. Because of Tower D, we’re able to have a business on Italian soil. When my father tried to return here and start over, our homes and businesses kept being destroyed. When we reported it, we were brushed off. We were treated as trash.”

Enzo vaguely remembered his grandfather mentioning that.

“Don Ermanno said it was because those in power who’d ruined our family are still alive, and they don’t want their dirty secrets getting out. Your grandfather told me we’d forever have a place at Tower D. And if I had any issues with my business here or anything else, to come to you. He said the bond between our families would never be broken. He spoke highly of you. Because of my trust in him, I’m willing to trust you. If you’re anything like him, you’d never pull a stunt like this for no reason. And we’ve given you no reason to kidnap our cousin.”

“What if I had kidnapped him? You three came here alone. What if that was what I wanted?”

Orazio smiled and pulled his coat open.Explosives.

“I’m not the only Cattaneo,” Orazio said. “There are others who can save my cousin. Not all of them bear the same last name as me, but they’re of the same bloodline. They’re always ready to step up when needed. If you’d been behind this, it would’ve been your last act against our family. For all of our sakes, it’s a good thing you’re not behind this.”

The crazy Cattaneos.That was what his uncle had referred to them as. Now he understood why. Enzo could fuck with people like them. Honest, loyal, and willing to blow shit up. They were his kind of people.

“Who do you think is behind this?” Enzo asked as Orazio released his coat.

“I don’t know. I was hoping you’d have an idea since they’re trying to incriminate you.”

Enzo shook his head. “I don’t know anyone who’d do a job this sloppily. Have you found any information since being here?”

“We’ve found the location where they’re keeping my cousin. My brother...” Orazio nodded to the younger man next to him. “He’s a hacker. We’ve been trying to track their calls for a while. Last night, we were able to triangulate their location. We received a call from someone other than the guy who’d been calling us. This person claims he rescued our cousin. They want us to meet with them tomorrow so they can tell us who they rescued our cousin from and discuss a business proposal. If we agree to their terms, they’ll return our cousin to us. If we don’t, they’ll kill him.”

“What is the proposal?”

“They want to work with us to grow the Cattaneo organization in Italy. In return, they want our help pushing their products in the States.”

“Heroin?”

“Among other things.”

“Women?”

“And children,” Orazio told him. “We don’t traffic people. The deal is already off for us. We didn’t tell them that. All of their movements have been sloppy but organized. Whoever they are, they’re not professional. And they’ve underestimated the Cattaneo family. See, our family in Italy have turned away from the old lifestyle. They tried to regroup after our family fell, but they kept being attacked. Now, they’re afraid to do anything. Therefore, whoever this is, they knew the family here wouldn’t be of any help. They had to come all the way to a small town in America and find us to get the deal they needed. Which means, though they’re not professional, they know the history of our family and yours.”

“And for some reason, they want to turn you against us,” Enzo added. “I have your family name on my list of things to do. My grandfather and I were supposed to go over your business plans in a few months. Unfortunately, a coward came along and changed things. What was grandfather working with you and your family on?”

“Our family owns casinos all along the gulf coast in America. Our main casino, and our home, is in Louisiana.”

That would explain the accent.

“Don Ermanno wanted us to work together on a DeLuca-Cattaneo casino here in Italy. He said with the DeLuca name on it, others wouldn’t dare fuck with it.”

Damn right.So, that’s why his grandfather had him visiting casinos a few months ago. Enzo had thought the old man just felt like gambling. It turns out he was looking for ways to make more money and to help the family of his friend before he died. During that outing, his grandfather had gambled like crazy, flirted with waitresses, and dined on cuisines he’d never tried before.

He and Enzo had spent the entire weekend together. On the last day, uncle Pietro joined them. It was one of the best times Enzo had experienced in a long time. If he’d known then what he knew now, he would’ve extended that break to a month or longer. Enzo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying not to let the memories of his grandfather overwhelm him. Sensing what he was going through, Stefano stepped forward.

---