Page 34 of Rise of Temptation

Chapter 26

Sal

Ilook around the dining room at the large crowd Enzo has gathered. The chairs are arranged in rows, and the table has been removed to fit everyone. He called a meeting of the whole Family to get everyone on the same page about surveillance of all the different organizations in the area. The only person missing is Elise. I realize she isn’t technically a member of the Family, but she’s starting to feel like one. Partially because she’s always here, but partially because I want her to be here. It’s a strange feeling, and I’m not quite sure what to do about it.

But Enzo didn’t invite her to the meeting because he doesn’t want any distractions. We have to focus if we’re going to bust this trafficking ring once and for all, and all of us just want to be done with the whole thing. It’s gone on long enough.

Since we still aren’t positive if the Russians or the Irish—or someone else—are responsible, we’ve decided to split our resources and watch everyone. Emphasis will be placed on those two groups, but no one is free from suspicion. While we increase surveillance on the two major suspects, the rest of our soldiers will continue to monitor the smaller groups around ourterritory.

Hopefully, something will point us in the right direction soon. It’s not a good idea to be spread so thin, but it’s our only option right now.

Usually, everyone is pretty chatty before a meeting starts. As long as they’re not interrupting anything, Enzo doesn’t give a shit if they’re telling dumb jokes or just catching up with the guys who have been on opposite shifts or working across town. From where I’m sitting—which is in the middle of the room, rather than against the wall with Frankie and Joey—none of that is happening tonight. Instead, everyone is quiet and subdued. It appears that word has spread about the little incident the other night.

Oh well. A little reminder of who’s in charge and what he’s capable of never hurt anyone. Except for Benny, of course. I chuckle to myself at my own joke and then shift my attention to the front of the room.

Enzo starts the meeting off with a quick update about the Irish being a primary suspect in our hunt for the traffickers. I see a few people around me exchange glances, but no one’s reaction strikes me as odd. I turn back to Enzo but keep my ears tuned in to the crowd. I almost always choose to sit amongst everyone. Inevitably, someone forgets I’m here and says something stupid. It’s either good for a laugh or provides some entertainment when I call them out in front of everyone. A little public humiliation is good for the soul. My soul, at least.

While Enzo starts to divide everyone up, I listen to the side conversations that have started up amongst the soldiers who already have their orders. For the most part, they’re not all that interesting. One guy asks another if he’s planning to go to Club X after the meeting. A small group of them are hungry and getting burgers on their way to their assignments. A few are actually discussing who they think is responsible for thetrafficking. Overall, I’m thinking I’d have been more entertained if I chose to sit with Frankie and Joey.

Until one dumbass opens his mouth and says, “It’s too bad Enzo didn’t bring his whore. Meetings are more interesting with something nice to look at.”

Fuck. Yes.My blood starts to heat as adrenaline pumps through my body. I can feel a fight brewing as I turn to see who said those damning words. My eyes collide with Vinny’s, and his face pales. He clearly either didn’t realize I was here or forgot and ran his mouth without thinking about the consequences. And there damn sure will be some consequences.

I get up and casually walk over a few chairs to where he’s sitting. He conveniently chose a chair right next to the wall. I lean in and say, “You know what else makes meetings more interesting?”

He shakes his head and can’t seem to think of anything to say. Too bad; I love when guilty people try to come up with excuses for their bad behavior.

I smile and pause, letting the fear in his eyes build a little more before speaking again. “Violence,” I tell him before grabbing the side of his head and smashing it into the wall.

“Sal.” Enzo sounds annoyed at the interruption, but I know he’s asking what the fuck is going on.

I explain what Vinny said, and Enzo turns his stone-cold stare on the unfortunate man sitting slumped against the wall.

“Last I checked, you’re not supposed to be looking at her,” he says calmly. Too calmly, and everyone knows it.

I’d bet my last dollar that not a single person in this room wants to be Vinny right now. Including Vinny. Maybe especially Vinny.

Something jumps back to life in his eyes—which I didn’t expect, if I’m being honest—and he loudly proclaims, “I was just making a fucking joke. You’re all lunatics!”

Oh, Vinny… He realizes his mistake immediately, but it’s too late. All it takes is a short nod from Enzo, and Frankie is escorting the soon-to-be-dead man out of the room while everyone else looks on in horrified fascination. Frankie is a lot of things, but gentle isn’t one of them. He prides himself on keeping his victims alive for as long as possible. In this case, I don’t think he’ll draw it out too long. Vinny isn’t an enemy; he’s just an idiot.

Either way, it’s going to work out well for me. Frankie always comes back from his dungeon with a raging hard-on, and I plan to be waiting for him so I can take full advantage of his horny state of mind.

Enzo

This is getting out of fucking hand. I can’t keep killing my own men over a fucking girl. It’s possible that she’s more trouble than she’s worth, but my options are to either keep her, kill her, or let her go. I can’t let her go because she knows too much about the Family and will take it straight back to her boss. Every time I contemplate killing her, it pisses me off and makes me a little bit nauseous. So that leaves her here. Forever? I don’t like the warm feeling in my chest when I think about that.

Frankie drags Vinny out of the room, and I clear my throat to bring everyone’s attention back to me. “The meeting isn’t over,” I remind them. “No reason to stop over a minor interruption.” I see a few people give me a look that says I might be unhinged, but I don’t give a shit. At least I have their undivided attention now.

I pass out the last of the surveillance assignments, but my mind is still stuck on Vinny. More specifically, the way Sal and Frankie reacted to his offense. In all reality, what he said wasn’t a big deal. If I didn’t have to back up my words with actionsto prove how serious I am about everyone keeping their filthy hands and eyes off of my property, I wouldn’t have cared about it at all.

But Sal didn’t hesitate to smash his head against the wall, and Frankie was all too happy to take him out. I’m starting to realize that their feelings for Elise are stronger than I originally thought. Maybe even stronger than they realize. And if the two of them are having real feelings for her, then chances are that Joey is too.

The strangest part of the whole thing is that I’m not pissed off by that realization. It actually makes me feel better about the idea of sharing her with them. I can admit to myself that I’ve objectified her for basically the entire time I’ve known her, from our first interaction at the club to her job here in the house. And her uniform is designed for objectification. But I don’t want the others to just view her as a hot piece of ass. I know that if their feelings for her are as strong as they seem, then I can trust them to take care of her needs. Sexually, of course, but also physically and emotionally. Assuming she lets them, that is.

“Okay, everyone get the fuck back to work,” I say, dismissing the meeting. My own thoughts have succeeded in pissing me off. All of these emotions are going to make my weakness for Elise obvious, and I can’t be seen as vulnerable by anyone in my Family. I know how that goes, and I’m not going to end up like my father.

Chapter 27

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