Page 69 of The Enforcer

Christos

“Everything is in place.” Nico Pappas was one of Dimitrios’ top soldiers, a man who’d had an extensive military background in his former life. He was a crack shot, teaching other soldiers within the organization his high caliber skills. He was also working with Elias and Havros’ top man, Jonas Chloros to ensure there were no hiccups on the day.

Dimitrios nodded and turned his head toward our father. My dad wasn’t the kind of man to let anxiety rule him. He certainly rarely allowed anyone to know if he was nervous about an event or during discussions with opposing forces.

What I’d noticed were more lines in the man’s face. He was getting older, enjoying his retirement while still keeping a finger in everything we did. But he was also not getting any younger, a fact our mother continued to bring up from time to time.

Which he loathed.

He took a deep breath, eying the room full of men as if commanding an army. His tension would remain in this room. We all knew how important the day was to the entire family. A union brought possibilities, joys and reminders of our past. We were a close family, more so than many friends I’d had over the years.

“We will enjoy the day, gentlemen,” he said. “I don’t want our guests inconvenienced in any way. They have come to enjoy not only a family celebration but also to share in the joy of life in general. We will drink. We will feast. We will laugh. And we will sing. There is to be no violence.”

“And if someone attempts to interrupt our celebration?” I asked.

He was thoughtful in his answer. “Then he or she will be detained. Is the bunker ready?” he asked any of the soldiers standing in the room.

Elias cleared his throat and stepped closer. “Yes, sir. We have accommodations set up for at least thirty if necessary. The location will be heavily guarded.”

Bunker. My father had always kept and maintained a facility of sorts located behind a shop owned by the family. However, it was only large enough to interrogate and deal with a few. Deal with. I laughed internally. How many traitors had my father tortured over the years? Even my two brothers had interrogated their share of those who’d dared betray us.

I’d yet to have the dubious honor. The reason wasn’t because I wasn’t skilled in the old methods of extracting information. I’d been taught at an early age how to use various implements and tools in methods not intended. My abilities with a katana werelegendary, which was one reason I was so concerned about the American who’d attempted to use the weapon to end my life.

Dimitrios was right. There were no coincidences in this world.

“Good,” Pops said. “They will be locked down until I deem it the right time to enjoy their company.”

“While I understand you want no violence, Pops,” Dimitrios said, “the men will be armed.”

“Yes, I’m aware. As they should be. Christos. Have you checked the communications systems?”

I nodded. We’d acquired the most sophisticated wireless devices for every soldier’s use during both peaceful times and those of war. They not only allowed for easy communication between all parties wearing them, they also had an untraceable beacon allowing the homebase to track their whereabouts at all times in case of the soldier’s death.

Along with high quality weapons purchased and stored in various secretive locations, we could start a goddamn war if necessary.

“We’re set. Everyone, including myself, will be wearing an earpiece. They are virtually invisible to the naked eye, so our guests won’t be disturbed,” I told everyone.

“Perfect. If there is any sign of danger, take our family to the underground facility immediately. Elias. You’ll be in charge of the guests.” Dimitrios, as the true Godfather of the Night, gave the orders.

“Let’s not expect the worst,” Pops added. “Any news on the whether Mr. Ajernian is attending?”

Davit Ajernian was the Armenian leader, the man not necessarily a friend as he was a brutal thug in our opinion. However, with the chaos in Italy, the smaller countries scrambling to gain more territories, it was important to keep him as an ally. As for Don Coppola, my father now considered him a friend after the alliance made almost a year before.

The old man was good natured, his love of children and strong families giving him an edge as the possible new Godfather of every territory and crime syndicate within Italy. The decision had yet to be made after the death of another prominent Don. That had led to additional unrest.

The politics of the mafia world was endless and just as complex as within any government. Perhaps even more so.

“His administrative assistant called. He is expected to arrive for the reception. He has a prior engagement but is supposedly looking forward to the reception.” Dimitrios grinned. Who didn’t love a good party?

“The rest of the family should be arriving soon,” Pops added.

We had a huge family including several cousins. They’d all arrived for the day. One big happy family.

I didn’t like the odds, although this wasn’t the first time we’d held a huge family gathering and certainly wouldn’t be the last. Still, my instincts were searching for any red flags when there weren’t any.

Yet.

Although every few minutes, I scanned the perimeter after Valencia had sensed we were being watched. Her fascinatingabilities, including being an empath, were a reminder not to overlook anything she said.

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