Page 3 of Ruthless God

My quiet brother turned to me with one eyebrow raised.

“That’s why I saidtry,” I said, already knowing that if Matteo wanted to say something, there would rarely ever be anything that could stop him.

We both knew Matteo wasn’t easy to control. He might listen to mesometimes, but only on his own terms.

Romeo nodded, clasped my shoulder, and exited the car, leaving just Elio and me behind.

“He’s planning something,” Elio said. “I can feel it.”

“What is thebastardogoing to do at his age? He’s getting too old to rule now and has no good heir to succeed him.”

No one would follow Marco’s lead.

Elio shrugged. “I don’t think there is an age limit to wanting power. And even if that’s the case, I don’t think he cared about that. He probably just wants to dig up four graves for us personally.”

I didn’t refute him. That was probably true. He knew his time to take reign of the De Luca empire ended long ago, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to see our deaths as some sort of consolation prize.

“Besides,” Elio said, looking out the window, “fifty-four is hardly old.”

I shrugged.

“Either way, be careful,” Elio said, getting out of the car. I followed shortly after, and together, my brothers and I walked to the building that housed the De Luca enterprise.

It was a nice, luxurious building located in the very center of the Las Vegas strip. It was ostentatious in every sense of the word, just the way I wanted it. We didn’t hide in the cloak of darkness and sins, even if what we did for business practice was just that. I wanted who we were and what we represented to beout there for all those to see. A middle finger to both the city of Las Vegas and the feds watching us.

This place was where we were holding the meeting now. The building was busy, bustling with life, as our employees from the morelegitimateside of our business moved around. They gave us a wide berth as we walked, avoiding looking into our eyes for long.

They weren’t oblivious to the rumors swirling around the city about us, even if we were the ones signing their paychecks. It was unsurprising how far people were willing to look the other way, and how much of their ethics they were willing to compromise for such a small thing as their wage.

We got on the elevator when it opened, and no one got on after us.

My brothers were silent on the ascent, all of us readying ourselves in case things turned to shit. Given what we did, things could turn to shit at a drop of a hat.

By the time we got to the boardroom, four of our capos—the ones currently in the city—were present: Aldo Valachi, Joseph Gambino, Dario Gravano, and Federico Accardi.

All men who had come into power during our father’s time. All part of the traditionalists and all men I wasn’t sure gave me their loyalty over Enzo. They sat around one side of the table, leaving the head and the three chairs around it empty for us. Enzo sat on the chair second to the right, impatience written over his face.

I kept my face impassive as I made my way to the head of the table. From the corner of my eye, I could see Romeo putting his hand on Matteo’s chest, stopping him from saying or doing something rash.

“Let’s get this started,” I said once my brothers were seated. We turned to Enzo expectantly.

He leaned back on his chair and took in everyone before he began. “As you know, we’ve been having a little trouble with the Novikov Bratva ever since they joined in with the Devil’s Wings MC in California. They’re trying to drive us out of Las Vegas.”

I steepled my hands together but otherwise didn’t speak. I wouldn’t be saying anything until the very end, when I knew exactly where Enzo was going with this.

“So?” Matteo said, adopting a casual pose as he turned to Enzo. “You think they can? The Novikov Bratva has weakened over the last decade under the current head. It’s a surprise the organization is still standing.”

A muscle on Enzo’s face twitched. “Yes, but it’s still good to remain vigilant. And to do that, we need to form an alliance with other families. Strengthen our ties.”

I remained quiet, though I could feel a tick running up the side of my face. I had a bad feeling about where this was going to go.

“And just how do you expect that to happen?” Matteo asked.

Enzo’s eyes flashed to me. He smiled, baring his teeth. I didn’t react when he said, “It’s time for Massimo to take a wife.”

Romeo laughed. There was no humor to the sound. “An arranged marriage? Do we still live in the Middle Ages that you took it upon yourself to set up an arranged marriage for Massimo?”

“I’m his uncle. It’s my duty to ensure the bloodline lives on.”

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