Page 20 of Ice
The sounds of chairs getting pushed back and guns cocking filled the air around them. Sofia watched as Bruno’s jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide in shock. His measly twenty men were now surrounded by at least forty of her new crew.
Dom took his gun out and placed it on the table and Sofia followed suit. “I’m thinking my men will kill you and yours before they can get a single shot off.”
“You can’t do this!” Bruno slammed his fist on the table. “I’m a fucking boss. There’s rules—you can’t kill me.”
Sofia laughed. “You’re a boss’s son. Until your father dies, you’re nothing but a temporary act. Besides, I’m not gonna kill you.”At least notyet.Sofia had to make sure Otto’s little sister was tucked away safely and they needed to know all the players behind the sex trade he had going on in Tres Bellas.
Bruno sucked his teeth. “You better fucking kill me, you cunt. I’ll hunt you down like a dog—” Dom swung, hitting Bruno in the jaw hard enough that he almost fell off his chair. Dom was out of his chair, righting Bruno only to slam his face against the table again.
Dom leaned down over him, keeping his hand wrapped around the back of Bruno’s throat. “This is how it’s going to go. Tell your men to drop their weapons and take a seat if they don’t want our guys shooting at them.”
“Stand down and take a seat,” Bruno grumbled. His men did as they were told, and Sofia’s crew backed down as well.
“Good. Now you’re going to listen to what Ms. Barbati has to tell you, and if you so much as look at her wrong, I’ll continue to bash your face into this table until you can no longer see, got it?”
Bruno nodded and Dom let him sit up but stayed standing behind him. Bruno put his hands on the table and began tapping his fingers against the tablecloth like he was nervous.
Good. He should be.“Men always gotta make things hard.” Sofia smirked. “Now, where was I? Oh yes! This is what you’re going to do for me and if you don’t comply…” Sofia shrugged, picking up a fork and slamming it down on the table just barely missing Bruno’s pinky. He yelped and it made Sofia chuckle. “I have no problem showing you all the ways men are, in fact, the weaker sex.”
SOFIA SAT IN HER FATHER’Sold office. She remembered coming in here all the time when she was no higher than the oak desk her father sat behind. He always had pictures of her and her mother up either on his desk or on the walls that surrounded him. Her father had been her hero, and while she thought she understood what he did for a living, she never actually got it until she was the power behind an empire.
Sofia let out a breath as she checked the clock on the wall—1:55p.m. In five minutes she’d have to leave the comfort of her father’s old office and sit down with three different territories that were either neutral or had beef with one another. It was time to put a little peace in the war that had plagued New York. She had no illusions that it would happen overnight. She still had to deal with Bruno and his associates, but she at least had Tres Bellas in her pocket, and she could put a stop to the illegal activities that went on there.
There was a knock on the door. “Come in.” The door slowly opened to Dom in dark jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged the muscles of his chest. He looked every bit as deadly as his reputation said he was, and the heat in his gaze told her she was all his.
“Everyone’s here.” Dom’s voice was gruff as his gaze roamed over her body. She was wearing slacks and a suit jacket, but nothing under the jacket, teasing hints of her breast. “You gonna go out like that?” he questioned, eyeing the middle of her chest.
Sofia walked over to Dom with a smirk on her face. “These men are going to learn that a pair of pretty tits shouldn’t distract them. We have businesses to run and money to make.”
She walked past Dom and into the next room, which had a table in the middle. Each seat was taken, except for the head of the table and the seat to the right. Even the Unhinged Brothers were in attendance, but they stood against the wall and out of the way. This wasn’t about them but seeing as how they had aided her twice now, she was giving them an honorary pass into what she was about to put forth.
Sofia took the seat at the head of the table and nodded for Dom to take the seat at her right. “I’ve talked to most of you already, but if I haven’t, I’m sure Dom has told you what I have in mind for New York City.” She looked around the table, putting faces to names and mentally keeping track of how many men each of them would bring in.
Gianna and Otto over at Tres Bellas. Wolf, Cree, and Seven over at Wolf’s Casino. Nico and Bebo at Smoke and Mirrors in Harlem, where Natalya was currently being stashed until they had time to deal with Bruno.
“Welcome to the Council.” Sofia nodded her head to the seven who sat around the table in her father’s old nightclub. “You know what it means to sit at this table.” She held up a stack of folders. “The papers here are for your legitimate businesses. I own ten percent, and I get an additional ten percent for any dealings off the books. And before you ask, I have eyes everywhere. I will know. I’m all for the honor system. Don’t do me dirty, and everything will be good.”
She handed the folders out to each of them, and they started flipping through the contents. “You can go over those later, and I am open to discuss if you think there should be any changes.”
“And if we don’t like the contract at all?” Otto asked.
Sofia shrugged. “You don’t sit at the table. The point of the Council is to bring peace to the boroughs and keep the feds off our asses. We all want to get paid, right?” All of them nodded in agreement. “So do I. Either we all eat or none of us do. If you have a grievance with someone, it is up to you to handle it on your own unless it affects the rest of the Council.”
“So if I have an issue with this shit head sitting across from me?” Otto sat back in his seat staring daggers at Nico.
“I suggest you swallow it,pendejo. We’re keepin’ your fine ass sister safe.” Nico flashed Otto a grin, and it made Sofia chuckle despite herself. She had a feeling those two were going to be best buddies once this was all said and done.
“Now, you’re all in charge of your territories and are allowed to appoint captains to keep the peace on the lower levels, or in Wolf’s case to run the business while he settles down,” she continued. Sofia initially only wanted two members from each of the territories, but given the heat she brought to Wolf’s business, she let his need for all three of them sit at the table to slide for now.
Wolf flashed her a grin. “We already told you we’re in.”
Sofia looked at Bebo and Nico next. “Dom’s a good man, and he’s had our backs since forever. If he says you’re good, then you’re good. We ride until you tell us otherwise.”
Her gaze shifted to Otto and Gianna. They both still looked unsure. Their concern had been keeping their baby sister safe, and as long as no one searched for her with Nico’s crew, she was going to stay safe.
Otto let out a breath. “We’re in. For now.”
Sofia nodded, understanding Otto’s reluctance. He seemed like the type of man who’d much rather fly solo than follow anyone’s orders. She may have temporarily freed him from Bruno’s hold, but now he was under hers, and no matter how much freedom Sofia allowed, Otto was still part of her newly formed organization—she was his boss.
