Page 51 of Gamble with Me
"As you wish, boss," Malin uttered, placing his phone on the coffee table and pointing to the picture. "Look at the photos while I talk."
The images made much more sense when he explained the meaning, and I realized how much shit had happened under our noses.
Malin's story started three years ago. Twelve shareholders in the construction company voted to artificially increase invoices to get more money from me and my family. The company was a fragile link between Italians and Americans, but Americans instantly agreed to fill their pockets.
Malin's investigations uncovered that Italian families who refused to vote for the bold plan faced extortion, blackmail, and, in the worst-case scenario, kidnapping or even the death of a family member.
Stefano Gravaldis was one of the men who tried to ask for help from the capos of the Five Families, but his attempts were blocked. His daughter Tessa was kidnapped, and no one knew where she was. After two weeks, she was found in some remote flat in Brooklyn, overdosed. She barely survived, and for the safety of others, Stefano agreed with the scam.
For years, everything went smoothly. Until Dorian noticed some irregularities. He checked the invoices and payments, compared them with the contracts, and discovered the difference between the signed deals and the numbers on the paper. It was our fault that we trusted our employees too much and didn't check their work. We could've dealt with this long ago.
But it was too late to cry over spilled milk. Dorian had already put our accountants and their assistants under lock. They would face the consequences of their activities, but I was more curious about the person behind this.
"Scroll to the end," Malin replied to my question, and I followed his instructions. "Do you know the man in the photos?"
"It's Kellerman." I frowned, zooming in on the other man, and my eyes widened in shock. "With Giovanni Valentino?" I looked at my brother, who nodded in confirmation.
"Fuck," I exhaled, momentarily shaken by the discovery.
Giovanni Valentino was the capo in one of the Five Families. If he was the silent player behind this shit show, it wasn't surprising that Gravaldis couldn't get help from anyone in his circle. His efforts were shut off from the highest places. Giovanni threw his people under the bus for a more significant cause.
"This is bullshit," I uttered, standing because I couldn't stay still. "Valentino is not in control of everything. They are either all in this or the hierarchy changed."
"I'm not sure I understand," Dorian said, watching me with a deep scowl. His usual good mood disappeared with the growing tension in the room.
"We're at war with Italians, and we didn't notice it," I barked, groaning in frustration. It made perfect sense.
After my father died, the good relationships with capos died with him. We haven't crossed paths yet, but it was just a matter of time before they wanted a cut from my growing, prosperous business. Not to mention my power and influence on the influential people. I was much younger than any of them and knew how to adapt.
The usual bribes didn't work as well as before. The new era was in favors and information. Politicians, diplomats, commissioners, CEOs, and stock market experts depended on the latest news. In the best-case scenario on the news, no one knew about it.
Hazards, hookers, and money laundering weren't as popular as before. Yes, we needed it to survive because we needed to clean our money, but it wasn't the primary source of our income. At least, it wasn't for me and my people. We modernized and cleaned everything so as not to attract the attention of the authorities. Police tried to put me behind bars many times, but they didn't have anything.
However, Italians were on their radar constantly. Old capos ran their business the old way, which was a mistake. My father often said thatyou'll get caught if you can't adapt. And he was right. It was happening to them, and they decided to get rid of me to steal my work instead of changing their mindset.
Shit!
"Do we have a plan?" Dorian asked, concern evident in his voice. He wanted to avoid war because the last time we pulled out our guns, it ended in disaster. We won, but the price was too high.
But I wasn't sure if the collision could be avoided. It was hard to stop a speeding train, and too much was in motion here.
"Gravaldis asked for a meeting with you, Zyon," Malin announced, crossing his legs. He looked unfazed by the recent events. He relished the killing and torturing, which was a welcoming change in his otherwise dull life.
I forbade him from his usual activities because I wanted people to acknowledge our better traits, but this decision was wrong. Our enemies forgot what we were capable of, and it was time to remind them who they stood against.
"Schedule it ASAP," I commanded, thinking about other steps. "Dorian, get me the names of all the shareholders in the construction company. Americans are part of it as well."
"What are you planning, Zyon?" Dorian inquired, but I ignored him again. My attention was on Malin and his stoic face.
"It's going to be a blood bath," I ground out, staring into his brown eyes. "With you in the main role."
A devious smile appeared on his lips, making goosebumps rise on my shoulders. My words just woke up the devil from his slumber.
"Give it a more poetic name, brother," he said, his eyes dancing with the decadent insanity I admired since I discovered how crazy he was. "It'll be a remarkable concert filled with screaming symphonies."
Dorian clapped his hands excitedly, forgetting about any worries. The promise of seeing our brother doing his masterwork was thrilling.
"I'm sure I'll give you a standing ovation." I grinned, calming down a little. An enormous amount of work was before us, but finally, we knew who dared to challenge us.
