Page 3 of Fight Me Daddy

Gabriele

My thoughts lingered on Calix.The way he looked at me, the fire in his eyes, made me want to grab him and choke some sense into him. He might say the right things, but his face was what betrayed him. The anger, the uncertainty, the tightness of his jaw as he tried to fight back. Every part of it was visible to me.

I leaned against the plush seat of my car as it slipped through traffic. While my driver took the helm, I opened up my tablet and started searching through it. Focusing on Calix Gonzalez was not my problem right now. I had a plethora of shit to take care of. Meetings, checking on businesses, tracking down the assholes who had tried to kill Amadeo and Six. It was a never-ending list. But my job was to be Amadeo's second in command, to make sure things were running smoothly behind the scenes.

My phone buzzed and I checked it. Amadeo. Of course.

Ama: You're late.

Gabriele: It's been a long night, but I'm five minutes away.

Ama: Hurry up.

I stared at my phone and rolled my eyes. Amadeo was a pain in my ass, but he was my brother. And he wasn't as cold as he seemed, not to his family. Or to the young boy toy he had stashed in his house now.

Lucky bastard.

Not that I wanted someone like Six around day and night. He was fun, but he was also stubborn, brash, and a little crazy. But who didn't want someone by their side who would stick with them through the good and the fucked up?

"We're here, Mr. Bianchi."

I glanced up and noticed we'd stopped in front of the casino. How long had I been in my own thoughts? I gathered my things and slipped out of the car.

"I'll be back shortly. Stay right in front."

"Yes, sir."

I turned on my heels and stepped through the large, golden framed doors. Music filled the place along with the smell of smoke both cigars and cigarettes. I strolled through feeling eyes on me. It wasn't so odd. Whenever people saw a Bianchi, they tended to stare, but as soon as I made sure they were not a threat, I kept going until I reached Darla's desk.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bianchi," she said with a bright smile. "Everyone's already inside so you can go right in." She pushed forward a paper coffee cup. "I put this aside for you. I figured you would be thirsty. And if you're hungry I have an extra muffin."

I smiled at Darla. She reminded me so much of my mother, always fussing and worrying over us. But like every Italian woman I knew, she was just as strict and straight-forward. I admired that.

"I'll take a muffin," I said with a nod. "What you got?"

"Blueberry," she said, sliding open her desk drawer before she placed a wrapped muffin in front of me. "You never eat lunch so I figured I would grab one for you just in case."

"You're a lifesaver, Darla," I sighed as I picked up the treat and coffee, balancing my tablet and phone. "Thank you."

"Have a good meeting, Mr. Bianchi."

"Just Gabriele," I reminded her for the hundredth time.

Darla smiled at me, but she didn't correct herself. She stood up and opened the door to the office, letting me in before she closed the door after me. The office itself was empty, so I walked through to the conference room and there were my brothers and cousins.

"Yo!" Niccolo called, a grin on his lips. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"I've been working," I said as I sat my things down and shrugged off my jacket. The weather was quickly changing in Atlanta making the coldness disappear into muggy heat in the afternoon. "Something you don't do."

Nic laughed. "I do a lot and you know it," he said as he leaned forward and tapped his cigarette against a crystal ashtray. "Don't be cranky."

"Shut up." I plopped down in my seat and tore open the muffin wrapper. "And you can stop glaring at me, Ama. I'm here."

My older brother had laced his fingers and his chin sat perched on top of them. His eyes narrowed even more at me and I groaned under my breath.

"What's going on is serious, Gabriele."

"I know," I shot back at him. "Who do you think has been chasing down leads and taking every spare moment to get things in order? I'm doing my best."

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