Page 33 of Gianni DeLuca

“Please, Gianna, he’s my brother. I can’t lose him. I’m telling you in hopes that you can reach him.”

“What the fuck else am I supposed to do, Diamond? I gave him exactly what he asked for. He must want to take me out. Look, I have to go.”

Diamond demanded, “Send my son home to me. Do not tell him any of this conversation. Do you hear me?”

I hung up the phone without a response and went to the kitchen. Mamma wasn’t in the kitchen. Only the chef and a couple of staff cleaned the kitchen as the night ended. Courage was on the phone listening intently, and his forehead suddenly furrowed deeply. He then noticed me, and something made him hang up immediately. I beckoned him out of the kitchen and back to my office.

His open, warm expression was now guarded as we stared at each other in my office. Uneasiness flowed between us. Nervous, kinetic energy. We were both aware that something was happening outside of us. Whether he knew what his Unc was up to or that he had been ordered to kill me, I had no fucking clue. We were at the point of choosing sides and the point of no return.

Studying his body language, facial tics, and anything that could alert me to his thoughts, I started, “Your mother called me to say that your uncle is up to something, but she is out of the loop now because of me. You may know exactly what’s going down, or you may be contemplating how to kill me as we speak.” His nostrils flared. “Five days ago, I spoke with Wisdom and told him he could have Treme and Algiers. Exactly what he asked for. And it appears it’s not enough. I’m not sure what game he’s playing, but he has to be stopped before more lives are lost. You are my son, but your loyalty lies with him, and I won’t ask you to go against him or place you between us. Your mother wants you home, and your uncle knew you would be here out of harm’s way. But you’ve made your choice to be in this life. So, if you need to go, then go be with him.”

Courage didn’t move.

I opened my hands and held them in front of me. “And if you want to kill me, do it quietly and at another time. Not here. Not where my mother can find me. She doesn’t need to have any more trauma.”

Courage lowered his gaze and took a step backward.

“You can turn around and walk out of here. Not going to attack you or get one of my men to do it. You’re my flesh and blood.” At his hesitation. “If there is only one thing I can teach you, which is to trust your gut.”

He nodded and turned around. When Courage opened the door, he said quietly, “I don’t want to kill you.” He then strode confidently yet quickly away.

I noted that he never denied being ordered to do so. My cell rang, breaking my troubled thoughts. “About to call you. Wisdom up to something.”

Roberto bellowed, “That fucker Wisdom and his gang robbed the casino. Less than two hours ago, armed men with masks blocked the entrances, sprayed bullets in the air to frighten everyone, and stole three million dollars within minutes.”

“Was anyone killed?”

“No. They were smart enough to not do anything more than steal money. I watched the playback of the cameras, and Wisdom and a couple of his guys were in the casino earlier tonight.”

“Do we have him or anyone on camera putting on masks?”

“No. But I know it was him fucking with us. I didn’t bother to tell the police my suspicions because I wanted to kill him myself. No more time for games, Gianni. We need to blow up Club Dreams tonight.”

I rubbed my temples warily. “It’s a Thursday night. The club is packed. Too many civilian casualties. I doubt he’s at the club anyway.”

“Gianni, what the fuck is wrong with you? He robbed us. It doesn’t matter if he’s at the club now. We have to strike hard, so he knows we ain’t playing with that son of a fucking bitch no more.”

My phone beeped, and it was an unavailable number. I usually don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize, but instinct intervened. “Hold on.”

“You take a call right now? Right now?” Robert’s tone was incredulous.

I clicked to the other call. “What?”

“Is that how you answer the phone these days?” Wisdom asked, his voice laced with humor like he had the upper hand. Which, at the moment, he did.

Incensed, I bit out, “Where’s my got damn money?”

“Now that I have your undivided attention meet me at the red warehouse next to the river in an hour.”

“You must think I’m a fucking idiot. I show up, and you kill me.”

“Bring your men. Hell, bring all of them.” He chuckled. “I’ll definitely have mine. This time when we negotiate, I want all ears to hear. No games this time, Gianni.” The phone clicked off.

“You there?”

Roberto snapped, “It better be fucking Wisdom himself for you to put me on hold.”

“It was,” I replied calmly though I felt anything but.

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