Page 5 of Checkmate

He nods his head. “That’s true. So, you got any new entail?”

I shake my head and the frustration fills me instantly. I had been so close, but then Leo’s death had made everything come to an abrupt stop. “No, without Leo I have no inside connection. I’m working on seeing if I can flip someone, but it’s not easy.”

“You think you did enough to prove yourself to Giordano that he might just give you more responsibility?” Ratliff asks.

I shrug and pull the sunglasses off my eyes. “I don’t know. From what I can I tell, he only trusts the true Italians and I’m not one. I’m thinking he’s going to call on Matteo Gigante to become the next right-hand man with Leo’s absence.”

“Makes sense that Matteo is still hanging around,” Ratliff comments.

“Does it? I can’t figure that shit out. I mean, his family has their own mob and I know he’s the last in line to take over as their leader, but I would think he would at least have some loyalty to the Gigante family.” I’ve been trying to piece Matteo’s story together for months. Based on the knowing look and smirk on Ratliff’s face, I should have just asked him.

Ratliff kind of laughs, well as much as I’ve ever heard him laugh. “Did no one give you the backstory on Matteo?”

“Not really.”

“Matteo was engaged to Vivianna Giordano. Well, I guess not really engaged, but it was based on a mutual understanding between the two families that Matteo and Vivianna would marry and bring the two families together. It was all a power play. Basically, Giordano was guaranteeing that he would run the majority of the Las Vegas underbelly by selling his daughter off,” he explains.

I shake my head, disgusted by the thought of selling your daughter off for more power and money. “But she left first.”

Ratliff nods. “Yep, but now with her brother murdered, I’m sure she’ll return and I’m sure daddy dearest is just waiting for the moment to pawn her off again.”

“So, Matteo stays in case Vivianna returns and because he has more power and a higher rank in the Giordano family than his own. Kind of smart,” I comment.

Ratliff nods his head. “Well, I guess I’ll see you next week; same time, same place.”

“See you then,” I tell him, as I head for the door. I open it slowly scanning the area which still seems quiet. As I head out of the warehouse, I rest my hand on my gun once more, ready to pull if necessary. I hop back in the truck and take a different and even longer route back home. Once I’m back in the garage, I scan the area before climbing out of my truck and covering it back up. It’s parked in the far corner, dark and secluded, no way will the security cameras catch it. I make my way over to the Bugatti Veyron and snag my Giordano phone from under the seat.

I enter through the staircase door and climb the twelve flights up and rush to my apartment. I scan the area and then key in the code on the alarm system to shut it up. Grabbing a Dr. Pepper from the fridge, I head to my room where I shed the normal people clothes. I place them in the black duffle bag before heading to the far left-hand corner of my walk-in closet. I feel around until I get the little hidden door to open. Once the clothes are safely tucked away, I move the boxes in front of the door then stand up, heading to the bathroom to shower. My phone rings along the way. Looking down I see Matteo’s name on the screen.

“This is Luca,” I answer.

“Lombardi,” Matteo says into the phone. I’ll never get used to being called by my alias’s last name, no matter how many times he calls me by it. “You need to be at Giordano’s this evening at five forty-five sharp.”

“Yes, I’ll be there,” I tell him. I turn to look at the clock and realize I only have a couple of hours. I disconnect the call and rush into my bathroom to take a quick shower before dressing in the clothes of my role. Once my three-piece suit and glistening platinum cufflinks are in place, I grab my Rolex watch and fasten it before spraying on the most expensive bottle of cologne I’ve ever owned. I tuck my gun away, grab my Bugatti keys, and head out the door with a few minutes to spare.

Seven

Luca

As I pull up to the gates of the Giordano estate, I take a deep breath while waiting for the iron gates to open. Tomorrow will be the day that Leo will be laid to rest on this same land. The estate houses a cemetery for the Giordano family. I’m not sure I’m ready to be thrown into the shark tank of mobsters that will for certain be swarming tomorrow.

The gates open slowly, and I make my way down the drive before parking around the side of the house. I make my way to the large and heavy front door which swings open. Matteo appears. “Cutting it close aren’t you?”

Matteo grates on my every nerve and I also think he doesn’t find me trustworthy, which is a problem for me. I give him an easy smile. “Las Vegas traffic, what can I say?”

I walk past him and into the house. I’m standing among my “friends” waiting to find out why we have been summoned here. There’s about fifteen of us in total and from what I can tell, it’s the higher positioned guys. Then she appears and everything in my world changes. For a moment, her beauty pulls my breath away and I swear I forget my own name. I’ve never seen anything like her.

The red dress she’s wearing is form fitting with a slit on one leg that stops mid-thigh. A pair of red soled heels rests on her feet and her long, chestnut colored hair hangs loose and full down her back. Gray eyes hold me paralyzed, and for the first time in my life, I’m okay with that. There’s a fierce independence and intelligent air that surrounds her. For most people, it probably intimidates them, but to me it’s intriguing. I’ve seen my fair share of pictures of Vivianna Giordano, but not a single one has done her justice.

Jesus, Luca, get your shit together. She’s the enemy. She’s a Giordano and at the end of the day, you can’t change that. She may be beautiful, but she stands for everything you despise.That voice of reason inside my head is strong and despite wanting it to shut up,I know it’s right. Vivianna is something I can never want. It would be ridiculous, then again, according to Leo she wanted nothing to do with this world, which is why she disappeared. He wanted the mafias of Las Vegas’ underbelly to wipe out, a clean slate, and in return for helping me, he gained immunity for himself and Vivianna. Leo had often said that if he could set things right in Las Vegas that he believed Vivianna would come home.

“You’re late,” Lorenzo Giordano, Vivianna’s father, tells her. His eyes harbor something that resembles adoration and disappointment when he looks at her.

She shrugs as if she could care less what he thinks. I can’t tell if that’s an act or if she honestly just doesn’t give a damn. “Fashionably so, but regardless, I never asked you to wait on my behalf.”

Gio scoffs and I notice the grip on his glass of bourbon tightens, his knuckles turning white. For a moment, I’m afraid it’s going to shatter. “I’m sorry, it seems my daughter has forgotten her manners and how incredibly rude it is to leave your guests waiting.”

I notice when her back stiffens at his insult. Her gray eyes narrow and I can see the storm brewing already. She starts to walk toward the dining room, the sound of her heels hitting against the floor with her purposeful stride echoes in the foyer. She crosses her arms under her chest. “I would think waiting on me would be better than dying for you.”

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