Page 7 of The Capo

I was thankful the injury hadn’t been lethal, the man coming out of retirement to lead the team. He was a tough old guy, but what he’d been forced to endure continued to piss me off.

I leaned over, yanking back my initial amusement. “Marty doesn’t understand what I’m capable of and don’t fool yourself, brother of mine. Mama is eager to watch me race.”

He laughed, dropping and shaking his head. “Right. What you’re capable of is utter destruction. Should I remind you how many cars you’ve wrecked in your life?”

“At least they were all mine.” He usually didn’t take kindly to me chastising him about wrecking my former beloved Corvette but took it in stride tonight.

“Very funny. Once a playboy, always a playboy.” Within seconds, his expression turned hard. “What have you learned?”

“Nothing on my end. I had Daniel out talking to informants or I should say business representatives.” I couldn’t help but grin. Arman couldn’t even stand the old verbiage being used any longer, much to the chagrin of our pops, who was still reliving his glorious days of violence. At least he knew Daniel was the right man for the job, the ex-marine just as capable of shooting a man from a hundred and fifty yards as he was of convincing an informant it was in his or her best interest to share what they knew.

“You can’t take this lightly, brother. Someone came close to satisfying an urge.”

An urge. No one dared take on a powerful regime unless it was because of greed or seeking revenge.

“Yeah, I know.” I drummed my fingers on the table, studying the lively crowd.

“Unfortunately, Daniel couldn’t find anything useful. No one is talking and from what I gathered, it’s none of the usual roaches trying to skim off the top either. The cartels aren’t active, the Texas group laying low as required and even the Italians who threatened to crash our turf have been minding their own business,” Rocco said. My second in command had the pulse of the various criminal and shady corporate moguls from Dallas to the Keys as well as up north as far as Philadelphia. New York was the only city we couldn’t care less about. The rivaling gangs and crime syndicates ate their young for breakfast, something we wanted no part of.

Arman sighed, glancing at Maddox. “We haven’t detected anything either, which concerns the hell out of me.”

“Maybe I should run a deeper dive into the driver you hired, just in case he has some hidden baggage,” Maddox suggested.

“Good idea but it’s a long shot,” my brother said more in passing. “Still, we have too many deals on the table, including adding to our real estate holdings, to leave any stone unturned.”

“You’re becoming more like our father every day. Including your gray hair.” I lifted my glass, waiting for him to do what he always did when I returned his challenging teases with ones of my own, especially about his graying temples.

Maddox and Rocco laughed yet Maddox pushed back from the table, acting as if the kingpin of our organization would punish him for agreeing.

“Tough crowd. You wait until you get married.” Arman pointed his finger at me.

Rocco choked on his drink, leaning forward and speaking to my brother directly. “You should see him with his dog, Mr. Thibodeaux. I seriously doubt he can handle a wife.”

I slowly turned my head, issuing a snarl. I’d been advised to get a puppy to soften me up. I’d given in after both my sister and two sisters-in-law had driven me nearly bat shit crazy about it. I had to admit, I’d been inept at first, uncertain how to handle the fuzzy girl dog. Now I couldn’t imagine being without her. “I’ll have you know I’m getting the hang of being a daddy dog.”

As soon as I’d muttered the words, all three men burst into laughter. I had to admit that having benign conversations about aspects of life that most families engaged in had been rare up until now.

“Gentlemen, we need to proceed with caution,” I suggested, breaking the mood. My brother was right in that the family’s wealth, standing, reputation, and influence had never been in a better position. The last thing we needed was complications. I had a direct view of the dance floor and main bar. Someone caught the corner of my eye, a woman who stood staring up at the lights, moving to the music. While it didn’t appear that she was wearing a mask, her lovely face seemed to sparkle in the shimmering light.

There were usually hundreds of beautiful women inside the club, few ever drawing my attention. I’d learned a long time ago that touching the merchandise inside one of my establishments wasn’t in my best interest. Granted, it had been a long time since I’d been with a woman, preferring to concentrate on work.

“Then we’re going to keep the business on a need-to-know basis only until further notified. That includes the majority of our employees,” Arman stated, glancing from Maddox to Rocco before turning his head in my direction.

“Agreed. But business as usual. We don’t need anyone learning we might have an issue.” We were still recovering from some issues that had occurred both in and outside of Texas, where I’d been overseeing a brand-new development. The seven-thousand-unit residential site now included two hotels, a full-scale resort as well as what some considered a small town complete with a movie theater, restaurants, and a half dozen bars along with the required infrastructure of school and road systems. Given we were in the final debates with the city council, we didn’t need further interruptions because of an enemy.

As the unknown vixen danced by herself, the ever-changing shimmering light managed to capture her mood. She wasreveling in the moment, laughing alongside her girlfriends as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

Arman nodded. “Absolutely. When is the meeting in Dallas?”

I couldn’t see her very well and had no clue who she was, but her vibrant red hair caught the light, the form-fitting dress she was wearing sinfully perfect for her hourglass figure.

“Earth to Francois.” Arman leaned further into my space, momentarily blocking my view.

Exhaling, I shook my head, chuckling given my attention had been captured. “Not for a couple weeks. We have time.”

“Good. We should get together next week and formulate a final plan.” He tossed back some of his drink then stood. “Besides, it would seem you have your mind set on enjoying the spoils of your club.”

When I gave him a hard look, he grinned at me. “Some of us don’t have a ball and chain tied around our necks.”

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