32. Carmine

32

CARMINE

I sipped my liqueur in a dimly lit little restaurant in Palermo, Sicily. Conversation was low from the few patrons eating, but I noticed they kept their gazes averted from where I sat. They knew who I was. What I did.

My face was an unreadable mask. I had to have it in place. I'd never let anyone know what I thought or what my plans were.

I was meeting someone here tonight, someone who had traveled a great distance to have this face-to-face conversation.

My specialty, the reason I was where I was and how I'd gotten to the level of power I had, was because I could navigate the complex web of politics inside organized crime. I was the head of the Italian Cosa Nostra.

But this meeting was different.

I was betraying everyone and everything for the sake of gaining the ultimate level of control. The stakes were fucking high, and there was no going back now. I sipped more of the Amaro Averna and waited, but I didn't have to wait for long.

Moments later, the man I was expecting walked through the door. He wore all black, his head lowered, his gaze straight ahead.

Elias, Head of the Greek Mafia—The Stygian Syndicate—stopped in front of me and, after a second, gave a slow, arrogant smile. His short, black hair was styled away from his face, and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone, showcasing the top of the dark ink I knew covered his entire chest.

" Siediti , Elias."

He smirked again and cocked a dark eyebrow, but then he accepted my suggestion as he grabbed the back of the chair and pulled it out before he took a seat.

I gestured for someone to bring Elias a glass of Amaro Averna . When it was set in front of him, my guest picked it up and tasted the alcohol.

Although he seemed calm on the outside, I could feel the brewing tension radiating off him.

"Elias," I began, keeping my voice steady. "How about we just cut to the chase?"

He stayed silent. Finally, after taking a longer drink of the liqueur, he set it down then tipped his head forward, wordlessly telling me to continue.

"We both know the Bratva's hold on Desolation is strong. The Cosa Nostra has an alliance since the Bianchi girls married the Petrov brothers, and it is because of that connection the peace has been kept—as fragile as it is on most days."

The Stygian Syndicate's production of "the fringe", a violent and powerfully addictive drug in Desolation, would serve as the catalyst for an aggressive power struggle from the inside out.

The fringe was cheap to produce and a highly addictive substance. Its slow introduction had enabled us to gain influence and partial control over the city's underground economy. Coupled with the Cosa Nostra's web of connections in the States to distribute the product, it had already garnered immense profit.

But money wasn't the main reason for this move.

We weren't hiding the fact that we were selling the fringe, but we also weren't broadcasting who we were or what we were doing. My goal was to slowly provoke a rage-induced response from the Petrovs.

"With the fringe as our weapon," Elias said, his voice breaking through my thoughts, "the streets of Desolation will run red."

"So much red we'll swim in it."

Elias grinned wide. "There's no going back. We've already started this shitstorm," he responded, his tone deep, his accent thick.

"Yes, and it's about time things change."

He leaned back, his eyes narrowing slightly. I could see the wheels turning in his head. The Greek Mafia was small and didn't have the manpower, or the backing and power, that other organizations did. But it was time that fucking changed.

"And what exactly will change, Carmine? What do you want to happen in the long run?"

We'd spoken at great lengths about this shit, but I knew he wanted to know the end result from where I stood.

I didn't like explaining myself to anyone. I didn't fucking let anyone know my end goal. I kept that shit to myself and only told them what they needed to know to get the job done.

But to obtain the kind of control I desired, to gain the type of power that would give me the fucking world on a silver platter, meant I needed to gain contacts from all over the world. And that's why I reached out to Elias and had him connect with his fucking men to put this all in motion. The Stygian Syndicate had been gaining strength quietly.

"The Bratva is powerful, and Desolation has been growing ever since the Petrov brothers took control. But their power over Desolation has made them arrogant. Aligning with you and yours, Elias, will give us both positions on the winning side of the inevitable power shift."

He raised an eyebrow. "You actually believe Dmitry and Nikolai Petrov will just roll over and present their bellies to us? You think we have a chance in hell of taking over their control?"

"Desolation is evolving, altering. The Ruin doesn't have the power it once did, not with how things have already changed ever since the Russians took control after they slaughtered their father. But we need a new order that understands the importance of expansion and wants to stick to the way it was back in the day. We need to bring back tradition." I leaned forward and grinned. "We are the future."

Elias smirked, setting his glass down. "Control. Influence. And the chance to mold Desolation into a hub that serves both our interests is what I want. It's what we both want."

I nodded and finished off my drink.

"Πρ?πει να φ?με αυτο?? στην κορυφ?. Μετα θα μπουν ?λοι στη θ?ση του?." We need to take out the ones at the top. After that, they'll all fall into line.

I nodded again after Elias spoke.

"Anyone in our way is expendable. We'll take them all out and rebuild with the perfect army that no one and nothing can stop. We'll be a fucking superpower."

Elias nodded slowly, considering my words. "You've thought this through. I'll give you that. But you know the Bratva will retaliate, and when Dmitry and Nikolai find out what's going on and who's behind it, they'll bring the hammer down."

I shrugged. "They will, no doubt. But by the time they realize the extent of our plans, it will be too late for them to do any real damage. Once it's all said and done, we'll be untouchable."

"They'll have no choice but to give in or fall like the rest of them."

"Esatto." Exactly .

A silence settled over the table. Finally, he nodded and grinned. "Let's tear down Desolation and rebuild that motherfucker. "

We both knew this was just the beginning. Desolation was about to undergo an even bigger change than what it'd been going through the past several years, and we were the ones who were going to fuck it all up.

"Μη με απογοητε?ει?, Κ?ρμαιν. Μια συμμαχ?α μεταξ? μα? θα μα? κ?νει και του? δ?ο πολ? ισχυρο?? ?νδρε?." Don't let me down, Carmine. An alliance together will make both of us very powerful men.

I never let anyone talk to me like that, to act like they had more dominion than I did. But Elias needed to think he had a semblance of control. It would be easier for him to fall into line and obey at the end of this.

Because the truth was, when my plan finally came to fruition, I would be the only one at the top.

"?ρθε η ?ρα να δουμε τον κ?σμο να κ?ιγεται γ?ρω μα?." It's time to watch the world burn down around us.

I grinned and replied back in Greek, "Και μετ? θα το ξαναχτ?σουμε ?πω? ακριβ?? γαμημ?να θ?λουμε." And then we'll rebuild it exactly how we fucking want.