Chapter Twenty-Seven

Elena

Eight months later…

New York’s gloomy charcoal clouds are a stark contrast to the pristine, crisp blue skies of Sicily, but the Cosa Nostra will adjust. After all, New York used to be their playground many years ago, until the rug was ripped out from under them.

Smiling, I fiddle with my wedding ring, a huge grin on my face as I sit in a private boardroom perched in the middle of Manhattan, waiting for everyone to arrive. When I stare down at the sparkler on my hand, I understand it’s the reason I’ve been able to achieve exactly what I set out to do, and that was to bring the Mancinis back into power and return them to their throne in New York.

No, it didn’t unfold the way I thought it would. Nor Nikk. We never banked on falling in love. There wasn’t any hostile takeover. It was more so good solid business and two powerful conglomerates joining in union. The way it should be. The Cosa Nostra, where possible, like to conduct handshake deals and keep things civil and professional. Drawing guns and engaging in wars between families ends up being bad for business on both sides. There are too many losses.

The large meeting room is set up in a U-shape with various representatives of each family present and I’m a little nervous because this is our first official meeting together— I’m leading it. Food is provided on the tables along the walls, and there’s an array of drinks too. I know my famiglia—at every meeting the men want a cigar and or an alcoholic beverage to get started. This is the way of life for the Mancinis, and I didn’t see why we couldn’t bring that level of comfort to the meeting.

Security is planted in each corner in case anything gets out of hand. I’m not stupid; this meeting is a big deal. It’s supposed to be peaceful, but we have to be ready. Given the showdown we had at the Mancini estate, I don’t think anyone would have the heart or stupidity to do such a thing, but precautions are needed. There’re a lot of powerful people in the room.

I look over to Nikk who is seated beside me, dressed in a light gray pin-striped suit, his hair a little longer now. He’s slicked it back nicely, and thankfully, his spicy cologne no longer makes me want to puke. Morning sickness has been unkind to me, and I’m glad this weird plague of a thing has passed for the most part.

My heart thumps loudly as he throws me a wink of reassurance. Sometimes when I’m alone, I have to remind myself of the life I’ve built with him. I never thought such a thing could be possible. Tingles of heat spread over my body as I wink back at him. There’s never a day lately, I don’t want to jump his bones; he’s more handsome than ever to me.

I’m reasonably comfortable in my black maternity dress wearing an open blazer over the top, my little basketball poking out from underneath. I thought I might have gained more weight during the pregnancy, but surprisingly, I’ve maintained my shape, except for a few added features such as my breasts getting bigger. Nikk is enjoying this bodily change immensely. Amused by the memory of his dirty talk last night, I smirk to myself.

Rubbing my belly, I feel the baby kick. I want to tell Nikk about it, but he’s already standing to greet one of my Mancini uncles, but not before giving me a quick pep talk.

“Hey, you’ve got this. No need to worry,” he whispers in my ear and kissing my cheek.

“Thanks, I’m feeling good about it.” I swallow down the doubt, rearranging the papers on the desk in front of me. I’ve gone over them several times this week in preparation. I’ve also driven Nikk insane as well in the process.

“You should be, Donna. You’re doing an amazing job,” Nikk praises, giving me an extra boost.

“Hey, what’s so serious that Maxim’s not here?” my uncle asks, but Nikk corrects him with a chuckle, the family now so integrated they know each other.

“He will be here any minute now. Trust me, he wouldn’t miss this meeting. Grab a drink and take a seat. The meeting’s going to be starting soon,” Nikk advises as everyone streams in, taking their seats. A sudden flush of panic rides over me, hoping that everyone will behave themselves.

Because, despite outward appearances, the room is filled with old money, violence, money stacked on money and the typical mob scandals that plague all mob outfits.

Maxim does arrive, greeting Nikk warmly, and many of the Mancini men I’ve selected make a beeline to me, congratulating me on my upcoming birth. I’ve been so irritated and edgy lately, and I’m wondering if that’s contributing to my mood as well.

I switch on and once everyone is seated, I realize, I needn’t have worried. The element of danger is relaxed enough for two mob families to be gathered in harmony in one spot.

Clearing my throat, I stand up to start the meeting once I tick off that all the thirty members are in attendance. In front of them are handouts of the year’s profit margins, and a breakdown quarter by quarter since the Mancinis and Orlovs have been in alliance together.

“Alright, everybody, I want to thank all of you for coming today. A special thank you to the Mancini representatives who have flown in for the meeting.” I smile glancing in their direction as they nod respectfully back at me. “Before we get started, I want to let you know what the meeting’s agenda will be.”

“Good, I’m looking forward to it, Elena,” one of the Orlov representatives echoes back, putting me at ease. It’s nice to have support from that side of the family, given what we’ve gone through.

“Thank you,” I reply, addressing the group. “You’ll find the numbers for the last year in front of you, and these are from the new ventures we’ve undertaken in collaboration. These include three new luxury nightclubs in Manhattan and two new bars in the Upper East Side for the Mancinis, and for the Orlovs, a new premium luxury range of vodkas, which are now stocked exclusively in each one of these venues. We are going to talk about our lemon distribution and if we’re on target this season as well. We have a lot to get through.”

“Yes, I’m very interested in the numbers for lemon distribution from Sicily. The weather and soil conditions in Sicily are set to hold for the rest of the crop season, but there is talk that the seasons will change in the future. How will we mitigate this risk if the lemon trees are not producing a solid yield?”

Nodding my head, I smile, having already looked into possible options. “Good question. We can discuss as we get started here, but in short, our distribution partners are buying so much of our stock that we are going to need to expand our Sicilian workforce,” I say proudly, hushed and impressed whispers bouncing around the room.

Smirking, I watch the men stare in amazement as I run through the profit margins for the year. We are up forty percent. Who would have thought all the fruits of our labor were spawned by a chance meeting between Nikk and me on a luxury yacht in Monaco, further strengthened by our union.

“This is astounding what we’ve been able to do, but how are we going to keep up with the demand, I ask again?” my uncle says. I specifically requested him at the meeting as he is in charge of the lemon farm and the olives.

“That’s where you come in. I want you to find new land for future production, and yes, I know it’s risky, but we aren’t just looking at New York alone. Because of our connections, we’ve been contacted by bars in Boston to supply their nightclubs.”

“Hmm. I can do that, Elena, but I’m going to need someone to assist me with scouting out the land. I’m time-strapped as it is,” my uncle remarks. One of the Orlov men jumps in.

“I’ve got someone who can help you with this. We can talk after the meeting about it.”

“Excellent,” my uncle replies. The meeting is starting to have robust discussions as we knuckle down into the prospects and pitfalls of such rapid expansion, mapping out ventures and plans for the following year and quarter.

I’m feeling tired and weary, my stomach heavy. It’s been hard in the last stages of the pregnancy, but we’re close to finishing the meeting.

“I do want to address a few things before we leave out of the meeting today, and that’s the late shipments of lemons that have been going out of late. You have to understand we need to ship the lemons over to the distillery, and if we are late, it forces production back.”

“How far does it force it back?” someone calls out. I answer quickly, wanting to get the information out before we finish.

“From now on I will be ringing in for all the manifests and cross-checking them with the warehouse so we can stay on track with our production numbers for the rest of the year. If we continue to be late, I will have to start considering new hires for your roles,” I say strictly. I’m very good at picking up where the potholes are in business. It’s one of the reasons I worked side by side with my father. He trusted my instincts.

“Fuck me, it must be the hormones. We’ve only been a day behind,” one of the Orlovs mutters under their breath.

“That’s one day behind your resignation. What Elena says goes,” Nikk announces sternly, covering me. “And if you don’t like that, I’m more than happy to rearrange your face or leave you with one less finger.”

The mood shifts as Nikk places fear in the hearts of every man in the room. He backs it up by glaring at every face. God, it’s a turn-on when he asserts his authority. Especially if it’s to back me up.

“Thank you.” I smile at him. “That’s all that I have listed on the agenda, but I think this has been a successful meeting, and I look forward to the next one. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

A few people approach afterwards as Nikk, and I discuss everything. I can tell he’s a little on edge as he watches every one walk out and keeps an eye on security all the while. After he sent Bogdan back into exile in Russia, he’s been extra protective over me.

I do receive a little pushback from one of my uncles, but it’s quickly nipped in the bud. “I need to process this. It’s a little too sudden for my liking.”

I sigh, grumpy and hot with the baby kicking too much. I just want it to come out, so I can meet it. Picking at my manicure, I arch my eyebrow at the resigned famiglia member. “Take as much time as you need to wrap your head around things and email me your concerns. I’m the acting CEO along with Nikkita, and the profits don’t lie. I’m the one that deals with every single transaction from each one of you. Me. I’m the one.”

Nikk holds a proud smile at the startled Mancini member. “I’m aware of that,” he says, adding, “Did you have to kill Matteo?” That startles me, and the tension ramps up as Nikk stares him down.

“You would do well not to bring that up again. Matteo is dead because he crossed the line. Are you planning on doing the same?” Nikk demands, deadly warning in his tone, and the Mancini family backs down quickly.

“No—I just, he was with us so long. I’m sorry, Elena. I heard about what was done. So unfortunate. Sorry again. I’m not wanting to cause trouble,” he whines, but I make a mental note to keep watch on him.

“Then don’t,” I conclude, bidding him goodbye, thankful to be exiting the roomful of men. Once we reach the New York sidewalk, I breathe a sigh of relief as the car arrives right on time. I slide in, feeling clammy and weird.

“That went well, don’t you think?” I ask Nikk and he nods.

“Yes, it went well. Are you okay, though? You do seem to be a little grumpier than normal these days.”

Glaring at Nikk, I rub my belly. “Nikk, I’m having a baby; what do you expect?” I snap, and he smiles at me, sliding a tendril of my hair behind my ear.

“Hey now, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m always going to back you up no matter what, but you have been a little grumpy. Maybe you need more vitamins. More rest?”

The driver pulls off, navigating the thick Manhattan traffic as I sigh, feeling a little woozy.

“Nikk, I think something is wrong.”

Immediately Nikk places all his attention on me. “What is it? What can I do?” he asks in exasperation as a wet, sticky fluid flows from between my legs.

Gasping at the sudden release, I glance up at him. “Nikk, my water just broke. Get me to the hospital.”

Nikk smiles, freaking out. “Shit! We’re having a baby.”