Chapter 14

GIOVANNI

M y father once told me that men weren’t shaped by the world around them. They were shaped by the women in their lives. I used to think he was referring to my mother’s death. Before she was murdered I was a normal kid. I liked my toys and going outside, but when she was gone, I changed.

Instead of being excited to play on the equipment at the park, I would sit back and wait for some kid to get hurt, because their tears amused me. If they were in pain, then I wouldn’t have to feel my own.

Over the years that need became its own hungry beast. Sometimes I could appease it with minor things. Beat some guy up, fuck a girl a little too hard, or by scaring the shit out of someone. But that dark desire was never satisfied. I could feel it constantly trying to claw its way out.

Then came Novalee Ford.

That’s when I realized what my father meant by that statement. One taste of her and I found myself doing things I never thought I would. Like following someone around, or diving into Quackwater Lake to retrieve a phone so I could see who she was messaging.

Jealousy wasn’t my thing. I considered it a petty waste of energy. That didn’t stop me from wanting to rip out the eyes of every man who looked at her. Including one of my best friends, who was currently alone with her on a three hour road trip to a prison. Which was where I should be, but Romeo had other plans. I barely had one foot out the door this morning before he stopped me and sent me here, to pick up my father and uncle.

I leaned back on the soccer mom vehicle I rented to follow Nova, and gazed out at the Mississippi.

The docks behind the Ellipsis was the last place I would want to be in the morning, even if I wasn’t planning on following Nova. It wasn’t the look so much as the smell. My father did his best to cover up the heavy aroma of the river with things like a seafood shack and a couple food trucks, but none of those could cover up the muddy scent in the air.

My father’s riverboat was coming down the river towards the dock. I looked at the green letters spelling The Olive then down at my watch. They were ten minutes late. Not something my father would typically stand for. But Aldo was in town, and he had a way of convincing my dad to let go.

Last time Aldo was here they disappeared for two days. A missing boss was never a good thing. Romeo lost his shit trying to find him. And when he did find them in some back alley bar in New Orleans, drunk out of their minds, he lost his shit again.

I was only twelve or thirteen at the time, and found it hilarious to watch my brother try and corral them through the house. Now, I was pretty sure I was about to have the same experience.

The Olive slowly turned in to dock as I listened to the paddlewheel spin through the water. When I was a kid this was my favorite place to come. My mother and I would sit at the back and I’d pretend that we were rolling down tracks instead of a river.

The timely chugs of the wheel turning reminded me of a train. Romeo and Atlas made fun of me, but my mother would play along. She’d scoop the imaginary coal into the furnace while I conducted the train.

When everyone else was busy, the two of us would come out here and play our game. My brothers had their things with my father, and we had this. The Olive was our special thing and the last place I’d seen my mother smile.

I hadn’t set foot on it in years. Twelve to be exact.

That wasn’t true. I did go for a ride about two years ago for Atlas’s birthday party. He died ten days later. Thing was a curse for my family. But maybe this time it would work in my favor, and take out the member staining the Mancini name.

Passengers began filing off while looking up at the VIP cabins on the top of the boat. That was where I would find my father and uncle. Based on the music I could hear coming from up there, I’d say the party was still going for them. Lovely.

I sighed, pushed off the car, and headed up the ramp to the deck of The Olive.

“Sir.” A crewman at the top of the ramp held out his hand to stop me. “I’m sorry but we aren’t taking any passengers right now.”

My brow arched.

“You can purchase a ticket for our next voyage from any one of the cashiers in the Ellipsis.”

Voyage? Who the fuck was this guy?

“I’m here to get my father.”

“All the passengers have disembarked,” he placed his hand on my chest and tried to usher me down the ramp. “I’m sure he’s waiting for you.”

I looked from his hand and up to his eyes. “My father is Cesare Mancini.”

He froze and looked up at me with rounded eyes. “Oh.”

Yeah.

We stood there for a second staring at each other, before I dropped my gaze to the palm still flattened on my chest. “Take your hand off me.”

“Right.” He dropped his arm and stepped back. “Your father is…”

“I know where he is,” I said and marched past him.

I walked through the middle cabin and climbed the stairs. Music got louder the closer I got to the hallway at the top. If the various bras and panties tossed on the floor weren’t enough to tell me what to expect, then the famine giggles coming from the other side of the door sure were.

Thankfully when I walked into the VIP room both my father and uncle were fully clothed. The girls however were not. There were tits everywhere, and a couple of cocks.

I did not want to know what they spent all night doing. Bottles littered the floor, people were passed out all over the place, one girl was sprawled out on the pool table with her legs spread. Some guy was tied to the bar in the corner, and there were three people laying in a heap in the other corner.

The only people who were awake in the room were my uncle, my father, some girl who was attempting to give one of them what I could only assume was a drunken lap dance, and an exhausted looking Saul.

Unsurprisingly, Saul did not look happy to see me. “Where the fuck is Romeo?”

“He had to pick up some Russian prick.” I got why he would rather have Romeo’s help, that didn’t mean I wasn’t a bit insulted. “Don’t worry, I got this.”

“They won’t listen to Romeo when they’re like this, what the fuck are you supposed to do?”

“So they’ve had a couple drinks. It can’t be that hard.”

Aldo slammed his big hand down on the table. “Cesare, we should fuck those twins.”

Saul and I shifted our gaze over to the girl twerking—one girl not two—after which Saul turned his eyes on me.

“Okay, they’ve had more than a couple of drinks.” Based on the glasses and bottles littered around the floor, I’d replace the drinks with bottles.

“You got any bright ideas, genius?”

I looked over at the booth my father and uncle were occupying as my father held up his hand and bellowed, “more bourbon.”

“I think we drank all the bourbon.” Aldo said. “But I think there’s scotch.”

“Oh, scotch then.”

Considering neither one of them noticed Saul and I standing there, I had no idea who my father was talking to. Everyone else was passed out, even the girl dancing had her eyes closed.

“So?” Saul asked.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a tranquilizer gun on you, would you?”

Saul’s face dropped. “I have a gun gun.”

I wouldn’t object to putting a bullet in Aldo’s head, but I was fairly sure Saul would.

“Alright.” I sighed. “I’ll go and get them.”

“Good luck.” Saul called as I headed over to the booth.

I rolled my eyes.

All I had to do was get them up and out to the car. How hard could that possibly be? The answer to that question was pretty fucking hard. The two of them were so out of it, that they didn’t notice me walk up. I had to clap in front of their faces to get them to look my way.

“Get up,” I ordered. “It’s time to go.”

Aldo threw his hands up in the air and sang, “Giovanni!”

“That’s my son.” My father added.

Aldo looked at my father. “I know he’s your son.”

“Look how big he got.” My father lifted his hand and wagged his finger at me. “You need to spend less time in the gym, Giovanni, and more time on your woman.”

“That’s right, he has a woman now. Is she…” Aldo cupped his chest in a motion that I assumed meant big breasts.

“No,” my father waved at his brother. “She is small, but Giovanni doesn’t mind.” He leaned closer to Aldo and not very quietly whispered, “he likes to spank her.”

I closed my eyes and tried to put that last statement out of my mind. How he knew that, I didn’t want to know. “Can we not talk about Nova?”

My uncle’s brow arched. “What is a Nova?”

“She is his woman.” My father answered.

“Is she well behaved?”

My father shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Italian women are like that.” Aldo slapped the back of his hand on his palm. “You need to teach them manners right away.”

“She’s not Italian.”

Aldo stopped and cocked a brow at my father. “Why would you have him marry her if she isn’t Italian?”

“Her family will be beneficial to the business.”

What the hell was he talking about? No they wouldn’t. The Ford’s didn’t have shit.

I pointed at my father, “you’ve had too much to drink.”

“Giovanni!” My uncle held his hands up, palms out. “When did you get here?”

My forehead dropped in my palm as I scrubbed a hand down my face. This was getting me nowhere.

I looked over at Saul who shrugged in a silent I told you so. “You could help?”

“You want me to help?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Saul nodded and walked over. “Sir,” he said to my father. “We need to go. You have a meeting with Ronan Mikhailov tonight.”

Both my uncle and father looked at Saul then burst out laughing.

“See?” Saul said to me.

Alright, it was time to try another tactic. “Watch them, I’m going to call Antonio.”

He was the one person I could think of that might be able to talk some sense into my father. Dominic Barone would just join them, and Ricky was in New Orleans, so he couldn’t drag them out. Leaving me with Atlee’s too serious father.

I left Saul with the two drunken idiots and headed outside to call Antonio.

He answered on the third ring.

“Now is not a good time, Gio.”

“Too bad, I need your help with my father.”

“Alright,” Antonio sighed. “What is the problem?”

He sounded utterly exhausted, which was unlike him. Nothing broke through Antonio’s calm exterior. There was a reason he was my father’s consigliere.

“Aldo and my dad are drunk and they won’t…”

I was cut off by a female voice yelling, “I love Myles.”

Suddenly I understood why Antonio sounded the way he did. Alex was home. His youngest daughter was the only thing that could get to him.

“I don’t care.” Antonio yelled back. “Listen Gio, tell your father you have a bottle of Whitley 25 year scotch back at the house and he’ll follow you.”

“It’s that easy?”

“It’s that easy.” He confirmed, then growled, “put that down Alexandrea.”

There was a crash, a pop, and a hiss, followed by Antonio saying, “I have to go.” Then the line went dead.

Apparently Atlee’s dad had his own problems. Talking to him did remind me of something. I scrolled through m y contacts and sent Atlee a text.

Me: Are you there yet?

Atlee: Yeah, she’s almost done.

Me: Anything interesting happen?

I was more interested in what Nova and her brother talked about. Since I couldn’t be there, I asked Atlee to listen for me. There were perks to being a Mancini. Like the guards on our payroll and the room with an intercom they agreed to do the visit in. Honestly, I was a bit surprised when my father set the whole thing up. Then again, he was probably already drunk at the time.

Atlee: Well, Kato knows about your deal. He told Nova to get out of it.

Fuck that. I’d kill her before I let her go. Something I would’ve liked to tell him myself. I was going to kick Romeo’s ass for this.

Me: What did she say?

Atlee: She pretty much told him to go fuck himself.

That’s my girl.

Me: See you when you get back.

Atlee: Are you picking Nova up for the dinner, or do you want me to bring her?

I leaned over and looked in the room. My father and uncle had pulled Saul into the booth with them and were trying to convince him to either take a drink or fuck the dancer, I couldn’t tell from here. It would be a miracle if I got them out of here by the time Atlee and Nova got back.

Me: You better bring her.

I had her dress at my house anyway.

“Giovanni!” My uncle called. “Get in here and have a drink with us.”

I huffed out a breath. The second Romeo got home, these idiots were his problem.