Chapter 3

Aurelio~

"I need Manny and Eduardo on the docks tonight," Nero announced. "We've got a shipment of guns coming in, and Elio's busy with the Leanzas."

"Nix Manny," I advised, making Nero pull out his pack of cigarettes.

"Why?"

"There's a rumor that he's mixed up with some chick from Hiddleson," I told him. "Now, while pussy isn't normally an issue, she's got a brother with a gambling problem, and Manny wouldn't be the first man in history to be snowed by a female."

"Is Morocco on it?"

I nodded. "I put him on it the second that I heard about the budding romance."

Nero gave me a terse nod. "Who else is free?"

My brows furrowed a bit as Nero let out his first puff of smoke. "Where's Elio?" I asked. "Also, I thought you were trying to quit that shit."

"I am," he said, his cigarette still in his hand. "Still, the baby isn't due for another week or so, and I always make sure to wash my hands before I put them on my wife."

"Of nicotine or blood?" I smirked.

Nero grinned. "Both."

"How is the lovely Mrs. Sartori anyway?" I asked as I got more comfortable on the settee.

"She's healthy," he answered pragmatically. "The rest of it is just hormones that I've become an expert at dealing with."

"Threatened to kill you again, huh?" I chuckled.

"She claims that I'm smothering her," he replied, not sounding overly concerned.

"From the day you married her," I pointed out. "Does she know that it's only going to get worse once the baby's born?"

Nero shook his head. "Nah, a little mystery in a marriage is a good thing."

That got me to thinking…"And how's Fia doing? Still planning on staying in Italy?"

"According to Kasen, Fia's doing fine, and whatever she's got going with the new guy seems to be working out," he answered. "Also, last I checked, Renzo doesn't seem to care if his wife comes back to the states or not. I think he likes having her across the Atlantic."

"You've met her," I snorted. "Do you blame him?"

"Since she dislikes my wife for whatever reason, no. No, I don't blame him one bit," he chuckled.

"So, you didn't answer me," I said, getting back to business. "Where's Elio? A shipment like this should have one of us there."

"At the moment, he's having dinner with Marco, Condie insisting on more exposure to the family," he drawled out, his face saying it all.

I sat up, placing my arms across my knees. "Why did he marry that fruitcake? What the fuck was he thinking?"

"I think he saw the changes that marrying Kasen made and thought that it'd be the same for him," he answered, shrugging.

"Yeah, but you love your wife," I pointed out. "Does he even like Condie?"

Nero chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Plus, unlike most of the wives in this family, Kasen's not fluff."

"Tell me how you really feel," he smirked.

"Your wife is a criminal defense lawyer, and one of the best in the state," I remarked unnecessarily. "She's also coming for my job, even though you both think that I don't know about it."

Nero didn't just grin this time, he smiled. "We know that you know," he replied like an asshole. "We also know that your ego is big enough to share the spot with someone else."

I eyed him. "Not someone else," I corrected him. "Just Kasen."

Getting back to business, he said, "I can get Elio on the docks in time."

I grunted as I leaned back on the couch. "In time to be debriefed?"

"If Condie becomes a problem, she'll be dealt with," he promised. "She might think that she's special, what with her being married to Elio, but she's not. Plus, even though she finally saw what's really in his bank accounts, there was a prenup, so she better start acting accordingly."

"I can always go," I offered. "I can rearrange a few things if need be."

Nero eyed me. "When was the last time you slept?"

I shrugged. "I got a few hours in the other night."

"As my son's future godfather, I need you to slow it down a bit, Aurelio," he said. "How else are you going to be able to teach him how to shoot if you end up burning yourself out?"

My chin went up involuntarily. "I'm in no danger of burning out."

Nero smirked. "It's not against the law to take a day off, Aurelio."

I arched a brow. "Really? This coming from you of all people?"

"You're supposed to be my consigliere," he said pointedly. "It's not your place to be running the jobs. In fact, that shit was never supposed to be your job. You were my guard, remember?"

"And what better way to guard you than to know what the fuck is going on around you," I countered. "No matter how much fear you instill in these people, there's still half of them that can't be trusted, Nero. You know this better than anyone."

"Which is why I need you around long enough to help me teach those lessons to my son," he replied smoothly, the manipulating sonofabitch.

When Nero had announced me as his son's future godfather, no one had argued against it. Even though Elio should have been the obvious choice, Elio had exercised enough wisdom to realize that he wasn't the person for the job. Yeah, he was maturing more and more, but the heir to the Sartori Crime Family couldn't be left in the hands of a man that was still a child in a lot of ways. He'd proven as much by marrying Condie on the fly, and his complete disregard for her was also proof that he had a long way to go. Now, don't get me wrong here; Condie was a complete fruit loop. Nonetheless, Elio had married her, and it was his responsibility to make that shit work.

"You're an asshole."

"So my wife tells me," he retorted, not missing a beat. "Often."

"Look, it's not like I try not to sleep," I said, half-ass lying, and he knew it. "So, even if I don't go to the docks tonight, I'll still be working somewhere else."

"It's been three years," he remarked quietly.

I arched a brow, shooting him a look of my own. "Says the man that orchestrated an elaborate plot for the wife that he has now." Nero's lips twitched as I leaned forward on the couch. "Tell me, Nero. What would you do if Kasen walked away from you?"

"She wouldn't," he answered swiftly, not even wanting to entertain the idea.

"You sure about that?" I asked, turning the tables just to be an asshole.

His dark brown eyes practically turned black at the thought. "Yes, I am," he said, a little bite in his voice. "I know it like I know my own name."

I leaned back, smirking. "That's what I thought."

Nero let out a calming breath before saying, "Fine, you made your point."

"I'll meet the guys at the dock," I said. "Let Elio deal with whatever Condie's got going on."

"If Marco's got any sense, he'll put her in check at dinner," Nero huffed. "She has to see that Elio is fourth in line to take over this family."

I scowled. "Fourth?"

Nero eyed me again. "Do you honestly believe that I would put him in charge of this family over you?"

"I'm not a Sartori," I pointed out.

"That's debatable," he muttered back.

Getting back to the real world, I asked, "What all do I need to know about the shipment that I already don't?"

"Nothing," he answered. "I just want to make sure that it's firearms only. Smuggling of anything else, and I'll want heads."

I gave him a terse nod as I stood up from the couch. "Duly noted."

"I also want a full report on Manny," he added like I knew that he would. "If he's bringing trouble to my doorstep, then I want to know about it."

"It's always a woman that ends up being a man's downfall," I smirked.

"And yet we still can't help ourselves," he agreed.

I walked out of Nero's office, already thinking about what all was going to be needed for tonight. In all actuality, I didn't know how not to work. Even if I'd had a wife and kids, I'd still be running at this same speed. In fact, it was actually a good thing that my heart had stopped working three years ago.