Chapter 5

Aurelio~

The Sartoris had a shitload of legit businesses that they used to keep the feds off their case, and each one of those businesses had been built and designed for what we did. We had a total of five nightclubs and/or restaurants that had private backrooms where we conducted business, and those same rooms were bulletproof with more guards stationed in them than most banks. The Den was our most profitable nightclub, but that was also because it was a nightclub/strip bar, and you didn't have to be invited to the backroom to enjoy the lovely ladies.

Like The Den, the backrooms at our other establishments were hidden behind a camouflaged door, and once inside, the rooms were split into two parts. On the right side of the room, there were stripper poles and a couple of stages, where the left side had a full-functioning bar. All rooms came with a balcony that housed three separate VIP rooms, all glass walls, so that there were no secrets. There was also a small kitchenette behind the bar for late night cravings, and if you really didn't like having your dick out, there was a private room on the other side of the stripper poles, though it was only the size of a walk-in closet.

We conducted a lot of business in those backrooms, and most deals were sealed with a handshake, a few snorts of coke, and whichever lovely lady didn't mind being used in public. Granted, it all had to be voluntary, but still. Forget money, power, and status; a beautiful woman on her knees for you was what really made a man feel powerful, so closing a deal with some blowjobs worked for everyone involved.

Now, though I'd already given Nero a full report on Manny, I'd heard that his chick's brother was going to be at The Circle tonight, and so I thought that I'd make an appearance. If he was just here as a regular patron, then I'd have no problems with him being here. However, if he was throwing Manny's name around, trying to gain privileges, then I was going to have to have a chat with the guy.

As I walked through the doors, the bouncers and staff all greeted me, but the most that they got in return was a nod of acknowledgement or good evening. I wasn't much of a talker, but that was because there was no value in mindless conversations. Plus, if you were too busy talking, then you weren't paying attention to what was going on around you, and that was something that I couldn't afford to do. For years, I'd been Nero's eyes and ears, and old habits died hard if they even died at all. As his bodyguard, I'd needed to be constantly aware of any threats, and now, as his consigliere, I needed to know every-fucking-thing that was happening in this state, so that I could do my job effectively. In fact, Nero was the only person on the planet that I had full conversations with, and I preferred it that way.

Instead of heading towards the backroom, I headed towards an open VIP section that was reserved for family members only, and though it was only ten o'clock, a few Capos were already making use of the privilege. In fact, Johnny Corelli already had some pussy sitting on his lap, his hand resting comfortably between her thighs. Lonzo Piccoli was less subtle, the girl on his lap letting him rest his hand on her left tit.

Stepping into the area, I got greetings all around, but it wasn't until I took a seat that Fernando Lupino asked, "What brings you out tonight?"

"Just checking on business," I answered vaguely, though they should all be used to that standard answer since it was the only one that I ever gave.

"You're Aurelio Provenza, aren't you?" the girl on Johnny's lap asked.

"What?" he huffed. "My dick not good enough for you?"

She immediately recognized her misstep. "No, pumpkin," she cooed. "I was just asking."

"Know your place, slut," he harrumphed, clearly suffering from a small ego.

I also wasn't impressed with him calling her names. There was no value in mistreating a woman, but there was really no value in mistreating a woman that was being used for your pleasure. Now, if she liked being called a slut, then good for her because I loved getting dirty in the bedroom just as much as the next guy. However, they weren't in the bedroom, and he wasn't trying to enhance the experience. He was trying to embarrass her in front of everyone, and simply because she'd asked who I was.

Still, the only reason that I didn't step in was because most of these girls knew that money was going to be thrown their way once the night was over, so they were usually up for whatever the guys wanted to do with them. So, I wasn't about to play hero to a woman that was perfectly comfortable in the role that she was playing. Granted, that wasn't the case if he decided to put hands on her, but until or unless he did, then it wasn't my business what they had going on between them.

It also didn't take a genius to figure out why I felt a certain way about the abuse of women. Those three years on the streets had shown me an ugly side to man, and I'd gotten into my fair share of fights when I had come across a man trying to rape or abuse one of the many runaway teens on the street. I had lived in New York before making my way to Maryland, lucky that Marco had found me that fateful night, and I'd seen a lot of scum on the streets of New York. I'd once heard that the animal kingdom had nothing on the viciousness of man, and it was true. Human beings were the most dangerous things on this planet, and I was just fortunate enough to be able to stand with the best of them.

At any rate, rapists were up there with pedophiles as far as I was concerned. My mind wasn't capable of wrapping itself around the idea of hurting children or women, so the torturing of women was left up to our resident Sartori psychopath, Adriano Giudice, because I wasn't the only man in the family that felt that way. Luckily, we didn't come across many female traitors that deserved to be introduced to Adriano. If anything, they were just shot, then dumped.

"I'm here for you, Johnny," the redhead went on, trying to smooth his ruffled feathers.

"Yeah," he snorted, unimpressed. "My dick in your ass will prove just how much you're here for me." He'd said it like he hadn't already planned on fucking her up the ass to begin with, so everyone at the table recognized his bravado for what it was.

Leaving them to their bullshit, I drowned out the group's mindless ramblings as I spotted Trevor Hucklebone sitting at a table with a few other people. There were four guys and three girls, implying that one of those females was going to have to pull double duty. Again, it wasn't my business, but the more that I learned about Trevor Hucklebone, the better.

Eyeing the table, Trevor looked exactly like the pictures in the file that I'd given to Nero. He was about five-ten, his body a balance between stocky and overweight. He had light blonde hair that was long enough to put into one of those ridiculous man-buns, and he left the loosen strands to hang around his face. I knew from the file that he had blue eyes, but that was expected with blondes. All in all, he wasn't very impressive, and I was curious as to who would be picking up the tab tonight. His gambling losses were significant enough that I was surprised that he could even afford the club's cover charge at the door.

By all accounts, he was a mooch, and that was problematic for Manny, though he wasn't aware of it yet. Men like Trevor Hucklebone had to be stepped on, if not, then they slithered around until they laid their eggs and became an infestation.

"Aurelio?" I turned at my name. "Isn't that right?"

Normally, I'd know what he was talking about, but I had felt safe enough to tune out what everyone had been saying, focusing all of my attention on Hucklebone.

I really wasn't a people person.

"Is what right?" I asked Alessandro Lorenzo.

"About Condie Sartori," he said, making my back snap straight. "How she's going to start having input in the game."

I almost pulled my gun out to shoot everyone at the table.

Instead, I straightened in my seat, eyeing the man. "Firstly, tell me that you didn't just bring up family business in front of a club full of people." His brown eyes widened. "Secondly, why is Elio Sartori's wife's name in any of your fucking mouths?"

Alessandro started shaking his head. "No…it's not like that. I was just-"

"Get out," I ordered, giving pointed looks to both girls.

As soon as they scurried from the VIP section, I pulled my gun out, then pointed it in Alessandro's direction, keeping the gun on the table, careful not to bring unwanted attention to the life lesson that was happening at the table right now. As much as we owned most of the city and state, I still knew better than to murder someone in front of hundreds of people.

Everyone at the table was stone-cold quiet as I asked, "How often do you motherfuckers discuss family business in front of pussy?"

Not one man answered.

"Let me make something clear, gentlemen. This isn't the seventies or the eighties where proof had been hard to get," I explained, my irritation plain as day. "Every asshole in this place has a smartphone, and though those two females seemed simple, did you check to see if their phones were on record before you started spouting off about shit that's no one's business?"

Every man's face paled, and I wasn't sure what bothered me more, their cowardice or their stupidity. However, that was something for Nero and Elio to deal with.