7. Alessandro

Chapter seven

Alessandro

A Month Later

"You don't get to choose how I get to live my life or include me in some messed up deal." I try to remain calm, stopping myself from yelling at Madre.

" Mio figlio (My child), this is the only way we both get to win," my mother says.

Father is lying on the bed, still recovering. He watches as Mother and I argue.

"I do not want anything to do with Manny Gustavo." I turn to face my mother.

"Or his daughter," I add.

"Why? You're already thirty-one, and you're always so fixed on work you haven't gotten a chance to bring any woman home to us."

" Madre , I told you, I'm not ready to have a wife or a family yet."

"You're never ready for anything. You'll ruin my business before I'm dead," Father retorts.

I clench my fist hard, restricting myself from yelling at him. "This man almost killed Daniel and burned the warehouse. We can't trust him. I don't."

My mother walks closer to me. Her flowery shirt is neatly tucked in the blue office pants she has on. She has light make-up on, with her brown hair flowing down her shoulders. I spot a few white strands.

"We aren't trusting Manny. We are simply having an exchange."

She touches my arm and stares into my eyes. "They have what we want. It's only a fair exchange, mio amore (my love)."

"There has to be another way, Madre ."

"Stop being stubborn, Alessandro. With no shipment, we will lose all of our clients to our rivals."

"Adriana has been missing for weeks now. She doesn't want this just as much as I don't."

I still can't believe she just up and left; I thought we had a good arrangement going. Maybe I was too much for her to handle, or maybe her father's the reason she's nowhere to be found.

"Her father assured us that she would be found," Mother replies.

"I don't want to be a part of this stupid deal." My voice has gotten higher. I've endured years of doing whatever they wanted to prove myself, ready to take over the business someday. But not anymore.

"I'm not fucking marrying Adriana Gustavo," I scowl, disgusted by the idea.

"It's final. Your mother and I have discussed it. You are going to marry Adriana Gustavo and that is the end of this discussion," Father says with his voice raised. He coughs a little.

Adriana and I getting married is supposed to ensure a truce between both our families. A temporary one. One that ensures we have enough supply for our scheduled shipments, at least for a while. But there's no way in hell I'm fucking trusting Adriana or her father. This could well be a trick to steal from us.

"No! I'm done here and none of you can make me marry Adriana!"

I walk out of Father's room, slamming the door behind me. I hate coming here. This house reminds of Father's constant berating of me.

"Alessandro!" Mother calls behind me.

"I'm not changing my decision, Madre . There's nothing you or Father can do about it," I reply, slowing down my steps.

"Stop there, Alessandro."

I take a deep breath, squeezing my eyes shut for a second before I stop and turn to face her.

"Please just consider this. Your father's legacy and all he has built for years will all be for nothing," she says.

"I won't let that happen on my watch, Mama. Just trust me. I'll figure it all out." I stare at her for a few moments as she crosses her arms and nods in response.

Feeling the need to leave the house quickly, I begin to walk to the front door.

"Someone tried to kill L'Uomo," Mother blurts.

I stop as I grab the doorknob with my eyes wide in shock.

"I didn't want to tell you in the room. But someone is trying to kill your father," she adds.

I turn to face her.

"How, Madre ?"

"His meds were all mixed up and I found a few pills of fentanyl in them."

"Who do you think got into his room?"

"I have no idea. I only stepped out for an hour to meet with Xander and discuss his delivery," she answers.

"I'll have more men come to the house to watch over him."

"Hmmmn."

Letting go of the doorknob, I walk back to her and kiss her on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, Madre ."

I leave my father's house and slip into my car.

When I check my phone, I see five missed calls from Nick. We do business together in downtown New York City. I start the car and drive out of my father's place. I make a quick dial back to inform him I'm on my way.

Nick is my only option right now to get my father the supply he needs. Unlike my mother, I have searched for reasonable alternatives to solving the supply problem instead of forcing myself to marry Adriana Gustavo, who I'm sure still hates me, by the way.

It's a bit upsetting that she feels that way, though, given how I'm beginning to get fond of her. After all, her body is a sight to die for. Especially those damn titties and that fucking tight pussy I was first to devour.

Nick answers my call on the second ring. "I'm on my way."

"Third Avenue. T's warehouse. Hurry," he replies, ending the call.

I dial Daniel's number to inform him of the location but he doesn't answer.

As I make a turn into Manhattan, I pull down the window, and I'm welcomed by Manhattan's air. I can almost taste it.

The streets are busy with bars open and strippers lining the walk paths.

I drive through to Third Avenue, dialing Daniel's number again. He picks up this time.

"Ale."

"I came to meet Nick on Third Avenue. I hope I get the supply all sorted out."

"Is it safe? You know how they can be over there."

I look out the window, watching the men in black hoodies make an exchange. Could be drugs or guns.

"I can handle it." I grab my gun from the car safe and slide it into the back of my jeans.

"Call me if anything goes wrong."

I end the call and dial Nick's number.

A stranger walks out of the brick warehouse with the placard "T's ware." The other letters are faded. He is in a tight black leather jacket with only a black singlet underneath and black pants. I pull up the window and walk out of my car—my father's old red sedan.

"You must be Alessandro," the stranger says. He is dark-skinned with a buzz cut.

"And you must be Nick," I reply, moving closer to him.

"Pito told me about you. Thomas Malgeri's son," Nick says as he stretches his hand out for a shake.

"I'm just here for business. Let's stick to that." I shake his hand briefly.

"Straight to business. I like this one,'' Nick smirks. "Come with me."

We walk into the warehouse and Nick flicks the switch on. The room lights up with a single bulb hanging low in the center. The warehouse isn't as big as my father's. Huge boxes are arranged on the wooden cabinets. Nick takes down a box and reveals the content in it. A pile of books.

"Books?"

"Hol' on a sec, bro." He takes out the books in it and removes the newspaper stash to reveal Ziploc bags of coke underneath.

"A hundred more of this around here," Nick says as he takes out a bag.

He unlocks the bag and opens it up for me to take a quick sniff test. I take a pinch of the coke and put it in my palm. I taste a bit and rub some on my gum. It has a tingling feeling in my mouth and numbs my tongue. I sniff in the rest, attempting to confirm if it's the real deal. It gives me a sharp high.

"It's good shit, man. I ain't joking."

"I need a bag to go test in my warehouse," I say.

"Sure thing, brother."

"Nick! Open the fucking door," a voice yells from behind the door.

Nick jumps, startled, as he exchanges glances between me and the door. My hands instinctively reach for my gun.

"Who is that?"

"Christ, I'm fucking dead!"

I slip out my gun, hearing the bang on the door again.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Nick," the voice says.

"Who the fuck is that?" I ask again, angrily.

"The fucking Hertz brothers. They run this area. Drugs, arms, they are your guys."

He brings out a pistol and sets it. "They think I'm trying to ruin their business," he adds.

The door takes in a few more hits, followed by bullet shots, causing it to fall miserably to the ground.

Two guys in black shorts and singlets begin to shoot the warehouse randomly.

Bullets fly in the air like fucking birds as Nick and I try to take cover. They put holes in the boxes, destroying everything.

"Come out, you fuck head," the guy in the middle says. He looks like their leader, with a tattooed face. He raises a finger, and the two others stop shooting.

"I just want to have some words with you, Nick. Don't make me come find you."

We are hiding behind a cabinet at the far end.

"I'm losing my patience, Nick."

"I'm here," Nick says, standing to his feet against my orders.

"You don't have to shoot," Nick adds.

I hear a burst of laughter in the room.

"Come over here, Nick boy. We got something to discuss."

Nick raises his hand in the air, dropping his gun beside me as he makes his way to the front.

"A little birdie told me that red sedan belongs to someone and he entered this warehouse with you."

"Oh yeah, that? He's just my long-time friend that came to visit."

The stranger points a gun in Nick's direction.

"Don't fucking lie to me."

"I'm serious, man. I've known him for years."

I'm dialing Daniel's number but it isn't going through. He seems busy lately after his time in the hospital. "Pick up," I whisper.

I hear the sound of a gunshot. I peep through the space and see Nick on the ground with a bullet planted in his head.

Fuck .

"Find the visitor for me," the stranger orders the other two.

They begin to rampage the warehouse, tearing everything down in their way.

I dial Daniel's number once more but he still doesn't answer.

I take a shot at the bulb, killing the light in the warehouse.

"Fucking find him," the voice commands, fiercer.

I creep out of the space using the light from outside and shoot one of them in the chest, causing the other two to growl in anger. The tattooed-faced strangers begin to shoot with each other.

I run out of the broken door as they move further into the warehouse in search of me. A bullet meets my arm as I try to slip into my car. The window breaks.

"Argh!" I grunt in pain as I hurriedly slide into my car. Not only is Nick dead but my supply is fucking gone.

This was supposed to be my fucking plan B…Damn it!

I drive as fast as I can with a bloody arm, cursing under my breath from the sting of the bullet in my arm and losing my only means of supply.

I'm going to have them all dead. They'd wish they never fucked with me.

While driving to my father's house, I call my mother to say I need a doctor.

The sleeve of my white shirt is soaked with my blood as I get out of the car and walk into L'Uomo's house. Mother has the family doctor, Larner, waiting for me.

He wastes no time checking my wound to take the bullet out. I bite on a wooden stick as he tears open my flesh to fish the bullet out. I've somehow gotten used to this.

"You need some rest, Alessandro," the doctor says as he stitches up the wound.

I don't tell Mother what happened. They don't have to know that I failed at trying to prove myself again.

My father's office is the only place in the house I want to be in right now. I want to be fucking alone.

The smell of dust hits me as I walk into the room. It looks like he hasn't been in here for a while. Papers are neatly arranged on the wooden table.

I plop into the chair and squeeze my eyes shut for a minute.

"Fucking hell," I breathe.

I take some of the papers on the table in my hand, trying to distract myself for a while. Most of them contain transaction dates with different clients.

A secret compartment underneath the table catches my attention when my legs hit the table's legs and I try to pick up a document that has fallen.

I open the compartment and it's filled with more papers. Transactions made to the same person on different dates. And a love note underneath the papers. I stare in disbelief.

My father was seeing someone.