The Don at my house twice now in a week. What a lucky fucking guy. I slipped my gun away and unlocked the door.
The Don smiled at me. “Dante,” he said.
“Don.” I bowed my head in respect. “Please, Don Leone. Come inside.”
He nodded and stepped through the door. He wore his usual white shirt with a sweater vest over top of it. He walked on his cane, though part of me thought he didn’t really need it, just pretended to be an old man so people would underestimate him. The three enforcers that followed were part of his inner circle, his closest bodyguards. The first was a man named Dino, a tall thin guy with dark eyes and long, black hair pushed back in a messy wave. The next was Roberto, a shorter man, bald head shining. He grinned and nodded at me as he passed, following the Don.
Tad brought up the rear. He was the oldest of the three, in his mid-fifties with graying hair. He was getting bigger in the middle, and looked like a high school gym coach with reddish skin and beady eyes, but I knew he was a killer, deep down on his heart. He’d been around the Leone family as long as he’d been alive, and he was one of the most trusted men in the whole organization.
I shut the door behind them as they walked into my kitchen. I followed and saw Aida stand and clasp her hands in front of her respectfully at the sight of the Don.
“Ah, no, not you too, Aida,” Don Leone said. “Everyone treats me like I’m something special. I enjoyed our time together, I don’t want you to start acting like I’m some kind of celebrity.”
“Of course not, Don Leone,” she said.
He chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose there’s nothing to do about it now. Can’t put a secret away once it’s out in the world.”
The three enforcers spread out. Dino lingered in the kitchen near the sink, leaning against the cabinet. Roberto walked into the living room, looking around like he was searching for bugs. And Tad stood off to the side, near the Don, his hands behind his back, his face neutral and empty of all emotion. He made me the most uneasy, since I never knew how to read him. The others were simple enough, but Tad was always a mystery to me.
“I see I’m interrupting dinner,” Don Leone said to me. “Please, let us sit.”
“Would you like anything?” I asked him. “Food, wine. Anything you want.”
“No, no, please. Sit down. We have some things to discuss.” He frowned at Aida for a moment. “Does she know where things stand?”
“She knows,” I confirmed. “I told her the details already.”
He smiled. “Good. Then she can listen to this.”
Aida shifted in her seat, clearly very uncomfortable. I was wary, on edge. I didn’t know what the Don wanted or how he felt about my hit. The fact that Tad, Roberto, and Dino had come along with him didn’t speak well of this visit. They could be here to end me and offer me as a sacrifice to make up for what I’d done. Or they could be here to promote me for all I knew.
I kept myself on edge, ready in case of anything. I had to hope that my service to the Don wouldn’t be forgotten, and that he’d approve of my move. After all, he said I should go forward with my plans.
Don Leone looked between us, a kind smile on his lips as he leaned his walking cane against the table and settled into his chair. He sighed with pleasure then leaned forward and placed his hands on the top of the table.
“So,” he said. “Dante. You’ve certainly been busy today.”
“Yes, Don Leone. It’s been a busy day.”
He chuckled. “I suppose you’re wondering what I want to talk to you about.”
“More wondering what you’re going to say about it.”
Don Leone nodded. “The whole city is talking about your hit. You should hear what some of the soldiers are calling it.”
I hesitated. “What are they saying?” I asked.
“They call it the Dockyard Massacre.” He chuckled. “It wasn’t at the docks, but it was close enough. And it does sound rather nice.”
“I’m not sure it’s something I’ll add to all my online social media profiles, sir.”
“No, I suppose not.” He continued smiling and I glanced over my shoulder at the muscle still lingering behind us. “Tell me something, Dante. What was your goal with that move? Was it simply to sow chaos?”
I shook my head. “No, Don. I wanted to kill Vlas. I wanted to show strength. I assumed that his deal with the Jalisco would not mean good things for us, and I wanted to make sure that did not happen.”
“And how did you even know of that deal?” Don Leone asked. “I wasn’t aware that we had someone on the inside of the Jalisco.”
“I have an informant,” I said. “A personal one.”
The Don leaned back in his chair, clearly surprised. He glanced over at Roberto, who only grunted and glared at Dante.
“You have an informant in one of the biggest cartels in the world, but you did not share that informant with me?”
“I know how that seems, Don,” I said. “But it was necessary. That informant costs me a lot of money, and I couldn’t risk his identity leaking out. I decided to keep him private for the good of the family.”
“And yet you didn’t use him for the family, Dante. You used him for yourself.”
I glanced at Aida and I could see the anxiety on her face. This conversation wasn’t going well, and I could only guess at what she was thinking.
“You know that was not my intention, Don. When Vlas tried to hit me, again and again, it was my duty to hit him back. I had to make the family look strong. Interrupting the deal with the Jalisco only helped the family
