“Get out of the car,” I said.
She snorted and pushed open her door. I opened my own and shut it behind me as I walked toward her and took her by the arm. She made a face at me but didn’t try to rip her arm away.
“You gotta work out, man,” Luca was saying to Roberto as we came around the back of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. “I mean, look at those guns.”
“Leave him alone, Luca,” I said. “Nice to see you, Roberto.”
“You’re just in time, Steven,” he said then looked at Luca. “Your Lieutenant was about to see my real guns.”
“Oh wow, and he’s funny too,” Luca said. “You’re a real treat, you know that, Roberto?”
The security guard ignored him, turned to the door, and opened it. Luca followed him first and I came last with Colleen in between us. We stepped into an entryway with a high ceiling and dark hardwood floors. There was a parlor on the right with couches, a thick, expensive rug, and a modern, sleek coffee table. Oil paintings of fruit bowls and other still lifes hung on the walls, and Roberto strode past it all, leading us beneath a beautiful crystal chandelier.
Colleen stared at the wealth all around her. I would be willing to bet that a single painting from the walls would be worth more than she ever made in a year, although I didn’t know what she did for a living. We moved past a staircase and down a side hall to the left that cut across the other homes on the block.
I caught glimpses of other rooms, but I was too busy watching Colleen for any sudden moves. The girl was staring around like she just walked into Disneyland. We passed gold statues on ornate plinths, exotic plants in huge floor standing vases, modernist and cubist paintings, and doors with expensive and elaborate carvings in the wood. She stared at it all with wide eyes until we reached a large ornate wooden door at the end of the hall.
Roberto knocked once then pushed his way inside. We followed and stepped into a large office, with a big window on the left and bookshelves lining the walls. Lights dangled from an impossibly high ceiling, and there were rich couches on the right surrounding a fireplace with old and beautiful handmade tilework around its edge depicting lions, bears, and horses.
The Don sat behind a desk at the far end of the room. The desk was huge and mahogany with lions carved into the front. Roberto gestured for us to approach, then lingered near the door, hands in front of him. The Don stood and smiled, spreading one arm out and leaning on a can with the other.
He looked like a kind old grandfather with wrinkles around his eyes and a large, crooked nose. He had dark eyes and dark, tanned leathery skin. He wore a cream colored suit and a white shirt, his gray hair slicked back.
“Steven,” he said. “My favorite Capo. What did you bring me today?” The Don tilted his head, staring at Colleen.
“Don Leone, this is Colleen Colley,” I said. “I found her last night.”
The Don frowned. “Colleen Colley?” he asked. “I know that name.”
“Her uncle is Mathis Colley,” I said.
“Ah.” The Don stared at her for a long moment. “Is that so? Very interesting, Steven, very interesting.”
“I thought you might want to meet her, Don.”
“You were right to bring her. Please, sit down.” He gestured at four chairs in front of his desk. I took the one on the far right and Luca sat in the one on the far left. Colleen hesitated then chose the chair right next to mine.
The Don sat with a sigh and leaned forward.
“You were busy last night,” he said. “You brought home a prize as well as striking a blow to our new enemies.”
I inclined my head. “Yes, sir. It was just a small hit, but I think it made our intentions clear.”
“You did well,” the Don said. “I’ve already received some very angry messages from the Celtic Club. They’re very curious about why we decided to murder three of their soldiers with no provocation.”
I smiled and tilted my head. “I can’t blame them, Don,” I said. “It’s an audacious move.”
“All thanks to you, young Steven,” he said. “Now that the Russians are busy cleaning up their own messes and are weakened from their failure two years ago, we have some latitude in the city.”
“And the Celtic Club is a prize,” I said. “Their territory brings in good money. They move almost as much as all of Eastwick, and they’re half the size.”
“They won’t make it easy on you, Steven,” Don Leone said. “You know this will be a fight.”
I nodded and smiled. “Good,” I said. “I hope so.”
Don Leone laughed. I could feel Colleen shifting uncomfortably next to me, but I didn’t look at her. I smiled back at the Don, feeling confident and strong for the first time in a while.
Up until this point, I’d been spending every day consolidating my hold on Gray’s Ferry and building my crew. It wasn’t until the last few months that I felt ready to move on and do some expanding.
And now it felt good to push into a war, even if I knew violence was going to follow soon.
Maybe I wanted that violence. I’d been Dante’s Lieutenant for so long, and we went through so much shit. Then two years ago, I was promoted to Capo in my own right, and now it was time to prove my strength without Dante.
“Now, I suppose we should discuss you, young lady,” Don Leone said, looking at Colleen. “Is your uncle really Mathis Colley?”
“Yes, Don,” she said, giving him a defiant look.
“Wonderful,” he said, laughing. “And how did Steven find you?”
“He shot me,” she said.
The Don stared at her then laughed again. He looked at me, shaking his head.
“Is that true?” he asked.
“She was hit by a stray bullet,” I said. “I took
