Inéz wasn’t used to keeping things from her friends. She preferred them to know, even if they would probably throw a fit. Especially Drew. After her twin, Francisco, had gone back to Spain, he took it upon himself to enter overprotective brother mode.
"Because I am not one to trust anyone, cara. This is a huge responsibility that rests on my shoulders. I can’t fail my Famiglia. The more people know, the more dangerous it is for me, and especially for you. We cannot afford something going wrong, because I don’t want to risk your life and the whole operation along with it. The fucker has been on my death list for a while. I made him a Capodecina after my father refused to countless times. It seemed like a good idea at the time because it would earn me his loyalty forever. But it turned out to be a bad move on my account. However, there are steps I need to take in order to remove him. A reason for me to do so. Because I can’t stand in front of my captains, telling them that I killed my Capodecina because I thought that he was conspiring against me."
"Aren’t you the Capo? People should listen to you."
"And they mostly do. But my power lays with those who respect me to be the leader. I can hardly start killing my own people without as much as a shred of proof. Others would think that at any moment they could die too. That was my father’s way of working, and look how it turned out for him in the end."
Inéz nodded in agreement. She needed to trust Noah and his leading skills. After all, the man had been born into this world and knew more about it than most people. He was intelligent enough to take over the role of a Capo and respected enough to have reliable henchmen working for him who would do as he said when the time came.
§ § §
The dinner went by quietly with the re-run of a football match in the background. Noah was focused on his phone, texting back and forth with someone, an unabashed grin on his face. Something had him excited. As he was mainly focused on business, it was probably related to that, rather than his social life. But for Inéz, the smile was a scary one all the same.
Steps sounded in the corridor and a second later they saw a tall dark-haired man. He was over six feet with broad shoulders and tattoos covered his arms. An icy expression that reminded Inéz of Flavio. They both held back, and an identical mysterious aura surrounded him. In his hand, there was a box with a brand-new laptop. The packaging wasn’t labeled.
His eyes moved over to the Capo, as he nodded his head in a greeting manner. "I have what you asked for."
The man bore a resemblance to a hitman with his clothes. They weren’t elegant as Noah’s were most of the time. No suit, or even a dress shirt. Just a black t-shirt, jeans and sports shoes suited for everyday use. He looked casual, but with an unmistakable potential for danger.
Noah regarded him. "Isaac, it’s yours to work with. Get acquainted with the operating system because I need you to do something for me."
Henderson got up at once, and with adoration shining in his eyes towards the electronic device, he took the laptop from the man. He settled at the table, a smile flashing across his face. Never before had he used such an expensive and new equipment.
"Done with the job already?" Noah asked.
The man nodded slowly. "Do you need me for anything else?"
"Indeed. As soon as Isaac gets the information, I believe you will need to pay a visit to one more person," he said, getting up from the couch. "This is Nicodemo. He is one of theFamiglia’s enforcers. But he mainly works for me alone. That’s Inéz, Drew and Isaac.”
Nicodemo acknowledged them with a barely visible nod and moved on to the table to figure out what the boss had in mind for his last job of the day. His hands rested on the wooden counter looking at the laptop screen. Noah joined him soon after showing Isaac his phone. There was a photo of an older man in mid-sixties, almost completely bald with deep black eyes and a grim expression.
"Find this man. He was last seen at the border of Texas. I won’t have the idiot cooperating with the fucking Mexican cartels. They piss me off enough as it is," he seethed.
"Who’s that?" asked Drew, looking over his friend’s shoulder to see the photo. Falcone bit his lip hard sucking some blood that appeared there. He looked angry.
"Ivo Boveri. He was an associate and knew every single thing about Famiglia businesses. Which he shouldn’t. But my father was unable to control his people and differentiate an associate from a Made Man. He ran as soon as I came into power, and since then my people have been looking for him."
"He might have been in Texas, but probably changed his mind," began Isaac, turning the screen towards Noah. "He’s in Flamingo, Las Vegas."
A devious smirk took over Falcone’s face. He shook his head in disbelief.
"This fucker doesn’t know what’s good for him, but at least he makes it easy for me," he stated. His eyes darted to the Enforcer. "Bring him to me, Nico. I would like to have a talk with the old man. Take anyone you want, if necessary."
Nicodemo looked askew at the Capotrying to figure out if he was being serious.
"I don’t need anyone," he answered. "Send the details to my phone." He looked at Isaac who nodded in agreement.
The Enforcer rested his eyes on Inéz in passing. Temporary confusion showed in them as he moved to the elevator. He quickly replaced it with determination. The assignment was to be an exciting one.
§ § §
Inéz couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept
