Drew was making the brothers mad with his statement, yet, they grew to respect him because of it. He was no longer scared of telling them exactly what he thought and started to act as a part of the Famiglia. Without any persuasion from them.
"Prove yourself then. You will go to her tomorrow with Flavio. Do whatever you want. It’s not like I care. She needs to talk unless she wants to end up like her mother, who is on her way to Las Vegas."
They nodded in agreement.
§ § §
It was more than obvious that people were scared of Noah when he walked into the nightclub. They all politely greeted him, however, no-one dared speak more than two words. The dancers were already preparing themselves for a night full of work, while a few of the soldiers watched their every move, looking for a new conquest.
His eyes searched the area carefully and rested on the booth at the end of the dance floor directly to the right of the stage. It was the best place to sit if you were to watch the performances. There were three men, one of whom was his Capodecina Gastone Conte.
He made his way over there and as soon as one of the soldiers saw him, he whispered into his boss’ ear. The conversation among the men died down when he approached. Clearly, they had no intention to include him in it. And unless they talked about how they were taking advantage of theFamiglia, Noah didn’t even want to hear it.
"Boss, it’s great to see you. Have you come to please your eyes with the new dancers?"
It was all the Capodecinaever talked about with him anymore. Other than when he had to report his work once a month. That was the first mistake he’d made because a while ago he used to ramble on and on about many other aspects of his life which Noah didn’t give a fuck about. But this kind of behavior stopped so rapidly that it got the Capo’sattention. Doubts about the man’s loyalty had shortly appeared.
He shook his head. "I need you to take care of someone for me," he said, taking the chair from another table and sat in front of the booth making the men even more uneasy. The Capo never really asked for favors. He had his men for that.
Gastone narrowed his eyes. He was a man in his late fifties, which wasn’t that obvious because he was overweight, and it made him seem even older. Normally, Noah preferred his men to work out and rely on their fighting skills as much as on shooting. But there was only so much he could interfere in. Criticizing his soldiers wasn’t one of them. They wouldn’t take it well.
It was the same with their private affairs. Marriage and children were out of the question when it came to the Famiglia. Those were separate concerns not meant for Noah to care about. They still favored seeking out his opinion on individual subjects, but it wasn’t required of them. Although, sometimes the matter of marriage was taken upon the Capo to issue his approval when it was connected to the business side. Arranged marriages being a part of their traditions.
"Who? I thought your hitmen were more than capable of taking care of tasks like that."
"Nicodemo is my Enforcer, and he is the best one, yes. But I don’t mean it the way you think. I arranged for the cousin of the New York Capo to visit us and she needs to be placed somewhere when she comes. You seem to have a sense in which direction she should be headed."
It was a test whether his Capodecina worked with New York, or not. Taking advantage inside theFamiglia was one issue, working with another Capowas a betrayal that cost not just death but a painful one at that. And now, Gastone couldn’t refuse his boss as the job doesn’t appear to be a problem. But Falcone wasn’t sure who actually was his boss at the moment. Because it certainly wasn’t him.
The two soldiers left the booth and went to talk to the dancers leaving them alone.
"Why have you kidnapped her? It means war between our Famigliaand theirs," he said prolonging the inevitable.
Noah nodded. "It does. I’ve made it perfectly clear at our meeting yesterday, haven’t I? So why are you so surprised that I decided to act on it?"
Themanshookhishead, seeing thatFalconewas starting togetangryathis comments. They most certainly weren’t welcome. "I’m not. I am honored that you thought of me."
For Noah it wasn't about honor, just a simple political tactic to rule out options. If he was to kill hisCapodecina,he needed to be sure as to why exactly he had to be eliminated. Not everything will Inéz be able to find out on her own.
Capogot up from the chair and the soldiers came up to the booth once again, seeing as the conversations were coming to an end.
"I will send you the details. I trust you will take care of our dear, honored guest," he stated, taking out his phone. Flavio sent him a message to come home whenever he finished.
Gastone rose from his booth as well. "Of course. You’re my Capo," he answered but that was a complete lie. They shook hands anyway. There was no use to go all in for now. Inéz would take over from here in the hopes that she would be more successful in making his man talk.
"You’re not staying for the show? I have quite a few new dancers. They are more than happy to take care of your needs," Gastone said looking at the dancer who was now on stage. She was dressed in a black one-piece suit that did nothing to hide her slim body. The blonde met his gaze and smiled seductively, but he wasn’t interested. And satisfying men wasn’t even in their
