Nicodemo nodded, agreeing to the task. It wasn’t in his usual job description, but he could see his Capo’s reasoning for sending him. With that, he disappeared around the corner.
§ § §
Reluctantly, he appeared in the great hall where the main party was taking place. As soon as his people saw him, they started coming up to him one by one to ask questions, trying to get his approval for certain actions. That was why Noah hated social gatherings with all his might. They weren’t a time to let loose, unwind and mingle with the others outside of their work environment. No, for his soldiers they were the most comfortable place to make transactions and take advantage of their Capo being out in the open and easily approachable.
Talking to Coluccio about possible businesses his soon-to-be son-in-law could receive, he felt his thoughts drifting off. The man was his Capodecina, so he had easier ways of talking to him. They could set up a meeting to discuss it. But no, he decided to breach the subject on the evening of his daughter’s engagement party. That infuriated Noah, and he was barely holding on to the last threads of his patience. However, he didn’t want to make a scene. The one good thing was that he wasn’t thinking of marrying his younger daughter off to him. At least for today.
"Boss, something’s happened. Can you come with me?" Elio approached them, his face resolute and calculating.
Coluccio stopped talking and wandered off, seeing as whatever the man had to say was much more important than his godforsaken son-in-law.
Noah raised an eyebrow. "What’s going on?"
The twin smiled lightly. "Nothing. I just saw that you were about to kill him any second now. We don’t need a massacre here."
"Why not? It would be a wonderful change of scenery."
He froze. "It’s..."
"I was being sarcastic." Noah rolled his eyes and patted Elio’s arm. "Thanks."
"You’re welcome. I’m known for getting people out of bad situations." he chuckled.
Normally, Noah would have thought that he had his twin or father in mind, however, he had recently learnt about his deal with one of the dancers in the club - Amanda. And even if the man didn’t greatly care about her, he still helped her. Whether there was a hidden agenda or not, Noah had to tread carefully as they weren’t sure of anyone else’s involvement in Gastone’s betrayal. The twins worked with their father on numerous affairs, so it was only fair that suspicion befell them as well.
"Have you seen my brother? I swear, every time I turn around, he disappears somewhere," said Elio, looking around.
There were a lot of people - Made Men with their families. All those that Noah had transferred from Sicily to Las Vegas, and a few people from different states that were under the Famiglia’s rule. Such social events were usually the best way of arranging new business dealings, but most of all - marriages. Even though Noah didn’t give a shit whether his soldiers went along with arranging, or allowed their children to choose themselves - there were a few traditions to uphold. People were used to the old ways, and no Capowas eager to completely change them. He’d altered a lot, pushed harder against them as they were in the States and the rules that worked in Europe weren’t effective there. But that had mostly applied to business. Social life was a completely different matter. A small change could shift the power away from him to the point of no return.
Noah shook his head. He didn’t care about Fabro enough to engage in the conversation or at least search the crowd for the man. Especially since making eye contact with the wrong person could lead to him having to decline another hand in marriage. Yes, he was one of those that had to take part in the so-called matchmaking. And Noah had no desire to get married anytimesoon,sotheirefforts werepointless.Afterbeingengaged to Lynette and the entire plan going to hell, he’d devoted his time and life to the Famiglia. No place had been left for other commitments.
"I see everyone is interested in entering the ruling family," Elio joked as he also picked up on the Made Men’s intentions.
Who wouldn’t want to be on the right side of the Famiglia?
But as Capo he had a choice.
Falcone sighed. "Don’t joke about that. At one point it’s going to be your father who will come to me for a blessing to have you married to some girl. All the older Sicilians are too eager to celebrate one wedding after another."
The Capo’sagreement wasn’t necessary as far as marriage was concerned. However, it was greatly appreciated, so many men came to Noah to get his approval. Especially captains, as they were businessmen in more than one sense of the word. Everything was a deal for them, and when respect added up to it, it became even more important.
"Somehow I doubt my father cares enough to find me a wife. And I don’t mind going through life fucking. Not one bit." he smirked.
"When you take over your father’s business, it will be expected of you to get a wife."
Elio regarded his boss and chuckled, shaking his head. "I’m not holding my breath for that. It will most likely be Fabro. Anyway, I prefer to earn something than having it handed to me. I’m not a big fan of taking over the nightclub or restaurants really. It’s a rather boring job."
Surprisingly, the twin had more common sense than Noah believed. As far as his involvement in Gastone’s business went, he usually collectedthe extortion money whenever it was necessary. Nothing out of the ordinary, and quite a low level for a son of a Capodecina. With more than thirty soldiers working for the man, he had people to handle such tasks, while Elio could learn to pull the strings of the business, the same way Fabro was. But he wasn’t. Noah had known that for a long time but never thought twice about it.
