Gastone grinned as he saw her. Judging by his earlier attitude, he had been surprised. "Layla, come here." He tapped on the free space next to him. As usual, he wanted her close.
She approached them, suddenly feeling like she would prefer to be still interrogated by Elio, rather than there. "Hello," she stuttered out, taking the indicated place.
"Weren’t you supposed to start wearing more revealing clothes?" asked Alberto, finally addressing the issue Inéz had been expecting him to address.
She had a black one-piece on with long sleeves- the most modest suit she could find. Her legs were exposed, but at least she avoided showing off her stomach, chest and arms. Which the soldier didn’t like. Most men probably didn’t. And she had no idea what to answer.
"Now, Alberto, let her wear whatever she wants. Everyone is admiring her either way, aren’t they?" Gastone saved her from having to defend herself.
A sudden heatwave spread through her body, making her cheeks redden. She looked at the man she didn’t know. She very much doubted he was Sicilian. His facial features pointed more towards northern Europe.
Neither of her bosses introduced him, however. They dived right into business. The only reminder that she wasn't forgottenwas Gastone’s slight touch on her thigh. He moved it up and down without realizing that it was causing goosebumps to spread all over her skin. Thankfully, she was only there as aside attraction and could listen to the conversation without fear of getting caught.
After fifteen minutes she could already tell that the third man was a Russian named Ivan. That alone rang alarm bells in Inéz’s head. The Famigliahad problems with the Bratva so it was strange for any of the Made Men to be in contact with any Russian. Was he a part of the Bratva? Or just a businessman who happened to come from Russia?
"Have you found a way to invest in the petrol market like we’ve talked about?" asked the Russian.
Gastone’s lips thinned, his eyes filling with anger. He nodded. "Falcone promised to give me the money for this expansion."
The way he said it made it seem like it wasn’t a reason to celebrate. Even though the Capodecinahad been asking Noah to participate in this venture for a long time with no success. Inéz didn’t know much about it but had seen that the Capo wasn’t keen on getting involved. Probably because of his soldier’s betrayal.
"How much?" Alberto was truly surprised by the boss’ decision. "Five million dollars. Enough to get this show on the road."
Ivan furrowed his brows. "Then what’s the problem? It sounds like we got exactly what we wanted."
The Capodecina squeezed Inéz’s leg tighter, furiously. "Because he demanded my son’s loyalty to him in exchange," he said. "Elio is now under his command. So, you see, the deal didn’t come without a fucking loss on my behalf. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to persuade him into giving us money just because we found a possible new business venture, but taking one of my soldiers is far from what I expected and from a respectful action."
Alberto blinked, disbelievingly. "That’s why he came to you?" Gastone nodded.
"Your son just agreed without complaint?" the Russian didn’t seem to care much, but probably realized that it was a sign of good faith to ask.
"Falcone approached him earlier with the proposition. He didn’t even hesitate to take it. On one hand, it could be good, but we should have taught Elio more of our plans before something like this happened. I even tried to make Falcone take Fabro instead. He’s more involved and gets around better," Gastone mumbled.
"Well, our girl doesn’t want to cooperate either. She says she won’t get involved."
That got Inéz attention. If she were certain that the man was part of the Bratva, she could assume that they were talking about Lynette. But was that even possible? Were the Russians really holding her captive? A sudden flash of agony crossed her face at thinking of what her friend could be enduring, but she quickly covered it up, so that men wouldn’t catch it.
The Capodecinasmirked. "No one can keep refusing forever. Something can always get through to them," he remarked and his attention turned fully towards Inéz.
The hunger in his eyes was almost palpable.
"Now leave us," he commanded the men. They stood up immediately, walking out to the main area.
A shiver went up the girl’s back, thinking ofwhat was to come and how to get away from theCapodecina.Before she could react, the man curled his fingers under her legs and slid her towards him, making her body crash into his. He leaned in, brushing her cheek with his lips. The acrid taste of bile filled her mouth. She started swearing at Noah and his dedication to theFamiglia. Because of it, she had fallen under theCapodecina’s twisted will, and it could all end very badly for her.
His hand was sweaty and stank of cigarettes and the liquor he had been drinking before. As it travelled higher, Inéz fought against her need to push him away. But once he lifted her and put his palm on her butt, a squeak of clear displeasure escaped her lips. It didn’t escape Gastone’s attention. If she wasn’t feeling so sick, there would undoubtedly be tears in her eyes.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, but his voice didn’t hold any real worry. Just pure lust.
Without giving her any time, he pressed himself against her, his lips violently covering hers. The girl resisted and didn’t open hers, terrified that his tongue would slide in. She so badly wanted to be dutiful and suppress her feelings, so that Noah could get the needed
