◆ The Gamble ◆

◆ MILES ◆

These fucking cockblockers...

What else do I gotta do just to get laid tonight?  I sighed and glanced at my phone, minding my bodyguard's lax gait as we approached Ricchar's office.

Niccolo kept my guitar solo ringtone blasting through my phone's speakers as I stepped into my cousin's private study room.  The distinct scent of dusty old books and some vanilla-smelling bourbon filled the room.  I declined Niccolo's call just to make my phone shut up.

Behind the hardwood desk crowded with paperwork, Ricchar sat back in his black swivel chair with his headset snug in his ear. A scowl wrinkled his lips.  He looked busy talking to someone on the phone.  The deep furrow in his dark brows and his unusually peremptory tone told me he wasn't in a better mood at all.

I stood by the door while Alessio sat in one of the chairs in front of Ricchar's desk.

Alessio casually crossed his legs, chewing his gum loudly, acting as if he didn't rudely disrupt my much-needed time alone with Mykaela barely a minute ago.  But I couldn't really blame him for calling my attention.  I'd told him to let me know if ever Niccolo's car went past the city limits.

When my phone went off again, I opted to stop ignoring Niccolo. I took the call.  His fifth for the day.  Dammit.  I was getting sick of his voice and the usual dose of bad news he had for me every time we would talk on the phone.  He wasn't going to quit till I picked up.

"What?" I snapped, minding the raging hard-on straining against my fucking zipper.  Good thing I wore black jeans today.

"You talked to Charr about the new shipment?"

"Yeah. Why?" I turned my back to Ricchar and Alessio.  They might catch a glimpse of my rock-hard dick that seriously hated my tight denims right now.  If only I had the foresight to bring some protection, I wouldn't have walked out of that guest room with the worst case of blue balls I didn't need right now.

Sleep was nonexistent last night.  Right this moment, all I wanted was to spend the entire evening with Kel in bed.  Obviously that was wishful thinking.  I still had shit to do.  Quite a long list, too.

Besides the preparations I had to secure for that expensive retirement party for Ignazio,  Niccolo and I were also planning to sabotage one of Leandro's incoming shipments from South America. Cargo which should contain 200 kilos of cocaine.  Give or take.

We'd been told the shipments would come in via our old shipping vessels.  One of the worst jobs ever, but, someone had to do it.  If we encountered another batch of human trafficking victims, then we'd be hitting two birds with one stone.

More evidence against Leandro Tomassini.  That soulless scum.  His crimes were getting bolder and more heinous day by day.  Someone's gotta put him down soon.  One way or another.

"Where you at?"

"An hour away. More or less," Niccolo said, his voice sounding quite garbled on the other line.  The reception around here wasn't the best.  "What'd Ricchar say?"

"Talk to him when you get here," I sighed in reply.  "He's busy."

"Did you talk to Kel? About Ilya?"

"Why?" I rolled my eyes as I stood closer to the door.

On the other side of the room, Ricchar sounded done with his phone call.  He was now chatting with Alessio about the estate's perimeter security.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Niccolo sighed on the other end.

"Not yet," I admitted, ignoring his disappointed tone.  "I want her to be done with school first. Graduate and all that."

"Fine."  Niccolo let out a noisier sigh after he stayed quiet for a moment.  "But what if she asks about him?"

"Then I'll tell her what she needs to know."  I scoffed.  "Tell him he's next. That he's gonna die in maximum security prison if he doesn't stop being a gigantic pain in my ass, with his only daughter hating him just for existing."

"He just wants her organs," Niccolo muttered.  "All there is to it."

"Disgusting, selfish piece of shit."

"He probably thinks she's just gonna agree to it," he said matter-of-factly.  "Just 'cause he's her father," he went on when I didn't say anything.  "You know Kel...always so eager to help."

"That girl's a modern day martyr. She's gonna get killed 'cause of that asshole, sooner or later."

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"Parlare coi ragazzi," Ricchar told Alessio with a quick, dismissive hand gesture.

[Talk to the guys.]

With a curt nod of compliance, Alessio strolled out of the room while popping bubbles with his gum.  "Laters, boss."

I ignored his little salute as I sat in front of my cousin, who was basically the biggest boss in here.

Well, for more than a decade now, Ricchar legally owned this entire estate.  The private properties under his name boasted at least 3,000 acres of land in this part of the countryside, and a few hundred more in another town, as far as I recalled.  Family members were welcome to stay over in his mansion and our estate anytime, but I never forgot his rank in the clan despite our brotherly relationship.

"Lorenzio just called. Said he's on his way here," Ricchar informed with a slight frown, his tone listless.  He itched his thick hairline and combed his curly bangs with his fingers when I didn't say anything.

What the fuck did Enzo want now?  I clenched my fist on the armrest, unpleasantly surprised by the news.  The prick didn't even care to text me to tell me he was coming over here.

The guy probably thought I had to talk to him in person just to get the job done on time.  It was just a stupid birthday party.  Did he really have to be here to discuss the preparations?  Or maybe he had another reason.

"Why's he comin' over?" I scowled and sat back in the one-seater.

Ricchar shrugged faintly while his baggy eyes focused on his phone screen.  "Ask him yourself. Wouldn't say much on the phone."

I mumbled another expletive as I massaged my temple.  "He's gonna be here by midnight?"

"He said in a few hours. Brought one bodyguard with him. I already told Alessio to keep an eye out."

I smothered a sigh and reclined in the armchair.  My dick had calmed down in my pants, but I still couldn't get my mind off of my girlfriend.

Oh shit.  Almost forgot.  We weren't dating.  Kel never said we were boyfriend-girlfriend now.  I shouldn't get ahead of myself.   Sure...she let me do whatever I wanted with her body, but that didn't exactly mean we were in a serious relationship.  Not yet, to my understanding.

It just wasn't a priority for both of us.  But knowing she still wanted me that way did puff up my ego, despite the fact that she chose to hang out with Lorenzio back in New York without telling me anything.

"Talk to him when he gets here. Make sure Ignazio's security team says yes to all the arrangements."

"Yeah."

"You need it to happen, if you're really serious about what you're planning with Niccolo."

"Someone's gotta do it, Charr," was all I replied to Ricchar's straight-faced reminder.

"Heard about the rumors, but I didn't see any kids back at the port."  Ricchar's brows scrunched when he scowled again.  "Or I just didn't look hard enough," he murmured. "I didn't want to believe your Pappa's helping him smuggle kids now. I still don't."

"The asshole got it all covered." I scoffed and shook my head at the fact, longing for the day I'd finally witness Leandro's sentencing, and hearing of his cronies doing much-deserved prison time.  "You wouldn't catch them red-handed that easily."

"Think you can trust Niccolo?  With all this?"

"Like I said, I don't even have to tell him what to do next. He's having too much fun playing secret detective."

"Right. Just make sure he's not gonna put us behind bars, too."

I snickered at my cousin's droning tone.  "If Pappa doesn't stop dealing with those criminals, we're definitely gonna end up behind bars for a long time."  I let out a sigh at the possibility.  It wasn't pure exaggeration.  In fact it was highly likely, depending on who bribed the most people first.

Shit.  I just didn't expect Pappa would get involved in prostitution rings now, too.  For years, he had only been doing arms deals here and there, and just a little drug trafficking on the side.  Nothing too risky by his standards.  But now, from the looks of it, Leandro had definitely convinced my father to completely sell his soul to the devil.  Just for more money and power.

"Is Niccolo still talking to Ilya? On a regular basis?"

"Not often, but, yeah," I replied upon glancing at Ricchar's deeper scowl.

He seemed like he was still doubting Niccolo's motives.  Ricchar probably thought Niccolo was still loyal to his godfather.

Considering my past with Niccolo, I didn't blame my cousin for harboring a few doubts and suspicions.  "It's not loyalty. He's mostly afraid of that piece of shit. But I told him Ilya can't touch him or his parents, because Ilya knows Mykaela still trusts me the most. She already knows he's Ilija.  But she won't talk to him or meet up with him unless I say so."

"You sure?" Ricchar squinted at me.  "How'd you two meet again?"

"Nicco?" I sat still, waiting for him to nod.  "At a party. Ilya forced him to befriend me, to get new intel on us. Nicco's parents still owe that scum millions to this day."

"Too bad." Ricchar sighed shortly and grabbed his phone again.  "Don't do something big without telling me.  I'll talk to Zio tomorrow."

I made a face. I seriously doubted he could actually talk some sense into my father's thick skull.

"I stopped talking to Leandro about the shipments, months ago.  Only because Cloe begged me." Ricchar budged in his swivel chair, then frowned at something on his phone when I didn't respond.

His statement gave me some relief.  Ricchar wouldn't lie to me about something this important.  Knowing Cloe and her principles, I was 99 percent sure she actually talked him out of doing more drug deals with a dangerous mobster like Leandro Tomassini.  I didn't need more proof.

Ricchar clearly did not want to perpetuate his drug-related crimes using our family business.  Most likely, Cloe begged him to stop after she found out about Leandro and Pappa Stefano's plan to dominate the drug trade here in Italy.

"I'm gonna take 'em out one by one. Just sit tight and cover me."

"No." Ricchar frowned at me.  "You got a death wish?" He shook his head weakly, his tone switching to his heed-my-advice-because-I'm-older rhetoric.  "No way we can bring them all down." He scoffed. "Don't be a hero, Maxim. You're smarter than that."

Well, fine.  He had a valid point.  I kinda hated my life but I didn't want to get martyred for trying to right some Escobar-wannabe's wrongs.  "Fine. What d'you want me to do first?"

"If your guys have done all the necessary preparations, hit him where it hurts." Ricchar scowled at the noisy phone on his desk.  "But start with his small-time deals. Less safeguards, less risks."

"There's a big shipment coming in next month," I mumbled with a smirk.  "200 kilos, at least."

If our first attempt didn't come to fruition, we could hatch a better plan to filch Leandro's other incoming contraband, which the psycho had been proficiently smuggling into the country using our clan's shipping business.  Opportunist asshole.  He probably expected to earn at least ten million from one shipment alone.

My overconfidence made Ricchar laugh a little.  "Don't get too excited, bambino."

"What?" I pulled a face at his small grin that just looked fake.

"Your Mamma wants to see you get married, have kids of your own and all that..." Ricchar stretched his arms to scratch the back of his head.  "Not bury her only child after a closed-casket funeral."

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