CHAPTER 16: Gone Soft?!?

4.5K 166 5
                                    

NOLTON

Not entirely sure as to why exactly I had gone over a few days ago and stayed with Leona throughout the majority of the day, but just seeing her sick, I don't know.

Today I was in a meeting with a guy I have terminated contracts with a couple of years ago and now needs help from me again with the hope I would give him another chance and forget the past.

"You are wasting your breath and my time. You know damn well why I terminated the contract with you. You were too much of a liability. You still don't understand what it takes to be in this kind of a business." I reminded him.

This guy was twenty-three and acts like he knows everything all because his father used to know mine back in the day and had somehow got the delusional idea of an unrealistic expectation of me to take some type of pity on him and cut some slack but, I don't do that or favors.

"But your father did business with mine years ago and you of all people should know about the struggle in making a name for yourself. I mean, we all have to start somewhere and besides, you wouldn't be where you're at if it wasn't for your father." He says with much distaste.

The entire room held in a breath and gasped in shock. Everybody knows that that not only isn't true but that you never insult me in such a way or speak about my father.

I scowl at him without even blinking while putting out my cigarette at the same time before next leaning in closer over the long table we are all sitting at.

"You have no idea in how wrong you are. Do you want to know how I got to my position? I guarantee that by the time I finished telling you everything I had to do and still have to do, in order to keep my position and reputation, I can promise your stomach will turn and that you could not come close to imagining the horrific things I've endured to get where I'm at.  So let me keep you from having nightmares and from making a big mistake. In fact, consider me breaking the contract with you, as a sign. A favor. A way out, if you will. You don't need this life. You could never hack it. It takes a certain type of person to do what I do and trust me, you don't have what it takes." I finish telling him.

I give him a break and decide not to kill or hurt him as I would have anybody else if they had insulted me as he just did. And although he is just several years younger than me, he is still a kid. He has time to get out and I really had done him a favor when we parted ways.

All he does is nod his head and stands up then leaves, along with his few friends he had brought who followed after him.

All of my guys then had stood up and left while Brett stayed behind as always.

"Well, that was interesting." He smirked at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing. I mean, I just was wondering why you really didn't want to do business with that guy. You know his dad had just as good of a name as yours did. You of all people could have even helped him out." He tells me as I finish lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah well, he had proven before, the lack of knowledge as well as experience he had to do any business with. His mindset is not there and won't ever be. His reasons for wanting this are all wrong. Not to mention that if I had felt that he could stomach all these things in what all it really took to have this life, then I wouldn't have helped him like I had." I tell him while taking a drag.

"I understand that, but why bother to even do that? Why did you feel the need to try and help prevent him from getting into the 'family business' sorta speak?" He says. "It wasn't like you."

"I don't know why. Maybe because he has more potential in doing whatever he wants that's honest work and has more chances and opportunities that would better suit him then playing with the hand I was dealt with." I admit.

"No disrespect boss but, you are making no sense." He chuckles.

"Yeah, I know." I replied with a little bit of a chuckle. 

"You aren't going soft on me boss, are ya?" He teases.

"Shut up." I tell him then we get up and get into our cars before heading back to the house.

During the car ride back, I was thinking about the meeting with what the kid said and what Brett asked me.

I'm not going soft. Then again, maybe I am. I don't know anymore, to be honest.

Maybe I said what I did to the kid because I have grown tired of seeing or hearing these young guys come into this, rather they are the son of any one in the mafia or the line of work I do or not, but they come in with the thinking already that just because they have seen all the mafia type movies, shows and read the books even, that they can run it the same and be the next Al Capone or any others alike.

Mind you, these are the kind of guys who have never fired a gun, or stole anything in their life, or even if they did, it was bubble gum when they were a kid.

Too many people have glammed up the idea of being a Mafia boss or a gang leader or something like that and so on, that they think they can handle shit. But they can't.

Frankly, I wish someone would have stopped me in the beginning and help me get onto a different and better path.

You know for the longest time, I never even thought that what my father did was illegal or wrong because I grew up around all of that, both Brett and I and didn't know any better. It was all we knew.

Not to mention that a lot of cops and politicians would get in on it too and as a kid, you think, well they should know better and clearly they do. They are all for what is right, so it has to all be okay. Besides, my father has his own business and was helping people I thought.

It wasn't until I got a little older and in my teens that I realized what was really going on, but by that time, it was too late and I was handed a business. I never had to worry about money or trying to find a job that paid badly. Plus, I was the boss. What kid wouldn't want that, right?!?

Next chapter will be posted soon! :)

Accidentally In LoveWhere stories live. Discover now