La Morte

Bloody Winter

Walking through the corridor, as I bring a napkin to clean the blood from my bruises that were formed by two powerful hits, my head was still throbbing from it. I carefully pressed a napkin to my busted lip, winced from slight contact. I moved away from my blooded napkin, seeing that there weren't any marks of blood.

I wouldn't know how I looked right now but I don't even have time to check myself as I have a more important matter to report to the Boss.

Club Music that was playing upstairs was barely heard downstairs in the basement. My busted eyebrow was scorched as I felt from moving them.

Coming to the halt of the metal door, I slowly knocked two times, following three knocks in the row as I waited for permission to enter.

After a few seconds door opened, welcoming two bodyguards, they slowly nodded, recognising me, as I squeeze through the cracked door. The poker room was already suffocated by a cloud of cigarette smoke that was already floating above the occupied table of man.

The room was luxuriously larger, designed by a lately modern designer. Walls were decorated with wood, and royal red paint decorating the walls, a round wooden table at the center. The room had two entrances, one from the basement and the second one from the club.

The door closed behind me with a silent sound, not disturbing the man at the poker table. There were a couple of laughs or a few mock words that were shared, across the room.

I kept closer to the wall. I notice Giovanni at the front of the table, lazily sitting. His posture was calm. He was watching his cards with his other hand, holding a cigarette, taking a smoke.

A couple of women were plastered on the man's knees as they laughed at their comments and remarks, dressed in the finest clothes.

Nobody notices my entrance as I walked around close to the wall, staying in the shadows passing by the server and other guards, as I stop watching the scene in front of me waiting for an opportunity to approach Gio.

The man at the other side of the table was talking; "As we made a deal the shipment would be sent next week." He looked like he was in his late fifties. It looked like they were deep in the conversation

" The weapons you choose and drugs will be delivered in Italy without any complications, mark my words."

" And I am holding on to that word, Michael," Giovanni stated as he was observing the game in front of him.

Michael laughed as he was entertained by Giovanni, drinking his whiskey.

"You know Giovanni when I heard you were going to take over your father's business at a young age, I think everyone was surprised how you would handle it, did I ever tell you that," Gio didn't comment at provocation, as he continues scratching his chin.

"But you all surprise us with how you handle it"

"With killing your brother" Giovanni raised his eyebrow, taking the drink, as Michael froze at the lack of emotion in Giovanni eyes and comment.

Even girls stopped talking, as the tension passed through all of them.

The room was dead silent.

"He was a traitor" Michael fixed his mistake, even if he couldn't accept what happen to his brother.

It was true, so many soldiers of the La Morte family didn't believe. That Giovanni, at such young age, could succeed in business or finding out information about a chain of traitors in his father business that was making problems for many years; it made him go feral, killing them, torture them to the last one. Showing the others what could wait for them if they ever cross his family.