[DISCONTINUED] Don't Forget

Something's Not Right

A/N: So, I know I said not until tonight, but I decided to upload early!

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"Calm down, zia (auntie)," Emiliano said. "Just explain to us what happened, slowly..."

He and Luca were in the living room of their home on the phone with their aunt Claudia who was in a panic speaking rapid Italian. She'd been running the Rossi empire as their proxy for the past three years, holding the same power as an official head, only without the name, and business had been going great.

However, that morning, she called them hysterical about a recent clash some of the Rossi men had had in Campagna with the Neapolitans. The Rossi and Montella families were allies and there was rarely tension between them, but that one clash resulted in the deaths of several men on both sides.

"Zia, I am sure we will be able to fix this," Luca assured. "Just tell us what you know."

"Yes, right..." Claudia replied, trying to get her breathing under control. "The Montella family accused us of moving in on their territory, saying some of our men were selling arms in their region. But I know that is not true because there is no benefit for us to do that. It would only upset them and their market is not big enough to make a difference for us."

"What made them think we were selling in their region, then?"

"I do not know. I called an emergency meeting with our accountants and Niccolo who oversees that part of the business and we have no extra profits coming from that region. All we have is what we make here."

"Could it be some of them went rogue? Selling our products there and pocketing the money for themselves?"

"Oh, please," Claudia scoffed. "My son runs a tight ship and his men wouldn't do something so shameful. And we've interrogated everyone from our side who said that the Montella men attacked them unprovoked."

"Did you speak with the head of the Montella family? What was his name? Amedo Montella?" Luca questioned.

"He is not the head anymore. His son recently took over — Alessandro Montella."

Emiliano let out a deep breath and fell back into the couch. "You think new boy is trying to pull a power play or some shit?" he whispered to Luca.

"It's possible..." Luca spoke back into the phone. "Zia, what do you know about this Alessandro? Does he seem to be a troublemaker?"

"I don't know much, but I don't think he is like that. He seems to have a better temperament than his father and I know that he and Niccolo get along well."

"That doesn't mean much and you know it," Emiliano replied. "You're the one who always told us that allies are the first we need to worry about."

"Yes, but I really doubt this is a play by them..."

Luca huffed and leaned in toward the phone. "Then what do you think it is? You seem so sure of what it is not, but confused as to what it is."

"I have suspicions..." Claudia said before lowering her voice. "I believe that someone has been sabotaging us. I just don't know who. In recent months, we've experience small blunders, but nothing I couldn't handle... But this clash with the Montella men was a major jump from those petty issues."

Emiliano and Luca exchanged a look with nonverbal communication before Luca responded to Claudia.

"We will be there in a few days, zia. We need to make our rounds. It has been some time since we were last in Italy and maybe some think they can take advantage of our absence."