All Robin Silvestre wanted was to save her sister's life, but through the manipulation of Don Pagano she's plunged into the deep end of organized crime.
All Daewon wants is to keep Robin safe but when he becomes tangled in Salvador Gianni's web of...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Aye, comin' down like precipitation I ain't never met a limitation Hatter plottin' my elimination? Gotta go to Google for the information"
Pagano ended the conference call with an irate lawyer. The twenty-page contract leered at him. He was doing the right thing. He had to be. Robin was in desperate need of funds and he didn't want to add to her debt. He would much rather give her money she'd earn, and hopefully pay off some of her loans by proxy. It should be a win-win.
Even though surface intentions were honest, a seed of doubt began to flourish. He pushed them to the side. John needed this, the Silvestere's needed this.
He'd focus on pertinent issues for now.
Most of Pagano's personnel, besides his bodyguards and entourage, indulged in a buffer that prevented them from interacting with his colleagues. Pagano was well aware that most of the new generations of mafiosos possessed dangerous egos. Robin would be front and center, literally put on a pedestal, for other dons to salivate over.
That would surely assist with dealings, greensticks always thought with their hormones instead of their heads. However, men tended to justify terrible things with lust or anger. He needed to ensure her safety and draw a harsh line in the sand on how he expected his comrades to treat her. John had sacrificed so much already. Pagano hadn't intended for him to lose one daughter, let alone two.
Sharp inhale punctuated the toss of gold rimed spectacles. Firm fingers massaged the bridge of his nose, then heated temples. Robin was only part of his stress. When Vanessa mentioned John's name during the case briefing, guilt had reemerged. Pagano thought he'd forgiven himself, but the wound of his greed was still fresh. Still aching. When Robin walked in that door, a carbon copy of Julia, he nearly sent her back out.
Greying hair shook, flinging off afog of self-pity. Pagano would redeem himself with this. Help Dove when he had forsaken her mother. His debt would be paid.
The heaviness in his throat dissipated as he tapped a small, clear earpiece. "Dae, where are you?"
There was a brief moment of silence, then a low crackle. "Dealt with Gianni, ten minutes out. Raoul and Paul are on clean-up. Should be sorted within the hour."
Pagano sucked his teeth. Salvador Gianni was yet another hurdle he had to overcome. Well, more of a bump he had to run over.
"Did that sprecare learn his place?" Pagano ground his teeth, a bad habit since grade school. He despised men like Gianni. Their self-righteous egos, daddy issues, and insatiable ambition were why the West was crumbling.
"He has quickly learned the ways of cosa nostra. Check the bank."
Pagano donned his glasses and began to type rapidly, pulling up one of many offshore accounts. German rolled across the screen as he navigated through various security clearances. He pushed aside the tape on his webcam, leaning forward as it performed a facial recognition scan. As he covered the camera his lips curled into a thin smile. An eight-figure wire transfer pulsed in yellow, awaiting his approval.
