•PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY•
Adrian's POV
Eighteen.
Nineteen.
Twenty.
I carefully set the 25 lb. dumbbell down on the latex mat under my sneakers.
My last rep for the morning was always the hardest, but it cleared my mind for half of a second. Better than nothing, I guess.
I grabbed my chilled water from the nearby cup holder and gulped down half the bottle as I checked my pulse on my watch.
"Any calls?" I asked the man that stood guard a few feet away.
My father, brother, and cousins had a lot of names for them -attendants, assistants- but they were just glorified babysitters. I didn't need a guard. My last overdose was more than a year ago, so at this point it was overkill. But they still thought I needed to be watched, taken out of my room at least four times a day, and my room searched and cleaned daily.
"No calls."
Hmmm.
It's been two days since Andres left for Atlanta. Not only hadn't I heard from him since then, but the men that went with him stopped answering my calls.
I didn't want to move slow and steady. Things were picking up around here, stuff was happening behind closed doors and I needed answers -like yesterday.
The mocking ring of my phone droned on as I called my brother again and got his voicemail.
I had a laundry list of pet peeves, but this was in the definite top five.
Anyone with a phone has it to get calls at anytime, so there was no reason why I should've been stalking Andres' voicemail.
I snatched my towel from Ritzio, my attendant, and slung it over the back of my neck.
"Sir, your father has asked to see you." Ritzio announced as he held his phone.
"He say why?"
"No sir."
My arms dropped to my side in the mid-stretch and I sighed.
He'd been doing that more often. Calling me or Andres just to sit with him, talk, or play chess. Growing up my father was never one to converse with us for the sake of conversation. He said that was my mother's job. So doing it now only felt awkward and forced.
"Let him know I'll be there in thirty."
Ritzio lifted his phone, his fingers flying over the keyboard I as we strolled out of the home gym, returning to my room.
I paused as I stood face to face with my locked door. He popped my keys into the palm of my hand and gave a curt nod, but remained standing awkwardly.
"You can leave now Ritzio."
"Thank you." He marched away almost robotically.
I scoffed, pushing my way into room while the corner of my mouth hitched as if caught by a fish hook.
"When I'm Don, that's gonna stop."
As I stepped in, giving myself privacy, my phone buzzed with Sherlock flashed across the screen.
"You have news for me?" I questioned blankly.
"Yeah, we may have a problem. Russo has been taking money from Mancini, but they ain't stealing it. Mancini is giving it to them to handle business in their new piece of territory."
"I've seen the reports. They don't show anyone's jurisdiction is getting bigger."
"They ain't gonna show it. Mancini's new territory is hidden by Russo's in North Cali, specifically Oakland to Carson City."
"How long's that been going on?"
"My source said seven years, but they only just started the money exchange. That's all I know."
I thought for a moment, the new info taking a turn to bounce around my mind.
That's how many years Mom's been gone.
"Alright thanks. See what else you can find out."
I knew it! My brother's a complete imbecile to ignore the signs. He's starting to be more and more of liability than an asset. If there's something in this business you don't want anyone questioning is your loyalty, and my brother is on thin ice.
After taking my post-workout shower, I redressed and stalked to my father's room.
My knuckle rapped against the door rhythmically.
"Come in." A weakened raspy voice called out.
An unrecognizable frail man greeted me with sunken eyes as I stepped through the door and he held his arm out to me. He sat at the playing table with his favorite chess set.
"Sit. Play with a dying man." His crack-lipped smile stretched across his leathery flushed cheeks.
Still had a sense of humor.
The past few days had taken a toll on my father's health as the anniversary of our mother's death approached. I would have liked to spend it drowning in Jack Daniel's with my memory turning to mush, but instead, I had the great privilege of fighting for my family's place in the crime world while my brother screwed something else up.
I pulled the chair opposite of him and slid down. My father used to force us to play as children- said it would teach us survival skills for the future. My eyes cast down to the glass-pieced chess set, immediately switching gears.
"You remember what I told the first rule of chess is?" His nimble fingers moved his white pawn forward.
"Yeah," -I made my returning move- "develop your pieces."
"Why?"
"Good development increases your chances of winning." I overtook one of his pawns.
"Giusto (Right). That's gonna be important when you're Don. Don't matter what you think, you need the family. You need them....well developed." He captured my knight.
I silently made my next move as an anxious air hung over us.
"Now, what's the most important piece on the board?"
"King."
"False. It's the Queen." He seemed to easily capture my Queen.
My eyes darted over the game board -my fingers dancing between pieces.
"Listen, my son. I've got faith in you. With your brother's help you could be a powerful and respected Don.
"But...?"
"You haven't proven yourself to anything but a hotheaded stronzo. As far as Gaia, if you're gonna to keep her, you can't treat her like you did Julia.
"I only followed the example I was shown." I calmly explained.
Your grandfather's example, not mine." -he snapped - "A king without a queen is weak."
"How do you figure?" I carefully maneuvered my pieces to block an attack.
The light from the swaying curtains dancing over his rugged features, "She's your powerhouse. Without her, you put yourself in danger, and you might as well resign."
His shaky hand navigated the winning piece as he handed me a stone faced expression.
"Check."
My father snapped his fingers as one of our men rushed to his side and carefully helped him out of the chair.
"So you called me in here for a chess lesson?"
"No." -he grunted as he shuffled to the sofa a few feet away - "And if that's all you learned from that game, then I might need to reconsider my decision."
"I don't want Gaia."
"Then get rid of her and find someone else, but you need to marry before you can take over."
He pointed to the bottle of whiskey and glasses sitting beside it. I poured us both a glass and sat down.
"In the meantime, Russo has asked for a sit down and I'm allowing you to take the lead. I won't even go."
A wicked grin picked at my mouth. I had planned on telling him about the Mancini and Russo deal, but now...
"Take Andres. You two will learn to work together, capiscè?"
I fought the urge to object. My father could say what he wanted, but I didn't need Andres as my tail. On the other hand, something was up with my brother and I wanted to keep a close eye on him.
"Capiscè."