Dante would process what Lucca had said later. He hoped the Don didn’t plan on matching them all up. He had missed an all-hands meeting. That wasn’t good. A picture of Madison flashed in his mind. He wasn’t ready to give her up.
“It’s not. You know my contact in the FBI’s financial unit gave me a tip that they are in the last three months of a sting operation against the Bianchis. They are planning to bring us down on money laundering.”
“Shit. So what is the plan? I’m too young to go to jail.” Gabe set his cup down. “But I’m serious, remember when Tata went in? The Mertuccis carved his face like a pumpkin. When he got out he couldn’t see out of his left eye after that run in. You know they run that prison.”
Dante ignored Gabe’s too young to go to jail comment. But what he said was true. The Mertuccis were the Bianchis’ rivals, and if they went in they would come out in a body bag.
“I’m not planning on going down for this. I don’t know what you guys think.” Dante took a sip from his own cup. He had to admit, Lucca’s coffee place was good. He trusted his cousins, but not enough to tell them he was cleaning up his mob-tied business and that he had a job offer on the table.
“Nope,” said Gabe.
Enzo and Lucca echoed his sentiment.
“So what are we going to do?” Lucca asked.
“Here is my plan.” They all leaned forward as Dante explained to them what they could do to clean up the business’ books and the best way to divide them up so that they each had what they wanted. “So the one thing we need to do is figure out who’s helping on the inside, take care of them, and use our contacts to make our side look lily white.”
Something flickered over Enzo’s face at the mention of a rat, but it was could have been because he was in charge of security and the fact that someone had either gotten in or turned traitor under his watch.
“We need to find out who it is as soon as we can,” Dante said. If they were still there, they could give up their new plan to the Feds.
“I’m going to have to tell Dad that someone’s been turned,” Lucca said.
“They had to have planned this for a while. They could have come in months ago with the new recruits,” Gabe said.
The room got quiet with the heaviness of the situation and the possible outcomes.
Dante’s voice broke through the thickness in the air. “I think everyone knows their roles. I have a meeting with Ed. I’ll see you guys tonight?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here.” Gabe threw his drink in the trash.
“I’ll let you know. Wifey situation and all.” Lucca gave a small tilt of his head.
Dante looked at Enzo.
“Yeah. I have a few things to take care of, but I should be here sometime before the night is over.”
Ed walked in as the guys left.
“What did you find out?”
“Looks like she has someone sick with cancer.”
“Who?”
“My guy hasn’t found out yet, but he will get back to me. He’s chatting up a nurse on the inside. So far he has found out that she is a regular when he is in the hospital and they’ve seen them holding hands, but for the most part she sits by him while he sleeps. He’s older than her, not like ancient, but not fresh out of college.”
A stab pierced his chest. Had she lied to him and was seeing someone else? There was also the better blow job that she had given. Had she practiced on this guy after she slept with him?
The band around his chest tightened, and he struggled to take in a breath. She had cheated on or with him. He remembered Madison saying she didn’t know it could be like that. Maybe the guy only took care of his needs when he was with Madison, so she had never climaxed during sex.
They weren’t exclusive or even dating, but he would add that to what they were doing that they wouldn’t see anyone else until they were finished with each other. He planned to keep her so busy she wouldn’t have time to find someone else.
“But your sidepiece is smart and talented. Getting her Masters in Fashion Design and she is getting a chance for her work to be shown at fashion week for a chance to win a job at one of the top fashion houses.”
Dante was disgusted at Ed’s words and his stomach turned when he mentioned her as his sidepiece. It didn’t make sense because all they were going to do was fuck. It was just some itch they were scratching. But she made thoughts he believed had died with Monica come back again. But it couldn’t be. She didn’t know what he was a part of. They weren’t meant to be more.
He was jealous Lucca was getting married. Dante had wanted the wife and kids with the picket fence and dog too, but what did he have to offer? He was good with numbers. Numbers didn’t lie, well, maybe they did, but he could spot it. He was more than just a numbers guy, but no one had taken the time to look past the mafia name.
