“My case in point. I just yawned three times during that little speech.” He yawns once more and I close my eyes from the impending headache.
The truth is it’s not favoritism. I prefer Gino because he’s much quieter. Pietro is a ball of chaotic energy. To be quite frank, if I’m around him for a long period of time I become overstimulated. He talks too much. He’s too loud. Too over zealous. And his thoughts run freely and wildly from his mouth. He goes on wild tangents that I can’t nor do I want to keep up with. By the end of what little time I do spend with him one on one my brain feels fried and my energy feels depleted.
“How replaceable is he?” I ask Constantine and he raises a brow in question. “Because he may not come back alive so I’m asking how replaceable he is.”
From the corner of my eye Pietro’s jaw drops as he stares at me in shock, meanwhile Constantine is smothering a chuckle. “He’s irreplaceable, Rico.”
Loyalty. Admiration. Platonic love.
All of which I don’t understand the feelings of. And yet they make Pietro irreplaceable in Constantine and Carina’s eyes.
“I still believe I can do this on my own.”
At that Constantine does laugh. “You very well could, Rico. But we are planning on kidnapping Seamus’s daughter, the princess of the Irish Mob. Security will be heavy, as will the amount of soldiers. You have a greater chance of coming out unscathed with the girl if Pietro goes with you.”
It’s a fact I can’t deny and he knows it.
I spare a glance at the man who will be testing me this weekend and his expression is smug.
“I still prefer Gino.” I let it be known once more.
“Si,” Constantine says with amusement. “You’ve made that quite clear.”
I would like to further prove my case on why sending Pietro with me is a horrible idea. But Constantine’s mind is already made up. And out of respect because he is my Don, I won’t question him further on this matter.
Not to mention Pietro does have a sick and twisted craving for making men bleed. Killing an enemy is akin to a child opening presents on Christmas morning.
He’ll be useful. I just wish I could sew his mouth shut.
Pietro slaps his hands together and rubs his palms like he’s warming them up mischievously. “This is going to be fun.”
No, this is going to be torture.
“Pietro,” Constantine addresses him in a firm tone and he immediately sobers. “If I find out you have given Rico too hard of a time there will be consequences. Capisce?”
“Capisce.”
“Excellente.” He then dismisses him with a nod of his head and Pietro takes the cue to leave. As I go to turn on my heel I hear his throat clear. “A word, Rico.”
“Don?”
His face is grim. A deep line of stress between his furrowed brows. “Alvaro isn’t happy, as you already know. He trusted us with his new drug Eden. Upon the first arrival we have already lost half of the product. This isn’t promising, Rico. If I hadn’t had a previous business relationship with him this would’ve cost us the partnership.”
Alvaro Acosta. The undeniable charismatic and promiscuous cocaine mogul. Too charming for his own good.
Our business with him is our most successful. With the money that comes pouring in from the cocaine we don’t need any other partnerships. But along with Constantine’s greed to own the entirety of the east coast, which he does, if we are to lose the cocaine business we won’t sink. Our pockets will hurt most definitely but we won’t be empty handed.
“I assure you Seamus will pay.”
He flashes me a sinister smile. “I don’t doubt you for one second, Rico.” His tone then turns grave, “But I can not have another fuck up with Eden. I like Alvaro. Don’t give me a reason to slit his throat. Capisce?”
“Capisce.”
He nods his head. I finally take that as my cue to leave.
I have my hand on the handle when I hear him call my name once more. This time I didn't bother to turn around. I twist my neck, offering my side profile. “A friendly reminder that Pietro is harmless.”
“Harmless is hardly the word I would use to describe a man who kills people for sport.”
