Enzo cocked an eyebrow because he was confused by the remark. He stared at Dragon for a second, then turned to look at Cenzo to see if he was also confused. Cenzo shrugged, and Enzo rolled his eyes, then returned his attention to Dragon.
"I don't get it. Are you pissed about the 'bitch' comment, or do you agree with it, but not when I say it?" Enzo asked him for clarity.
"Two things can be true at once," Dragon said.
He pointed at him, wagging his finger. "You're an interesting one. I don't know if you're serious or not right now."
"I'm always serious," Dragon said. "But I also don't want this situation to get out of hand. We're partners, and maybe even a little bit more, considering my brother, Burger, is already looking at wedding rings from what I've heard. This doesn't have to get ugly. I just want our bosses to know what your plan is."
Enzo nodded, then sat back down, his temper settling as he now understood the man before him a lot more. Dragon was fearless; he got that much, but also calculating. Witty as fuck, too. "Fair enough. I'll call my dad, and you can call yours."
"Before I do, I want all of the details of this plan so that I can better explain it," Dragon said.
"It's simple. Da Han Mujin is a man who is on our level. His connections, the skill that his men possess are not to be underestimated. We've taken some major hits. So much so,reinforcements have been sent from Sicily. And I know my father hates that. When Sicily is called in, it makes my dad look weak—like he can't handle his business," Enzo said.
"Who are they sending from Sicily?" Dragon asked.
Enzo sighed. "Cenzo's father and my uncle, Nico, and I don't really know what his agenda will be. Will he help, or will he hurt my father for his chance to finally take over the family? It's what he's always wanted, and he'll take any failure on my dad's part to grab the reins."
"Shitty family member," Dragon said, then looked at Nico. "Sorry about that."
Cenzo shrugged. "My sister and I have a strained relationship with my father, although it has gotten better over the years."
"Why isn't your last name Castiello?" Dragon asked, then held his hand up. "You don't have to answer as I am being nosy."
"My sister and I took our mother's maiden names. She's the one who raised us since my father didn't want to take responsibility back then. Of course, he was fourteen and highly immature. My uncle Rico and grandfather took care of us on his behalf, making sure no one in the family was left out. My dad's been in and out of prison his whole life. Hopefully, this more recent stint will be the last time," Cenzo said.
"I see," Dragon nodded.
Enzo chuckled. "He's my dad's youngest uncle and had his dreams crushed when my father proved himself to be more than capable, deaf or not, of being the head of the family."
"Are all the men in your family named that way? Rhymes and four-letter words?" Dragon asked out of curiosity.
Enzo nodded. "My grandfather was Tito; his brothers are Leno and Nico. And as you know, my dad is Rico, and my uncle is Vito."
"My middle name is Nero," Cenzo said with a chuckle. "The only consolation my mom gave to my father was that shewanted to name me after her favorite boy name. So the four-letter traditional male name of Nero was relegated to my middle name."
Dragon laughed. "Interesting."
Enzo waved his hand dismissively. "Getting back to what I was saying: more members from your club have had to join us in this fight. If Da Han called in more reinforcements from China or even the Yakuza, how many more members are we going to lose? And what about our territory? We kill Li; he has two more sons who can take over, not to mention two more brothers. My dad only has me as his heir and his brother Vito, whom he trusts to take over. I don't want this war to continue anymore. Don't get me fucked up, though. I don't fear death. I don't fear bloodshed, but war is bad for business. It's already gone on far too long, but it was in New York. Now, it's in Chicago, Miami, and Orlando as well. The police are sitting back and waiting to see who is still standing once the smoke clears. If we can force Da Han to surrender for the life of his son, isn't that better?"
"I don't deny that," Dragon said. "But what if he doesn't?"
Enzo studied Dragon for a moment, then shrugged. "Fuck it, then. We kill the bastard."
Dragon nodded. "I can work with that. I'll tell my father." He stepped out of the room to make the call.
"I thought you two were about to throw down for a second," Cenzo said.
Enzo snorted. "I could take him."
"I love you, man... but I'm not so sure," Cenzo said, and he smirked when Enzo tossed him an agitated glance.
"Some friend you are."
"Hey, I'd jump in and assist if it looked like you were losing."
Enzo gave him the middle finger before pulling out his phone to text his father with their encrypted app. He texted the message, then waited for the response and hoped his fatherwould see the value in his plan. When the message came across, he eagerly read every word.
