“Don’t,” he says as he jabs a finger towards Mattia.
Mattia huffs, stomping his feet like a toddler. “Come on, that would’ve been a good one,” he says, following Stefano out the front door.
“Where are we going?” I say excitedly, bouncing down the stairs behind them.
“Routine check at the farm,” Gabriele says.
I blink, slightly confused. “We own a farm? Like cows and horses?”
Mattia chuckles, slinging his arm around my shoulder and pulling me towards the back seat of the waiting SUV. “Not that kind of farm. You’ll see.” Just as I think I’ve gotten away, the back door beside me opens and in climbs Rocco.
“Oh, come on!” I sigh loudly. “I’m with the three of you, why does Rocco need to come?”
Stefano starts driving the car, and Gabriele sits in the passenger seat beside him. So I’m now squished in the backseat between Rocco and Mattia, two of the tallest men I have seen. I must look like a dwarf between them.
“Don orders: you don’t go anywhere without me,” Rocco tells me.
I poke my tongue out at him. There’s nothing I can say to stop him from following me. Mattia snickers beside me. Stefano turns down a winding dirt road hidden by towering trees on the property. We cross through two checkpoints guarded by soldiers, creating a division between the areas soldiers must be allowed to access.
I whisper to myself, folding my arms in front of me, “What don’t we have on the estate?” I’m slightly annoyed we aren’t actually leaving the property.
“A lot, Charlie,” Stefano answers from the front seat as an industrial shed comes into view, hidden in the overgrowth. It would be invisible from above.
Mattia’s grin is infectious. “Wait till you see it, Red.” He practically bounces in his chair from excitement.
As soon as the car rolls to a stop, Mattia is out the door and reaches his hand in for me to grab. When he pulls me out, I take a good look around. “Why do you call it a farm when there’s no paddocks or fields?”
Gabriele actually smirks for once. “Who said we don’t have fields?”
I wave my hands around the overgrown land in front of us. “Look around, Gabriele. There’s nothing but that giant shed.”
“Exactly.” Gabriele nods to the soldiers on guard as he punches in a code. The heavy door opens, and I step inside behind them. My breath catches at the sight in front of me.
Rows of lush marijuana plants stretch out ahead of us, their emerald leaves glowing under the soft grow lights. The workers are dressed in just their underwear and move carefully, pruning and inspecting the plants.
“Oh my God,” I whisper. It looks like a scene you only ever see in movies. “How come you guys never told me we have a marijuana farm on the property? This must be worth millions!” I squeal, clapping my hands.
All their eyes snap to me, including the workers now. A frown crosses over Stefano’s already hardened face. He looks at me like I’ve lost it. I knew we dealt the drugs in the New York area, but seeing it in person with my own eyes is something completely different. It’s such a hard feeling to describe.
Mattia’s eyes gleam excitedly. “This is just the start.” He grabs my hand to pull me along behind him.
“Calm down,” Stefano warns him. “This is why I don’t normally bring you with us.”
Mattia leads me deeper into the shed, through the dense rows of marijuana until we’re in front of another door. He opens it, revealing a stark room. Tables are lined up with white bricks, and a couple of workers are in here as well.
“Is that… cocaine?” I ask, my heart pounding harder from excitement. This might be my favorite day at the estate so far.
“Yes,” Stefano confirms, leaning on the door frame.
“Do we make it here as well?”
“No, it comes from overseas. This is where we repackage it for distribution. We distribute it through the businesses on our turf.”
“We are so hardcore,” I tease, my eyes flicking between the brothers.
They all shake their heads with different reactions: Mattia amused, Stefano and Gabriele unamused. Gabriele adds, “Our weed is the most organic on the coast, and the cocaine the purest. We charge top dollar.”
“Have you tried it?” I ask, half joking, while moving closer to inspect the bricks. The female workers in front of us look over at me curiously, unsure how to react around me. I’m guessing Luciano still hasn’t told anyone who I am, otherwise they would be showing me the same respect they’re giving the brothers.
