Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“‘Cause we’re not supposed to talk business over the phone,” Nero said, shaking his head.
I had three brothers. All of ‘em would be going into the ‘Family’ business eventually, but Nero was the only one currently working for me. And I was working for Cosimo Costa, a high-ranking capo. But I had hopes that, soon, the books would open up, and I would be my own capo, would get my own crew.
My pain-in-the-ass little brothers would all likely be my first group of associates or soldiers, depending on how much time they had been doing jobs for the Costas.
It was why I was probably harder on Nero than I needed to be. Because until the day when I was the capo, that I was the one everyone was answering to, their actions reflected on me and Cosimo. Their fuck-ups became my fuck-ups and, by extension, Cosimo’s fuck-ups.
So they needed to be good.
No, not just good.
Exceptional.
And after Nero’s screw-up a few months back with killing two guys he was just supposed to get some money from, I’d doubled down on rules with my brother.
So much so that the only time he was allowed to text me was about shit to do with our parents or sisters. And if he was calling about business, all he was allowed to do was give me a time and place.
Hence meeting on a crowded street during a frigid polar vortex.
“Alright, what is it then?” I asked, sipping the coffee that was steadily becoming lukewarm.
“Went to collect the money from those frat boy pricks who opened the brewery,” Nero started.
There were a lot of jobs guys working their way up in the Family could do. One of the most important jobs, though, was working as the bagman. Meaning, they were the ones who went into businesses that paid for the Family’s protection and collected the cash.
It was a pain-in-the-ass job that often required intimidation, if not outright violence, if someone was getting ideas of shorting us or deciding they were done paying as a whole.
The best bagmen didn’t have to knock anyone’s teeth in to get the results we all wanted. But they all had to be willing to do exactly that, should the situation call for it.
It sounded like the frat boys might be looking for a little roughing up.
“They didn’t want to pay?” I asked.
I’d been in his shoes plenty in the past. Working as a go-between for the public and the capos. Not knowing exactly how far to go, or if permission was needed to do some shit.
But I’d always had good instincts with that sort of thing.
I was worried that if Nero was coming to me asking about this sort of shit, that I’d messed up his instincts by making him come to me about too much.
“Actually, no. They paid. In small bills. Even put it in this nifty reusable bag,” he said, pulling a canvas tote out of his jacket that was wrapped tightly around a small pile of cash.
“Huh. Alright. What’s the problem then? Shouldn’t you be on your way to Cosimo to give him that?”
“He said he doesn’t wanna see anyone before two today,” Nero said with a shrug. “Actually, they are having a problem.”
“The frat guys?”
“Yeah. They have some local crew leaning on them.”
“For money?”
“Yep.”
“How the fuck’d that happen? That street has always been ours.”
“Maybe they’re new. There was an argument in the bar area. So we didn’t get to finish the conversation. I said I’d be back later to talk about it. Figured that gave me a chance to come to you and Cosimo about it, see how you two want to handle it.”
“Alright. Well, I’m cool with you going back and getting more information. But you can’t be making any promises on behalf of the Family. Just get the information and bring it to me and Cosimo. Then we will all discuss what can be done.”
“It sounds like you’re considering letting me run point on this.” There was a hopefulness under Nero’s calm tone that anyone else who wasn’t related to him would have missed.
“I got a lot of shit on my plate already. I know Cosimo doesn’t want the headache. Depending on who this crew is and what they’re into, we might consider letting you handle it with the help of someone like Venezio.
“It’s all gonna depend on what information you get. So make sure you learn everything there is to know before you bring this to Cosimo. If he gives you the go-ahead and this shit blows up around us, it’s gonna be your ass—and your future in this organization—on the line.”
“Got it,” Nero said with a nod. His posture straightened at the idea of being given another chance to prove himself.
As much as I ragged on him, he genuinely was a good kid. He wasn’t a fuck-up just because he’d fucked up once. We all did shit in this job that put us in danger, that made our bosses want to beat our asses. That was just part of making your bones in a criminal empire as powerful as the Costa Family.