Potent Desire by Teresa Wolf
5
Maddox
Afew days pass, and I’m back home again. But not my home – my beautiful apartment overlooking the Mississippi river, no. I’m outside my father’s estate. A sprawling vista of natural beauty surrounds me, but leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
It’s a hidden gem on the outskirts of the city tucked away in solidarity. This is where I grew up, and I should’ve appreciated it more. But I was a fool in youth, too eager to please my father, to please the King. I dedicated my life to him and his empire, and as I age, I regret those foolish choices.
I pull in, through the enormous metal gates and make my way up the driveway. I stop beside a towering water feature beside a giant staircase that leads up to the front door. Father’s standing in his robe, his hair a mess, a cup of coffee in hand. I probably should’ve waited until noon to meet with him, but 06:00 AM suited me better. We share a striking resemblance, my father and I – strong jawlines and curly black hair, though his is greying now. We both have small frames but with dense muscle layering them. The strongest resemblance comes in the eyes and the smile. Deadly, charming, and grotesquely alluring.
“Where the hell have you been, boy?” Father shouts as I get out of the car. “I was worried half to death about you.”
“You were, huh?” I ascend the staircase, doing up the top button of my suit. I lock the car door, knowing it’s completely unnecessary, and shake my father’s hand. “Sure you weren’t just eager to hear the news of what happened with the Slaters?”
“Well, that’s definitely an added bonus. But, you’re my son, of course I worry.”
Instead of drinking the coffee, he hands the cup to me. I take it and sip. Black and bitter, just how I like it.
“I’m not staying long, so no need to go back inside,” I say, watching my father turn around.
“Don’t be like that, Maddox,” he rolls his eyes at me. “Come in. Join your brothers and sisters for breakfast. You can fill me in at the table.”
“Thanks for the offer,” I take another sip of the coffee. It’s lukewarm, and I can finish it in one go without burning my mouth. I hand the cup back to my father and continue. “But no. I don’t have the time to sit around and enjoy the simple luxuries. You know how things go.”
My father lets out a sigh and nods his head. In my youth, he always supported me, watched me thrive and grow within this city, and never once dared to stop me. He knew what he was doing, molding me to be the perfect little soldier.
“Then let’s get right down to it. What happened with Larry Slater?”
“Everything went according to plan. Larry’s given up Riverview Park.”
My father slaps my shoulder and lets out a delighted giggle. “That’s my boy.”
He doesn’t ask how I managed it, and that’s probably for the best.
“But, you’ve gotta start calming down on your mass expansion,” I won’t let him revel in the celebration long. He doesn’t deserve it. He’s earned nothing.
“What did you just say?”
“I’m not going to repeat myself. You heard me loud and clear. If you keep pressing, pushing, and fighting, you’re going to start an all-out war with the Slaters and the Harrisons. Hell, if you’re not careful, you might find yourself in the sights of the King himself.” A friendly word of warning can go a long way, though I don’t think my father will take it.
“Do you think Bruno Romani will care about a little infighting between his loyal subjects?” my father asks. His voice is husky, low, and annoyed. He always was a brazen man who didn’t know when to back down. “If you want anything in this world, you’ve got to take it yourself, Maddox. No one will give it to you.”
“That’s funny. Take it yourself, you say, yet I’m the one doing all your dirty work. This grand expansion you’ve been working on lately leaves me worried. You’re treading in very dangerous water and doing it without a care.”
The Braddock district had always been enough for me. There was never a reason to break out into further territories, and I don’t get why my father doesn’t see that.
“The more we take, the harder it is to control. Small and steady, slinging dope and extortion are easy. If we spread ourselves too thin, we’re going to crumble when an inevitable war breaks out,” I add.
“You think too small, boy,” my father shakes his head. “How are we ever going to reach the top, if we keep bending to those weaker than us?”
A sudden vibration in my pocket distracts me from the conversation. I know it’s my phone and I want to let it ring, but it could be anyone. If it turns out to be someone important, missing it for a lecture in obscurity seems pointless. I check it, and see Bruno Romani’s name is the caller ID.
“Mister Romani,” I answer. My father’s face sinks at the mention of the King’s name. I give him a pat on the shoulder, spin on my heels, and make my way back down the stairs, while the King and I talk.
“Maddox, good morning. Did I wake you?” he asks.
“No, Sir,” I wave at my father, before getting back in my car. “What can I help you with?”
“I’ve got a job for you. Do you have the time to chat?”
I start the engine, wait for my phone’s Bluetooth to connect with the speaker system, and begin driving off. “I do. Where can I meet you?”
In our line of work, business is rarely discussed over the phone. The chance of anyone listening in is too high to take any risks.
“At my home, will you? I’ll be free all morning, so come by anytime.”
“Of course,” I reply. “I’ll leave right away.”
“Good,” Bruno cut the call.
I don’t know what I’m about to walk into, but I’m sure it’s better than fighting over land. At least if it’s for Bruno Romani, it might lead me away from the bullshit of my father’s dirty work. At the end of the day, if the King himself is asking for a favor, I can’t say no, and if he’s taken the time to notice me it can only mean good things are coming in my future.