Quiet Wealth by J.L. Drake

I swirled the rum around and took a moment to appreciate its rich color through the crystal, then placed it carefully on the ledge of the stone balcony. The orange peel twirled through the liquor as it floated up to the top to rest gently on the surface. It was our tradition to use a thin piece of orange peel whenever we used the coin. We considered it good luck.

It wouldn’t be a long visit, but it needed to happen to make a point. Sometimes the art of dramatics could be a defining one. Church bells rang off in the distance, and I knew it was time.

It was above-average temperature for May. The sun beat down on my shoulders, warming the fabric of the crisp black suit I had chosen for this meeting. I watched as the Alfa Romeo rolled up to the front stairs below my office at the dockyard.

My cousins, my capos, Niccola and Vinni, opened their doors, buttoned their coats, and at the same time leaned to open the back doors of the car then reached in to grab the two men I had requested to see.

I slowly moved closer to the railing, alerting the two men that I was there. Fear flitted across their faces and twisted their expressions into an acceptance of their grim fate. The large coin I was holding traveled between my fingers, and I saw their eyes drawn to it as I marked each of the men with either a head or tail. Once my decision was made, I flipped the coin high above me and caught it as I conceded to fate’s choice. Resting a single finger on my lips I gave the signal. Heads.

One moment there were two men standing, and then the next there was one.

“Holy shit!” The winner tossed his hands in the air as he looked down at the blood spray from his friend that now stained his coat and ran down onto his shoes. “We had a deal!”

I waited a beat, staring down at the man who couldn’t fulfill his job, then I spoke confidently so there was no confusion as to who was in charge.

“And that deal was over when you didn’t deliver.”

I turned on my heel and let my cousins deal with the situation at hand. I had no interest in what happened next. I had much bigger family shit to deal with.

Pulling my keys from my pocket, I hurried home, not interested in making small talk with anyone.

“There you are.” Mama had her back to me as she kneaded the dough for tonight’s meal. Whenever she was stressed, she would give the staff the night off and work her frustrations out in the kitchen, and then feed them as a thank you for taking over their space. It was rather fun to watch, and I knew it was one of the many reasons people loved to work for us. We treated them all as family, but like all families, we had our fair share of secrets and did whatever it took to keep them under wraps.

I kissed her cheek and smiled down, but her expression zoned in on some blood on my cuff. Blood from an earlier unfortunate situation.

“You look stressed, figlio. Did everything go smoothly at the dockyard?”

“Yes,” I reassured her, but I could tell she wanted to say more. “I’m good, Mama, really. Everything is fine.” She went back to kneading the dough.

“I assume they’ll clean that up.”

“Well,” I chuckled and took a seat at the island, careful not to brush against the counter now covered in flour, “twenty-three men have died in that very spot, Mama, and you have walked over the area countless times. Have you ever once seen any red stains?”

“What are your plans for this evening?” She changed the subject, knowing I was right. Sloppy wasn’t how I operated. I learned from the best, and I would continue to be the best at what I did.

“Not sure yet. Mariano should be calling this evening, and we have many things to discuss.”

“Did he take care of—” She paused when Anna strolled into the kitchen and plucked an apple from a bowl.

“Anna, are you staying for dinner?” My mama was always a polite hostess. We had a rule in our house that everyone had to attend at least three dinners a week, and Sundays were mandatory. Any time we held a dinner for guests, they were hosted at my parents’ place. This kept their home as the central place within the family to gather socially. Anyone who was close to our family or lived on our property came and went without a thought. The bar was always open, and you could always count on someone enjoying a drink if you ever wanted company. The doors were hardly ever locked, but if they were, it would warn them something big was up. Everyone knew the rules, and they were there for a reason, so no one would ever question them.

Anna looked over at me, waiting for an invitation. I didn’t blink as I kept my expression neutral. Anna was the daughter of one of my father’s closest friends since we arrived here. There was a history there, and one we couldn’t ignore. She was pretty and smart but not my type. She never said what was on her mind and didn’t get my sense of humor. Perhaps I did know I was a little too dark and sarcastic for her comfort, but having to stop and explain everything I had said was utterly maddening.

She flipped her thin, pin-straight hair over her shoulder and sighed at my lack of comment.

“I’d love to. Thank you, Andrea.”

Wonderful. I could hear the dinner conversation now. It would consist of one-word answers and uncomfortably long periods of silence while she tried to anticipate what I wanted to hear.

“Another rum?” Francesco read my face like an open book. “Or perhaps a double?”

“Please.” I handed him my glass with an exasperated smile, and he returned the expression in kind as he patted my shoulder in sympathy.

“Elio?” Anna shifted her weight from foot to foot as she always did whenever she spoke to me. “Will you be joining us?”

How could someone who looked like she should have it all together have such an unsure, almost blank expression? It was as if no one was home inside. I wanted to like Anna. She had a pretty decent body, and had a nice laugh, but when you got down to the bones of her, that was it. There was no fire, no passion, no sense of self.

I groaned internally while she waited for my answer. I glared at Mama, who tried to hide her amusement.

My phone alerted me to a text, and I quickly pulled it free, hoping that someone had come to my aid.

Mariano: I need to make a house call. I’ll call you later with the details.

Damn, the stars were not in my favor tonight.

Elio: Understood.

“Oh, yeah.” Niccola came up behind me and leaned in to read my text. “He’s wide open for dinner.” He walked behind Anna and gave me a shit-eating grin.

“Really?” She beamed, and when she looked away, I whipped a lime at his head.

“Looks that way.” I ducked as he sent it back, and she didn’t even react to the fact that a lime was being tossed around the kitchen.

Dinner was in full swing with all of the kitchen staff and Francesco laughing and enjoying Mama’s food. Arrivederci Roma by Jack Jezzro played in the background as dessert was handed down the line, and the wine never stopped flowing.

Thanks to my papa chatting with Anna, I was able to slip out, but not before I gave Mama a kiss thanking her for a lovely meal.

“Are you sure you want to go? The night’s still young.”

“That’s my fear.” I shifted my gaze over to Anna. She would no doubt be expecting something from me at some point through the evening.

“She’s really quite lovely, dear.” As she said the words, I noted her shoulders slumped slightly.

“She is, Mama, but lovely doesn’t mean she’s for me.”

“Thank you for staying.” She kissed my cheek, and I gave her a hug then threw my father a wave as I left.

I twirled my car keys in relief as I headed outside. I thanked the doorman for opening the door to my matte black Maserati Ghibli. The cool leather hugged me as I ran my hand over the wheel. I tried hard to push back the memory that instantly swept through my mind. I must have been more tired than I thought because I closed my eyes and gave in to the pain that flooded my senses for a moment. It was all I had left.

“You good, sir?” The doorman tapped on my window.

I gave a curt nod, shook my head clear, then started the engine. The smooth sound of it calmed me as it moved down the long driveway and traveled the short distance to my villa. It was only minutes away and on the same land as my parents’. When we moved here, we made sure to all stay close. Until we had total control of our product and people, we were still at risk.

The lights turned on automatically when I opened the door. I made my way inside and headed down the hallway to the kitchen, shrugging off my jacket as I went. I draped it over the back of the chair then removed my watch and placed it on the island. The warm glow from beneath the cabinets gave me just enough light to move about to fix a stronger than normal nightcap.

I sent a quick text off to Mariano.

Elio: How was your visit?

The doorbell rang, and I glanced at the time, wondering who it could be. Skipping the usual camera check, I rubbed my tired neck and opened the door to find Anna looking nervous and unsure.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye earlier, and I wanted to.” She fiddled with her hands. “Well, good night.”

“Night.” I smiled to be polite and went to close the door when she spoke again.

“Elio?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there any chance I could come in?”

I pressed my lips together as I chose my words carefully.

“Anna, you’re a sweet woman who I know will find someone great someday. But I’m not the one.”

“I’m not always sweet.” She tried again.

Ugh, desperate women were never my thing. I knew her father was important to mine, so I tried my hardest to be kind.

“Don’t change who you are to be someone you’re not.” I leaned against the door, feeling drained on the topic but wanting to be fair. “Truth is, I’m not looking for anyone right now. As you know, my family has been through a lot the past ten years, and I need to focus on that. I’ll date, but right now that’s as far as I go.”

“All I’m asking for is a date.”

“It’s not a good idea.”

She stepped down a stair. “Well, when you’re ready.”

“I’ll know where to find you.” I nodded, thankful she wasn’t going to push any more. I didn’t want to hurt her and was hopeful she’d find someone else.

Once she left, I skipped my drink and headed back inside, changed into my workout gear, and hit the treadmill for a solid hour.

It was important in the life I led to be fast, fit, and lean, as well as to be able to kill someone with my bare hands.

The bottom part of my house was dedicated to all of that. I had the best of the best equipment and some of the top trainers in Italy.

I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from my face and neck as I pushed the button on the wall, knowing I needed a harder workout to be able to turn my head off for the night.

Aldo, the nearly three-hundred-pound trainer who was, despite his size, unbelievably quick, stepped into the room and cracked his thick neck.

“Ready?” he grunted as we both stepped into the ring on the opposite side of the room.

I raised my hands and spent the next two hours fighting to keep my jaw intact.