The ride from Jersey to Staten Island is a boring one. Even though I basically grew up here, I'm not particularly fond of the island. I don't know why. It's never really felt like home. And with Benny gone, it feels even less so.
A little over an hour later, we pull up to a pair of massive steel gates. I grew up in a fortress. A modern, red brick castle that Benny would have built a moat around if zoning permits would have allowed it.
I haven't been back in months, and the same butterflies I felt the first time Benny brought me here resurrect. After that awful night. The night that truly stole my innocence.
The man who offered me a new life was so much more than just a man. He was a prince. A prince of one of the most corrupt crime families on the east coast. But the Velonas would be insulted if you called them out on what they truly are. In their eyes, they're a corporation. An enterprise. A conglomerate of entrepreneurs. And on the surface, they conduct themselves as such. To the world, the family is a respected professional powerhouse. But underneath the beautiful, sparkly exterior is an ugly underbelly of corruption. Comprised of an army of assassins dressed in designer suit's. Or in my case, dresses. They deal in such things as extortion, money laundering, and racketeering. You name it and the Velona family has a finger in it. Actually, an entire arm. And for years their setup worked like a well-oiled machine. Until the unthinkable happened.
Funny thing about family, you'd think they'd be the last ones to stab you in the back, but when one turns on you, it's like twice the betrayal. Intrinsic trust and unconditional love is shattered all at the same time. A foundation that has been there your entire life, cracking under your feet like an earthquake. Disrupting everything you've ever known.
That's exactly what happened when Gianni Velona made a play for power after the death of his and Benny's father, Pasquale, the patriarch of the family. Killing Benny in cold blood so he could be the next Chairman of the underworlds board of directors.
My skin prickles as I pass through the doorway and walk through the extravagant halls of the mansion. Past the flashy gold molding climbing up the sitting room walls and the lavish French-inspired furniture. Gaudy would be a good word for the décor, but we don't want to insult anyone, so we'll call it grandiose. I wonder how G would feel if she knew I fucked one of her bodyguards on her beloved Versailles sofa?
Kruger and I stop in front of a door with a jeweled knob and more gold molding. Just as I go to knock, a scream erupts on the other side. Neither Kruger nor I are phased in the least. We both know what's happening inside that room. Regina is "entertaining."
I shoot Kruger a sidelong look. "Is she fucking serious right now?"
He just shrugs. I give her another minute before I bang on the door. "G! You better be finished cause I'm coming in." I open the door to find Regina sitting pretty behind her office desk and the flavor of the moment fastening the last button on his dress shirt. Hello, hottie. Regina always finds the panty droppers. I sneak a quick inspection of the man candy as I stride across the room. Shaggy black hair, light eyes, gorgeous features.
"You like?" Regina catches me in the act.
"You apparently do," I deflect her question.
But, yeah, to answer your question, I like.
"You can go." The petite brunette in front of me dismisses her manservant. With a quick glance at me he vanishes from the room. I don't know how she does it, but her ability to control men should be studied like a science. She's like a two-legged siren. She's also the other half of the duo that raised me. Regina Velona is the younger sister of Benny and Gianni. Much younger. Ten years younger than Benny and fifteen years younger than Gianni. And only ten years older than me. She's more like a sister than a mother figure.
Benny may have taught me how to use my body like a warrior, but Regina taught me how to use it like a weapon. She's pretty, poised, and well-mannered. She's as close to an Italian princess as it gets. She's also cunning, deceitful, and ruthless. Every bit as cutthroat as her brothers. Except she doesn't like to get her hands dirty, unless she's jerking someone off. Blood and violence makes her queasy, so she leaves the heavy lifting to Krueger and me. Which is why I'm here.
Once we're good and alone, G pulls a file out from her desk. She throws it in front of me so I can read the contents.
I open the thin folder and scan it over. "Benjamin Sabatino," I read aloud. "Colorado?" I'm appalled. I hate the cold. And the snow.
"Yes. Deal." Regina eyes me the same way Benny used to. Sharp and unyielding. "There are only two speeds in life," Benny used to tell me. "Fast and accelerate." And that was exactly how he lived. Fast. And he expected me to keep up. He never gave me a choice. Not from day one. Regina expects me to keep up the pace, too, even though he's gone.