The idea of all that power was still wildly alluring. To own a city, and then who knows where I might go from there? On the other hand, to earn the love of a woman like Sarina was incredible too. A large and growing part of me thought it was more powerful.
Was it possible to have both? A question like that was going to take more than the time required for the elevator to take me up to the forty-seventh floor, and my monthly meeting with Giovanni.
I’d barely started the mental logistics of leaving the path I’d been walking on for the last couple of years, when I had to dismiss that train of thought and concentrate on the scowling Mafioso behind his desk. Giovanni looked unhappier and more full of himself than usual.
“Sit the fuck down,” he said. “At least you’re not late this time.”
I sat the fuck down in the chair in front of Giovanni’s desk, hoping this was at least the kind of rant that I could autopilot my way through without having to really think of how to respond. Nod and agree at the appropriate places, take my money, order the shit I needed and get out before the insults got a rise out of me.
“Kid, you are a pain in the fuckin’ ass.”
I nodded and fought to stop my eyes from losing focus.
“You may have struck a deal with Alberico when he was feeling generous, but when you start fucking up like you have been, the generosity only goes so far.”
“What are you talking about?”
Giovanni opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a handgun. “What am I talking about? You fuckin’ serious? You think this is a fuckin’ game?”
Out of the corners of my eye, I could see Giovanni’s guards pushing their suit jackets out of the way to expose their holstered guns for quick access. The tone of the room brought me all the way back to reality, and I sat up a little straighter, eyes narrowing.
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“This is a fuckin’ warning, shit for brains. A warning right from the top. You gotta know by now how much I fuckin’ hate you, and we both know you’ve been hiding behind Alberico’s protective wing like a little pussy. You make a lot of money for us, and you know that too, so you mouth off like you’re fuckin’ untouchable.”
Giovanni stood up and leaned over his desk. I tried to look in all directions at once, but mostly in his eyes when he started talking again.
“So, normally, I’d threaten to kill you and you’d roll your cocksuckin’ eyes, take your money and waltz out of here. Today, I’m just gonna give it to you straight. In light of recent events, Alberico has officially given me permission to shoot your sorry ass in the leg if you give me any shit today. Maybe that doesn’t seem so bad to a tough cunt like you, huh? That’s only because you’ve never been shot before. I’ll be happy to pop your cherry, bitch.”
My brow furrowed at this sudden shift in orders from Alberico. “When are you going to let me know what’s got your panties in a bunch?”
“Keep talking, motherfucker. What you say is going to decide whether you get it in the foot, the kneecap or if I miss altogether and shoot your fuckin’ balls off. Do you have any idea how much time, effort, lives and money it cost to convince the Cannibals that they should leave you alone?”
“No.”
“Too much. And how do you repay us? You missed your fucking quota last month.”
Fuck. I ran my hand through my hair while Giovanni stared daggers through me. I’d been spending so much time with Sarina and my mom that things had, admittedly, slipped at my lab.
“I’ve always met or exceeded my quota before. Overall, I’m still ahead,” I said, grasping at straws.
“You think I give a fuck? You’re not stockpiling goodwill here, motherfucker. You do your fucking job month-in, month-out, and that’s all I care about.”
I held up my hands. “OK, OK. I get it. I’ll make sure this month makes up for the shortfall last month, and then business as usual from here on in. Alright?”
“Fuckin’ right you will. Remember, this is your fuckin’ warning. Next time, the chains come out. God damn motherfuckin’ Cannibals found out about you this time. Who’s next? Cops? DEA? Feds? Who the fuck knows. Who’s that cum dumpster bitch you’ve been hanging around with?”
The familiar hot anger that had been slowly bubbling up was suddenly frozen over by pure hatred. I took a deep breath to carefully control my tone with the man holding the gun.
“You been following me?”
“What would we find out if we did? It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to know you’ve been getting your finger wet. So who the fuck is she? Where’d she come from and why the fuck is she hangin’ around somebody like you?”