Lucca wasn’t the type of man to put trust in anyone but himself, so she would trust him at his word that Sal wouldn’t hurt her, regardless that Sal made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.
“Okay.”
He gave her a smile before letting the strand slip from his grasp. “Drago and I will be back as soon as we can.”
Nodding, she put on her best brave face as she followed Lucca out of his office and back to where Sal was waiting. She sat down at the kitchen island with her laptop, while the men talked quietly amongst themselves. She couldn’t help wringing her hands to the point her nails dug into her palms. Never did she think she would ever wish Lucca wasn’t leaving her, not until now.
Chloe was left with two thoughts. The first, she wondered why Drago had been the one to watch her every move when it was Sal who was his real friend.
The front door closed, and she heard footsteps get closer. Turning her head, she swallowed hard, trying to keep down the unknown fear of the man Lucca called his brother.
Her other thought … Why does he remind me of him?
Fifteen
The Monstrous Name
Staring out the window at the emptiness surrounding them, Lucca focused on the dirt path, waiting for the cars to come into view. The Caruso family had arrived two hours earlier to scope out the place, something the possible enemy should have done. Their black Cadillacs were lined up in front of the empty warehouse, and each soldier was packing in case this was the year the Lucianos decided to end the peace.
Once a year, the two mafia families of Kansas City had a meeting on equal ground outside the city. It was a way to keep the peace between them; to keep another war from happening, as the last war had almost wiped out the Luciano name.
Lucca began flipping his lighter open and closed, not removing his eyes from the road. Since joining the family every year to the date, he had come here feeling nothing. This year, however, he couldn’t help feeling an uneasiness in the air.
He was starting to lose his patience. He didn’t like leaving Chloe at home while he was this far away with only Sal there to protect her.
If I didn’t want to see him … I would leave.
Finally, the cars started appearing. Lucca watched them pull up and the men get out. He observed each man until he finally saw the one he was waiting for.
Lucca slid his lighter back into his pocket, hearing it hit the other metal object. Pulling out a big, heavy gold ring, he stared at the design of a rectangle with a stamped horseshoe in the middle, surrounded by small diamonds.
The warehouse door opened, prompting him to slide it back into his pocket. Turning around, he looked at the two long tables facing each other. Dante sat in the middle of one table with his consigliere, Vinny, to his right. There was an empty seat to Dante’s left for him. However, he was waiting for the Lucianos to fill up the other table before he headed toward his seat.
Before he sat down, he placed his pack of cigarettes and lighter on the table. Then Lucca listened to the two bosses commence the meeting, not once speaking. Instead, he took in the men.
The Lucianos looked like the polar opposites of the Carusos. Just as much as the Carusos looked immaculate, the Lucianos looked rugged. The men who did wear suits were far from the expensive Italian ones the mafia was often known for. Grooming wasn’t much of a requirement for them, either. Some men were also covered in tattoos from their hands to their necks. They were a rough-looking family, matching their surroundings of the rough area of Kansas City they owned. Here in this warehouse, the Carusos looked out of place, while the Lucianos looked at home.
A pair of dark-haired twins mostly covered in tattoos sat to one side, while on the other side was a hawkish man with brown hair who seemed to be doing the same thing Lucca was—taking in the enemy.
It was Lucca’s job to know each and every one of them. The three were brothers, sharing the same father, but only the twins had the same mother. Angel and Matthias were younger than their older brother, Dominic. He and Lucca were both the underboss of the family, under their father. However, even though Dominic was slightly older than him, he hadn’t been the underboss for as long as Lucca had. It was only a year ago that Dominic had taken the title.
Pulling out a cigarette, Lucca held it between his lips while he flicked his wrist, bringing the flame from his Zippo to light the end. He inhaled deeply as his eyes travelled to the man sitting in the middle of the table.
The Carusos called him by his last name, Luciano, but to his men, he was known by another name. A name his men gave him out of respect, a name to be feared. Dante told Lucca long ago not to call him by the monstrous name, because he was anything but, and he wasn’t to be feared.
Luciano adjusted his suit jacket. “Before we end this meeting, you know I have to ask you, Dante, for a bigger territory over Kansas City.”
“You should know the answer to that by now, Luciano, and my answer has yet to change after all these years.”
A snide smile came to Luciano’s thin lips. “I was hoping this would be the year we could forget that part of the contract.”
“Maybe we should forget about the whole contract, then.” Lucca knocked his cigarette ashes onto the floor. “I think time is making you forget how close to extinction the Luciano name is. It was the Carusos who wanted to end the war and decided to give the option of the contract so the Luciano name wouldn’t die out. Tell me, how many of you are there now?”
Two of Luciano’s men moved to stand behind him, while the only one to move behind the Carusos was Drago. The empowering man was bigger than the two Lucianos combined.