Chapter 119
Nico
The stress is mounting up. Whereas I am usually level headed and a clear thinker, so much has happened in a short space of time. Now I have Dario and Lucky both telling me the same thing. And on top of that Tony’s new about the Petrov’s muscling in on our territory back in New York is enough to give me a stomach ulcer.
As it is my stomach is gnawing away at me since I haven’t eaten for nearly the entire day. Tony wants a meet up at our casino here in Vegas. It is looking unlikely I am flying back to Atlanta anytime soon. I need to let Lucky know but not right now.
“What the hell does Petrov want?” Dario asks me. Naturally, he could hear my side of the conversation with Tony.
“What everyone else wants, baby brother. My turf.” I lean my head back against the comfortable head rest and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Stop calling me baby brother. Dammit, Nico when are you going to treat me like an equal?” Man, he is wearing my patience thin right now.
“When you grow up and stop behaving like a brat hanging out with that Lucien asshole. When you are clean long enough for us all to trust you, Dario. That is when.”
He raises his brows at me and turns his head away. Fuck, now I feel like the douchebag losing my shit with him.
“Hey,” I say as he continues to ignore me, his jaw ticking. Family trait no doubt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound off at you. There’s a lot going on right now and as the head of the family, I need to sort it out. What with Lucky only just back, I should be here with her. Not running around Vegas to get you. And Petrov is being a jerk; he needs to be shut down or at the least brought down a peg or two.”
He turns back to me. “Well, you know what they say, Nico. When the boss is away the mice will play. You’re out of New York, brother. If you continue to stay in Atlanta or anywhere else you choose to hide out to.”
Dario has a good point. It’s true, Whilst I am not physically in New York the Russians are going to try to muscle in on my turf. The hell will I let them. I need to fly back to New York. I need to make my presence known that Nico Santangelo is back in town.
“True, Dario. True. Let’s get this meeting with Tony over and done with, he will brief me and go through the latest reports. Then I need to head my ass back home to NYC.”
“You want me to be in the meeting with you and Tony?” he asks incredulously, like I’ve told him he can fly a rocket to the moon and have a moon holiday.
“Sure, fuck it. Why not?” I shrug my shoulders. No point holding his hand anymore. I could do with another set of eyes and hands in the family business. It’s about time my kid brother learnt a thing or two. Yeah, my father will be pissed, my mother horrified for her youngest to go into the business and be an even bigger target than he is just being associated with our name. But tough. Dario wants a piece of the action; he’s going to get it. No more kid gloves, no more hiding him away.
My casino sits off the strip, magnificent and powerful looking. The sign with its gold lettering flashes on and off, the fountains outside are a spectacle to see. The two domed roof sections with gold tiles glitter under the Vegas baking heat. The driver steps out of the now stationary vehicle and opens the door for me.
“Wait here, we will be leaving in an hour for the airstrip. Instruct the pilot please that I want to fly to New York City and there will be three on board.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Well, what are you waiting for, Dario?” I ask him as he remains seated in the car.
“Nothing, taking it in. I’ve never really looked at it from an outside perspective. It’s something else, right?”
Casting my eyes from him inside the vehicle, I take a look at the building made of large, sand- colored, stone blocks. It looks like shimmering gold. Expensive cars sit outside, people dressed to the nines make their way in and out, some wearing designer clothes, and all dripping in their finest diamonds.
Entry to my casino is five-thousand dollars. You can’t pay; you can’t come in. As simple as that. Nobody comes in without being frisked down, we do not allow weapons inside. Naturally. Don’t get me wrong some of our competitors have tried.
Let’s just say they won’t ever try it on again!