Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight

“So, Vasiliev,” Accardi said the moment his foot passed the threshold of the rooftop garden ahead of Frankie.

“No foreplay? Just straight to it?”

Matteo pulled hard on his cigarette, flicked it away and pulled out another one. He sat on the edge of one of the raised garden beds that fanned out across his rooftop oasis. Sun glinted off one of the three glass greenhouses stationed at the edge of the roof as Frankie lowered himself onto the bed across the path from Matteo. His boss offered a cigarette which Frankie gladly accepted.

“He was in the lobby. Never made it up,” Frankie began.

“No shit, Conor has that place locked down tighter than Leo’s ass,” Matteo said, pulling on his cigarette like it was his first of the month and last of the year. “Juniper?”

“Alive and at the hospital by now, hopefully.”

“Does Nora know?”

“Uh… no.”

Matteo scrutinized him with those eyes that saw straight through him. There were only four people in this world who could cut through his facade with ease… Well, three now that Stephen was…

“She needs to know,” Matteo said, saving Frankie from a spiral into guilt and shame.

“We aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment.”

“Why is that?” Matteo asked, flicking the ash from the end of his cigarette. Frankie took a drag for himself and shrugged his shoulders to his ears. “Oh, right, the Rubanov girl.”

“That’s a sweet nickname but you do know her actual name, right?”

Matteo sighed. “I don’t think it’s wise to get attached.”

“Hmmm, that sounds familiar. Did you take that advice when given it?” Frankie asked, referring to the Don’s months-long chase of the woman now pregnant and waiting to go on their second honeymoon downstairs.

Matteo grumbled under his breath. “What does Sergei want?”

“To meet.”

“When?”

“No need to worry your head about it. I can handle it.”

“You can handle it?”

“That’s what I said.”

Matteo took another pull from his cigarette and blew the smoke upward. “You can handle the day-to-day operations of my clubs, tracks, restaurants, casinos, informants, millions in money laundering, thousands of employees and negotiate with the Russian mob?”

Frankie narrowed his eyes. “You do it every day, don’t you?”

Matteo laughed through his nose. “Nope. I have people to help me. You. Leo. Louis. Gen. I delegate.”

“Okay so if I delegate the clubs to Louis and ask Leo really nice to help with the casinos, can I pretty please knock Sergei’s teeth out?” Frankie pleaded, clasping his hands together in front of him.

“Frank, do I need to cancel my trip?” Matteo asked. Frankie met the mafia boss’ eyes and they clashed. He was being genuine. He would cancel his trip, he would fight alongside his friend. All he had to do was admit he needed the help.

“No,” Frankie said, maintaining eye-contact. He leaned back and plucked a sugar snap pea from the trellis behind him. “Besides, there’s dust billowing in from the horizon. You need the time to recharge before the stampede arrives.”

“Phelans?”

“They’ve been speaking to Sergei.”

“About?”

“Well, Sergei was very forthcoming, as you can imagine. We gabbed about our favorite vajayjays over cosmos and…”

“Frank.”

“He knew about me parading Gloria in front of Bridget.”

“So…” Accardi sighed and pulled out yet another cigarette, telling Frankie that the woman in the man’s life was serious about him not smoking around her. And he was serious about granting her wish. Cute. “The Irish and the Russians. Fucking perfect. Just what I need. Clean up one mess and five more spring up.”

“Welcome to fatherhood, Sweetheart.”

“Please, I’ve had you as a toddler for years. A baby will be a walk in the park compared to raising you,” Matteo said with a chuckle.

“Anyway… back to what I came here for. Rundown.”

“Right,” Accardi said, clearing his throat. “I’ve canceled all important meetings. If any spring up, determine their importance. Only accept those that cannot wait for my return. We have two big nights at the club. Johnson and Luigi will be fighting so you can expect big crowds those nights. I promised the Russo’s we’d help oversee their first drug run under the new crew they’ve inherited from Galante. Not expecting anything to go wrong there…” He sighed. “Unless the Phelan’s intend to see through their total destruction of every Galante endeavor.”

“I have a team already set up for the drop,” Frankie assured him.

“Good. O’Brien knows I’m leaving town so expect him to show up at some point to see if he can weasel something out of you.”

“To be expected. Anything with Accardi Industries I need to know about?”

Matteo laughed. “No. Stay the fuck away from my legit business unless absolutely necessary, Frank.”

“I’ll drop in unannounced one day. Just to keep everyone on their toes.”

Matteo shook his head. “Last time you did that I lost five employees and had seven sexual harassment cases to deal with when I got back.”

“Well, at least you won’t have to worry about that this time.”

The two men sat in silence for a few minutes as they contemplated how they’d gotten here and, more importantly, how they would move forward.

“Matteo,” Frankie said. Matteo’s eyes snapped upward. Frankie only used his first name a handful of times… and only in the last few weeks. The mafia boss knew with just that one word, what Frankie was about to say needed his full attention. Frankie leaned forward and placed his forearms on his knees. He looked into the eyes of his boss, his friend. “I want her file. I want it today.”

Matteo took another pull, keeping his gaze on his second. Analyzing. “I can’t do that, Frank.”

Frankie stood up. “Why the hell not?”

“You need to stay focused.”

“I’m meeting with Sergei. I need to know…”

“You don’t though. You don’t need to know.”

Frankie buried his cigarette in the fertile soil of the planter he’d just been sitting on. “Fuck you. I should have known.”

“Frankie,” Matteo called as Frankie walked toward the door. Matteo’s hand caught his shoulder.

Frankie pivoted and shoved Matteo back. The man’s eyes widened at the audacity. “What the fuck are you keeping from me?” Frankie asked.

“Her contract won’t change how you feel. You can negotiate her contract without…”

“Without reading it? Do you even hear yourself?” Frankie turned again for the door, ready to grab his vixen and get out of there.

“If you read the contract, there won’t be any negotiations. There will be blood. Rivers of it and you’ll bring war down on all of our heads. I can’t risk that! Not with my child on the way. Not when we’ve all sacrificed so much already this year!” Accardi yelled.

Frankie scoffed. “Rivers of blood were worth it to you,” Frankie said under his breath. “Is that how it is? We lay our lives down for those you care about but when we try to do the same…”

“No. I will do what it takes to help you figure this out, Frank. Anything. But I’m asking you to wait to read her contract because if you do before this meeting… You won’t give the fucker a chance to speak and the building will come down on our heads before we have time to build scaffolding,” Accardi argued, his eyes hardened, his expression firm. He would not waiver.

“Fuck you,” Frankie spat, knowing arguing was futile.

He couldn’t go against Matteo Accardi. He couldn’t force his hand. If anyone had the power to wipe Frankie off this earth it would be the man standing in front of him. No one held more of his life in his hands. No one held more respect in his eyes. But this? This emptied the cup a bit.

Frankie opened the door and walked down the stairs, leaving the mafia boss to finish one last cancer stick on his own. He didn’t need his boss’ permission to protect what was his. He could burn the world down himself. He could search Matteo’s office at Accardi industries, Gen’s, the safehouses, fuck, even this building once Matteo went on his little babymoon. Frankie would find it. He always found what he wanted. The woman downstairs was testament to that.

Frankie entered the apartment and, at first, couldn’t locate his vixen. Then he heard her soft voice and followed it to Accardi’s home office.

“Too boring?” Gloria asked.

Then Gen’s voice, “Because I don’t need to worry about your case. You have the angel of death himself by your side now and there’s not a single person I would trust more to bring vengeance to those who have wronged you.” He heard the sound of something heavy hitting wood. “We’ll just try to keep him from reading this as long as possible though. Reading this would make a sane man go feral. I can’t imagine what it would do to Frankie Donati.”

Frankie stood in the doorway to the office and stared at the women who looked like they’d just shared a moment of intimacy that would solidify their friendship for good. Then he saw the file between them.

“No need to waste your brain power on imagination, ladies. You’re about to find out in real time,” Frankie assured them. Both women jumped to their feet and stared at the man glaring at them from the doorway.