Page 90
Story: Scarlet Sins
Chapter Twenty-Two
DEMYAN
Ilya hobblesto the desk to look at something on my computer.
“Where’s your nurse?”
“I sent him on an errand. Exactly how many did you hire?”
I wheel the chair to him and motion for him to sit, which he does, begrudgingly.
“You know I hate this thing.”
“This thing is keeping you out of the hospital.”
He mutters some choice words in Russian that I ignore.
We’ve been working hard for the past few days. And I’m sure Ilya’s working as close to around the clock as he can get away with. I’ve had meetings, letting select people know of the change in plans about this wedding.
Sergio hasn’t announced it from the rooftops but some know what his coming ‘party’ is about. I keep it simple. It didn’t work out. Let him spread whatever. The less I say, the better and the cleaner I look.
There’s going to be fallout, whatever happens, but it will be minimum level fallout if I cut the head from the beast andhave all the dirt I need. Like the connection between this Rocco and Sergio.
“We got anything?” I ask.
“Nothing yet. If there is one, Sergio has covered his tracks well.” He frowns at his tablet. Then up at me. “The only thing I’ve managed to find out is that Niko’s younger brother?—”
“Vince? The one who wanted nothing to do with the business?”
“People change their minds,” Ilya mutters, “or there’s something else at play. I don’t know. Yet. All I know is word’s out that he’s been overlooked for the cousin, Rocco.”
Now I frown. “Look into that, speak to him, and we should try to talk to this Rocco, too.”
“Demyan, if he’s got connections to Sergio, then that might not be smart.”
“Keep it on the backburner,” I say. “What is the word? Loud? In the open or whispers?”
“Whispers. Very low ones, but they’re there. Like I said, words out if you know how to look.”
So not enough for Vince to lose his head, but enough to register on Ilya’s radar.
We can work with that.
“Speak to the brother. If he’s pissed enough, he might take a risk and join with us. There’s a difference between not wanting to rule and wanting to live off the spoils. If the cousin’s coming in from elsewhere and from a big holding, then he might be into absorbing or doing a deal with Sergio?—”
“Or both,” Ilya says. “Sell off some and keep the rest. He might not care if he gives Sergio enough to be a menace. This isn’t his territory.”
“Speak to Vince, get the lay of the land, and we’ll deal with this Rocco when we need to. But if Vince feelsoverlooked enough to want to step in after so long of not having a thing to do, something’s going on. We should look into Rocco, too. Deep.”
“For?”
I sigh. “Dirt, what his outfit has to do with Niko’s.”
“They’re family, so they’re connected.”
“Maybe, maybe not. The family is a mix of Russian and Italian, so we don’t know. No interference, just a poke around.”
Because if Vince got pushed out or chose to go a different path due to Niko’s choices, then he could be good for Chicago. Good for me. And maybe he’ll be happy to side with me if his cousin and Sergio going down gives him control and power.
DEMYAN
Ilya hobblesto the desk to look at something on my computer.
“Where’s your nurse?”
“I sent him on an errand. Exactly how many did you hire?”
I wheel the chair to him and motion for him to sit, which he does, begrudgingly.
“You know I hate this thing.”
“This thing is keeping you out of the hospital.”
He mutters some choice words in Russian that I ignore.
We’ve been working hard for the past few days. And I’m sure Ilya’s working as close to around the clock as he can get away with. I’ve had meetings, letting select people know of the change in plans about this wedding.
Sergio hasn’t announced it from the rooftops but some know what his coming ‘party’ is about. I keep it simple. It didn’t work out. Let him spread whatever. The less I say, the better and the cleaner I look.
There’s going to be fallout, whatever happens, but it will be minimum level fallout if I cut the head from the beast andhave all the dirt I need. Like the connection between this Rocco and Sergio.
“We got anything?” I ask.
“Nothing yet. If there is one, Sergio has covered his tracks well.” He frowns at his tablet. Then up at me. “The only thing I’ve managed to find out is that Niko’s younger brother?—”
“Vince? The one who wanted nothing to do with the business?”
“People change their minds,” Ilya mutters, “or there’s something else at play. I don’t know. Yet. All I know is word’s out that he’s been overlooked for the cousin, Rocco.”
Now I frown. “Look into that, speak to him, and we should try to talk to this Rocco, too.”
“Demyan, if he’s got connections to Sergio, then that might not be smart.”
“Keep it on the backburner,” I say. “What is the word? Loud? In the open or whispers?”
“Whispers. Very low ones, but they’re there. Like I said, words out if you know how to look.”
So not enough for Vince to lose his head, but enough to register on Ilya’s radar.
We can work with that.
“Speak to the brother. If he’s pissed enough, he might take a risk and join with us. There’s a difference between not wanting to rule and wanting to live off the spoils. If the cousin’s coming in from elsewhere and from a big holding, then he might be into absorbing or doing a deal with Sergio?—”
“Or both,” Ilya says. “Sell off some and keep the rest. He might not care if he gives Sergio enough to be a menace. This isn’t his territory.”
“Speak to Vince, get the lay of the land, and we’ll deal with this Rocco when we need to. But if Vince feelsoverlooked enough to want to step in after so long of not having a thing to do, something’s going on. We should look into Rocco, too. Deep.”
“For?”
I sigh. “Dirt, what his outfit has to do with Niko’s.”
“They’re family, so they’re connected.”
“Maybe, maybe not. The family is a mix of Russian and Italian, so we don’t know. No interference, just a poke around.”
Because if Vince got pushed out or chose to go a different path due to Niko’s choices, then he could be good for Chicago. Good for me. And maybe he’ll be happy to side with me if his cousin and Sergio going down gives him control and power.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126