Page 67 of The Bonventi Hitman

GABRIEL - 24

"Tell me how bad it is," Enzo says as he answers my call.

"It's been worse," I say, looking down at the two bloodied men on the ground, knocked unconscious.

"Anything stolen?"

"No, but two workers showed up high and broke 150 thousand worth of merchandise that was supposed to be sent over to Demitrakis tonight."

"Fuck," Enzo yells into the phone.

His outburst is justified. It's not a smart move to deliver a shipment to a family you're asking for help from and have it be light.

"Anyone but the Greeks' package. Can we get it squared away before delivery?" Enzo asks in a stern tone.

I glance over at Luca, who's on the phone trying to make that happen. He sees me staring at him and gives me a thumbs-up.

"Yes, Luca is getting that part taken care of right now."

There's a long sigh before Enzo speaks. "Thank fucking God."

"There's... there's a bit more," I say hesitantly.

"More? My heart can't take it, Gabe."

"According to the other workers here, the drugs these idiots were on are from Delaney's men."

There's a pause. Total silence. I look at my phone to make sure I'm still connected to Enzo's secure line.

"Those damn Irish. And who the fuck supplies them with the drugs they're pushing?"

I don't answer because I know it's rhetorical. We all know it's the Russians.

"I don't care what they say. I know they're in bed together. My patience is running thin. I may just call for them to be wiped off the face of the fucking earth."

This was the old Enzo I had grown up knowing. His grandfather had instilled in him that the only way to be a successful don was to always play chess, and so he took it to heart. But sometimes old Enzo seeped out of the cracks.

"Ready when you are," I say.

"And the meeting today? How'd it go? Are they in?" he asks.

"I had to tend to something for Luca, so I wasn't there, but he's going to?—"

"No, I want you in on this every step. You two don't separate until he tells you everything. I want you on the same page. We'redealing with a lot of moving parts, and we need to be in sync on things."

"Sure, okay. I'll let him know."

"Good. I've got something I need to take care of. Finish up and make sure the Demitrakis family gets their full shipment."

Before I can reply, the call ends.

Luca's still on the phone, so I lean against the wall and wait.

When Sofia and I had emerged from our secret session, I saw a text from Enzo that simply said:

Warehouse 7 needs fixing. Take Luca.

When I whispered that to Luca indiscreetly so as not to draw attention, the son of a bitch threw a glass against the wall and stormed off. When I found him outside standing next to my car, he acted as if he didn't just cause a scene and run off like a teenager.