Fight Me Little Pearl

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

VALENTINO

D utch appeared beside me. “Roberto arrived last night and Federico just arrived this morning. He’s at the airport,” he says.

“Good.” I walk to my car. “Ask them both to meet me at The White Dragon.”

I slip into the backseat, and the car glides forward. I have a text on my phone, and it’s a list of four names sent to me by Francesca.

Good girl.

“Vance,” I call without looking up from my phone. “I want a quick and thorough background check on these names I’m forwarding to you right now. Francesca is hanging out with them today.”

Vance picks up his phone. “On it.”

After forwarding the names, I relax against the leather seat. So Vinny and Sal have put their differences aside to team up against me. We arrive at The White Dragon through a private underground garage. The elevator leads us straight to my office on the top floor. I own this club, along with several others in town. In the beginning, my father started The White Dragon, along with the others, as avenues to wash dirty money, but since I’ve taken over, the clubs now flourish on their own and have become another added source of income.

I truly cannot complain.

Inside my office, Vance takes the couch and gets to work on the names. I hope he has something for me soon. It’s too hot out there for me to let Francesca hang out with people I do not know.

“Giuseppe called,” Dutch says, sitting across from me. “Matteo was stabbed last night. He is in a doctor-induced coma.”

I turn my head towards him. “What happened?”

“He insulted someone at a nightclub.”

“What are his chances?”

Dutch shrugs. “Fifty-fifty.”

I shake my head. Matteo was a train wreck just waiting to happen. I feel nothing for him. He insulted my wife. But I know this news will upset Nonna greatly.

“Where are Federico and Roberto?” I ask, shifting the subject to more important matters. “They should be here.”

As if on cue, the door opens and Federico and Roberto, walk in. Federico is holding a wooden box.

“New season porcini mushrooms,” he says, opening the box and showing me the contents.

“Nice,” I say, but my mind is on other things.

He snaps the box shut. “I’m depressed about Matteo, let’s go out and forget.”

“I wish we could,” Roberto says, pouring a glass of brandy. “There’s work to be done.” He fills his brother in on the information we got from Enzo, and Federico frowns, sitting on the chair next to Roberto.

“What do we do?”

“The alliance between Sal and Vinny is surface at best,” I say. “Right now, the other bosses feel left out. We need to bring them in and use them against Sal and Vinny.”

“They’ll try to stab us in the back,” Federico says warily. “We’re using them; who says we have to trust them?” I ask.

Federico laughs. “Sounds like a plan. Very risky, though.”

“Remember what happened the last time my plan didn't work?”

The brothers stare back at me with a frown, their faces full of confusion. “No,” they say finally.

“Exactly.” I nod. “Because my plans work.” I turn to Vance. “Vance, any update?”

“A few more minutes, Boss.”

“When you’re done, get me Vinny. I need him to arrange a meeting with me and the other bosses.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Federico reaches for Roberto’s brandy and takes a huge gulp, ignoring his brother’s glare.

“Now that we have a plan, can we please go out?” Federico groans. “I’ve been stuck in the trenches in Italy, and this is how you welcome me?”

“He’s right, Valentino. It’s been horrible for the last couple of days,” Roberto says. “Can’t we spare one evening? We can set the ball rolling tomorrow.”

I swivel my chair and look out the window overlooking the city of New York. Out there, a war is forming, and we have to be ready. Still, we can spare one evening to party and let loose. Federico may be a jester, but his thirst for blood is high; it’ll be good to give him the celebration he wants so that I can get his maximum effort from here on.

“Okay.” I turn back to them. “We can celebrate.”

Federico whoops. “My cock is already on fire. I’m ready to fuck a whole harem of American broads.”

I raise a finger. “Hang on. Didn’t you bring your wife and your little girl with you?”

“Yeah. So what? They get to shop and I get to fuck.”

I frown.

“What?” he screeches. “I don’t pretend to be a one-woman man like you. I’m a stallion. When I see a mare, my cock takes over. My wife knew that when she married me.” He winks at me. “Or is it that you worried you won’t be able to keep up the pretense that you’re a one-woman man?”

“I’m loyal to my wife.”

His eyes glitter. “There isn’t a man alive who can resist the temptation of the fresh flesh.”

I stare at him. I know it is impossible for him to believe, but I actually have no desire for any other woman, but Francesca. I’ve had so many and they all amount to nothing. The only woman who makes me feel something is Francesca.

“Go on. Prove it to me,” he taunts. “I’ll get a real woman to give you a dance, you know, nothing out of the ordinary. Just a dance. And let’s see how loyal you are then.”

I lean back in my chair. “Let’s up the ante a little bit.”

Excited that I’m playing along, Federico nods. “Anything.”

“If I can pass your test, you don’t get to fuck a single woman, and you’ll go back to your wife and daughter tonight.”

Federico sucks in a breath, and Roberto laughs at him because it looks like he’s about to back down. But seconds later, he shakes his head.

“We have a deal.”

“Great.”