Fratelli: The Awakening (The Vampire Cartel #1)

6. When Lucio met Dolly

Chapter 6

When Lucio met Dolly

S cotlandville - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

April 12, 2018

(The Night They Met)

“I don’t know. The crowd wasn’t feeling us toward the end. I think we should’ve stuck to the plan. We should’ve invited Kid Duke to join us. We should’ve closed out big,” said Deshawn. He slumped back in the rear seat, his knees parted. Don Lucio found it odd that Deshawn managed this posture given his pants were belted tight below his hips. The young Spotify rapper pouted in his disappointment. To Lucio, comparing this homecoming show to the last one at the BET Awards seemed ludicrous.

“Nigga, you complain too much,” snipped Lamont. “The show was fine. We’ll get the feature once it goes viral on social media like we always do. Right, Don Lucio? That was the point. Right?”

Don Lucio observed. These were their roots. The locals tagged them with the name ‘Neutral Ground’. A hard-hitting rap duo that had moved some greats off the charts thanks to viral dance trends in their music. Now they have hundreds of millions of streams across all platforms.

Lucio had fielded some of the top record labels and independent management teams contacting him for features unbeknownst to them. He kept the two young men hungry and humble to suit his needs. Yes, they had the fame, and all the trimmings, but they didn’t have the reach they desired. Reading their discontent, he suspected Deshawn knew, or had learned, that musically, they should have grown further. That would mean the game had now come to a close. In his opinion, the duo were his best prospects, but not as rappers. There were other talents he would need them for.

“Got a question, Lucio,” Deshawn said. The young rapper never called Lucio ‘boss’. It was as if the word was too close to Master. A few times in public, Deshawn respected Lucio's title as Don. It was his minor act of rebellion that Lucio tolerated.

Deshawn cleared his throat. “Yo’, why the fuck are you here, man?”

Lucio’s brow furrowed into a frown. Deshawn and he made eye contact.

“No disrespect, my nigga, but I’ve been reaching out. Ya, feel me? Like I keep getting the runaround from your people over the past year, and then you just show up here?” explained Deshawn.

Lamont’s eyes widened, and a silent plea escaped him to restrain his partner. Since signing with Di Salvo’s Entertainment, they’d received royal treatment: a contract preserving their music rights, with Lucio’s cut smaller than their tax dues. Their streaming revenue filled their pockets well. Lucio even gave them perks, like cars, access to jets, and all expenses paid trips they could have never dreamed of.

Through it all, they’d met him only twice: once at the signing and then again at a formal dinner in France, hosted by Don Vittorio and his four brothers for their prospective clients. Now, Lucio had flown into Louisiana specifically for their performance at a black college homecoming, extending a personal invitation for a discussion and a drive, underlining the fact that they had his full attention.

“Not trying to be disrespectful. You, my nigga. Right? I just wonder sometimes bro, is something up? Something we should know?”

“I got to piss,” Lamont interjected.

Don Lucio’s gaze cut over to Lamont. He could smell the fear on that one. He reeked of it. At least Deshawn had the balls to come at him straight. And in that moment, the Don made his decision between the two. After all, all dominant groups suffer a tragedy or split, eventually. Right?

Tristan, the driver, pulled into a side street filling station. It wasn’t as crowded as the ones near the college. The rappers surely wouldn’t run into fans who would delay Lucio’s plans any further.

“Hurry up nigga! We got to get to the club. The boys are already there,” Deshawn yelled after Lamont while reading his texts. First, the two individuals exited the vehicle. The Don slipped out of the back of the truck last. He followed behind. Deshawn glanced back at him twice and Lucio met his gaze each time.

“Man, shut the fuck up. We’ll handle business like we always do,” said Lamont, who entered the convenience store first. Deshawn yelled a few curse words after Lamont and then he spotted a sexy babe in a dark uniform. Was she a cop, or a security guard? He couldn’t tell, so he pursued.

When Lucio entered the store, his eyes again remained trained on Deshawn. The young man walked to the back of the store. It was then and only then that the Don’s gaze shifted to the young woman. She had paused long enough for him to see her face.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She wore some kind of uniform. Though he only saw the top half of her as she stood in the aisle. She turned, and he could see no more of her. Curious, he watched Deshawn, who too noticed her. As the woman made the selection from the freezer, Deshawn stepped in close behind her. When she turned, Deshawn moved in quickly to bump her and make her fall.

Lucio smirked, wondering if this was Deshawn’s method for attracting women. Catching Don Lucio’s eye, Deshawn pushed it further. Lucio followed a few steps behind and found her on the floor amidst spilled milk and broken glasses. He sensed her fear and Deshawn’s high adrenaline, which stirred the predator within him too. Yet, he restrained himself with practiced ease.

The woman quickly stood and moved away as Deshawn hurled curses and pursued. Lucio intervened with a firm hand on Deshawn’s shoulder, halting him. Positioning himself between them, he touched her, and she turned. Lucio recognized her in a way beyond the conventional—through a shared history her people had long forgotten. She was of medium height, naturally curvy, with deep brown skin and gentle, contemplative eyes. Her features were charmingly proportionate, from her plump lips to her slender neck and well-formed bosom.

As he apologized and offered compensation, Lamont and Deshawn witnessed their exchange. But then she left, escaping his grasp. He tracked her departure, absorbed her fear, frustration, and the essence of wildflowers and jasmine in her veins. He attempted once more to access her thoughts, but she forcefully repelled him. And it stunned him. It was at that moment he realized her true identity.

“Boss?” Lamont said.

He looked back to see them both staring. Deshawn froze at the spot under Lucio’s command. He released the young man and Deshawn coughed as if he were being held by his throat. He frowned in confusion and horror, unsure if it was the Don himself who had trapped him in temporary paralysis.

Don Lucio smiled at his fear.

“It’s time. We have someplace to be, don’t we?”

The men exchanged looks and nodded. He walked out of the convenience store and glimpsed the red Honda driving away.

“Tristan. The young lady. I need to know who she is,” said Lucio.

Tristan flicked his cigarette and glanced at the Honda.

“Yeah, I smelled her too,” said Tristan. The driver had seen his Don speak with her briefly in the store while pumping gas. He nodded and used his phone as the men got into the back of the truck. Don Lucio was done playing with his food. It was time for dinner.