Bloody City: Temptations

Chapter Nine

I had barely pulled my suit on for the day and buttoned it when I heard the elevator ping loudly echoing through the halls, and a moment later the sound of the doors opening could be heard.

Closing my cufflinks I walked out of my bedroom and down to the foyer where Matteo stood his guns and knives being set on a platter to be carried away to a nearby room where they would be kept until his departure.

"I thought you'd let me keep my weapons," Matteo says with a wry smile.

"Matteo we both know the rules. No weapons when you enter the Capo's home," I say and he glowers up at me.

"Alessio do I have to remind you about how we almost were killed nine years ago?" Matteo says before shrugging, "I did enjoy killing those Bratva fucks with my bare hands though". The smile on his face was sadistic and I couldn't deny that my brother was both my biggest headache but also clearly my twin.

"The Bratva got too close to Salvatorini territory, and so we did what we always do. We conquered brother. The small groups of former prominence fell apart, we learned how to adapt," I say with a shadowy smile, "a knife in one hand and a gun in the other".

Matteo smirked at our dark reminiscence. Someone had been kidnapped who I did remember just not the associated name. Back when the Familias had a treaty, one I hadn't bothered with because it had always sat on a pin edge in the past. The other Familias also hadn't gotten along with the Salvatorini Familia. La Cosa Nostra was where we'd been born but the others across the nation had fought and the fact that after a hundred fifty years they still couldn't get rid of us probably bothered them even if peace was to be made. I knew that there would be bloodshed after Arianna and I's wedding, it would be needed to purge all who could stand against the Familia.

I had family in the US who had been apart of the Five Families, even in their less prominent state, there was no leaving the Familia it was just how it was.

I enter alive, and will leave dead.

The Families were powerful just not what they had been in years past considering the rising police and government interference with unrestricted spending in the states. Here in Italy, three Familias held unrestricted power and the people still looked up to us because in various places we were the only ones to take care of people. We gave them protection and only asked a five percent fee.

It was a small price to pay, but because of all the cities my Familia controlled we had a monopoly on all of them.

"How are things with you and your new fiancé?" Matteo chimes and I glare at him.

"They're alright but none of your concern," I reply gesturing for him to head towards my office.

"She's been under your roof for two nights and you already have a vice hold over her," Matteo teases and I stare at him.

"You're lucky you're my fucking brother, if you were anyone else, I'd have killed you by now," I mutter before pushing open the office doors and leading Matteo to a spot to sit.

"You don't like problems you can't solve with violence," Matteo muses still teasing me and I knew my brother did it to get a reactions from me.

"I don't like problems that can't be nullified with the threat of a bullet no. But I also know that an iron fist only works on people who are afraid, or too weak minded to do anything about it," I grit thinking about the Tommaso Familia in the Apulia Region mostly though they had an influence in ports along the Mediterranean. They were weak in my eyes, had always preferred betrayal instead of the honorable form of combat. Things had improved with the territories I controlled and the Valentino Familia had been a distant but clear-cut second to me, the Tommaso were more of an insult to what it meant to be a Mafioso. However my fiancés mother hailed from the Tommaso's territory so I would be respectful to her as she was apart of the Valentino Familia based on tradition.