Page 79 of Controlled
He glared at me then burst into laughter, leaning over the table at the same time. “Let me give you a hint. My son isn’t ready to lead my organization. He’d fuckin’ run it into the ground. Why do you think I’m sitting here with you instead of basking on the beach with some hoochie-coo next to me. Huh? He’s a fuckin’ gambler.” He cursed in Italian, belching as he tossed his napkin onto the table.
“If that is the case then you won’t mind hearing that he’s working with the Romanos out of New York. From what I’ve heard, he’s made an alliance with them. In doing so, he’s doing his best to undermine your organization and the excellent working relationship we’ve had over the years.”
Boy, was I laying the bullshit on thick. Sometimes dramatics were useful, even to a straightforward killer like me.
“What the fuck are you getting at?”
“He hired an actor to portray a Saudi prince, luring three of my men into stealing from me. Now, in my mind, he was fishing to determine weaknesses in my system. In addition, an assassination attempt was made on my life. As you might imagine, that pisses me off tremendously. And given I have a couple of deals in the works, I do not want them fucked with. If they are, I will rid this town of a significant volume of trash. I think you understand what I’m saying.” I could tack on Jonas’ murder but at this point, I wasn’t certain what the kid had to do with anything.
Frederico kept the glare, narrowing his eyes seconds later. “You’re shittin’ me.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Do you have proof?”
“Do I really need it?” If I had physical proof, I might have handled the situation myself. However, putting the doubt in a man like Frederico’s mind would work just fine. Now that I knew there was some bad blood between them, I could further assume Frederico would not like being made a fool of.
He sat back, folding his arms across his belly. “What do you want from me, Creed?”
“I simply want you to do what you think is necessary. Now, I’m certain you can learn whether or not Antonio has been speaking with either Nico or Alessandro Romano given your powerful connections both in and out of New York. Yes?”
The stubborn look remained but he nodded. “I will determine if what you’re saying is correct but if I am required to handle this situation, which will destroy my wife, I want something in return.”
The way of the world. “Absolutely.”
“I need safe passage for a shipment leaving my warehouses in three weeks through your territory and potentially some additional manpower.”
The fact his soldiers were dwindling in numbers could be due to aging out or the fact they were more loyal to Antonio. “You’ll have it and my word.” I outstretched my arm, waiting for the traditional handshake. It would seem the threat of an internal war in South America had everyone on edge. Obviously, it would worry a man like Frederico since he obtained almost one hundred percent of his party favors from cartels in the brutal country. I doubted the brutal leaders would like being pitted against each other.
Whatever decisions I made I’d need to use caution. The cartels were some of the most savage in the world. Hell, even rivaling me.
I was an astute businessman and if we helped each other at this point, it would keep the peace if only for a few additional years. That would be good for everyone.
Maybe I had grown a conscience for more than just the woman I cared about. She’d been anxious when I’d returned but hadn’t asked me anything, merely curling her heated body against mine where we’d remained for hours. Not talking. Barely breathing.
And she could have no way of knowing how much good it had done for me.
Returning to Chicago had been bittersweet but necessary.
He accepted the gesture, although I could sense he was trying to determine if what I’d said was true. He was also well aware I had integrity, something that could be counted on. He’d do the right thing. I was certain of it.
Now that part one of my business was done, it was onto leaving Carlos a message, perhaps for the last time. He would confide in me his about fears, or he would learn the hard way that I didn’t need his business.
With what Easton had said, the entire situation was precarious.
Still, I didn’t like the lack of control or knowledge about anything, and I had a feeling I was missing something significant.
“I’ll take your advice under advisement, Creed. Incidentally, it’s good to see you with a woman.”
When he smirked, I was instantly on edge, almost making the mistake of reaching for my gun until I realized he was talking about the photographs that had been taken in New York. “Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.” Whatever had occurred at Armand’s place of residence, anyone who knew Bella was the man’s daughter would crawl out of the woodwork and scum to track me down. I certainly wasn’t well liked by almost every syndicate in New York, even if I continued to be a media darling.
“You probably don’t want to hear this, but having a wife by my side has made me a very rich man. People prefer to do business with a family man. However, you’ll need to keep her protected from what I like to call the riffraff.”
He was a womanizer through and through, although almost everyone including his own wife looked the other way. However, he had a point. Not that I had thought about marriage. “I’ll take your thoughts under advisement as well.” He was also advising me that he was more aware of the desire to end my life than he wanted to let on. His warning was well intended this time.
“You make a very good leader, Creed. Much better than your father. You make life easier for all of us with the way your handle your business. Your brothers as well. It is much appreciated. Given the infighting in the world, people need to rely on certain allies that won’t stab them in the back. If you understand what I’m getting at.”
Jesus Christ. He was running scared as well.