Page 3 of Flowers and Moonlight
CHAPTER 2
TONY
I feel ridiculous in this fucking tux, but it’s a requirement for my boss’ ball, so here I am in a monkey suit when I’d much rather be in jeans and a t-shirt. Every year I grumble about the attire and every year I’m still wearing it. I tug at my collar and count down the time until I can get undressed.
Dante’s younger brothers—Leonardo, Giovanni and Rocco—walk up to the bar where I’m standing and surveying the room. I’m not, technically, working tonight unless Dante needs something, but it’s hard to turn off keeping an eye on things. The guys get glasses of Hammond Whiskey before turning toward me.
Leonardo, the eldest under Dante, nods toward me, his voice low, “You heard from Lucifer and Prodigal recently?”
I sigh because the ball, which the Guidice family has thrown at the end of Mardi Gras for as long as I can remember, is not the time for talking about business. I also know Leonardo is always about business just like Dante. The only reason Dante has relaxed more recently is because he has Jasmine in his life now. That doesn’t make the man soft and anyone who thinks it might would find out very quickly how wrong they are.
Jasmine is not a weakness; she’s his queen and he will doanything to ensure her safety and happiness. I’m glad my boss and oldest friend has found a woman strong enough to stand at his side. He deserves it. I’m constantly impressed by Jasmine and how she’s accepted everything that comes with being a Guidice.
It’s not a world that is built on peace and niceties. It’s built on blood and violence. She hasn’t balked once. May we all be lucky enough to find a woman who can do the same, it’s not for the faint of heart.
“They reached out a few days ago and put in an order.” I keep my answer short.
The boys know what Lucifer and Prodigal, the president and vice president of the Devil’s Saints MC, are interested in. We provide them with the guns they need, and they protect shipments for us when we need them to. It’s a long running relationship that was in place before Angelo Guidice was killed and Dante took over the family.
“I’m sure I’ll be hearing more about it soon,” Leo remarks and I smirk at him in response. He knows he will since he handles those deliveries. It’s far too important to hand off to someone who isn’t a Guidice. He looks toward Gio and grins, “You’ll be coming with me for the drop off?”
Gio grins and nods absently. “I wouldn’t miss a chance to go to the clubhouse,” his voice drips with innuendo.
Having been to the compound more than once and seen the women they have there, I have zero doubt as to why he would be so eager to go. I notice his eyes roam around the room, but only follow his gaze when his breath hitches.
It doesn’t take me long to find Viola, their sister who is between Gio and Rocco in birth order, talking to Fleur. They’rebest friends and met when they were girls and Lucifer brought his daughter, Fleur, when he had a meeting with Angelo. They are both princesses in their own right and bonded over the similarities in their lives. Prodigal is also Fleur’s brother and I know how protective he is of her, even though he left the life for some years while searching for himself; it’s how he got his road name.
Tonight as I look at Viola and Fleur, it is clear they are no longer the girls they once were. They have grown into beautiful women and have quite a few admirers in the room. I hope I don’t have to step in, but I know they can handle themselves.
Rocco, who is the quiet one of the group, probably because he’s the baby, keeps his voice low, “We need to ensure our relationship with the Saints stays solvent. My contacts say the Falsini Triplets have been sniffing around.”
Leo’s voice goes murderous, “I’m sure they’ll try to undercut us if they can.” He shakes his head, a sneer in his voice, “I’m still surprised Elio connected them with Orlov.”
“It was business, brother,” Gio points out and I notice how much effort it takes for him to pull his gaze away from Fleur, but no one else seems to.
He’s not wrong. It was business and wasn’t completely disloyal. The Falsini Triplets had what Orlov needed and were open to doing business. It’s hard to keep business separated from personal considering Elio Agosti is a distant cousin to the Guidice family. He has his own worries in New York from what I understand, including finding his queen recently as well. Dante and Jasmine attended their wedding not long ago.
“They don’t have the power or influence to take over our territory and if they try then they will learn their place,” Rocco’s voice is cold and detached.
I eye the three brothers and remind them, “Dante would be disappointed to find out you are discussing business when Jasmine put in so much effort to make the ball this year something to truly remember. And, at least, the Falsini family, especially Bella, isn’t allowed back after the way she flirted with Dante last year.”
Jasmine was not pleased last year when Bella tried to insinuate there was something between her and Dante. Bella had never been good at reading the room other than when it came to finding an opportunity she wanted to exploit. She severely misjudged Jasmine. Last I heard, she was shipped off to Miami to enjoy a life on the beach where she couldn’t continue to tarnish the family name and business.
Gio smirks and Rocco looks away while Leo looks back over the crowd. I glance around again, my need to make sure everyone in my family, the one I’ve been part of for most of my life, is protected. I almost wince when I notice Bernard Moreau walking into the room with his overly made-up, fake wife on his arm. Even wearing masks it’s easy to identify them. He’s a businessman who has no fucking honor.
The Guidice family are a lot of things, including killers, but we have honor and our own code of ethics. Moreau has been linked to some of the worst scum this city has to offer. There has been talk about some of his business partners and him being linked to trafficking—something the Guidice name would never be attached to. Moreau has been trying to get on Dante’s good side since Angelo’s death and it hasn’t gone well for him.
Moreau’s daughter, a blonde woman who only looks for dollar signs when it comes to a man, sidles up to the bar, her eyes raking over the three Guidice brothers. I grimace at the way her eyes heat as she looks my friends over. The black dress she has on is one of the most modest pieces of clothing I’ve ever seen her wear.
It’s almost as if she’s playing dress-up and pretending to have class when everyone in New Orleans knows she doesn’t. Well, except for Bernard, he seems to think she can do no wrong according to the gossip.
Her voice grates on me the moment I hear it, “Hello Leonardo. What a pleasure to see you tonight. Buy me a drink?”
I look around the room again and catch the eye of Zeno, one of the men who works under me and another friend. We’ve carried out orders for the Guidice family side-by-side for years and I trust the man with my life. He is keeping a close eye on Viola and Fleur, which I’m grateful for.
When Dante catches my eye across the room and gives a nod, I start to make my way over to him, but not before hearing Leo’s voice, full of dismissal, “Samantha, it’s an open bar. Order whatever you like.”
I’m sure she won’t be happy with the way Leo is treating her. I also know he won’t give a flying fuck about her or her feelings. She’s been trying to get her claws into someone who matters in the city with a desperation that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve wondered if Bernard is putting her up to it or if she’s just a woman hungry for power.