5. An alliance

“I want an alliance. An alliance between the Verrilli family and the Rossi family. An alliance until we find the anonymous man.” Alessio stated with an impeccable tone.

“Why?”

“Why? Cos I think we should be united.” Alessio answered, still holding his gaze. Romano cleared his drink, drinking from his glass again. He relaxed into his chair, picking up a stick of his favorite cigarette from the table.

“These things don't work that way, Alessio,” he said, his voice coming out unusually calm. “It should be a beneficial relationship, grattami la schiena, io gratto la tua.” Romano spoke up.

“It would be quite beneficial for both of our families,” Alessio argued, making him scoff.

“Do you have access to the dock? How many businesses do you have, real estate, gold? Do you have a relationship with the Russians?” he questioned, all in a bit to spite him. He knew the Verrilli family lost all these. They were the poorest of the three families, plus they were already in debt with the Italian godfather. No way he could form an alliance with them. He would be losing more than gaining, that was if he gained anything from it. Alessio looked distraught as he stared at Romano. He was ready to pounce on him for all the spiteful things he had just said, but he needed to stay calm. One mistake from him could cost him his life.

“What are you trying to say?” he questioned, already feeling insulted. Romano had rubbed his incompetence on his face and he had no other choice than to let it slide. He was currently powerless in front of him.

“What I'm trying to say is, work on yourself as a family. When you're fit for a Convo with me, I'll let you know,” he stated dismissively.

Alessio sat gobsmacked on his chair, his jaw ticking as he listened to Romano's insulting speech. He felt really humiliated.

“We will see about that,” he said with clenched teeth as he got up from the chair to go.

Giovanni and his brother drove around the city in their cars. It was a chilly evening. The sun had retreated to his abode and the clouds took center stage on the horizontal sky. The music in his car was turned on loud as he drove himself to his latest project. The nightclub and bar that was nearing completion. He had other clubs, hotels, and bars in the city, but this one was very special to him. From its architecture which was very unique. The first and only building with such in the entire city and the whole of that region of the country. He had also invested a whole lot of money in the building.

His brother's car soon pulled up close to his and he stepped out, dressed in black combat shorts, a polo, and heavy jewelry on his neck. He was older than his brother with a five year gap and though Angelo spent most of his time with his brother, helping him run the family, he was quite rich on his own. With few businesses established around the country, he had some degrees to his name too.

“When are you opening up this beauty?” Angelo asked, referring to the club. They stood outside and watched the colorful light inside change its colors.

“Soon” his brother replied with a proud smile.

“Good, cos I'll like to fuck some bitches here,” Angelo responded. He was the playboy between them. With his dark black hair, pointed nose, small pink lips, and chiseled face, he was sure to get the ladies to fawn over him and he used it to his advantage. He had bedded more than half of the rich and ladies in the city, after all, they came to him.

Everything was going on as planned in the clubhouse. The construction team was rounding up and work would be completed in the coming days which meant that it would be officially opened in a few weeks. The entire interior was designed with foreign wood and stones. It had VIP rooms, general rooms, a game lounge, a hall, a bar, and the offices.

“What were you able to find about the anonymous man?” Cielo's boss asked. They were both seated in his living room with a glass of wine in their hands. Cielo was dressed in a black leather coat and a black boot that was long enough to her knee.

“I found nothing on him. He can't be traced.” She replied. The constant questioning about someone they didn't even know was starting to make her get angry.

“I have a job for you,” he stated, and her face lit up. She loved going on assignments, even though they were risky. The risk was the fun.

“I'm in.” She answered.

“It is about Giovanni Cherisi. Mob boss of Palermo. I need every bit of information you can get from him.” he stated and her face twisted to show her surprise. Wasn't he the same person she had met at the charity event some weeks back? What was so special about him?

“How do I do that? ” she questioned though she knew just what to do.

“I heard he is opening his new clubhouse soon. The rest is for you to figure out and work on,” he answered. She now had the task of finding a way to get closer to Giovanni in order to steal the information and it was going to be a tough one.

She sat by the bar in one of the biggest bars in the city. It was owned by Giovanni, though not as big as the one he was currently building. The music played loudly as she held a glass of mixed scotch in her hands. She was dressed beautifully, no! Dressed to seduce. With her short black gown that stopped at her thigh, exposing her long tanned legs that went in a four inches heel, giving her more height. Her hair was done in a bun with light makeup, but she still looked stunning.

“Why is a beautiful lady like you seated alone at the bar?” A voice said as it took the seat beside her. She pretended not to notice as she continued drinking. She was not her target for the night. She knew Giovanni would be somewhere upstairs, watching everyone in the club. She had seen when he went in, so she went in after him, taking her seat where he could easily see her from the top.

“Let me introduce myself,” he said with a smile.

“I know who you are. Angelo Cherisi, underboss of the Cherisi family. I know you.” She cut into his speech midway. Angelo stared at her in surprise. She knew who he was, yet she didn't act like she knew. She didn't throw herself at him like other ladies would.

“Ya, that would be me,” he answered proudly. “How did you catch that so fast?” he asked.

“Well, you're very popular for being a fuckboy. Any girl at this bar would know that.” She answered bluntly and he flushed, before masking his expression with a smile.

“I guess I'm one very popular person.” He replied. She paid no attention to him as she tried looking around for Giovanni. If Angelo was here, then it meant that Giovanni was somewhere around.

Giovanni watched Angelo's interaction with the lady with interest. She was the same lady he had seen at the charity ball a few weeks ago. She looked hot and sexy in her dress that night. He could notice her strained gazes and slight discomfort as his brother spoke. It seems she was looking for someone. He had seen his brother's expression change slightly before masking it with a fake smile, and it almost made him laugh. Not all ladies were naturally attracted to him. He never listened to that.

He watched how his brother soon moved to another female and started flirting with her and he shook his head. If he wasn't his brother, he could have been totally disgusted by his behavior, still, he hated the attitude. His attention returned to the lady who was now seated alone, drinking in solitude. Ever since he had set his eyes on her at that event, he had picked interest in her, she was too sexy to be ignored, but he knew better than to start anything with her yet. She could be a spy or an enemy. Something told him to go down and meet her, but he resisted, preferring to watch her from the comfort of where he was seated.