United and Dangerous by Cherie Benjamin (the speed reading book .TXT) 📕

members were arrested for their retaliatory actions in doing the right thing, and Coven Inc. was in a prime position to put a stop to this.  They would be highly trained, possess state of the art equipment, and be completely transparent.  After the members had been through the selection process, they would begin the gradual process of removing their fingerprints and trained to leave no physical evidence behind.  In addition, it had been decided that every member of the group would have the insignia that Ara had designed tattooed on their left shoulder.  Kane would be getting his tattoo on his left peck, while Ara's would be on her upper left thigh.  Being the Donna of the family and going to many black tie events, Kane did not want the tattoo showing when she wore her gowns. 

Ara was always amazed to learn the vast array of talents that the family members had.  One of the members, Steve, owned and operated a tattoo shop on the south side.  He was very talented and much sought after for his skills with the needle, but he was also known as one of the biggest bookies in the family.  The front that his shop presented was perfect for not only the day-to-day tattoo operations, but for people to come and safely place their bets.  Kane had called Steve and asked if he would be interested in the unique opportunity of what was essentially “branding” the family members.  Steve jumped at the chance to do something for the new Don and Donna of the family.

Kane and Ara were sitting on the couch drinking coffee when Nazario and Roaland arrived.  They took their seats while Kane poured each of them a cup of coffee. 

"How are you doing?"  Zachary asked, knowing that they had been working hard to get the families joined and starting new adventures.  He had been very impressed by Ara’s compassion to help the women who had worked for the Morotti as prostitutes.  In doing so, Ara showed the rest of the family that she embraced being the best leader that they could have. 

"We wanted you to come in today to go over the list for the Coven Commission.  We were thinking that we would like to select six members from the family."

"That sounds good; do you have a list already in mind?"  Nazario asked.

"Yes, but we want your input.  This commission is going to be very critical; it needs to have members who are able to be objective, yet have a vision of the bigger picture, in essence, the best."  Kane said.  He and Ara had had many conversations concerning the group.  They had agreed on everyone the list except for one name.  Erik's name had come up, but Kane didn't want him to pull from Ara's security detail.  He knew that Erik was the best person to protect her, so he did not want to lose his sense of comfort in her security.  However, Ara had made a good point that Erik had himself successfully committed many hits and had the experience they were looking for in its members. 

"Certainly, we hope that you know that you can come to us anytime for advice."  Zachary said.

"Thank you, Grandfather.  I know I am new to this, and have so much to learn and I, no, we believe we can learn from the years of experience between you and Nazario."

"We will be here as much as you need, my dear."  Zachary proudly replied.

"The list we have compiled to date consists of Uriel, Erik, Roaland, Tony, Renzo, and Sal."

Nazario listened to the list and he was impressed with the names that were on the list.  It was clear that they had given great thought to each name, based on what they could bring to the commission.  Uriel was their Capo, so he would serve as liaison between the commission and Kane and Ara.  Erik was an experienced hit man and would be able to provide sound advice based on his experiences.  Roaland and Tony, both ex-Capos would provide the mature factor to the commission.  Renzo was experienced in the inside workings of the police force.  He had made and kept contacts throughout all branches of law enforcement, making him the ears of the group.  Sal was the wild card.  He had been a leader of several street groups, made several hits himself, and was a crackpot at computers. 

"It seems you have put a lot of thought into the list, however, I have two questions. Who would be taking over Ara's security? Also, with six commission members, who would provide the deciding vote in the chance of a stalemate?"  Nazario asked.

"Dad, this was one of the toughest decisions.  I need to have the best to protect her, but Erik would be a great asset to the commission.  As for the stalemate, Ara and I would be the final deciding vote."

Nazario and Zachary began to think about who could take over Erik's duties as Ara's bodyguard.  They mentally flipped through the catalog of family members, recalling their weaknesses, and their strengths.  Then Zachary remembered a young man who had shown great promise and was a very dedicated family member.  After the announcement that Kane and Ara were taking over the family, he had come to Zachary and told him that he would be proud to work for a family run by these two exceptional people.  The young man had heard all about Kane Leone, how he had been trained and knew how he handled problems, and it had impressed him.  He didn't really know anything about Ara, but he knew that he would have a real problem working for either Kurtus or Sebastian. 

"I think I may have someone.  His name is Seth Guidi.  He is third generation family.  Trained in martial arts, protective services, and weaponry.  He exceeded his trainers’ skills, and is extremely loyal to the family."

"Do you think he would be interested in meeting with us for an interview?"  Kane asked.

"Sure.  Let me make a call."  Zachary said before pulling out his phone and calling Seth.  Seth said he would be at the office within the hour, which gave them time to go over the rest of the details of the commission.

It was agreed that the six men who would be taking over the job as the Coven Commission, would be brought in and a private ceremony would be held where they not only swore allegiance to the family, but also as protectors of the Coven.  They also went over the financial aspects of the startup costs.  They were aware that it seemed high to most, however, they knew that they would be quickly recover the initial cost outlay and, once operational, they would be rolling in profits in no time. 

Zachary told them he had made sure that all the girls who had been working for the Morotti had been housed in a hotel that the family owned and had been given money to pay for their expenses.  He had told them that something was in the works and that they would be taken care of physically and financially. 

All too soon, Cornelia notified them that Seth had arrived and she brought him to the office, where Zachary greeted him. 

"Seth, come in, come in."  Zachary greeted.

"Mr. Morotti, sir, thank you for calling me."  Seth replied.

"Call me Zachary, and this man over here is Nazario Leone."

"Mr. Leone, a true pleasure to meet you." 

"None of that; call me Nazario." 

"Okay, sir, I mean Nazario."

"Good."

"And Seth, I know you didn't have a chance to go to the wedding, but this is my grandson-in-law, Kane, and my beautiful granddaughter, Arabella, the Don and Donna of the Leone-Morotti family."

Seth couldn't believe he was in the room with not only the ex-Dons of the two most powerful families on the West Coast, but also with the current Don and Donna. It had been rumored that they had only been in power for a very short time, but already were making huge changes for the better. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Leone, may I say what an honor it is to meet you."  Seth confessed.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, please have a seat."  Kane said.  "I bet you are wondering why you were called in today?"

"Yes, I was wondering."

"The family is branching out into a new venture that necessitated moving around some of the family members to other positions and in doing so, we find ourselves in need of someone in from inner circle as a bodyguard for Arabella.  Zachary has told us about your qualifications, but I would like to hear from you; what do you think are your strong points and weak points?"

Seth rubbed his hands together, excited over the possibility that he could be the bodyguard for the Donna of the family.  He only hoped that he could say the right words.  "I have been taking karate since I was five.  My father started showing me how to shoot when I turned ten.  Over the years, I have trained with some of the best martial arts and weaponry teachers in the world.  I studied in Japan for six months with a martial arts master.  My weaponry training included guns, knives, and explosives.  My weak points are I am a terrible cook and have a horrible black thumb.  Kill any plant that I touch."

Kane chuckled.  "Seth, why do you see yourself as a good bodyguard for Arabella?"

Stroking the nape of his neck, Seth collected his thoughts.  Swallowing back the excess saliva, he cleared his throat.  "I am third generation Morotti family.  As I was growing up, I saw how much Sebastian and Kurtus hurt Zachary emotionally with their deviant ways.  When I heard that Zachary had a granddaughter, and that she had married a Leone, at first, I was upset.  Then I ran into Zachary and I could see the years of worry that he had been carrying around were gone from his face.  Then, I heard about how the two of you had begun to bring both families into a bright future and I was excited and honored to be a member of Leone-Morotti families.  I swear on my life to protect her with all that I am."

Kane listened intently at everything that Seth had said and was impressed with his answer.  Looking over to Ara, she smiled up at him and gave a single nod, giving her approval. 

"Seth, do you have a wife or serious girlfriend?"  Ara questioned.

"No, ma'am."

"I ask, because this job would take up a lot of your time and I would want to make arrangements if you were involved in a personal relationship."

"Thank you for that, but right now I am more interested in my job.  Maybe down the road, but I am not looking."

"Seth, you may not be looking, but it has a way of slapping you up against the head when you least expect it."  Kane jokes, throwing his head back and laughing loudly.

Slapping him against his head, Ara giggled.  "Like that?"

"Hey!"  Kane grumbled rubbing the spot where she hit.

"What?"

"See, Seth, this is what you have to look forward to one day."

Seth was relieved to see that they were not the stuffy type of people, but someone he would enjoy being around.   "Maybe one day."

"Seth, I would like to offer you the position as my private guard.  However, we would like to see a demonstration of your skills.  Are you available tomorrow morning?"

“Yes, I would love to give you a demonstration.  You need to know what I am capable of,” Seth responded excitedly.

“Very well, I will arrange for Uriel to meet us at the gym first thing in the morning.”  Ara said.

He could not believe his ears.  He was going to be the private guard for the Donna of the family.  Wait until he told his father and grandfather; they would be so proud.  "Thank you for the opportunity and I promise to never let you down.  I will protect you with my last breath."

"Great.  After the demonstration tomorrow, which I am sure will be