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

that Ara was sitting tall and straight in the chair next to him.  Her dainty little hands were folded and laying in her lap.  Her gun was back on the shelf under the desk, ready, if need be.  However, what was the most poignant was the expression on her face; she had a small smile, but her eyes were full of determination and fire.  Once everyone was seated, Kane stood to inform them of the changes.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming in this morning.  As you are aware, my wife, Arabella, and I are now the controlling leadership of both this and the Morotti families.  We are aware that there is an issue of trust between the families and the merger specifically. It will take time and exposure within the families for each of you to realize that the future direction of the new family will be beneficial to us all.  Through our actions as your new Don and Donna, and your responses to our orders, the trust and confidence will come.  We ask that you give us your time and patience to reach that goal.  However, we expect your loyalty."

"But she is part of a rival family."  Christian barked. 

Kane balled his hands into tight fists.  He knew that it was really tough for them to see that this was for the good of both families.  Looking down at Ara, he could see that she, too, had balled her hands into fists, but the expression on her face was unchanged.  She wasn't letting them see that the comment had affected her.  "Christian, let me clarify something for you, she is not part of a rival family; she is family.  She is my wife, but, more than that, she is the Donna of this family, and that position alone demands respect from every member.  Something you would do well to remember before mouthing off."  Kane stated with an authoritative voice.   "Her loyalties are for this family.  She proved those loyalties when she killed Kurtus Morotti, that fucker, for the hit he had ordered on their grandparents Zachary and Claudia, as well as the hit that he had out on me."

Christian turned his shocked gaze towards Ara.  He couldn't believe that she had killed anyone, especially her half-brother.  Looking over towards Nazario, he received a simple nod, which confirmed that she had, in fact, killed him.

 "Gentlemen, this merger is happening and we all know that it is going to bring us toward a new era of respect and prosperity for both families.  Together, we will be the largest family on the West Coast; with the direction that Ara and I are going to be providing you, we will be the family that all other families will want to emulate.  They will all be coming to us for our services."

After Kane had provided the members with a summary of the new family’s goals and objectives, the meeting with the top family members for the Leone family concluded without any bloodshed.  Ara didn't have to throw any more knives or even fire her gun, but she remained strong and determined.  Kane had been so proud of her; whenever he would glance over to Nazario and Zachary, he could see that they were beaming with pride as well. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, the members of both families were gathered together by Kane and Ara to have a drink and celebrate the union of the two families.   Uriel and Erik poured a hefty tumbler of whiskey for each member and for Kane and Ara.  Kane and Ara stood and proposed a toast, "To Peace and Profits." 

Now was when the hard work would begin.  With the upper members in accord, they would begin the forming of the new Murder Inc.  Ara had been giving some thought for a new name for the family that would unite and represent them.  She had discussed her ideas with Kane and they had elected the name Coven Inc.  The manifesto they would be offering to the world’s crime families would essentially be that of an assassination squad. Requests would be received and reviewed by the governing board for acceptance or denial.  The requesting family would be charged with proving that the job was a legitimate hit and an attempt to take over another family.  The Coven Commission would be formed to manage the logistics and assignment over each request.  

 

During the gathering, it was decided that the Commission would be comprised of Uriel, Erik, Reinzo, Sal, Tony, and Roaland.

"We may be criminals, but we are not savages."  Ara said to the group, which clarified the direction that she and Kane were trying to guide the family.  With that, the group got down to work on determining specifics for the new family.  Several goals and objectives were hashed out.

The cost of each contract would be based on the intricacies of the request.  The first credo of the family would be discretion.  There would be no evidence that would provide any detail as to who requested or carried out the hit.  The actual hit teams would consist of highly qualified men and women. Each member of the team would bring their considerable, yet varied skills and assets.  With that in mind, names were thrown out by the members to design the dream teams.

The first name suggested was Dante's daughter, Abby.  She had graduated from college with a degree in forensic sciences, with expertise in ballistics, digital forensics, and DNA analysis. 

 

She was aware that her father was involved in the family crime business, but never thought she would ever be able to contribute.  While the members were discussing other possible candidates, Dante called Abby, and explained the needs of the family, asking if she was interested in joining the new venture.  Abby jumped at the chance, thrilled that she would be able to use her skills for the family, and, essentially working with her father.

However, Abby wasn't the only female suggested for the group.  Elizabeth, who was Kane's cousin and had been in the wedding, was going to head up the Tactical Mobile Unit of the group. 

 

She had her BS in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters in computer forensics from MIT.   She was as beautiful as she was deadly.  She was a fiery redhead who was about to take a position working in D.C., but her mother had fallen ill and she had moved back to Seattle to help her father take care of her.  Unfortunately, even with the best doctors in the country, Elizabeth's mother passed away.  After her death, Elizabeth decided to stay in Seattle and find a position which she could use her expertise.  She had gotten to know Ara during the wedding and really enjoyed her.  She was much like her and loved candor and dry wit. 

Next was the selection of the actual men and women who would be carrying out the jobs.  After debating back and forth, it was decided to bring in each possible member in and have him or her perform a series of tests to determine their strength and weaknesses before assigning them to a team.  The candidates would be tested in secrecy, and not made aware of the purpose of their testing.  Only the members in this room would know the real reason. 

The next area that needed to be addressed was that of an accountant.  The family needed someone they could trust beyond all question. The candidate needed to possess accounting skills that enabled them to maintain the accounts receivable and accounts payable.  They also need to maintain a separate account would be set up for the legitimate family accounts.  Sal said he had heard of a wonderful program that had been designed for a German friend of his, but he didn't know who had designed it.  As they were discussing the program, the door to the office burst open, Uriel and Erik both reached for their guns, but stopped when they saw who it was.

"ARA!"  Simon yelled, walking into the office and toward Ara, who, by this time, was on her feet and meeting her brother halfway.

"Simon, is it lunch time already?" She queried while hugging him.

"Yeah, and momma said that I should wait outside, but I knew that it would be okay if I just came in."  Simon said, and then began to look around the room.  "Nonno, I didn't know you were here; where is Nonna?"

"She will be here in a little bit, Simon.  How is my Nipote?"

"GREAT!  I am having lunch with my sister.  Did you know that Ara was my sister?  She is so nice and I just love her already."

Zachary couldn't help but chuckle.  Ara had made an impression on Simon, and it was wonderful to see him smile so large and bright.  She truly was an angel to the family.

"What you are guys talking about?"  Simon asked as he headed over to the table.  He recognized some of the men, but not all of them, but Kane was there. He was Ara’s husband, so he was a good person, because Ara wouldn't marry a bad person and she knew how to shoot a gun, which was very cool.

Kane was as taken by Simon as Ara was, therefore, he felt that he needed to be honest with him; after all, he was family.  "We are putting together a new team and we are now looking for someone who can handle the finances and discretely set up accounts that no one other than family is aware of what we are doing."

"I can do that."  Simon boasted.

Ara turned and looked up at Simon.  "You are good with numbers?'

"Yeah."

"But you will need to be very proficient on computers."  Kane said.

"So?"

When Portia finally caught up with her son, she was happy to see him with Ara and with a smile on his face.  She apologized for his intrusion.  She had heard bits of the conversation and could not help but smile. Her son may have some areas in his life where he is not the strongest, but computers and numbers are his strong suit.  "Kane, Ara!"  Portia called out.

Ara turned and smiled at Portia.  "Portia, hello."

"Hello.  A polite young man would wait for their mother."  Portia corrected Simon for running off. 

"Sorry, Madre." 

"You are forgiven.  Kane, Ara, to verify Simon’s response, he is very knowledgeable and proficient in computers and accounting.  He owns his own computer program company."

"What is the name of the company, Simon, if I may ask?"  Sal requested.

"AV Designs."  Simon answered.

"Shit, that is the company that I was talking about.  All this time our Simon was the mastermind behind one of the top design companies in the world."  Sal boasted.

"Yeah, that’s me."  Simon quipped shrugging his shoulders.  He didn't understand what the big deal was; it was just computers and numbers. 

"Simon, Portia, would you please have a seat."  Ara asked.

Once everyone was seated, Ara turned to Simon.  "Will you tell me about your company?"

"Sure, sorella.  I design computer programs for specific accounting needs, tracking programs for large companies."

"Wow, Simon, I am impressed.  Would you be interested in designing a program for the family?"  Ara asked.

"Sure, but I will need to know what you are doing to ensure that it is designed to meet your specific needs."  Simon answered.

"Fabulous.  How about if we do that after lunch?" 

"Good, I'm hungry."  Simon stated.

"Gentlemen, we thank you for your time and for keeping an open mind concerning the changes.  We will be in contact, and hope to get this part of the family business up and running quickly.  I have already reached out to many of my contacts, and I am pleased to tell you that the work is out there waiting for us.  Coven Inc. is going to be a very profitable undertaking, but we must take the necessary steps during this infancy to ensure that it is designed right.  Thank you for attending and good day."  Kane said as he looked at each member of the family. 

The members of the family began to leave, each saying their