An Offer You Can't Refuse by Sal Bianchi (best beach reads .txt) 📕

“I’m not pretending to be anything,” I retorted angrily. “And don’t call me that. Wait, so that guy is a part of the Family? That Pence guy who came to the office to represent Ian Brooks?”

“Would you just listen to yourself, Nicky!” Franco groaned with exasperation. “You really think those people at that office you’re talking about care about you? You think they won’t throw you under the bus the moment things go sideways? You should be with the Family, Nicky. We’re the ones who are loyal to you.”

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to calm down before responding. I didn’t want him to realize it, but his words had struck a painful chord. He was absolutely right that most of the agents at the SDCT didn’t trust or like me. I knew full well that I was the ‘bad guy’ they were using to hunt down other bad guys. Still, it was better than doing the mafia’s bidding.

“You need to go now,” I replied flatly as I nodded toward the door. Franco was like an uncle to me growing up, and out of respect for that, I didn’t want to resort to physically removing him from the building. I was getting awfully close to that point, though.

“Oh, Nicky,” he sighed. “Just how long do you think Alessandro will be able to protect you if you keep doing this? Don’t you understand how difficult you’re making your brother’s life right now?”

For a brief moment, all I saw was red. I couldn’t hear anything past the low ringing in my ears, and it seemed like every muscle in my body tensed at once.

“Go to hell, Franco,” I yelled as I shoved him backward with one hand. “I’m not the one making my brother’s life difficult. If it wasn’t for the Family, he wouldn’t be as miserable as he is right now. I don’t care how upset the Family gets with me. I’ll keep doing this even if I have to take down every single one of you.”

“You don’t mean that,” Franco gasped, shocked at my outburst.

“Get out!” I roared. “Before I change my mind about shooting you.”

He blinked at me, stunned into silence. He opened his mouth as if to say something else but then just shook his head sadly and slowly trudged out of my office.

I watched through the window as he got into a nondescript black car parked on the other side of the street and drove away. Once the car was completely out of sight, I deflated with a shuddering breath.

It had felt so good to get that off my chest in such an explosive manner, but as my head cooled, I realized exactly what I’d just done. I'd declared that I was willing to take down the mafia in front of one of the Family’s highest-ranking members. He probably wouldn’t kill me himself out of respect for my father and whatever affection he might still have for me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t relay my message to the rest of the family and send someone else to have me clipped.

“I need to talk to Flint about this tomorrow,” I groaned as I dragged my hands roughly through my hair. The more I thought about it, the more that didn’t seem like soon enough, though. In fact, the more I thought about it, the less nervous I felt. Instead, all I could feel was rage.

I’d spent my entire life under the control of the mafia. Literally, since I was born, the other members of the Family filled my head with the notion that one day either my brother or I would succeed my father as the head of the mafia. Even now that I'd finally gotten out, they were still finding new ways to harass me. I was so tired of it.

That was the last thought that burned through my mind as I snatched my car keys back off of my desk and headed out to confront my former Family.

29

Nick

I sped all the way to the Taverna. I was going recklessly fast, but I couldn’t calm down. My heart was threatening to burst through my chest, and it was difficult to hear past the blood rushing through my ears. It was strangely soothing, watching the neon lights of the city blur past as I wove in and out of traffic. It kind of felt like I was entering a different dimension.

I brought my car to a screeching halt outside of the bar. The windows were glowing brightly against the inky black night. I pulled the key out of the ignition and took a few deep breaths as I looked up at the building, which had once been like a second home to me. Now, it just seemed foreboding, like it was mocking me for being scared to go inside.

I sighed and leaned my head back against my seat. I wasn’t exactly sure what my plan even was right now. Marching in there right now when it was filled to the brim with mafia members would basically be a suicide mission. I just knew that I finally wanted to have a serious talk with my brother. The past week it seemed like everyone had been speaking for him, telling me how difficult I was making things and what an embarrassment I was to the Family. I didn’t actually know what my brother thought, though.

We had barely spoken since I’d walked away from the mafia three years ago. In fact, I think the only real contact I’d had with him was a phone call we’d had about a month after I moved out. Ever since then, I’d only gotten updates on what was going on with him from Colletta, Dante, or from the occasional goon who came to pick a fight with me.

To be honest, I had no idea what my brother actually thought about me abandoning the mafia to work as a private detective, and with the feds no less. I had a