Chapter 7 - Blood and Business
The East Parlor of the Moretti estate was designed to intimidate. Paneled in dark mahogany, adorned with antique weapons, and lit by heavy iron sconces, it was where Rico conducted business that required a heavy hand.
Vincent Vance—a short, sweaty, middle-aged man with slicked-back graying hair, a cheap plaid suit, and cheap gold rings on every finger—sat nervously on the edge of a velvet settee. He was flanked by two burly thugs who looked wildly out of place in the opulent room.
The heavy oak doors swung open, and Rico Moretti walked in. He didn't sit down. He stood in the center of the room, casually rolling up his sleeves, his cold eyes locked onto Vincent like a apex predator sizing up a wounded rabbit.
"Mr. Moretti!" Vincent babbled, half-rising from the couch before quickly sitting back down under Rico's crushing gaze. "An honor. Truly an honor. I... I apologize for barging in like this, but we have a family matter to attend to."
"A family matter," Rico repeated, his voice dangerously smooth. He walked over to the antique bar, poured himself two fingers of neat bourbon, and took a slow sip. "Funny. Clara didn't mention you were expecting a family reunion."
Vincent swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Well, you know how girls are. Young, rebellious, make bad choices. She owes me money, Mr. Moretti. Twenty thousand dollars, plus four years of heavy interest. That girl belongs to me, and I'm here to take her back to Philly."
The air in the room instantly turned to liquid nitrogen.
Dante stepped forward from the shadows, his massive hands curling into fists.
Rico set his crystal glass down on the mahogany table with a sharp clink. He walked slowly toward Vincent, stopping just three feet away.
"Let me get something straight, Mr. Vance," Rico said softly, leaning down slightly so he was eye-level with the sweating loan shark. "You walked onto my property, uninvited, and told me that a member of my household belongs to you."
"She's my niece—" Vincent stammered.
"She works for me," Rico interrupted, his voice dropping into a lethal register. "Which means she is under my absolute protection. Every square inch of this estate, every breath she takes, belongs to my jurisdiction. You stepped into my house and threatened my employee."
"She's a thief!" Vincent shouted, losing his composure as fear took over. "She stole from me! I have every right to—"
Before Vincent could finish his sentence, Rico moved with blinding speed. He grabbed Vincent by the lapels of his cheap suit, hoisted him straight out of the settee with one hand, and slammed him against the mahogany wall with a sickening thud. The two Philly thugs reached for their jackets, but Dante and four other armed Moretti guards had their pistols drawn and pointed at their heads in less than a second.
"Listen to me very carefully," Rico whispered, his face inches from Vincent’s terrified eyes, his voice laced with pure venom. "Clara's debt is paid in full. In fact, consider it a gift from me. If you ever come within fifty miles of this estate again—if you ever so much as whisper her name—I won't just kill you. I will dismantle everything your family owns, salt the earth beneath your businesses, and feed what's left of you to the pigs in upstate New York. Do you understand me?"
Vincent’s face turned the color of ash. He nodded frantically, unable to form words.
Rico dropped him onto the floor like a sack of garbage. Vincent scrambled backward, tripping over his own feet, before scrambling out the door with his terrified thugs hot on his heels.
The heavy oak doors slammed shut behind them.
Rico stood alone in the center of the parlor, straightening his cuffs, breathing heavily to master his rage. He turned around and saw Clara standing in the doorway. She had witnessed the entire thing.
Her eyes were wide, filled with shock, fear, and a strange, overwhelming wave of profound gratitude.
"You didn't have to do that," Clara whispered, her voice trembling.
May you like
Rico walked over to her, his fierce expression softening the moment he looked into her eyes. He reached out, gently cupping her cheek with his warm hand, wiping away a stray tear she hadn't realized was falling.
"Nobody hurts people who belong to my family, Clara," Rico said softly. "Nobody."
