A warm welcome to my visitors. Thank you so much for taking an interest in my work. While the full book is still a ways off please enjoy this first look at the story.

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To cross Giovanni Del Maestro was to choose a slow and painful death. He had worked very hard to make this fact abundantly clear to all who might entertain the idea of going against him. The thought alone should have been enough to send them running back home to their loved ones, common sense and self preservation winning the day. 

He’d spared no expense to impress this upon all of his partners and associates especially. They of all people should have been the least likely to step out of line. Yet here he was, standing over a man he’d trusted to know his place at the very least. 

    “How disappointing to see you in this position, Peters. After all this time working together, I almost thought of you as a worthwhile ally.” 

    Peters, a rat-faced man with a trembling lower lip, shook his head emphatically. “Giovanni, please, let’s not be too hasty here! I wasn’t trying to overstep–”

“–and yet you’ve done a truly beautiful job of doing just that.”

“–I was trying to make things easier for us, for you! You know dealing with the Ahn Group can get a bit dicey, I wanted to ensure that you’d have a smooth working relationship with them!”

If Giovanni were being honest with himself he could admit that it wasn’t the betrayal that upset him, no. This world ran on money and an opportunistic little rat was always predisposed to seek cheese. They’d crawl into any little corner just to get a crumb without a hint of shame. But Peters being the one to break his one rule made his lip curl in disgust.

Giovanni scoffed joylessly,“So you use your slimy little ways to smooth out a path for me, eh? Make sure you’re the middleman instead of one of my guys?” 

If Peters hadn’t been sweating before he was completely drenched now, the scent of fear was almost palpable as it permeated the air with it’s sharp motor oil and rotten fish stench. Peters could only nod again, crawling forward to grasp at the hem of Giovanni’s suit jacket. 

“P-please understand sir I would never–” 

Giovanni kicked him in the chest, knocking flat on his back and interrupting whatever speech he’d been pulling together.

“Muscling me out must have really been worth it. Did you spend a long time thinking about how to spin it for me? You almost make it sound like a favor how you planned to fleece me.” Giovanni lit a cigarette, moving swiftly to step on his neck. 

If it had been anyone else to try something like this he might have been impressed, pushed to view them with at least a grim shade of respect for having the sheer gall to go for it. But Peters wasn’t anyone at all. He was a spineless coward whose business acumen was only matched by his abysmal fashion sense. 

“Unfortunately for you,” a long, slow pull, “I have my own in with the Ahn Group, you by any chance know a Woosung Ahn? Alpha, bout ye high?” He gestured to about his shoulder height, taking in Peter’s paling face with delight, “Good you do know, we play golf every year, lovely wife and kids he’s got, beautiful house, did he ever invite you?”

Peters wheezed, struggling away from the weight pressed up against his windpipe. By now his vision was starting to get blurry, the popcorn ceiling of of the room began to swim in his vision as he struggled to breathe.

“Guess not. Don’t waste too much energy struggling, I won’t let you die Peters, we’ve had some good times together, haven’t we? You’re great for a laugh at least. I won’t kill you over this. Just think of your poor wife.” He eased up, watching the color return to his face.

“Now let me know what you got out of it, did you get a little money out of this or something, gotta figure out how to make things right between us.” He offered.

Giovanni didn’t miss the breath of relief he took after steadying his breathing. 

“So-some merch-chandise. The supplier wanted me to move some goods around for him, discreet like.” He croaked up, rubbing at his abused throat.

“And what kind of merchandise might that be?” He pressed.

Giovanni already knew. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t, but he wanted to hear it from Peters’ own mouth. Wanted to know if he would lie to him to save his own skin and line his pockets.

“It wasn’t much,” Peters started, “Just some shipping equipment. Nice stuff. Good trucks. With some merchandise already inside.” 

Peters hesitantly sat up again, looking up at Giovanni with a wary sort of hope, “Nothing like what you sell, boss.”

“So you inspected all the trucks then? Every nook and cranny?” Giovanni asked, forcing an air of calm to come over him.

“Of course, sir! I’d never step in on your business. It was separate. Just a little on the side but I shouldn’t have done it. I should have asked first. I just thought–” 

Giovanni laughed, “Thought I’d let it slide?”

“…yeah.” Peters agreed.

And, damn. He really did think it would have worked out for him, huh? Giovanni couldn’t really blame him. Peters wasn’t much for thinking on a good day, much less when money was involved. 

“So, tell me, what was in all the trucks?” He asked.

“Clothing, jewelry, some gold. Things like that. My contact wanted me to clean it up. Make it neat.”

“And that was all?” Giovanni tried once more. 

There was brief silence before Peters answered. Too short for most to notice but just long enough to let Giovanni know that something was up. He licked his dry lips to wet them, hands fidgeting at his sides. 

“That was all. I swear.” His light brown eyes were filled with the sort of sincerity that came all too rarely in this business. “I–”

“Sir, you’re gonna wanna see this,” a tall rail thin man called from the doorway, expression pinched with disgust. 

 Giovanni nodded, passing Peters a smile as he left him behind. 

“Send Vinnie in to secure this one, our conversation isn’t done yet.” 

“Yes, sir.”

He followed silently behind his subordinate as he passed through the halls from the dark, secluded little storage closet he’d just been in to wide and bright courtyard, bustling with activity even this late at night. He kept pace with his subordinate, mind keeping careful track of each of Peters’ transgressions, both real and imagined. The figures didn’t add up with the money he’d made. Even if each diamond had been as big as his head and as clear a baby’s tears you still couldn’t read a sum that high.

Peters had lied to him again, right to his face. And he would answer for that in due time. But for now he needed to get to the bottom of jusy how badly Peters had fucked things up. Even if he hadn’t directly competed against him their connection was known. He used his name to make his connections, his sales, and he wasn’t even honest about what exactly it was that he was doing. Had he just come right out with it there would have still been consequences but now? Now there would be hell to pay. 

They stopped outside a storehouse and the other man turned to face him. 

“Resseti is inside, sir. He’ll explain everything.” The young man, new by the look of him, stepped out of his way, gesturing to the door. 

He did not meet his eyes but Giovanni could now sense fear from him. Not even an ounce of it. The discomfort wasn’t with him at all. Giovanni huffed out a deep breath, and opened the door, bracing himself for whatever he might find on the other side.