Maximus

Chugging my coffee, I watch the city blur by. Putting the now empty coffee cup down I take out my gun and check the mag is full.

Cazzo I'm tired. I should have gone to my penthouse last night and crashed. Instead I ended up with Stella, spending the entire night exploring her body and ways to pleasure her. The woman is insatiable, an addiction of mine. I need her body and peace that surrounds her.

Putting the gun in my holster I felt anger rise in me. I was close to telling her what I do, close to telling her that I don't just work as a civilian but as an Underboss in a mafia. The moment I was with her, all the stress, worries and plans that ran around in my head vanished and I was able to lay with her in peace.

Now I'm covered in guns, with men who are dressed the same with a destination in mind that will be filled with threats and spilled blood.

And I will be the one to spill it.

No, I will not bow to this addiction of her. We will stay casual, she could never be tainted by my world.

Pulling up to a grungy building I waited for the car to park and then stepped out with multiple Sorrentino men. Looking around I noticed all the men had their game faces on, Lorenzo made eye contact with me then motioned his head to get going, he led the way with anger rolling off him in waves.

It was time to deal with Carnellio, give him something to rethink his disloyalty towards us. To no longer let us get attacked or loose shipments but to tell us who is working him against us.

Stepping into the club I felt the heat of the room, the smell of alcohol, smoke and sex thick in the air. Looking around, Carnellio's men didn't even notice us walk inside, they were far too busy drinking and screwing the waitresses on tables or on the wall.

All I could see when we made our way to Carnellio was people fucking, without the music this place would sound like a porn orgy video.

"SHIT! SORRENINOS!" A man threw a woman off his lap seeing us, he barely got on his feet when Vinzo whipped his gun across his head making him drop.

The music cut off from the alarm of our arrival, men putting their dicks back in their pants and others trying to sober up enough to hold their gun.

"Guns down! Civilians out!" I order into the room, men and women not in this fight running out of the place without waiting to put clothes on.

"Now, why all the animosity?" Lorenzo called out in the silent room. "I heard that when you talked with Maximus we were invited to your... club."

Carnellio rushed into the room, most likely coming from a back office where he was fucking based on the messiness of his clothes and flush. "Don Lorenzo, I was not expecting you here."

"I can see that. Have a seat Carnellio." Lorenzo ordered picking a chair up and sat in it, my body positioning behind his right shoulder, Romano on his left. Carnellio looked around not knowing what to do. "I said, sit."

Vinzo appeared in front of Carnellio, slamming a chair in front of him to sit as he has been ordered. Carnellio slowly sat down, his eyes running over our men seeing that he is outnumber.

Clearing his throat Carnellio looked to Lorenzo. "What can I do for you Don?"

"Tell me Carnellio, what is your purpose?" Lorenzo asked taking out a cigar and lit it.

Carnellio tilted his head in confusion, his men shifting on their feet unsure how to react to us. "My purpose?"

Lorenzo took a slow puff of his cigar, letting the smoke blow out of his mouth. "Yes, why is it that I hire you, use you."

The man in front of us began to sweat over his brow. "I am your shipping and security of cargo. My job is to ensure your cargo is taken safely of off ships, protected and kept away from any unwanted eyes."

My brother puffed his cigar again, the room filled with a heavy tension. "Protection, kept away from unwanted eyes. Yet within the past month our cargo has been attacked twice and stolen once."

"I got that cargo back to you!" Carnellio quickly injected.

"QUIET!" Lorenzo ordered, his voice settling the room. "Both of my brothers have now been shot because of your failure to do your job. And instead of finding out who is attacking me or how someone knows when and where we go for our cargo, you are here in some orgy."

"Don." Carnellio tried to sit up but Vinzo put his hand on his shoulder forcing him back in the chair.

"Did I say you could speak?" Lorenzo took another puff of his cigar. "Now, I have given you three chances to fix these mistakes on your end. Three. So now is the question, what do I do with you."

Carnellio didn't say anything. Smirking I watched him swallow deeply.

Romano snickered. "You can speak now."

The man coughed sitting up. "Thanks, um. Oh, what a horrible host I have been would you like any drinks?"

"Don't deflect." I snarled. "Answer our Don's question."

Carnellio sat straight in his chair, his lips twitched from his fight to withhold a snarl. There the weasel is. We have barged into his club, ordered his patrons out of the establishment, made him stop fucking and we are controlling him in front of his men.

It was only a matter of time till the shock and fear of seeing us wore off, and the anger to it appears. Now it has. And when someone is angry, they make mistakes and let information slip.

He wiggled his face, trying to keep his snarl down and cleared his throat. "As I said to Maximus, I looked into it. I went through my tapes at the dock and found your lost cargo, which I gave back immediately."

"So, what have you learned?" Lorenzo broke into Carnellio's bullshit. "You say you are looking into it, what have you found? I know you got our lost cargo back, I want to know who took it."

"Well." Carnellio shifted, resting his hands on the arms of his chair. "We caught one who wasn't one of yours, must have been an enemy or something maybe you would know better than I. When he didn't give us any information we let him go."

"My enemy? And you let the man who stole from me go?" Lorenzo chuckled. "You are hired to protect my cargo, that responsibility is on you, not I. I have used your family's business for years, when you took over I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and multiple chances. But now it's time to welcome you into the Mafia world."

Lorenzo looked back to me giving me the okay. Walking forward I smile at Carnellio ready to put my hands on him. "You know something Carnellio?"

He shook his head looking around, the man smart enough to know that he had fucked up not taking our problems seriously. He also knew, that his men could do nothing to protect him from us. "What?"

"A message can be sent in two ways. We tried the first, time for the second." Before Carnellio spoke, I took out my knife and threw it into his wrist on the chair's arm.

The man screamed at the pain, his unharmed hand going to his wounded one, his hand holding onto the blade that had penetrated his wrist.

I tsked. "Now that is in your left hand, lucky for you it's not your dominant one. Don't pull the blade out, you will bleed out."

"Don't even think about reaching for your gun." Romano ordered in the room, the sound of guns cocking coming from my men. All of Carnellio's men stood with their hands up.

I walked up to Carnellio and bent down to get on his eye level. "I reached out and found out that none of your other clients are having any sort of problems. Just us. You had your chance, now I am going to take your roster and see who was working around our cargo to know where and when we are getting it."

Carnellio huffed, trying his best to not rip the knife out or cry in pain. "Brian, get Mr. Sorrentino what he needs."

"Atta boy." I stood back and looked to who must be Brian. "Hop to it Brian boy, don't have all night."

The man quickly turned to go get the book, a snarl on the man's face making me motion towards Tate to watch him.

"Do you have anything you wish to confess?" Lorenzo asked puffing his cigar.

Carnellio released a hiss of pain, his other hand shaking as it held the pinned hand. "I have no other information to give. I never meant to disrespect you Don Lorenzo."

"Yet you did." Lorenzo said with a puff of his cigar.

Brian returned looking to Carnellio briefly who gave him the nod to pass me the roster. Taking it, I wink at Brian. "Bravo ragazzo. Don't worry, you'll get it back when I am done with it."

Carnellio swallowed painfully. "It is my business."

Lorenzo let out a dark laugh standing up from his chair, his finger tapping ash off the cigar. "Need I remind you that your business is on my territory? You are not a mafia family, you are a businessman who is failing to protect my cargo and my information. I gave you a chance, now I own you."

Carnellio swallowed, his face pale from blood loss.

"I would get yourself to a hospital Carnellio." Lorenzo stubbed his cigar out, leaving it on the chair. "Would hate for you to die."

With that Lorenzo turned and strutted out of the club, men taking positions behind him. Staying behind I look at Carnellio, his men still not moving a muscle.

I reach over to one of Carnellio's men and took off their hat. Bending down to Carnellio my hand gripped my knife. "I did warn you Carnellio."

I ripped the knife out of his wrist, the room filled with his scream. Dropping the hat over his wound I took Carnellio's tie off his neck and used it to bind it with the hat to stop the bleeding.

With a final look to Carnellio I turn and leave the club with the rest of our men, using my handkerchief to wipe Carnellio's blood off my hands.

"What you think?" Romano asked when we stepped out of the club.

Taking a deep breath of clean air, I look to Romano. "I think we kicked a dog, now it's a waiting game to see if it will see us as their alpha, or if it's waiting to bite us in the ass."

Lorenzo was on the phone talking in Italian to someone, his eyes flickering to me every once in a while. The man is most likely planning something but won't share it until he's ready.

Looking back to Romano I notice him fuming, chuckling I put my hand over his shoulder. "Don't worry little brother, if Carnellio turns into a rabid dog, we will take him out. Patience. Before you make a move, you look at the chess board. Remember, information is more important than pulling a trigger."

Romano nodded taking a few deep breaths. "Got it. I'm good."

Squeezing his shoulder, I let go and take a step back. "Come, let's go home and start looking through this roster. I want a name and to get more information before Lorenzo drops a plan on us."

Turning away I walked towards the car, the men following.

All of a sudden, a voice called out through the cold air stopping my movements.

"Maximus?"

Too all those asking, yes the Riders are all getting their own book.

Until then, enjoy the Mafia. <3