Tittle: The Beauty And The Boss
CHAPTER THREE: Another Meeting
Far before midday the next day, Chloe and Pete had set out for Brooklyn in Pete’s truck. By the time they arrived in the city and traced their way to Russo Paperwork company, where they were redirected to the CEO’s estate, the sun had filled every inch of the sky with pale yellow lights, promising to finish up with a good day.
They got off the truck, strutting purposefully towards the large ornate iron gates serving as the entrance to the imposing estate. Flanked by towering cypress trees whispering continuously in the breeze, the gates were good security from intruders as well as giant relics of early twentieth-century beauty and architecture.
A big burly man, probably in his forties, dressed in a striped shirt, dark trousers, and a straw hat walked up to the gate from a dock hidden behind the large strong stone fences holding the gate in position. He wore a shiny black pistol, strapped to his belt, and was overly conscious of it, as he considered them with a bored expression. His eyes were overworked and soulless.
“Who do you ask for, signora”, the man said in an accent that was unmistakably Italian. His gaze shifted to rest entirely on Chloe, his eyes roaming every inch of her lustfully.
“Take your eyes off me, you unrefined brute” Chloe yelled at the big man, overly conscious of her femininity under his hot stare. She crunched herself together in embarrassment. Pete shot forward, stepping into position just before her, completely obstructing the big man’s view of her body.
“Please, is this the home of Mister Marco Russo? The CEO of Russo Paperwork Corporation”, Pete inquired. He had a bit of trouble keeping his hostility from his voice.
The big man shot his massive hands through the wide cleft between the irons of the gate, pushing Pete away from his view of Chloe. “Get away, sciocco, Let me get a good view of the signora.”
Pete moved back into position immediately. “Is this the home of Mister Marco Russo, the CEO of Russo Paperwork Corporation?” he repeated. Now he made no effort to hide his hatred.
The big man laughed with all his teeth. “What do you want with El Capitan?” he considered Pete once more, this time, very condescending. “Get away, Sciocco, Capitan doesn’t deal with small fries like you. You are better off in a pot of oil than here.”
“We are actually looking for Mister Harry Smith. The staff at the company said we would find him here. Call him out, his daughter
wants to see him.” Pete said.
Chloe watched from behind Pete as the big man leaned away from the iron gate, standing upright with renewed tension, looking a bit startled. Chloe felt safe to walk forward now, somehow she was confident the big man would no longer ogle her. “You are here for signor Harry” the big man said, taking off his hat, in respect to Chloe, suddenly kind. His voice softened.
Chloe nodded her head in confirmation. “He is my father. I came all the way from Chicago to see him. We were supposed to meet yesterday at my graduation party, but he didn’t show up, and the paper company said we should find him here”, Chloe explained.
“Forgive me signora. I never knew you was signor Harry’s daughter. Come in” he said, opening the gate wide enough for her to walk in. When Pete tried to move in after her, he pushed him back, shutting the gate rudely on him.
“Can you please let him in also. He is harmless” she asked gently, deliberately refusing to comment on his rudeness to Pete. The big man was on her side now, and she wanted it to remain that way.
The big man considered Pete once more, his lanky frame did more to assure the big man that he was harmless, and he grudgingly let him in. He turned to Chloe after, anxiety seizing his eyes. As he walked her towards a winding cobblestone driveway leading past a shimmering lake stocked with rare koi, he said anxiously. “You have to hurry into the mansion, Signora. Signor Harry is in big trouble. El Capitan recently found out he had been slowly stealing the family’s money for more than fifteen years now, and Capitan is very angry. When El Capitan gets angry, he sends the cause of his anger to an early grave. Hurry in right now, perhaps you can do something to help the signor. Signor Harry might be a thief, but he is a kind man. I don’t want to see him go as cheap as this”. The big man took off his hat again, dropped it onto his chest, and shook his head sadly at his last statement.
A wave of panic seized Chloe, she suddenly became breathless, her chest rose, and fell in extreme anxiety. She couldn’t believe her father was about to be killed just because he stole some money.
“Why should he be killed for stealing? Why can’t your El Capitan, or whatever his name is, hand him over to the police, and instead choose to commit murder.” Pete yelled, his voice took a great nervous rise.
The big man laughed with all his teeth again. “Here in Brooklyn. The cops are nothing, sciocco. The two great Mafia families control the police. Russos and Grecos. The mayor and the police chief fatten from El Capitan’s gift. The only person that can get the police into action against El Capitan, is signor Andrea, the Greco’s Don. And even if you can contact signor Andrea, I won’t let you contact him. He is our enemy. He could start trouble for El Capitan and I won’t allow that” the big man spat on the floor, wiping it with his boot. His lips twisted in utter disgust for whoever Andrea must be.
“Hurry inside, signora, and stop asking questions. Perhaps you can still save Signor Harry.”
Chloe didn’t wait for him to finish, before she was sprinting fast along the cobbled driveway, for the sprawling mansion that sat majestically in the heart of the great estate. Pete was hot on her heels. “Wait for me, Chloe” he called out as he sprinted after her.
Chloe shot into the mansion’s foyer, racing over a staircase made of polished mahogany. She dropped into an opulent and luxuriously furnished living room. A number of men wearing striped shirts, dark trousers and different kinds of gun strapped to their belts, just like the man at the gate, filed themselves on the opposite sides of the room. Some had on their straw hats, and some didn’t. Chloe recognized an older man on his knees at the center of the room, with a bloodied face as her father, Harry Smith. Then her eyes trailed to the handsome younger man, balanced and confident on a sectional just opposite the entrance to the room, a leg settled over the other, and a gun dangling in his manicured fingers. She recognized him too, Liam’s cousin. It was then the name struck her memory again. Marco Russo. Pete had been wrong, he wasn’t a respectable man, he was a Mafia Don, and he must have a grudge against her.
“Holy hell” Pete roared behind her, halting his run into the room, spotting Liam’s cousin from the door.
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Genre: Romance
Sub-Genre: Dark Romance (Mafia)
Themes: Love/Romance/Action/Suspense
