Chereads / The Vengeful Black Hoodie / Chapter 12 - Uncle Giovanni

Chapter 12 - Uncle Giovanni

While driving in the car in silence, Brandon decides to finally break it and said.

"look son, I know you've been working at that restaurant and all, but once your Uncle Giovanni gives you a job with the family, I want you to quit working there."

knowing how stubborn Brandon can get, Fernando sighs.

"fine, but only if Uncle Gio gives me something."

Brandon replies.

"don't you worry about that, he already has got something in mind for you?"

Fernando makes a joke.

"what? tracking down the Black Hoodie?"

Brandon lets out a chuckle.

"yeah, and he'll have you personally throw him in the ocean to sleep with the fishes."

Fernando laughs.

"it'd be awkward."

Brandon raises one of his eyebrows and asks.

"why is that?"

he answers.

"well imagine the guy you saved, is responsible for killing you."

Brandon laughs.

"the irony isn't lost on me."

he then gets serious.

"listen Son, he'll probably have you working to protect at one of our gentleman's club."

Fernando replies.

"you already know that you don't need to sugarcoat things with me, just call it a strip club."

Brandon sighs.

"technically it is not just a strip club, but I won't give you the details since your uncle plans on doing that himself."

Fernando thinks to himself.

"ah I see, it's an underground strip club/brothel."

even though the Sabatoni's have spread their cancerous influence in the city, the officials still have to save some face and keep the brothels from being openly displayed in the city, and the results of that, was the Sabatoni's opening up secret underground strip clubs/brothels, Fernando nods to himself in silence while thinking.

"this is pretty good, I could use this to gather information on where they keep these strip clubs/brothels at and shut them down permanently to hit the Sabatoni's major cash flow."

Brandon notices how deep in thought Fernando is and makes a joke.

"I know that look, now I won't stop you from indulging yourself in our family's establishment, but make sure you do it in moderation."

Fernando who's thoughts were far from what Brandon was interpreting, but plays along with him anyways.

"well, once I see the girls, there is no telling if I'll end up a repeat customer."

Brandon laughs.

"easy there tiger."

they finally arrive at Uncle Giovanni's mansion, where Brandon said.

"look, I know you and your cousins never got along, but I need you on your best behavior."

Fernando responds.

"as long as they don't start something with me, then I'll be on my best behavior."

Brandon groans.

"son please."

Fernando exits the car after Brandon parks up to the driveway and thinks to himself.

"meeting my cousins again since being free, was bound to happen."

they walk up to the door, and then Brandon rings the door bell, while nervously fixing the necktie on his suit.

"this damned thing is annoying."

a man in his mid twenties, with a black faded buzz cut, and five o clock shadow, and wearing the same black suit as Brandon, answers the door, he then takes one look at Brandon and shakes his hand.

"Uncle Brandon, how you doing?"

he takes one look at Fernando, and asks.

"Uncle who is this fucker?"

Fernando steps up to his cousin and stares him down with zero hesitation.

"sup Marco, it's me Fernando."

failing to hide the hate behind his eyes, he replies grinning.

"oh look, if it isn't the orphan."

Brandon knows better then to say anything against, his nephew and just silently watches, while Fernando stands there unamused by his insult and then places a firm hand on Marco's shoulder and squeezes harder with each word.

"it's good seeing you again cuzz, especially after all these years."

Marco tries to loosen Fernando's tight grip on his shoulder but is surprised on how much stronger he is compared to before, and then Fernando continues squeezing.

"we should definitely go out to get some drinks whenever you've got the time."

he then lets go of his shoulder, but then he smacks him in the back of his shoulder.

"you're looking a little tense there cuzz, you need to loosen up a bit."

while Marco nurses his shoulder, Uncle Giovanni a

man who is few inches shorter than Fernando, combs his slicked back hair, and then adjust his necktie, walks up from behind and said.

"enough horsing around you two, tonight is too important for that."

he approaches Brandon and gives him a quick manly hug.

"Cousin Brandon, I wish I didn't have to summon you under these circumstances."

Brandon replies while pulling away.

"you know I'll always come if you invite me Boss."

Giovanni makes a sour face.

"Come on cousin, you don't need to call me boss when it's just us."

Brandon responds.

"sorry, it just became a habit."

he looks to Fernando and shakes his hand.

"your looking fit there nephew, I see that prison time has transformed you into a walking tank."

he then shouts.

"Isabella, come on out there is someone I want you to meet!"

a few minutes later, a girl who is the same age as Victoria, wearing a casual dark gray shirt, and light gray sweatpants, comes into view on the top of stairs, and asks.

"what dad? I'm on the phone."

she takes one look at Fernando and nervously adjusts her light brown hair and waves with a shy smile.

"hi."

she then hisses at Giovanni.

"you could have told me that the guests were already coming!"

she storms off, and shouts.

"I'll be back to look more presentable!"

Brandon asks while laughing.

"what am I chopped liver? my niece didn't even acknowledge my presence."

Giovanni chuckles.

"don't worry about her cousin, she is just being a spoiled brat."

Giovanni then turns his attention to Fernando.

"Nando, my Nephew, why don't you go and catch up with your cousin, while I talk business with your dad and cousin Marco."

Fernando replies.

"sure, I don't mind doing that."

he climbs upstairs and thinks to himself.

"unless she moved rooms, while I was in prison, she should still be in the same one."

he approaches the door and knocks on it, Isabella shouts.

"hold on dad, I'm still getting ready!"

she opens the door, and blushes upon seeing him, and then smiles shyly.

"hey handsome, you have some guts coming to my room while dad is here."

Fernando shocked by how she is acting towards him, replies.

"wow that's new, you never called me handsome before."

she gives him a puzzled look.

"what do you mean?"

he answers.

"well, you'd always call me loser, insect, troll, goblin, and stick figure."

she gasps.

"oh my god, Fernando I didn't recognize you."

she reaches up to touch his face.

"wow you really bulked up and grew while you were in prison."

she smiles.

"you still gut an ugly mug though."

usually her insults, towards him would carry venom and hatred, but this time it sounded more like she was playfully teasing him, he responds.

"well they don't tend to have beauty salons in prison."

she laughs.

"not much they can do about that disaster you call a face."

he pretends to be offended.

"ouch, you still know how to hurt feelings."

she then hugs him.

"no matter how fucked our relationship was in the past, I still missed you these six years."

Fernando feeling conflicted on how to react, gives

in to his soft side and reciprocates her hug.

"well I'm here now."

he then pulls away.

"I should probably head back to your dad."

she then asks with a serious tone.

"are you aware of what our fathers are right?"

he nods.

"yeah."

she gives him a worried look.

"you just came out of prison, please don't do anything stupid like getting involve with them, that will get you back there."

he sighs.

"I wish it was that simple."

before leaving her room, she said.

"whenever you have time, call me so we can go out and catch up."

he replies.

"yeah sure, just call up Christina since I don't have a phone yet."

he leaves her room thinking.

"well that went better than I expected."

he then stops at the top of the staircase and notices Mr. Caruso, who is accompanied by an older gentleman, with balding slicked back gray hair and a neatly trimmed gray mustache wearing

a suit just like Uncle Giovanni, Fernando then thinks to himself.

"Well, things just got more interesting."

he climbs downstairs, where his uncle notices him, and calls him over.

"Nando, my nephew, come."

as Mr. Caruso smirks upon seeing Fernando, Uncle Giovanni introduces them to him.

"This is Enzo Caruso. He is the DON of the Carusos."

Fernando shakes his hand.

"it's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Enzo replies.

"it's mine as well, not every day I get to meet an exceptional young man, who pulled off what you did that night."

he then introduces him to Mr. Caruso.

"and this is his brother Paul Caruso."

he shakes his hand.

"we've met already."

he thinks to himself.

"So he is Paul Sr. and his son is Paul Jr. understood."

Giovanni put his hand on Fernando's shoulder and said.

"The meeting is about to start. Let's get moving."

Giovanni leads them to that dining room, where he spots Uncles and Cousins, that he never had the chance to properly get to know them and other prominent figures that are in business with the Sabatonis, Giovanni grabs a seat and signals everyone to do the same.

"Let's get started."

everyone takes a seat, while Fernando leans up against the wall, Giovanni notices and says,

"You don't have to stand, Nephew, there are still seats available."

he replies.

"it's fine, uncle."

he sighs and clears his throat.

"Alright, so I'm sure you are all aware of yesterday's incident down by the docks."

one of the guys sitting down shouts.

"yeah that Black Hoodie fucker killed my son!

Marco points at him and said aggressively.

"you don't interrupt my father!"

he then Apologizes.

"Sorry DON Giovanni."

he responds.

"it's fine, I understand it's hard dealing with losing a loved one, just don't do it again."

he then continues.

"we need to focus our attention in catching this Black Hoodie person and find out who is working for."

Enzo chimes in.

"I warned you not to take him lightly when he first started attacking your dealers Gio."

Giovanni sighs.

"I know, which is why I am now declaring the Black Hoodie a high priority target."

what Enzo said next triggers Fernando."

"of course we'll get it done."

three words echo in his mind.

"get it done, get it done, get it done."

Fernando is breathing heavily, while feeling the burning sensation of the bullet wound, Christina who is panicking said.

"oh my god, please tell me that you are still alive."

as he tries standing up, he hears the walkie-talkie crackle from the guy he just killed and a voice come through, asking

"Boss, I found a couple of our guys are dead, should we pull out?"

and then a voice that will forever be ingrained into

Fernando's brain answers.

"it doesn't matter, get it done."

Fernando attention snaps back to reality, and he stares at Enzo with his blood boiling while thinking to himself.

"he is that same fucker I heard through the walkie-talkie, that night."

Giovanni continues talking.

"So that is how things are right now, we need to step up security and stop the Black Hoodie, and his sidekick."

Enzo agrees.

"I concur."

it seems like everybody else in the room agrees with him, he then stands up.

"Well, gentlemen, this meeting is now concluded, I want to thank you all for showing up."

he then looks at Fernando.

"ah Nephew before you go, I need to speak with you."

after everyone leaves, Fernando, who has been seething at Enzo, the entire time, gets approached by his Uncle Giovanni.

"I know Brandon, has probably mentioned that your gonna work for the family now, so I'll keep things quick."

he continues.

"starting tomorrow, you'll come here, and I'll drive you to one of our establishments, where you will work as security, protecting our valuable merchandise."

he replies, trying to sound sincere.

"thank you for the opportunity, Uncle I won't let you down."

Brandon then comes to them.

"Sorry for butting in Cousin, but me and Fernando need to head home before my wife starts asking unnecessary questions."

Giovanni sighs.

"I warned you that the more you wait to tell her the truth, the harder it was gonna be to reveal it."

Brandon replies.

"sorry, cousin, I just couldn't."

he then hugs him.

"Alright, cousin, you better get going, I have no reason to keep you here any longer."

he then reminds Fernando.

"don't be late tomorrow, Nephew, now have a good night."

they say their goodbyes except for Marco, who is still holding strong feelings of hatred towards Fernando, and as Brandon and Fernando leave, he thinks to himself.

"Before I start tomorrow with Uncle, I'm going to pay Paul Caruso Sr. a visit and squeeze out any information about Enzo Caruso."

they enter the car and drive back home.