Victor
I stared at the disgusting photo on my phone. A big, round belly man, eyes heavy with alcohol. His giant hand wrapped firmly around the small arm of one of my club servers. Normally, this would be an issue for my guards to handle, but the tattoo spotted on the back of his neck was something that needed to be dealt with.
It was the Petrov serpent. A russian family that has been on our radar for generations. I had made it my goal to not only bring them down, but to make them pay for all the pain caused to my family. Children and wives lost, lives ruined. I could feel me getting closer and closer to Romeo Petrov, I just had to ask the right people the right questions, starting with this maiale.
"A mess, isn't he?" Stephano, my right hand man, spoke, breaking my attention away from my phone. "We've been tailing him to try and gain an understanding on his position with the Petrovs. So far, he doesn't seem too important. Probably won't bat an eye at his disappearance." A smirk formed on his lips as the thought festered in his mind.
"I don't want probabilities, I want certainties. If we fuck this up, we lose all our progress. We need someone skilled enough to get close to him. Fast." My gaze drifted back to the photo as i sighed. "A woman"
"A woman?!" Stephano exclaimed with wide eyes. "Our women aren't trained to handle situations like this. Not after-"
"You don't have to remind me." I stopped Stephano before he could speak her name. The last thing I needed was to think about her with this decision on the table. "We will just have to train whoever is most capable of handling the task."
The driver made a right turn, stopping in front of a giant, black metal gate. We weren't there long before the gates opened, allowing us entry. We drove down the long road, surrounded by trees so dense, I couldn't even see my men on patrol but I could feel their presence.
Eventually, the trees opened up to reveal a beautiful, white Mediterranean mansion, built for my mother by my father as a wedding gift. In front, sat a water fountain. The center was a Greek style marble statue of my mother, holding a decorative pitcher that the fountain water poured from. Surrounding the fountain laid a small garden containing her favorite flower, Arabian Night Dahlias.
The car came to a stop at the front of the house where my men, including Alto and Luca, waited to greet my arrival. As I stepped out of the car and into the house, I was followed by Stephano, Alto, and Luca up the stairs and into my office.
"Look Victor, I see where you're coming from but we can't send a woman in. We can handle it on our own without putting a lady in danger." Stephano said, causing Luca and Alto to stop in their tracks.
"Wait. You can't be serious, right? You want to send one of our women in to deal with that Petrov bastardo? None of them are trained for that." Luca voiced his concern, earning a nod from the quiet Alto.
"That's what I said." Stephano acknowledged as he sat on one of the couches in front of the fireplace. Alto and Luca followed suit, taking their seat across from Stephano as i leaned against my desk.
"I am well aware of the risk but it is our best option. We just have to train someone capable enough." I spoke in a stern voice, letting it be known my decision was final. The look on their face let me know the message had been received.
As we began the search for candidates, there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Valentino", a voice called out from the other side of the door.
"Come in." I said, keeping my eyes on my phone. The sound of the door opening and closing was followed by the sound of high heels. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of bright, blonde hair and immediately recognized it was Claudia.
"Sir, you have received an invitation. You have been asked to attend a recruitment dinner with the Martinos. I accepted it for you." She spoke with an entertained tone. The second the name "Marino" left her lips, my attention snapped to her along with everyone else. The smirk on her face only fueled the fire more. She knew what she had done and found it funny.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. 8 pm."
"We're going." I said as I straightened myself to leave.
"But Vic-" Stephano started.
"I said we're going!" And with that, I stormed out of the room, seeing red.
Those bastards dare offer me a recruit? I will make sure they knew where they stood to the Valentino family.