Chapter 581: +Chapter 581+
The news that Mafia King Nikolai had done nothing when his casino was blown up had also spread like wildfire, it had given the crime boss more confidence, thinking that the High Council held that much sway.
He sat up straighter, sitting like the chair was upholstered with a bed of nails. "N-Not at all." He lied bluntly to save his hide, "I merely thought it was information you might like to know." He shot to his feet.
Nikolai didn’t stop him from leaving, focusing on Angelo instead as another dangerous knife sailed across the room and embedded itself in the side of his neck.
The crime boss already had a hand on the door handle when he froze, only for a moment however before he he clumsily tried to open the door, panic making his movements unsteady.
Two gun shots rang out and he dropped to the ground, dead with the knife still in his neck.
Angelo remained curled up on his couch, a thoughtful look on his face. The war with the High Council was going to be a lot more than direct attacks, it made his expression turn grim.
Nikolai rang up Fallon to specifically send in the next crime boss seeking a payout. It didn’t matter how many decided to sellout, downtown was filled with underdogs searching for a chance to breakout.
All that would happen would be that the sellouts would become enemies and the spaces they left empty would be rapidly filled. He was simply feeling generous enough to give them more warnings before the consequences came.
The next guest opened the door and went white as a sheet at the sight of the body bleeding out right at his feet, freezing up in the doorway.
Nikolai leaned back in his seat, "I haven’t got all day."
The crime boss looked like he would like nothing better than to go right back out. His gaze passed over the figure in a corner and he was struck with the realization that if he tried to leave then, he would end up like the Alpha bleeding out on the ground.
"Understood, boss," He mumbled, his tongue doubling in size in his mouth. "I’ll keep my head down." He hunched into himself as he did, trying to keep his head down.
Nikolai was quick to dismiss him, pleased at how efficiently that had worked. He rose to his feet to take out Angelo’s knife, right before calling someone to take the body out.
Angelo said nothing about the Mafia King pocketing his knives, just as Nikolai never pointed out how the coats he took from him were never returned.
When there was a knock on the door, he expected it to be the men on clean-up duty and not the skin head that he was beginning to get familiar with.
Fallon personally showed up with the tray of red wine, not trusting one of the men not to step on Nikolai’s tail and end up with their blood in the wine glasses.
He moved quickly, placing the wine on the center table and making himself scarce.
Angelo wore a curious expression at how quickly the Alpha had hot footed it out of the room. He hadn’t even glanced in his direction at all, sharp eyes fixed on the ground beneath him.
He sat up and poured himself a glass, "Is this drugged?" He asked casually, taking a drink out of the glass without waiting for a response.
Nikolai’s chair was completely turned in his direction, cold gaze indulgent. "Do you want to sleep?"
Angelo seriously considered it, it wasn’t like he was happily occupied right then, and the scheduled date completely filled his thoughts, a nap couldn’t be worse.
He never imagined he would ever be in a situation like this, but he was a little bit anxious about their date.
The door opened after a polite knock, two men coming in to haul out the dead body.
Nikolai studied the blood that had pooled on the polished wooden floor, thinking about hiring a proper cleaner because he remembered that Angelo didn’t like blood on the floors.
"Not right now," Angelo turned down the offer. He hadn’t needed drugged wine to sleep for weeks but he would drink anything Nikolai offered him.
"Want a glass?" He offered generously.
There were two bottles of red wine on the tray as well as four wineglasses, it was more than enough to share.
"Sure," Nikolai accepted, his voice slightly raspy.
Angelo got right to work filling a glass, things always felt peaceful whenever Nikolai was there. They could be in an active shootout zone and he would be completely unbothered if the Alpha was right next to him.
He walked across the room with the glass of wine, placing it down on his desk.
The door opened after a polite knock to reveal the skin head again, accompanied by what were clearly Nikolai’s men in aprons and cleaning caps, mop buckets in their hands.
Angelo’s slender fingers paused on the stem of the wine glass he placed down, concern in his eyes at the view in front of him.
The men had just thrown aprons over their strapped weapons, heavy boots at odds with the flimsy white covering which had ruffles on them.
Fallon cleared his throat, ignoring the icicle shards that literally pinned him down. "I’ll personally screen proper cleaning hires before the end of the day."
Nikolai had been about to steal the chance to unravel Angelo’s hair only for them to be interrupted and to keep up with appearances, he kept his hands to himself.
Angelo only lingered by his desk long enough to watch the comically dressed men get started on their clean up, walking off with a smile on his face that belied his barely held back laughter.
Nikolai relaxed at that, if Angelo was in a good mood, then perhaps the interruption wasn’t all so bad.
Fallon stuck around with the men until they were done cleaning, it was almost like he was doing damage control.
After a few glasses of wine, Angelo was already dozing off. Nikolai rose to his feet when he noticed it, which was almost instantly.
The ’cleaning service’ was done by then so it left just the two of them in the office.
He hadn’t drugged the wine but Angelo had slept anyway. Nikolai reached out a hand and stopped mere inches from the assassin’s face, he looked so content, nothing like intense hunger in his own eyes.
Nikolai stopped himself from touching Angelo’s face, going for his hair instead. He deftly undid the secure knot, undoing the braid with practiced ease.
The days were more often cloudy so it was no surprise that the sky was cloudy outside the window.
He took off his coat and covered up the assassin before turning away and heading for the door. Until it was time for lunch, he would be receiving guests in the bar.
Angelo’s eyes flipped open as the door did, watching Nikolai’s back leave the room. He heard the sound of the lock loud and clear but it didn’t bother him, clutching the coat tighter.
He closed his eyes once again, the Alpha’s scent and the warmth from his trench coat a very welcome upgrade.
-+-
Asher stared flatly at the third sucker in a row that tried to subtly blackmail him into buying their loyalty. Well subtle was one way to phrase it.
He knew that if they were in his face trying to play that card, they no doubt were going to keep their loyalty, they were just too much of greedy, greasy bastards to let a chance like this pass them by.
At first, threatening them was enough to send them scurrying but if there were going to be more of them, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun.
"Or even better," Asher leaned forward, his eyes spitting fire like a sea of lava. "How about you two-time the High Council? Think you’ve got the balls for that?"
Wariness flashed in the mob boss’ eyes before bravado took over, beady eyes gleaming. "Sure as hell I do." He agreed a little hesitantly which was wise.
The High Council went toe-to-toe with Mafia Kings, if he was found out, he would be completely squashed to the ground.
That wasn’t Asher’s plan though, he wasn’t trying to send the small-time crime boss’ to hell, he just wanted to play a little game was all.
"It’s not going to be just you though, if everyone else plays along, the High Council can’t get you all." He was quick to fan the flames.
And it worked a little too wall, the scrawny Beta puffing out his chest, tobacco-browned teeth in full view as he grinned deviously.
"Leave it to me, boss," He reassured, smoothing back his thin strands of hair. "The High Council won’t know what hit ’em." He shot to his feet as he spoke, a little too enthusiastic.
Asher grinned dangerously as he watched the crime boss scurry off, knowing that the scrawny but greedy Beta would keep to his word.
Hell, he might get to go home early to his mate with most of the day’s work sorted out in one fell swoop, and almost as good as that was how much chaos this would create.
-
Jael was driving back to Asher’s club when he felt a cold chill down his spine, it made him step on the gas, convinced that his Mafia King was up to some bullshit.