You Shoot You Lose

[Levi DAmico]

What was that feeling in the air lately? This electricity that pressed on him no matter what he did or where he went. It had followed him back from Boston, and over the coming weeks, had grown into a violent storm. The atmosphere was saturated with it, this brooding layer of charged cloud that both dulled and sharpened his senses. Going to work and sealing himself away in his office was like being plunged in a tank of cold water. Levi was drowning, freezing, but never died. The only time he could ever break away from this feeling was when he was on the move – both physically and mentally. Levi hadn’t mentioned a word to anyone, not the Shark and certainly not Lorelai, because he was doing anything other than confronting it. Something strange was happening to him, and stranger still was this compulsion to duck his head and disappear rather than stand his ground and fight. Levi’s uncharacteristic actions were getting out of hand, layering over his wants and needs to the point where Levi was confused as to who he really was and how he really felt about things.

Umber eyes were fixed on the blank wall ahead of him, wrestling with these alarming thoughts, when the call came in. It was Gino Valachi again, consiglieri of the Sicilian Mafia, and apparently moonlighting for the Patriarca, and Constantino, and… whoever the **** else he felt like. The sheer volume of their interactions in recent months was astounding; a total and complete revelation seeing that, before coming to Harper Rock about a year ago, Levi and Gino had shared little more than a phone call in about a decade. Truth be told, Levi had yet to work out what Gino’s angle was in the general scope of things, never mind this sudden heat on his tail. Maybe Levi was paranoid – guilt could do that to a man – but it certainly felt like those chestnut eyes were set on him with a burning intensity. Gino might have been grey at the hairline, but his skills and smarts hadn’t lost their potency. It was weird, but, even when Gino was totally out of Levi’s mind, he still felt like the older man had always kind of been there… lurking.

The conversation between Levi and Gino lasted roughly twenty minutes. At first the older Italian did his best to maintain mystery, but after determining that that was going nowhere fast, Gino opted for the Matador method. The red cape in this instance was the mention of hiring a lawyer to spring William D’Amico from prison; which was more than enough to get the bull to charge. It took great skill of judgement to channel a bull’s fury to the desired outcome. One wrong move and the whole plan can go to hell, forcing a restart and/or causing injury. Gino didn’t have the luxury of time for any of that. He would lure Levi into his domain, where he held the power, and tire the younger man with rational goading and calculated retorts. Levi would fight – his pride could have him fight forever – but pride was a stupid beast, predictable and easily tricked. Gino already felt he had the upper hand by the time their phone call had come to an end; Levi had agreed to meet with him. In just over an hour, the umber-eyed Italian was standing outside the door to Gino’s rented office space, flanked either side by Gino’s burly guards. Levi was ushered in, patted down, and told to keep his distance from the older gentleman. Seemed like Gino had a sense of better safe than sorry too.

“Thank you for coming,” Gino began; his low voice forever the testament to refinement. “Perhaps you’d like to take a seat.”

Levi didn’t answer and he hardly needed to. He’d walked into the room as instructed – been a very good boy so far – but he’d be damned if he was going to be Gino’s puppet all night. Levi effectively ignored the other man sat behind the desk as umber eyes got to work on taking in the surroundings. The space was perfectly bland, like the inside of a cardboard box, but for the view. They were about twenty storeys up and overlooking the river. Bullwood twinkled in the distance under an ink-dappled sky, lying to itself that it was anything other than a ******* hell hole. Still, Levi preferred the view out onto his least favourite city in the world than to look upon that face of piety. A dark, rolling chuckle was all it took to have Levi twisting back with vehemence, however.

“Or you could stand there stubbornly,” Gino said with deep amusement in his voice. “Whatever’s comfortable.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” the younger Italian asked in a voice that was certainly more youthful than the sum of their age difference.

Gino laughed again. “Levi, I am not doing this to you. I am doing this for you.”

“Well it certainly ******* feels like you’re doing it to me.”

“Hmm, well I can’t help you there.”

“Sure you can. You can fire the ******* lawyer.”

“I am not going to do that.”

“Well why the hell not?”

“Because, Levi. William is a friend of mine. And, as a friend,” Gino said with an exasperated sigh, “it’s my duty to help him.”

Levi made a rumbling sound in his throat, signalling a storm was on its way. Umber eyes broke from the aging face before him to gaze out of the window – the tinted glass appropriately reflecting his mood. Gino, however, had yet to take his eyes off Levi, watching the younger Italian stew in his bitterness. Gino’s face was a picture of perfect calmness that matched his measured voice even as he considered – with some amusement – how very child-like the 30-something male could be when a small mention of his father was made. Or perhaps it wasn’t anything to do with William at all, but Gino’s presence which had provoked this sudden regression. After all, if anyone were to be considered a pure and nurturing spirit between the pair of hard-bitten Italians, it most certainly would not have been William. Perhaps the reason why Levi so easily regressed around Gino was simply because he felt at ease and was courteous enough to express a degree of submission. Then again, the very fact that Gino indulged this infantilism was not to be dismissed as a reason for Levi’s behaviour. Gino was very tolerant of those he took favour with and Levi was the sort to take advantage wherever he saw an opportunity.

For not the first time in so few months, Gino’s chestnut eyes soured with suspicion as he looked upon his veritable nephew, and as if sensing the gaze on his back like a laser, the Vampire turned to lock eyes with him.

“Don’t you think it’s a little late to start saving the ship?” Levi asked with a low, heavy voice that dragged the temperature of the air down with it. “It sank sixteen years ago. It’s time to throw in your towel, old man. You can’t mop this one up.”

Amused by the amount of metaphors in just one sentence, Gino made the effort to shift in his seat and disguise a smirk behind a loose fist. His elbow came up on the armrest of the square leather chair, his head lowering so that smile sank below a curled index finger. Levi eyed the action both questionably and spitefully, knowing all too well that he would have done the same bloody thing. This man had imprinted his habits on Levi’s very soul…

“I just reckon you’re wasting your time,” Levi said, his voice lacking fire as he turned once more to the window.

“That’s generous of you to think of my time-keeping.”

Levi rolled his eyes.

“And at any rate, I would think you knew better. Sometimes plans take a very long time to bear fruit. It’s just part of the process.”

There was a pause before Levi made a very definite tch sound. Umber eyes were fixed on the window, but more so on the reflection of Gino behind him – through him. Oddly, this not having a reflection thing could come in handy now and again.

“William was imprisoned on charges of Racketeering. Several, admittedly, but his sentence was extremely harsh when you consider the lack of evidence presented in the case. Times have changed in the past sixteen years. Principles have been set. It’s about time we take back what is ours.”

[Levi DAmico]

To assume that this whole thing was about one friend breaking another from prison would be a massive mistake. Gino and William weren’t friends. In the same way that Vultures and Crows are not friends. They might pick a corpse clean together, but they’re always watching the other, expecting betrayal as readily as they are preparing their own. The balance of power is unstable, but strained alliances are always better than casualties and death. Fatalities only ever occur when someone oversteps their bounds and tries to take what doesn’t belong to them. There are rules in place for a reason, even if these rules are easily subjugated. The fact that Gino needed William was only evidence of his plan to usurp the Patriarca don. Because Gino couldn’t complete the task on his own and come out smelling like the roses he always deified, Gino needed a figurehead to conceal his deed. In actuality, Gino needed a puppet on the throne, because the consiglieri was always the one pulling the strings and hiding behind velvet curtains. And what was better and more impressive than having one puppet? Why, it was having two of course.

“You’re out of your ******* mind, Valachi.”

Shock might have silenced the older gentleman for the moment, though it was but one suspect in a line-up of many different emotions. Chestnut eyes glared at the back of Levi’s head, not that the Vampire should have been aware of it; nevertheless, Levi watched the man’s reaction through the reflection of the glossy black window. Seeing the older man’s normally dour poker face shift from shock, to uncertainty, to confusion, to anger was a rare show; made all the more entertaining because the reaction was genuine. Without much more than a snigger, Levi turned away from the window and found a chair nearby to sit himself down in. The movement was enough to put the older Italian’s poker face back in place, though frustration had taken possession of his brow nonetheless, causing the aging skin to tighten into a frown. The new expression amused the Vampire even more, but he was pretty apt at pulling off a poker face too and so they stared at each other, unflinching expressions of distrust, arrogance and challenge making the stale air between them prickle.

“I mean, if you think I’m gonna help you, you need some serious ******* therapy,” Levi added.

“Just the matter of your not actively inhibiting the plan would be enough, Levi.”

“Well… that depends.”

“Does it.”

“If the ****** comes within 50 feet of me, I might just kill him. Pretty sure that’ll inhibit your plan.”

“You are being a child.”

“And you’re an idiot if you think no one knows what you’re up to.”

Gino raised an eyebrow. “I believe you overestimate the competition.”

“Ain’t my competition so I don’t give a ****.”

Gino chuckled, much to the dismay of the Vampire whose straight-faced expression was quickly giving way to rage. Levi was quickly questioning himself, why he was tolerating this belligerent old man and why he was suffering any of this ********. Gino wasn’t one to give ground on anything and any yielding that was ever done by the consiglieri was merely a farce. Gino was too calculated and too methodical to neglect any aspect in any plan of attack. Gino knew that if he wanted you to surrender and yet feel as though you’d won – so you wouldn’t come back for revenge – he would have to prepare long in advance to get the desired outcome. Gino knew all the angles and every possible consequence because he knew how people played their games, and he knew how people would react to certain kinds of stimuli. Blackmailing was never a card off the table, though. The maneuverer was perfectly effective and the results were surprisingly quick. Blackmail did involve a certain level of intimacy with the target, however, meaning that you’d have to have your nose in everyone’s business. As it happened, Gino certainly had his ******* nose in Levi’s...

“If you co-operate, you can wipe the slate clean and continue your operations under a better guise,” Gino said. “I’m sure William will be willing to make that small a sacrifice for his son... especially for his son’s help.”

Levi would have rolled his eyes if he could remove them from that death-glare he’d set on Gino.

“The benefits far out-weigh the risks,” Gino added in a voice that was as sweet as oil. “You could remain in Canada with no one breathing down your neck. You may continue with your operations however you see fit. You’ll practically be free.”

“Practically is a funny word,” Levi grumbled. “Kinda like could and may. You could win the lottery. You may have the ******* chance. You’ll practically be a rich ***********.”

The older Italian processed the words and the impudent tone thoroughly, enjoying the sight of Levi’s expression souring with every passing moment. “You can’t very well expect me to guarantee these things. I’m afraid my super powers are limited and certainly don’t extend to clairvoyance.”

This time Levi did manage to roll his eyes. “You’re ******* hilarious,” he said in a flat tone.

“I’m not entirely sure what you’re expecting here. I can’t promise that your father won’t irritate the ever-loving daylights out of you. After all, you are as volatile and exasperating as the other.” Gino paused to savour that indignant leer that Levi was giving him before continuing. “Still, I believe he will respect the distance as much as you will. I can’t see there being a problem. All I need is your co-operation.”

The look of impending doom slowly melted away from the Vampire’s features like a hard frost at dawn. Levi’s jaw was set and his umber gaze was focused straight ahead, on a point somewhere beyond the window on the adjacent wall. He’d banished the Human from his sights, but could still hear the drum of a heartbeat, the soft rush of air as it was inhaled and then calmly exhaled again, and could still detect the overconfidence rolling off the older gentleman like a spiced cologne. As Levi focused on every aspect that made this mortal so unlike him, he began to feel that electric pressure re-establish itself, flickering across his body from every angle until he was fighting to remain in control. There was a strange urge that was rising in him; a need to feed that didn’t originate from his stomach. Levi felt his gums itch, the back of his throat becoming raw and hot and tense like he’d just vomited and was about to repeat the process. He didn’t notice it at first, but Levi’s hands had tightened on the armrests; the wood under the upholstery creaking ominously. The Vampire recoiled slightly, and had to mentally remind himself that the chair could not withstand the force of his full-strength grip. In an effort that certainly looked no more strenuous than breathing, yet encompasses the willpower to shake off death itself, Levi pulled his umber gaze back into the room and looked at Gino with a leaden frown.

“Just tell me what you want me to do.”

The smile Gino wore in that instant made Levi feel no less nauseated. Gino brought his hands to his chin, fingers laced as though he were praying; chestnut eyes focused on the man in front of him as though Levi was the food item.

“It’s very simple,” Gino answered, in that calm, measured voice that somehow both soothed and aggravated. “All you need do is co-operate.”

“So be at your beck-and-*******-call? Is that it?” Levi spat back, raising a brow like he was cocking a gun.

“It would be nice if you could do a single task without obstacle and complaint.”

“So be at your ******* beck-and-call and ******* smile while doing it? **** you.”

“Your language is becoming worse.”

“That’s because you’re pissing me off.”

“I’m hardly doing it on purpose.”

One might very well believe the meekness in that tone if it weren’t for the sparkle in those chestnut eyes. “********,” Levi growled.

“Believe whatever suits you,” Gino said impassively, sitting back in his chair, his elbows set on the armrests so that those laced fingers hovered over his heart. “At this point in time, I just need you to agree that you’ll be available when I need you.”

“I don’t think I can see the future either,” Levi said with a sneer.

The irony made the other man smirk. “Fair enough. Putting your feelings for William and myself aside, I do hope you come to realise how beneficial just a little compliance can be. I know how you are, Levi. I know that you’d rather be your own person and live your own life under no one’s thumb. You’ve established something important here and if Nicoletti wishes, he can take it away from you with a snap of his fingers. The only way to protect yourself is to take that power from him and put it to better use elsewhere.”

Gino paused then to allow his honeyed words to sink in and sweeten the temperamental Italian before him. Maintaining eye-contact and keeping a sincere expression was all part of the process.

“You seem… happy here,” Gino added, and despite the gentle tone, Levi scoffed at him. “And I believe you have more invested in this city than just money.”

At that point Levi both hoped for and despaired over the possibility that Gino was talking about Lorelai. Levi did not want that awkward conversation again about him finding a nice girl and settling down. Gino generally brought it up around Natale and Capodanno and Epiphany, but seeing as how there was a nice girl in Levi’s life this time, it apparently warranted a mention every single time the ****** talked to him. On the other hand, having this conversation again was a welcome relief from having to answer any Vampiri related questions. Levi held a breath he didn’t need as he waited for Gino to just get on with it.

[Levi DAmico]

“What are your plans with the young lady in your life?” Gino asked.

Levi remained tight-lipped and angry.

“I assume that if I badger you long enough on the matter, you’ll do something about it.”

“Well, you’re giving me a few ideas right now,” Levi growled.

Gino seemed to smile at this, despite the obvious threat. The guards in the room shifted in their space, revealing themselves as people rather than statues – people with guns, even. Umber eyes glared at the sharp stares he received, but Levi’s attention quickly returned to the older gentleman in the room when he spoke; his tone unreadable but no more palatable.

“It’s just unlike you to be so unprepared and short-sighted,” Gino said. “I hope she’s more than a game to you, Levi. She is really quite lovely.”

“Then why don’t you marry her.”

“I don’t believe that would work out well for anyone…”

Levi made that tch sound before averting his gaze again. Staring at the blank wall beside him gave Levi the opportunity to question himself some more. With anybody else, Levi wouldn’t even dream of breaking eye-contact, not unless it would somehow improve his chances of intimidation. A determined stare expressed confidence, an unshakeable position of power, and when the other party averted their gaze, you knew you had them on the ropes. With that mind, it seemed like Gino had Levi boxed into a corner and that little piece of reality didn’t put the Vampiro into anything like a better mood. Before the room could darken and shudder with a pulse of violent energy, however, Levi was brought out of his immediate brooding by a question.

“Is marriage a possibility, do you think?”

“Excuse me?”

“Between yourself and—”

“No.”

Gino didn’t say anything then – he didn’t need to – his body language spoke volumes. The man sat forward yet again, one strong hand cupping his chin, the other hidden behind the elbow that was propped on the desk. Without both hands in view, the younger Italian began to feel uneasy; not that he wasn’t feeling nauseated by this whole thing as it was. Gino could have easily reached for a concealed weapon and shot Levi – there didn’t need to be an obvious motive for that to happen, but Levi presumed he’d given Gino plenty of reasons by now. Umber eyes passed by the looming figures standing near the doorway to check their positions hadn’t altered any. By the time he was looking back at Gino, Levi realised that those chestnut eyes were still watching him with interest.

“What?” Levi barked, but it took a long, maddening couple of seconds for Gino to respond.

“It seems you have given it thought after all...”

Levi made the special effort to keep his gaze locked with that of the older gentleman – no matter how tiring it was to look at that wrinkled face, that serpentine smile and those insistent chestnut eyes.

“Well, it’s like you said,” Levi spoke in a tone that was dangerously close to pouting. “It wouldn’t work out well for anyone.”

“That‘s unfortunate.”

Gino sat back enough to slip his hand out from under his chin and draw his arms across his body. He seemed to be waiting for Levi to make some kind of response – a retort perhaps, an insult, a grunt of disapproval even – but when none came, Gino hummed quietly to himself; that thing he always did when he was contemplating or mocking. Levi never really was sure which was which at times, but he always assumed Gino was the type to mock rather than genuinely agree with someone. Still, the advice he gave next seemed to come somewhere out of the blue and Levi wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.

“You’re aware that our loved ones do not have to know everything about us, yes?”

Levi grumbled and blinked slowly for visual relief.

“If she can’t accept the truth, it is usually better to remove that obstacle.”

“You always gotta have fancy ways of saying ****, don’t you.”

Gino smirked to himself.

“You mean I should lie to her and not tell her what I am, right. So just ******* say it.”

“Delegation is much easier.”

“Not exactly quicker though.”

Those chestnut eyes narrowed ever so slightly and a small grin of victory curled the Vampiro’s lips.

“There’s more to it than that and I don’t really wanna talk to you about it,” Levi said.

“Then who do you talk to? Dello squalo?”

“No,” he said, bristling.

“Well you must talk to someone.”

“Why? So you can hear about it eventually? I’ve told you a million times, Valachi. If you wanna know something about me, you should just ask me directly.”

“Your suggested method is not as profitable as my own,” Gino purred darkly. “I learn more when I don’t have to rely on your lies and your perspective. Besides, you just this second told me that you do not want to talk to me about your problems. So what am I to do?”

“You keep your ******* nose out of it. That’s what you do.”

A foul, conceited laugh rumbled from Gino's chest in that instant. The fact that Gino was amused rather than pissed seemed to reverse their intended symptoms. Levi’s eyes narrowed and he breathed a growl. In no time at all he could close the distance between himself and these pathetic Humans, snap their necks in sharp succession, drink their blood… Yet this arrogant ********, Gino, thought he was the one with the upper hand. Power certainly was a subjective thing.

“My personal business ain’t any of yours.”

“Levi, you’re being obtuse. You know better than this. Your personal business is everyone’s concern. All of the time. As is everyone else’s business. Privacy in our midst is an illusion.”

“More like it’s one rule for some and another rule for others.”

“Not at all. While some of us are being deluded, others are busy creating delusions.”

“You talk a lot for someone who has nothing to say.”

“Levi. You are entertaining right up until the point when you begin to pout,” Gino sneered, his arms uncrossing to lie on the table in a looser fold; one arm set over the other in front of him. “After that it is like talking to a child.”

“Oh boo ******* hoo.”

“With or without your assistance, William will be released. I would much rather have you onside than have to deal with your insolence. Do we understand each other?”

Levi arched a brow. “Sounds an awful lot like a threat, Valachi. Are you sure you wanna go there?”

Gino hummed for a moment before responding coolly, “how ironic.”

So maybe that wasn’t Levi’s finest hour in the history of negotiations, but he was up against one of Sicily’s finest, a man who had just over two decade’s worth of experience on him, and a man who had practically raised him. It wasn’t a fair fight when it began, but, Levi was never one to back down even from a battle where the odds were quite ridiculously set against him. Sparring with Gino like this never really risked too much, however. Each time they locked horns, Levi felt like he was learning at least a little more to gain an advantage (or lose a bit of disadvantage), so, it really was more profitable to see it through even if he lost. The choices ahead of him now seemed rather bleak. Gino was a determined ********. When he wanted something, there really was no point in refusing. It might take him a little longer, but Gino always gets what he sets out to achieve and if that meant breaking William from prison, supplanting Nicoletti, then Gino was going to persevere. Levi didn’t quite understand how Gino was going to pull all this off without anyone batting an eyelash, so he had to assume that Gino had a lot of money moving around and was making the best of his contacts.

[Levi DAmico]

“So what happens after he’s out?” Levi asked, his tone neutral and business-like.

“We move quickly and loudly.”

Levi frowned. “That’s not like you.”

“Just now and again it does well to be bold. Nicoletti will suspect something is afoot when William is freed—”

“And that’s where I come in, is it? I look like the dutiful son who just wants his dad out of prison?”

Gino hid a laugh with a small cough into his hand. “I never thought you’d agree to something like that. In spite of the tactical advantages, I always assumed your pride would get in the way of logic.”

Was this an example of the Italian’s legendary reverse psychology? It was difficult to tell and in the end, it really didn’t matter. The cheap shot was struck and Gino quickly moved on.

“As a result, I made alternative arrangements. Are you interested in the role I have for you?”

“Just because I wanna know, doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen. You understand, right?”

“This is exactly what I am referring to when I say you’re being obtuse.”

“Just get on with it already.”

“Fine,” Gino grumbled, lacing his hands once more before him. “We have already made arrangements that will make the most out of William’s return. Those that we know we can trust have already agreed to support the movement, but, I did have a little resistance from Foraldo—”

“Foraldo? Why does that name sound familiar…”

“You met his son none too recently. It would be almost a year ago now, but, you made a bit of a lasting impression. You tend to have that affect, don’t you.”

Seeing that the frown on Levi’s face was too stubborn to lift – like a smear of engine oil on a white t-shirt – Gino decided to continue with his explanation.

“You don’t remember the boy? Blonde, a little dense, but determined? He was a messenger on behalf of Lucchesi that night you were first dragged away from your hovel.”

Insult aside, Levi honed in on the description of the Foraldo boy when it suddenly all came into focus. “That little ****? Why the **** would I remember or care?”

“Because that little **** happens to be the son of Franco Foraldo, and I’m sure you may remember his connections with the Cavallone.”

A face-palming incident may have been appropriate in this instance, but Levi settled on pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. Levi had clearly been away too long to have much of an in-sight into the Family politics and had managed to **** up royally with the smallest infraction. What a butterfly effect. The Cavallone, or more specifically, Eddie Cavallone, was probably the highest ranking capo in the Patriarca Crime Family in terms of power, assets and influence. He was also the unofficial underboss in many ways because when you had a problem, you spoke to Eddie and he would sort things out before it even got back to Nicoletti. Frankly, if it weren’t for Eddie Cavallone, the Patriarca would have been bankrupt a long time ago. Eddie wasn’t friends with Carlos, but he was strangely honourable even when he was dealing under the table. Levi should have known that all rivers led back to the Cavallone, but on that night when he’d met Dino Foraldo, it never even occurred to him that he was speaking to someone who might have strong connections. He’d seen Dino as a teenager in his grandfather’s suit rather than a potential ***-kicker. Levi had been subject to his own brand of poison and the realisation was worse than dipping your balls into ice water.

“So?” Levi grumbled eventually, deciding that stubbornness was the better part of valour. “You had some resistance, but you sorted it out, right?”

“Fortunately, yes. It was costly, but it was fixed. In the future, I’d advise you to be better behaved, but as you tend not to listen to my advice…”

Levi growled under his breath and glowered at the older Italian.

“I suppose it’s pointless even speaking.”

“And yet you go on regardless.”

“Foraldo and Cavallone are key players and frankly, Levi, I need you to not aggravate them while everything is coming together. Can you handle that much?”

“And that’s it?” Levi grumbled, arching a dark brow again. “That’s your role for me?”

“In essence, yes. I require a great deal from you – to go against your natural instincts to piss everyone off.”

“Hey, I don’t always go out there like I wanna blow up the world. I just have a low tolerance threshold for idiots.”

“As do we all, Levi. Nonetheless, tact is better than running your mouth and blowing holes in your reputation.”

“Yeah, whatever. I kinda doubt I’ll be going back to ruffle any feathers in the next couple of months anyway.”

“If only it was that simple,” Gino managed within a heavy sigh.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Part of my fixing strategy involved you having a chat with Foraldo and Cavallone.”

“What?” Levi said through gritted, wolf-like teeth.

“It is Foraldo’s understanding that you threatened his son, did you really expect—”

“What? I never threatened the little ******!”

Levi’s brow was twitching with rage, but Gino looked quite complacent. Chestnut eyes regarded the Vampiro like a sticky-handed child protesting about being caught in the cookie jar.

“Don’t give me that ******* look, Valachi. I didn’t threaten the little ********.”

“Perhaps the intent wasn’t there, but it was inferred nevertheless. So, you will now have to make a decision between your pride and your freedom. Apologise and everything will run smoothly. Don’t… And, well… What is the saying? **** rolls downhill.”

“Real classy,” Levi murmured.

Gino barely made the effort to shrug his shoulders, but his features were gleaming with amusement.

“I’ll speak to them. I ain’t ******* happy about it. But I’ll do it.”

Gino didn’t allow his surprise to hold onto his tongue for too long. “I am glad we could come to an agreement.”

“You gonna give me a whole itinerary to work from or can I at least decide some **** for myself?”

“I won’t be breathing down your neck provided you’re a good boy. Speak to Foraldo and Cavallone by the end of September. Make a good impression and do try your hand at an apology. Everything else will fall into place.”

Compliance was nothing short of punishment for the umber-eyed Italian, but Levi really didn’t have a choice in the matter. There was no way to guarantee that Gino or William would keep their word about granting Levi a little freedom, but could the Patriarca really run any worse under the command of Valachi and D’Amico? For all their tormenting faults, at least Levi could be sure they were a determined and hungry pair of fuckers. Hell, they were family. Levi knew what to expect of them by now. Gino would be pulling strings from the shadows and reaping the rewards while William would have all the glory of pulling the Patriarca back together again. William sure loved a project and Gino loved a venture. Meanwhile, Levi loved money, power and freedom. Levi could milk them for what they were worth and they wouldn’t mind too much – they might not even notice if Levi worked from enough of a distance. Gino was right, damn him. For just a little compliance, the benefits were pretty outstanding.

“Fine,” Levi grumbled. “No doubt I’ll know it if I **** up in any way.”

Gino hummed dully and bowed his head in agreement. “As always Levi,” Gino said, sounding quite exasperated as he rose from his seat; his hands fell to his side after briefly primping his waistcoat and jacket. “It has been an experience.”

Sneering, Levi rose from his chair as well. “Yeah, ditto.”

Gino made a sound through his nose that was half sigh, half laugh. “Honestly... you are such a child sometimes.”

Umber eyes narrowed, but Levi said nothing; small creases appeared between his dark brows, much to the satisfaction of the older gentleman. Gino seemed to be standing near the door with his guards, watching Levi like he was expecting something spontaneous, something fascinating. Gino always had that way about him, like he was studying people not because he found them particularly fascinating, but because he wanted to see what they would do having been pushed in a certain direction. Gino was a scientist in charge of a laboratory full of rats and each one was subjected to a very specific set of stimuli. In Levi’s case, it seemed to be a matter of testing his willpower – counting down the seconds until Levi would let the pin of his rage go, and then Gino would measure the blast radius. Anger was an emotion that was very familiar to the Italian and Gino had already done a thorough job at testing Levi’s patience. The Vampiro had at least three retorts lined up for every quick shot the other man fired at him, but getting the counter-attacks in seemed like a waste of resources. No matter what, Gino would have the victory here. If Levi responded, he was childish. If Levi ignored the attacks, he was being passive.

“So… You headed back to Italy then?” Levi asked after a tense roll of his shoulders.

For once in a very long time, Gino was the one to avert his gaze. Chestnut eyes crawled across the floor and over his buffed shoes toward the door. They hovered there for a moment, dull and unseemly, and then when he returned his sights to Levi, a heaving sigh seemed to blast out the cobwebs of his soul and bring the sparkle back.

“I’m afraid I still have a few matters to attend to before I can return home,” Gino murmured. “Will you be returning to the office this evening? Or perhaps…”

“Don’t even,” Levi warned.

Of course, Gino never was one to take a threat without amusement. Smirking to himself, the older gentleman bowed his head mercifully and turned that demanding gaze upon his men. Levi watched, begrudgingly, as the twin towers of muscle responded without waver or complaint or even a vocal command from their master. In one fluid motion, both silent men stepped forward before the one reached for the door, opened it and marched calmly into the corridor. With a single nod of his head, Gino was given the all-clear, prompting him, and the remaining body guard, to proceed. Levi huffed and after once again feeling put-out, followed the charade into the corridor.

“So…” Levi murmured, addressing the wallpaper that seemed dangerously close to his face. “You had to hire an entire floor of a building just to have a little chat with me?”

Since Damask wasn’t a style Levi was particularly fond of, it didn’t take him long to look back at the heads of five men bobbing along like empty tortoise shells up a thin river. Gino had been very cautious tonight. It almost made Levi wonder whether he should have brought some back-up too. It wasn’t all that likely that Gino had prepared all this just because of Levi’s explosive rage.

“I’m sorry, no. This wasn’t all for you,” came Gino’s voice amongst the collection of shells.

Since the man wouldn’t elaborate and Levi really, really wanted to know what the **** was going on, he decided that growling questions was the best way to make that happen.

“You got friends in the area, do you?”

“I wouldn’t call them friends.”

“Then what would you call them?” Levi spat back – the word ‘lab rats’ being on the tip of his tongue but somehow not included.

“A means to an end.”

That was worth a snort of amusement. “Charming.”

Gino hummed derisively, but didn’t say anything until they were a foot away from the elevator. At that point, the tight circle of guards flexed and Gino turned to face Levi. Chestnut eyes looking dull, he paid no mind to one of the men behind him pressing the button to call the elevator.

“I guess I’ll catch the next one,” Levi said, cutting Gino off from whatever he was about to say.

Gino gave him a slow nod and brief smile in response. When the elevator came, the stooges performed the same show – checking the coast was clear before ushering their master inside. Did Gino really have to be this well guarded? He definitely wasn’t suspicious of Levi – the man’s veritable nephew – so what was he worried about? Anything that got the hairs on that old goat standing on end was worth investigating. Spying on a spy would generally be difficult, but Levi had more means available to him now than he’d ever had before…

“You will try to behave, won’t you?” Gino asked, quirking a brow.

With a grin, Levi shrugged his shoulders. “I could try. Maybe. I’m practically doing it now.”

As the elevator doors closed, visibly shutting Gino Valachi out of Levi’s life for the immediate future, a sigh could be heard followed by a murmured sentence. “So very much like a child…”

That devilish grin would last for hours even if Levi was doomed. Small victories were still victories nevertheless.