Love and War 2 (7 page)

Caprice knew that Nico was sticking to Fausto’s orders and staying in New York to fall back into Paolo’s good grace. He had to keep the old man off Caprice’s back until Domani came home or he voluntarily stepped aside. He didn’t have the time to be riding up and down the highway to check in his sister. But he’d been hearing things. His cousins may be up there to work with Caprice, but they worked for him.

“Can I at least get a hug?”

Nico stood up and hugged his sister. He didn’t like her new look. She no longer looked like the fresh faced twenty-two year old who loved to shop and gossip on Facebook with her friends. Sure, she was still beautiful, but her Chanel suit made her fit right in with the power attorneys at Poleski’s law firm. She even had a briefcase. Nico snickered as he sat back down.

“What’s with the briefcase?”

“Paolo said he wanted to see the architect’s design and the proposals that I have from builders. Was I supposed to carry them in my backpack or purse?”

“You’re different,” was Nico’s reply.

Caprice sighed. “Everybody keeps saying that. Of course I’m different. And keep in mind, dear brother, I’d just graduated from high school when we met. I’ve grown up a lot since then. Besides, I’m in my element. I do run my own business. I was a CEO before our father gave me The Capri, remember? Why is my mother the only person who thinks I’m not playing at this?”

“Get your panties out of a bunch,” Nico teased. “I like the suits. You look like that lady on that show Maria likes.”

“That’s what I was going for. What do we need to talk about?”

“A little birdie told me that you’re shackin’ up with Diesel? What the fuck are you doin’, Caprice? I thought you and Rocco were...you know-”

Caprice swallowed a large lump in her throat. She definitely hasn’t expected those words to come out of his mouth. She’s been doing everything in her power to keep Rocco from coming to Atlantic City. She had a talk with him about their relationship. He accepted the fact that she didn’t want to get married, but no one knew it was because she’d chosen Diesel over him. No one was supposed to know until she was ready to tell them. How in the fuck did Nico find out?

“Ummm, well,” she began to stutter. “Me and Rocco...”

“Let’s get one thing clear,” Nico said. “I don’t want you with either of them. Diesel can’t be trusted and you fuckin’ know that! I don’t care what kind of deal you made with him to get him to give up Aries, but he does not get you. Understood?”

Caprice raised her eyebrows. Nico had never given her an order before. He never made her do anything.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m fuckin’ serious. End it and end it now before anyone else finds out.”

“And by anyone, you mean our father?”

“And Paolo.”

“And if I don’t? What if I really love him and I don’t want to end it?”

“Don’t go there with me, little sister,” Nico warned. “Don’t ever test me like that.”

For a second, Caprice considered saying something else in her defense. Judging by the look on her brother’s face and the seriousness in his voice, she decided it was better to be quiet. She’d figure out how to get around his directive another way. Arguing with her brother was not an option.

She changed the subject. “Why don’t you want me to be with Rocco? Not that I want to anyway, but I want to know your reason.”

Nico had already figured out that he didn’t need to make any moves against Rocco. Actually, it was Fausto who made him stand down. Nico was still a little pissed off by what Rocco had done, but he was grateful he wouldn’t have to put a bullet in his best friend’s head.

Caprice, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t be okay about it. If it hadn’t been for Rocco, she wouldn’t still be having nightmares about Aries’ dead body.

Maybe she didn’t need to know.

“Me and you, have to hold down this entire organization until Pops comes home. People are depending on us and I don’t need you distracted, got it?”

“You’re married,” Caprice argued. “How is your wife not a distraction?”

“Maria’s family.”

“And Rocco isn’t?”

“You don’t even want to be with the guy!” Nico shouted and banged his fists on the conference table. “Just do what the fuck I said! You know good and damn well not to argue with me. What the fuck is your problem?”

Caprice sat silently in her chair, confused about what she’d done to make Nico so mad. But when Paolo and Peter Poleski entered the room, she knew that the yelling had just begun. Paolo was looking at her like he hated her.

She opened her briefcase and slid the papers Paolo had requested across the table to him.

“You know this isn’t about those bullshit papers,” he said. “I want to know why Sergio Peretti wants you dead.”

The room went absolutely silent. Caprice sucked in her breath. She couldn’t have heard him correctly.

“Huh?”

“Don’t act stupid, girl.”

Caprice didn’t know what to say. Beefing with the Black Diamond Mafia was nothing compared to what an Italian with a vendetta would do to her.

“I...I...” Caprice stammered. “He was refusing to keep the deal he made with Dad. He owed us money.”

“So, it’s true. You threatened to cut off his pecker and shove it down his throat if he didn’t come up with the money.”

Caprice nodded slowly. She looked at Nico for help but there was nothing he could do.

Paolo cleared his throat. “Clear the room. Caprice, stay.”

Poleski and Nico walked slowly out of the conference room. Nico patted Caprice on her shoulders and tried to assure her that everything was going to be okay. She couldn’t find it in her heart to believe him.

“Did you get the money from Sergio?”

“Yes. Once he paid, the rest of them fell in line.”

To Caprice’s surprise, Paolo burst out laughing. He laughed heartily until tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. Caprice didn’t know how to react. She rarely heard Paolo do anything but yell. What was going on?

“I didn’t believe him,” Paolo said. “He was so pissed, but I just couldn’t believe that he’d had his life threatened by a woman and was scared.”

“I don’t understand,” Caprice finally spoke up. “What’s so funny?”

“Your father was so adamant about you. He’s not worried about you. ‘
Leave her alone
’, he said. ‘
She can handle anything you throw her way
’, he said. Mother fuck me if he wasn’t right. You’re one tough cookie.”

Caprice still didn’t believe Paolo, the man who hated everything about her was saying those things about her. He hadn’t had a single nice thing to say about her since she met him. Why the sudden change?

“What are the names of the investors?” Paolo asked. “I want to make sure you don’t have any more problems with them.”

Caprice eyed Paolo suspiciously. If he didn’t know who was in the syndicate, there had to be a reason why Domani had not given him this information. She wondered why and what else Domani hadn’t told his
consigliore
.

“Don’t worry about them, Paolo. I have that all under control.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Sergio still wants you dead.”

“I have it under control,” Caprice repeated. “Why are you all up in my business? Our deal was that you took care of our New York business and I would stick to New Jersey. I got the Black Diamond Mafia working for you again. Get off my back.”

“Poleski says you’ve been asking for more money.”

Paolo’s accusation made Caprice snicker.

“I’m building a casino. If I need access to more of my family’s money, I don’t have to ask.”

“Your father didn’t put your name on those accounts so that you could have fancy dinners and shopping sprees.”

Caprice roller her eyes and gathered her papers together. As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over. She didn’t have anything else to say to Paolo about anything. She snapped her briefcase closed and stood up to leave.

“Sit down,” Paolo ordered. “We’re not done.”

“I’m done,” Caprice told him. “I know what the fuck I’m doing in New Jersey. I’m not sitting here questioning you about why two of the three strip clubs you’re supposed to be watching over are losing money weekly. I haven’t said one thing about why the B-Lounge is about to lose its liquor license. Maybe you should worry about how you’re going to explain those things to Dad when he calls instead of taking meetings with my investors.”

Paolo’s face reddened with bewilderment and anger. Never had anyone questioned about him how he took care of business. Caprice was out of line. She shouldn’t have been aware of the things that she had mentioned. She was prying into his affairs and overstepping her bounds. Obviously, the little bit of power Domani had given her had gone straight to her head. Paolo was going to do everything in his power to change that.

“I’m taking over The Capri,” he announced. “You should make arrangements to leave Atlantic City.”

Caprice burst out laughing. “Yeah right. Who do you think you are to just decide to take over something that you aren’t even involved in?”

Caprice walked to the end of the table and glared down at Paolo with pity.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said evenly. “My father may have put you in charge, but he didn’t put you in charge of me. I don’t like you and I don’t trust you. Maybe, just maybe, you should focus on the shit I just mentioned before Fausto hears about this. Leave me alone.”

Paolo pushed his chair back and stood tall in front of Domani’s daughter. He wasn’t the least bit intimidated by her tough talk.

“You’re a tough girl. You’re a smart girl. But believe me, you’re just a little girl in a man’s world. Don’t you ever threaten me again. Family or not, Caprice Bonatelli, I will end you.”

Caprice wasn’t going to back down. She had youth, brains, and her great-grandfather on her side. There was nothing that Paolo could say or do to her, but she was smart enough not to show her hand. Paolo was going to suffer in a way that just wasn’t fair for a man of his age...when the time was right. He was the only thing standing in her way and one day, he’d quietly go away. He may have been “family” but he wasn’t bulletproof.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she informed him. “Like I said, you worry about your shit and I’ll worry about mine. If you can’t handle it, step aside old man, and let someone else do it.”

Caprice patted Paolo on his shoulder and smirked. “Good talk, Uncle. Have a great week.”

Tossing her long hair over her shoulders, Caprice turned on her heels and left the conference room. She found Nico in Poleski’s office. Both he and the lawyer stopped talking when she slammed the door shut and turned the lock.

“We have a problem,” she informed both of them. She glanced at Poleski, who was frowning at her.

“Before I continue, I need to know where your loyalty lies,” she said bluntly. “With the family you’ve worked for all these years or with Paolo?”

“Paolo is part of the Bonatelli family,” the stuffy lawyer replied.

“That’s all I needed to hear. I want to see Fausto. Arrange a meeting,” Caprice demanded.

Peter looked flustered. He knew about the one meeting Caprice and Nico had with Fausto. He had arranged it at the request of the big man. He wasn’t supposed to cater to the whims of Domani’s daughter though, unless it had something do with the casino. Those were direct orders from both Paolo and Domani.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he replied, knowing that he wasn’t going to contact Fausto.

Caprice saw right through his lie and added the lawyer to the list of people she knew she couldn’t trust.

“What are you doing about the B-Lounge’s liquor license?” she asked out of the blue. “They’ve been operating without one for three days. Surely, our family lawyer knows that’s illegal. Surely, our family lawyer understands the importance of keeping our legit businesses legit. Surely, our family lawyer understands that he is expendable, right?”

Poleski sighed. “I’m looking into it, Caprice.”

Caprice sat down in the large leather chair directly across from the lawyer. She crossed her legs and leaned back. She looked back and forth between the lawyer Domani trusted with all his affairs and her brother who she knew was on her side. Nico walked over and sat in the other chair next to Caprice.

“How exactly are you handling it, Mr. Poleski?” she asked. “And I think it’s about time that we know everything. Start talking.”

“Nico,” Caprice whined into the phone. “Just talk to him, okay? That’s all I’m asking. You’ll see that I know what I’m doing. We can trust him.”

“No we can’t!” Nico yelled at his sister. “I’ve had plenty of conversations with Diesel and Aries and I can read people better than you. He goes back to where he came from until the casino is done and you are able to actually keep your end of the stupid ass deal you made with him. If I catch him around you, I swear to fuckin’ Christ, I will shoot him in the fuckin’ head!”

Caprice rolled her eyes and stretched out on her sofa. She and Nico had been having the same conversation for three days. Neither one was budging an inch.