Chapter 4 Trapped

• “Have you seen that jerk Nikolov pawing at my sister last night?” Noah grunts and tosses a football into the air while reclining in a plush leather chair in front of Hunter’s desk. “Shitty guy has some nerve.”
• Did he notice it? Perhaps a more pertinent inquiry would be: Had he been able to think of anything other than that dickhead pawing at her?
• Hunter clenches his fist tight around the water bottle, denting the plastic. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just trying to flex his muscles now that he’s back from Chicago.”
• “Yeah, why the hell is he back here again? I thought he was gone for good when your grandfather banished him from northern New York.”
• So did everyone else in the family.
• But Hunter’s father has other plans and ordered him back here. It doesn’t make Balister Da Vinci. And it sure as hell doesn’t make Noah happy since he was angling to become Da Vinci’s business partner and lost hundreds of thousands along with Balister all because of Romano.
• Noah is also the one who blew the whistle on Romano, who had been operating as a bookie without getting the necessary permission from Victor.
• Rats are rats regardless of the good that comes from it, and Noah’s reputation went spiraling down the toilet after that. Once a rat, always a rat. “I’m sure Dad has his reasons. Don’t worry about him.”
• “Worry? Give me a break. He’s the one who should be worried. Da Vinci has been foaming at the mouth, waiting for an opportunity to sink his claws into that douchebag. And you already know how I feel.”
• “If Da Vinci knows what’s good for him, he’ll just let it go. The same goes for you. Grandpa punished him, and now my dad claims the debt is cleared.”
• “It’s a bunch of bullshit. He’s a fucking two-faced thief who’d cut his own grandmother’s neck for a nickel.”
• “You do realize his grandmother died last year.”
• “Fine. You know what the hell I’m talking about, man. He’d do it if she were still alive.”
• “Noah, you have to let this shit go. Just forget it. He’s a thief, but you’re a snitch, according to the rest of the family, which is just as bad. Romano served his time, and now he needs to start over with a hell of a lot of suspicious eyes on him. It won’t be easy for him to rehabilitate his rep.
• “But you’ve had opportunities while he’s been dicking around in Chicago. The job here at the club can be a real stepping stone for you, but only if you don’t let yourself get sucked back into the past.”
• “I still didn’t like the way he looked at my sister. I’d fucking kill any of the guys if they laid a finger on her,” Noah grumbles, his tirade against Romano silenced only for the few seconds it takes him to gulp the remaining Blue Moon from his glass.
• And what would he do if he knew his best friend had laid more than just a finger on his baby sister?
• Underboss or not, his is the throat he’d be cutting. So, he snoozed on the most critical decision of his life, making it open season for guys like Nikolov, who think a fat wallet is the only thing that will make Elle Rossi happy.
• It isn’t. Hunter knew what would make her happy. He just couldn’t give it to her.
• “I think they know that.”
• “She’s home for the next few weeks. Maybe I should make an example out of Lucchese, so the other assholes know I mean business. I don’t want any of them getting any ideas about her.”
• “She’s a big girl. I don’t think she’d appreciate you putting Romano in the hospital for comforting her at the funeral.”
• Hunter looked around his office—it’s large, sleek, and occupies its floor of Faux, the nightclub he singlehandedly opened and turned into the hottest spot in downtown Brooklyn.
• They can get it all: sex, drugs, and top-shelf liquor. The Moretti family owns the country's largest gambling and prostitution rings, which have made them extremely wealthy. However, they are not involved in the drug trade.
• Breaking into that business sparked their feud with the Rossis in the first place, and it was long established that it would never be one of their key sources of income. But even though drugs aren't their primary business, their contacts let them get their customers anything they want for a price.
• Hunter has spent over three years making the club renowned — or infamous — among the Hollywood elite, politicians, musicians, and others. If you're an A-lister, you've probably heard of his club or attended one of their many VIP events, especially around awards season. He was pretty proud of what he had accomplished here, and he knew his grandfather felt the same way. He was never a tyrant. His abilities are in business, and they have earned him a lot of money.
• But recently, his success has only shone a light on what he had to give up along the way…namely, Elle Rossi.
• Because this isn’t a life for her, it’s not a life for them. And as much as he loves to give it all up and walk away, he can’t. Too many people depend on him, and too many people have invested in his vision.
• There are expectations, ones you just can’t escape from, especially if you’re Vince Moretti’s son. And now that his grandfather is gone, there are a lot of rumblings among the families.
• People are trying to grasp whatever slivers of control they can, including Massimo Rossi, Noah and Elle’s dad.
• Victor Moretti was the linchpin of their organization. He'd proven himself to his allies and made them a lot of money over the years because he knew people, what they wanted, and, most importantly, how to deliver. He also learned how to bargain for the best possible result.
• Everyone is now attempting to construct their own empires to see who can ascend the fastest and seize the available reins to keep the wealth coming. However, they will never be Victor. Definitely never be able to step into his shoes.
• Hunter’s father was never one to control the masses. He always preferred to stay in the background, letting Victor exert his will. Truth be told, he doesn’t even know if he really wanted this life or if he just allowed himself to get sucked in.
• Like he did.
• But now he’s front and center, like it or not. He has decisions to make and alliances to build…quickly. Massimo Rossi is a problem — he always has been with his big ideas and equally big ass mouth.
• His father knows he needs to work fast and smart to hold him at bay before he does something that will throw the whole organization into upheaval. Hell, he’s the reason for the feud between their families.
• Massimo had the brilliant idea of collaborating with one of the New York crime families to run drugs, and he set the wheels in action before informing Victor Moretti of the details. That didn't sit well with either him or his father. And the leader of that New York family, Isaac Gudechili, was furious when the sale fell through. He, like Rossi, suffered a lot of setbacks.
• Rossi has always been a power-hungry jerk, and he's harbored a grudge against Hunter's father ever since, waiting for the opportunity to break free and take control. Perhaps he believes the time has finally come.
• But neither he nor Noah is aware that they have a supplier in direct competition with Gudechili and wishes to destroy his business. Because if Gudechili is removed, the Russian bratva has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
• “If Romano shows up here, I’m going to take him outside and shove a baseball bat so far down his throat that it’s going to come out his ass.” Noah picks up a second bottle from Hunter’s desk and takes a long swig.
• Victor Moretti always liked Massimo and never took sides when he and Vince had they’re falling out. It’s always business, never personal, he’d say.
• Hunter agreed, and because Noah was his best friend, he wanted to help him. Nobody wanted the risk of having such a hothead involved in their business after what happened with Da Vinci, so he sought him. He, like everyone else, assumed that if he were associated with him and an effective business, doors would open for him.
• But they’re still slammed shut.
• Victor even tried to get Noah jobs to expose him to the other family heads. Still, everyone was aware of his reputation and how hazardous having him on the inside would be, especially after he'd snitched and had Romano sent to Chicago as punishment for his deception.
• Hunter was now trapped. And Noah has given him more headaches than he cares to remember. Fucking the staff, beating the snot out of customers for even looking at him cross-eyed...it's a miracle he still has a business.
• “Are you still pissed off about him and Stella? You’ve been hot on her this whole time. Is that your problem?”