Chapter 5: The Italians are back
2068 Words
Chapter 5
The Italians are back
Kyril Levin
Moscow, Russia – October 4th, 2020
After making sure that the door to his office is closed, Kyril takes a seat.
“Are you sure you want to hire your daughter?”
“She needs an internship.”
Viktor worked as Volkov’s assistant until he died last year. He had to replace Aleksander and has been proved himself over and over ever since. Kyril trusts his judgement.
“I want to put her in Risk Management.”
“But Kyril, those clients are…those clients.”
“I know. But I need to see if she can handle it.”
“Maybe you should wait until your son-“
“If any of my children could manage this position, Valentina would be my bet. I don’t care if she’s my first-born daughter, I think she could get into it.”
“Children these days are softer than us when we were their age.”
“She saw Romeo get shot right next to her, and she was the only calm one in that entire theatre. I trust her judgement, Viktor. I really do.”
There’s a heavy sigh on the other side. Even though his temporary consiglieri doesn’t agree with him, Kyril will go ahead with his plan.
“She’ll move to New York, so I’ll make sure she’s safe. Talk to HR and just let them know we’re taking in a new intern.”
Viktor sighs again.
***
New York, United States – November 14th, 2020
“But how does she do in meetings?”
“She doesn’t say much. I told her to just take notes, like you said. But she’s starting to become…impatient.”
“How?”
“She asks questions, follow-ups, she wants to know why I didn’t go for a decision or why we signed off on a deal that ripped the others off.”
A smile sneaks onto Kyril’s face.
“She said that?”
“Yes, about the Albanian deal. We took a very large percentage over the market because they were desperate. We weren’t ‘correct’ she said.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Exactly what you told me to say. That our interest is to make a profit, not to be fair.”
“And how did she react?”
“She didn’t seem so happy about it. But I figure she just accepted it.”
“Did she ask you about what you do?”
Viktor shakes his head. “Not exactly.”
The food is brought out, so they eat in silence for the next ten minutes.
Once the coffee and ashtrays are set on their table, they switch to business talk.
“You said there was something important on the phone yesterday.”
“The Italians have come back.”
A chill settles in Kyril’s bones, like the temperature in the room just suddenly dropped.
“Explain.”
“They asked for a meeting.”
“How do you know it’s them?”
“It’s GDC Corp.”
Kyril hasn’t heard that name in decades, not since his father was still CEO. Back then, he remembers his father’s business rival, Enzo Giudice, from GDC Corporation.
It was brought up in their household often when he was a teenager, and Boris hasn’t shut up about them since their father died.
Kyril knows that the Italians had something to do with the murder of his father, but he’s already made his peace with it.
“What do they want?”
“They’re saying they want to buy some of our safehouses because we haven’t been using them.” He lowers his voice. “Legally.”
“They know we’re using them for storage.”
“That’s what I figured. But it doesn’t make sense. We made peace with them in 2008.” That’s the reason his family has been going to Sicily every year for the past twelve years. To ensure that there was mutual peace between them. Everyone’s families were involved, and there was an honor code when it came to wives and children.
His family being there showed trust, and the Italians showed their trust by not interfering with them in any way. They have since then split up their territories and made peace in New York as well.
They showed their trust then by sending both of their families to the same school, and since then, New York has been considered a neutral zone. Everybody minded their own business.
It’s been working for the past decade, but now they’re back.
He doesn’t have to ask about who’s in charge to know that it’s Lorenzo Giudice.
“When’s the meeting?”
“On the 16th.”
“Send Valentina alone.”
Viktor’s face changes.
“What?”
“I want to send her in alone.”
“You want to send your daughter into a meeting with one of the most dangerous gangs in the f*****g world?”
“They won’t do anything to her. And I think she’ll stand her ground against them. Tell her you have an engagement during the meeting, then come meet me in the security room. We’re going to watch from the monitors.”
“Are you sure?”
“They won’t be carrying guns, they won’t get through security. I trust her. If she can’t handle it, at least I’ll know that she won’t take over when the time is right and stop wasting my time.”
“You know you’re going to have to talk to your wife, right?”
“Only after the meeting is over. I don’t want her to worry.”
***
Lorenzo Giudice
Palermo, Sicily – September 15th, 2020
The meeting was called by Franco that Thursday, and they met in his office at his house.
“It’s about the Russians.”
Lorenzo doesn’t even get to sit down by the time his consiglieri spits out the problem.
“What about the Russians?”
Thinking about the Russians always leaves a stale taste in his mouth, like he’s tasting blood and something else.
The only incident they’ve had with the Russians since making peace in 2008 was the two men who entered Francesco’s shop by the pier.
“The Russians worked with Romeo.”
“Who?”
Lorenzo already knows the answer.
“Kyril and Boris Levin.”
It turned out that the two Russian men that Paulo ended up killing weren’t a part of the Levin group.
“How are they connected to Romeo?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Lorenzo searches his coat for his cigarettes, mind all over the place.
“Luca DeCosta is starting to ask questions.”
Lorenzo’s hand stops.
“He asked one of the guys working there for the video.” Franco continues.
“What did you give him?”
“Romeo arriving and entering the building.”
“I don’t want him to get too close.”
“He’s the one who initially told me that the Russians were involved. He recognized the Levin brothers in the video. I ran a check on them, got everything I could find. Isabella is friends with his daughter.”
Lorenzo knows who Valentina Levin is. He knew ever since she stepped foot in Sicily in 2008.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t know. Our children know their children.”
Franco has always been the soft one.
“We need to find out why they knew Romeo.” Lorenzo speaks after a while. “If they used him to spy on us even after our agreed peace, then we have a problem.”
“I don’t think restarting the war with the Russians is a bad idea. The last one took decades. We’re finally at peace with them.”
“Don’t act like they’re not the ones who turned Romeo into a rat.”
“Allegedly.”
Lorenzo rolls his eyes. “Allegedly.”
Franco smirks at his boss and best friend since school.
“We’ll find out eventually. I think our bigger problem is Luca and him getting to Matteo.”
“The press has their scapegoat, and Luca will believe it. There’s no trace leading to Matteo.”
“What if he thinks the Russians did it?”
“Let him think whatever he wants. If he kills one of them because he thinks they murdered his uncle, that’s not my fault.”
“What if he kills Isabella’s friend? The daughter had nothing to do with it.”
Lorenzo raises an eyebrow. “Allegedly.” He grins.
“We said we wouldn’t bring children into this.” Franco retorts, hinting at the pact they made with the Russians in 2008.
“Matteo is already involved.”
“That was your choice. I don’t want Isabella to be. But if her friend gets murdered by someone working for us-“
“He won’t kill anyone, Franco. I’ll have Matteo work with Luca in New York, working as security detail for our Russian clients.”
“You want to keep an eye on Boris?”
“I want to keep an eye on everyone. Something is not adding up, and it might get…dangerous.”
Franco stays silent as he registers the gravity of Lorenzo’s words.
“I’ll ask Matteo to be in New York, and that will also solve the worry you have about your daughter.”
“How does that help Isabella?”
“Matteo will make sure nothing happens to the girl. She’s slept over at our house before.”
***
New York, United States – November 1st, 2020
Lorenzo and Franco get into the elevator after leaving Matteo’s apartment.
“Where are you going to move him?” Franco asks as soon as the door closes.
“I don’t know yet, in one of our buildings. Somewhere where Luca can’t get in without being searched.”
“Do you think he might be a threat already?”
“He already knows who the Levin brothers are and is intending on getting close to the girl. If he realizes that the Russians are a dead end, I don’t know. I can’t take the risk with Matteo.”
He’s supposed to take over after me
“Capo dei capi.” Franco says, nodding. “He’s not ready yet.”
“He needs to alive when the time comes. He’ll be ready by then. But he’s the only one who can do it out of all my children.”
Franco nods again, agreeing.
“Who’s in charge out of the brothers?”
Last time they came in contact with the Levin brothers, it was 2008 and they had agreed to peace. Back then, Boris Levin was still the one calling the shots. But based on how he’s been behaving at parties recently, as per Luca and Matteo’s account, it doesn’t look like he’s in charge of anything.
“We don’t know yet. Kyril is CEO of their legal business, but-we don’t know. I think things have changed since Enzo’s death.” Lorenzo tenses up at the mention of his father. “But back then, their father was still alive. Kyril is the oldest, but Boris has always been more…wild, I guess.”
The elevator opens and they step foot in the lobby. By the time they reach their car, Lorenzo has already made up his mind.
“Get me a meeting with Aleksander.”
They both stop when they realize what was just said.
“Aleksander died last year.”
Aleksander Volkov had been the one handling deals for the Russians since 2005, and he was the one who handled the truce in 2008. He was also the one that Lorenzo met with every year in Sicily, to ensure that the peace pact was still upholding.
“Yes.” Lorenzo speaks then. “I meant the new guy.”
“His name is Viktor, that’s all we know.”
“Get me more information on him, then set up a meeting in two weeks. Here, in New York.”
Franco shifts.
“Are you sure you want to set up a meeting? They might take it as an act of-“
“I’m sure. I need to find out why Romeo was involved with the Russians before Luca does. That’s the only way I can protect Matteo. And everyone else.”
- Writer
