A day later, Leone sat in his office. The room was filled with the faint haze of cigarette smoke. Leone was hunched over his desk as he composed letters. The sunlight poured through the arched windows, casting golden shades across the polished wood. At the same time, smooth jazz drifted softly from the radio. Leone's cig was half burned and clasped at his lips.
It had been a few days since the start of his new endeavor with the distillery. He glanced over to a letter on his desk, signed by S. Giovanni. It was a well-worded letter, kindly reminding Leone of his place and the fact that his "loving grandfather" was watching him closely. Leone leaned back on his chair and picked up the letter to reread it, a crease forming on his brow. He smushed his cigarette out as if it had personally insulted him.
"I can't afford any hiccups," Leone muttered, then he opened a drawer to his desk and put the letter inside, closing it as he let out a sigh. For Dante, Marcus, and the rest of his family, he knew all too well what would happen if he failed. He still needed to prove himself.
Leone was brought out of his deep thoughts when he heard a knock on his door; he looked up to see Dante opening the door with his devil-may-care grin. Leone's expression was hard to read; he made sure to keep it impartial.
"Heya, Boss. I got the files, as ya asked." Dante sauntered over and placed the files on Leone's desk. He looked at Leone and tilted his head. "Are ya alright, Boss?" Dante leaned on Leone's desk, crossing his arms.
Leone looked at the files on the desk and nodded. "Thanks, fretallo. I'm fine." He replied curtly. "Just considering, Dante." He ran a hand through his hair. Dante always seemed to see right through him; it was one of the things he respected about Dante.
"My grandfather made it clear that success was not an option; it was a requirement." Leone stood from his desk, pulled out a new cigarette from a pack, and lit it with a match. His gaze pierced the window, and he looked out at the cityscape in the distance.
Dante grabbed a pen from Leone's desk and had been fidgeting with it while Leone was speaking. He nodded to Leone. "Don't worry, I've got your back; with my wit and Marcus keeping everyone in line, this is for sure going to flourish," He declared with a grin.
"I even went out of my way to get those speakeasies on board, the ones you wanted to partner with us, though it might rub some folks the wrong way. We can easily squash the competition," Dante added as he accidentally flicked the pen back onto the desk. He flinched but then acted as if that hadn't happened.
Leone listened to Dante and paced around his desk, his gaze flicking to the ground as he fell silent in thought. Dante was right, though they would need to improve on some aspects of their turf for their new business. Leone smirked at the idea; he was confident things would work out. "You're right, Mio fratello," Leone chuckled, then halted his pacing. He turned towards Dante, and the corner of his lips twitched up.
"Ya, of course, I'm right, Boss," Dante smirked, then shrugged his shoulders. "Later tonight, I was gonna take Marcus and a few of the boys out to a speakeasy in our new turf, ya know, show them who actually runs the place. Ya wanna come?" Dante spoke as he straightened up and prepared to leave. He took a few steps towards the door while glancing at Leone.
"It sounds like I have no choice but to come, especially if you are planning on causing trouble." Leone exhaled as he gazed at Dante, shooting him a subtle glare. The last thing he wanted was a shootout to happen on their newly acquired turf.
"Me? Cause trouble? Never." Dante chuckled, maintaining his playful tone despite Leone's subtle glare. "A few drinks never hurt anyone." Dante waved his hand dismissively. This new place was well hidden; Dante had heard it had been around for decades, which piqued his interest since it had only just come to their radar within the last few months. He made sure to document that in the notes on the file.
"Right." A sigh escaped Leone. "Just make sure you don't slack off too much today before we go out tonight." Leone reminded Dante. His meaning is clear: don't show up already drunk. Leone then fell back into his chair and set his cigarette on the ashtray. His hand slipped under the folder and then flipped it open to read the contents of the files Dante had delivered.
Dante chuckled as he gave a mock salute to Leone as he opened the door. "No worries, Boss. See ya later," Dante turned and then shut the door behind him, leaving Leone alone in his office. Dante had some free time now and decided to go out to the big city.
Leone gazed at the files, which contained records of the businesses in the area of their new turf, including notes and information. Leone tapped his finger on the desk as he read the contents. Some of these places had been solo long before his grandfather was even a speck in his great-grandfather's eye. Somehow, they were still standing; some had been well concealed, too remote. How did these establishments, so confidential and hard to find, even manage to make a profit? Who was their customer base? They seemed more shady than his own grandfather at this point. Something was going on, and he would get to the bottom of it.
The midday sun slowly drifted to evening. Street lamps flickered on, and whistles blew, marking the end of the work day and time for the nightlife to wake up. The good men went home; the others? Well, they were far from ready to go home.
A group of men, eight or so, walked down the lantern-lit street, all wearing suits. Leone led the back with a confident strut, a hand reaching up to pluck his spent cigarette from his lips and flicking it onto the sidewalk. Dante was on his right side, his hand behind his head, and his tie hanging loosely from his frame. On Leone's other side was the hulking mass of Marcus, who was guarded. The other five men were goons walking behind their Boss; some were focused, and others had grins.
The group approached a certain small, antique-looking cafe. It was now under Leone's management. The bell on the door rang as Leone opened the door, looking at the scrawny boy at the counter.
"Good evening, I believe we have an appointment with the gentleman who runs this establishment. Ride far and high, or so he says," Leone spoke, stepping up to the counter with a smile curling on his lips.
The boy looked at the group and shrank back slightly. "Uh- Yes, go on in..." He stuttered out, and then opened the back door to the underground speakeasy.
As Leone stepped past the boy and down the stairs, Dante, Marcus, and the rest of their lackies followed, barely glancing at the boy. Once inside the main establishment, past the guard, Leone looked around the speakeasy that a Luddek Knightheart ran. It was classy, just the way he liked it.
Luddek was entertaining a woman and her two associates when he noticed the group of humans entering. He excused himself and walked over to Leone, adjusting his tie as he went.
"Welcome, gentlemen. I am Luddek. I don't believe I have seen any of you around here before." Luddek spoke in a warm tone, a smile on his lips. He was expecting the Underboss of the Giovanni family to come, but he would not make assumptions.
Leone looked at the much shorter man. "So you're Luddek. I am Leone Giovanni, your new landlord. I assume you received our letter?" Leone spoke as he shifted his weight, one of his hands moving into his pocket, his pistol on the side of his hip flashing for a moment.
Dante tipped his hat, and Marcus grunted in a greeting.
"I kinda expected a man running such a fine place to be... well, taller," Dante commented with a cocky grin on his face, he leaned over Luddek ever so slightly.
Luddek bit his tongue and instead laughed a jolly laugh. "Yes, I received the letter. Welcome, welcome, please come and have a seat," Luddek gestured to the VIP booth, his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
The group moved into the VIP booth. Luddek had no choice but to play along with the new management.
Other patrons gave a subtle glance at the men in suits. Dante looked at the woman who was at the bar and grinned. She had curly blonde hair and stunning hazel eyes. Her red dress was elegant. When she glanced Dante's way, he gave her a wink before Marcus grabbed him by the elbow to follow Leone to the table. The woman smirked and then turned away.
"Ow, Marcus- watch the suit!" Dante whispered loudly, but Marcus didn't reply. He just sighed.
Once seated, Luddek had a waitress serve the finest wine the establishment had to offer.
"So, Luddek, let's talk business." Leone started as he pulled out an envelope from his suit pocket and handed it to Luddek. It seemed like this would be a pretty smooth transition. The old tavern would be seeing new faces. The secrets Luddek had under the rug would be harder to maintain, it seemed.