Long Live the King (An Italian Mafia Romance Duet #2) by Ws Greer Read Free Book Online Page B

get the approval he needs from the Commission with no trouble at all. They back him up all the way, because he’s their bridge to the past. He’s their representative for how things used to be. If you have trouble with Victor Fronzo, you’re fucked.
    I’ve never been afraid of another man, and I never will be, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take certain guys seriously. This isn’t some young micio from Russia trying to be his father. I’m smart enough to admit Victor and Giovanni are the real deal, so I have an instant headache because this is an instant problem that won’t go away on its own.
    “Victor fucking Fronzo,” I exclaim, repeating the Chicago boss’s name to myself. “Well, you’re really on a roll, Jimmy.” The new capo doesn’t even look up at me, so I just roll past humiliating him. “Alright Frankie, call up Giovanni and arrange a sit-down.”
    “You got it, Dominic.”

Dominic
    “O kay, I don’t like this.”
    “I know, but I gotta take care of this before it blows up.”
    “But you said this Victor guy is the most ruthless boss you’ve ever known. Seeing as how you’ve been involved in this your entire life, I’d say that’s a pretty big deal, Dominic.”
    I can hear the worry in Alannah’s voice, and I can definitely read the way it’s written all over her face. Even after a year in this life, I know she isn’t completely comfortable with everything that goes on, though she tries her best to act like she is. She knows nobody takes care of business better than me, but her love for me makes her worry. I love that she loves me that much, so I don’t try to tell her not to worry when I know she will anyway. My only goal is to show her that even though she worries, I almost come out unscathed.
    You better remember it forever, I’m Dominic Collazo.
    I stop what I’m doing and walk over to Alannah, who’s sitting on the edge of the bed, still wearing her “pajamas,” which is a nothing but a big St. Louis Blues jersey. The apprehension is deep in her eyes, and even though there isn’t anything I can do to take that away, I can do my best to try to make her feel better about it.
    “Listen, babe,” I say, as I kneel in front of her and take her hand. “If I don’t go down there and take care of this right now, we’re gonna have a fucking war in the streets of St. Louis. Victor Fronzo is an old hard-head, but you know me—I’m gonna take care of it like I always do. You’re gonna worry no matter what I say, but try not to. Victor’s a boss just like me. He can’t make a move on me without approval from the Commission, so the last thing that’ll happen is a shootout. Everything will be fine, and I’ll be back late tonight. You know I got this. This is just how we do business.”
    Her worried expression doesn’t change a bit.
    “I know,” she says in a whisper. “I just couldn’t take it if anything happened to you. I’d kill him myself if he hurt you.”
    I just have to smile after that one.
    “Well I appreciate you getting all gangster for me,” I say behind a light chuckle. “But you won’t have to kill anybody, because nothing’s gonna happen to me. I promise.”
    I give Alannah a gentle kiss on the lips before getting up and going back to my side of the bed. I grab the duffel bag that’s there waiting for me and finish stuffing in the bullet proof vest. Then, I toss in two nine millimeter pistols from behind my nightstand, a three-fifty-seven Magnum from the closet, and a shotgun from under the bed. Frankie’s already downstairs waiting to take the four-hour trip to Chicago to sit down with Victor and Giovanni.
    Time to go to work.

    “Why didn’t we know the truck belonged to Victor Fronzo?”
    “I don’t know, Dominic. It just never crossed any of our minds,” Frankie says as we exit the highway and head towards Chicago’s inner city.
    “I feel like this could’ve been avoided,” I reply, looking out the window at the bright lights of the