Men of Mayhem by Anthology Read Free Book Online Page A

with every step. “You’re rarely home between running the nightclub and your social life. What’s the big deal? You’ll barely see her.”
    I halted mid-stride and turned around, glaring at my twin sister. “The big deal is that I don’t want a fucking assistant. I don’t need anyone nosing around in my business, especially someone who’s not family. I can’t have random people in my space. You know that. Besides, I don’t need anyone else when I have you.”
    Carmela folded her arms across her chest. “Evie isn’t random. She’s my friend, and I don’t have time to do any of that stuff for you. I have a life too, you know.”
    “I know you do, but I don’t want a stranger in my home.”
    She huffed. “Fine. Can you find a position for her at the club? She could do inventory or bartend.”
    “Does she have any experience?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know, but what’s so hard about counting bottles or pouring a drink?”
    “It’s a lot harder than it looks,” I murmured, rubbing the towel down the side of my face.
    She smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. “Please, Gianluca. I need you,” she said, drawing out my full name. I hated that name. Nobody called me Gianluca except our dad and strangers.
    “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
    “No, and you’re going to help me.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    “Because you’re my favorite brother, and you’re always there when I need you, and right now, my really good friend needs you, which by extension, means me.”
    “I don’t have any openings.”
    She clipped the back of my head with her open palm like my mom had when I was a kid. I fucking hated it. “Well, then, make one.”
    “Easy, Carmela. No need to get violent. I’ll find something.” I leaned my hip against the wall, placing myself out of striking distance. “Tell me about this friend.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “For starters, what’s her name?”
    She chewed on her lower lip for a second. “Evie Jeffers.”
    I lifted my eyebrows and placed my hands on my hips. “Am I supposed to know the name or something?”
    Carmela lifted one shoulder and then dropped it. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
    “Great.” I rolled my eyes. “Tell me what makes Ms. Jeffers so special.”
    “Like I said, she’s a close friend of mine, and she’s had a string of bad luck. She needs a break.”
    “What kind of bad luck?”
    “She’s an actress and—”
    I held up a hand, interrupting her story. I didn’t need to hear one more word. I dated an aspiring actress last year for three months. She tried to sell a sex tape of us to a few websites, thinking it would give her the exposure she needed to land a breakout role. I shoved my foot so hard up the buyer’s ass as soon as I got wind of it, and it never saw the light of day, but I learned my lesson. I’d had enough of fame whores to last me a lifetime. Besides, I needed to keep a low profile.
    I’d been promoted from soldier to capo six months ago when our dad’s health had deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t work. At twenty-seven, I became the youngest capo in the Trassato crime family. If everything went my way, I’d be promoted to underboss or consigliere by the time I reached thirty-five. As for Dominick, the boss and my uncle, I wanted to position myself so I was on the short list to be his replacement when the time came.
    Without question, my promotion had pissed off a few people, and I couldn’t risk adding fuel to the fire. My dad only agreed to step down if I succeeded him. Some of the older soldiers didn’t like it—especially Carlo, but he could go fuck himself. Everyone knew he had the tendency to disappear when it came time to do the “heavy lifting.” He’d always make up some pathetic excuse about being sick or not knowing how to find the person.
    I may not have been around as long as Carlo, but I earned the promotion. I’d been doing my dad’s job plus mine for a solid year after my dad