The Return Of The Mafia Lord

004

Gabriele slammed his fist against the leather-wrapped steering wheel, the sound muffled inside the luxurious sedan. He watched from a distance as a small fleet of boats crisscrossed the ocean in search of a body that wasn't there. His frustration was a venomous cloud, thick and suffocating. This was the third time they had searched that same night, and still, nothing. He'd used every connection, pulling in his own men and bribing the NYPD to search for a missing person, giving them free rein to drag the ocean for hours.

"Boss," his right-hand man, Marco, said from outside, his voice hesitant. "We've gone over every inch. We can't find his body. Either he sank, and the current took him, or..." Marco trailed off, not daring to voice the other, more terrifying possibility.

"Or what? Escaped?" Gabriele’s eyes, cold and sharp, bore into Marco's. "For three years, we couldn't find a trace of him. Not a whisper, not a single lead. And now that he's finally surfaced, he slips away again?" He squeezed his fists, his knuckles turning white. "He won't get away. Not this time. He was hit with a bullet. Tell the men to check every hospital in the area. I'll hunt him down and make sure he's dead."

Marco nodded "Yes sir” he said as he quickly sent the message to the group chat

A cruel smile stretched across Gabriele's face. "Send the pictures to Leonardo," he commanded. "All of them."

Leonardo is a Mafia leader based in Italy. He had been a loyal friend and business partner to Alessandro Esposito. He had been a man of his words and a staunch supporter of the old ways. But after Alessandro's death, with the family in disarray, Leonardo switched sides, pledging his allegiance to Gabriel without caring about how he betrayed his family. Their last business deal had ended in a bloody, brutal fight, and Gabriele, in his ruthless ambition, had found Leonardo's family, living anonymously in America. He'd had them all killed to destroy Leonardo, with the intention of framing Xavier for the murders. If he couldn't kill Xavier himself, he was sure Leonardo would do it. He'd make sure Leonardo believed Xavier was the one who betrayed him. Leonardo's vengeance would be far more brutal and satisfying than his own.

Marco nodded and pulled out a second, encrypted phone. He quickly sent the pictures, shots of Xavier entering a house, another of him rushing out, his shirt stained with blood. The final, more gruesome photos showed the bodies of Leonardo's wife and children, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Then with the caption, "This is what you get for betraying Alessandro Esposito. From Leonardo."

"I have sent it, boss," Marco said.

"Great! Now let's go search the motherfucker's house."

*

*

The next morning, Ari woke to the sound of her alarm, the memory of the previous day hitting her like a tidal wave. She had fallen down a cliff, nearly drowned, and somehow, inexplicably, brought a mysterious, wounded man back to her apartment and even treated his wound. Now, with a new day and a pounding headache, she expected to see him there, ready to explain himself and, more importantly, to compensate her for her loss and the help she had offered. No reasonable person would have done that.

She walked out of her bedroom, but the living room was empty. The man she had helped had escaped, after acting like he would make it up to her. A flicker of anger, hot and sharp, coursed through her veins. He was gone. He had just left, without a word. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for some sign of him, but all she found was a crumpled piece of paper.

She snatched it up, her fingers trembling with fury. The note was brief, a single sentence scrawled in a bold, confident hand. "Thank you."

That was it. "Thank you?"

Ari's face contorted with rage. She squeezed the paper in her fist, crushing it into a tight ball. "That son of a bitch!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "A thank you? What the hell am I supposed to do with a thank you?"

She had saved his life, risked her own, and all she got was a useless piece of paper. Her frustration boiled over. She hadn't even paid in full for her phone, and now she lost it all because he pushed her down the cliff with him.

*

*

Peter, an old man, held the door open for Xavier; his face was a mask of awe and pure joy. He was a small man, his frame stooped with age, but his hug was fierce, almost crushing. He was the type of man anyone would overlook in Bella Vendetta, except Alessandro and Xavier, who knew his importance. He was just a gatekeeper, so when Gabriele went on his killing spree, he was overlooked, which made it easy for him to escape.

"I can't believe it," Peter whispered, pulling back to look at Xavier, tears welling in his eyes. "I've been searching for you, boy. Every day for three years, I've been waiting for a sign. A call, a whisper... anything. I knew you were out there."

"I lost my memory," Xavier explained as he stepped in while Peter closed the door. "I didn't know who I was. But Gabriele found me, and the encounter... it brought everything back." He took a deep breath, his eyes hard and focused. "I'm back, Peter. And I'm going to destroy Gabriele for Alessandro, for Alessia, and for you."

"Hold on, boy," Peter said, his expression softening as he noticed a dark stain seeping through Xavier's shirt. "You're hurt."

Xavier unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a fresh, bloodied wound on his shoulder. "It's nothing," he said, wincing slightly. "I just removed the bullet. It just needs to be stitched."

Peter's face, a moment ago filled with hope, fell. He got his first aid box and began to clean the wound. "I don't think that's possible, boy," he said, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Gabriele made sure to kill every loyal man who wouldn't turn on you. The few who survived... they've all pledged their loyalty to him now. He's made them believe he's the future." He looked at Xavier, his eyes pleading. "It's too dangerous. He's too powerful."

"Where is father and Alessia buried?" Xavier asked as he felt his throat clogged with emotions.

"I'm sorry, Xavier, but no one except him knows," Peter said, stitching the wound.

Xavier clenched his jaw in pain "It's fine. Soon I'll make him tell me himself," Xavier shook his head, a cold, determined resolve settling over his features. "We don't need the family, Peter. We can start a new one. Alessandro's secret funds... they're still safe, aren't they? They don't know about the money."

Peter's expression was a mixture of pride and regret. "A year after you disappeared, I thought you were gone for good," he said, his voice softer. "I was diagnosed with pancreas cancer. I couldn't just let the money sit in a safe. So, I invested it."

Xavier’s eyes widened slightly. "Invested it? Where?"

"Everywhere," Peter said with a faint smile. "The money is out there, doubling and spreading. It’s now worth ten times what it was." He paused, his gaze meeting Xavier's. "I used a significant portion to finance the current Italian president's election campaign. He owes us, boy. He'll be there whenever we need him."

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And last year, I bought a company. It was on the verge of bankruptcy. But I saved it. It's yours now, Xavier. It's the perfect front. You can take over, run it, and from there, you can work on rebuilding."

Xavier listened, his mind racing. The idea was brilliant, a new path, a new kind of power. But it wasn't his path. He shook his head. "I appreciate what you've done, Peter. But a company life isn't for me. I want to build a new family, just as Alessandro would have wanted." His eyes hardened. "And I'm going to destroy Gabriele."

Peter sighed, a long, weary exhalation. "I knew it," he said, a hint of a smile touching his lips. "I knew a simple corporate life wouldn't be enough for you. Come on," he said, standing up. "There's somewhere we need to go."

"Where are we going?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his voice. "I don't have time to waste."

Peter didn't answer, just gestured for him to follow. They drove for forty-five minutes before Peter pulled up in front of a small, unassuming coffee shop. The sign above the door read "The Daily Grind." Xavier looked at Peter, a single eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Really, Peter? A coffee shop?"

"Relax," Peter said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Just come with me."

They walked inside. The place was empty, except for a middle-aged woman sitting at a table in the corner, nursing a cup of tea. She smiled warmly when she saw Peter. He introduced her to Xavier, then turned to the woman. "Xavier here will be taking over as the owner, effective immediately."

Xavier's confusion grew. "Peter, I'm not interested in a coffee shop."

Peter ignored him, leading him to a door at the back of the shop. It led to a small office, filled with a desk and a filing cabinet. But Peter didn't stop there. He reached behind the filing cabinet and pressed a hidden button. With a quiet whirring sound, a section of the wall slid open, revealing a dark hallway.

As they stepped inside, a new world unfolded before Xavier. The place was massive, a sprawling underground complex humming with activity. Men were scattered throughout the space, each engaged in a different task. Some were sparring in a boxing ring, their fists pounding against leather bags. Others practiced the fluid, lethal movements of Taekwondo. In another section, men meticulously packaged drugs, sealing bags and weighing bundles of cash.

Xavier's eyes widened. "What is this place?"

Peter smiled, the look of a proud father on his face. "This," he said, his voice dropping to a low rumble, "is the new family. A secret family, without a name. We supply drugs to different organizations, but no one knows who we are. No one knows our name. We've been building this for you, Xavier. A new empire, from the ground up."

Xavier’s mouth dropped open, his gaze sweeping across the cavernous, humming space. "Peter," he said, the word a disbelieving whisper. "You… you did this?"

Peter's smile widened, a quiet pride shining in his eyes. "You couldn't be the public face of an operation this big, not with Gabriele looking for you. He’d see you as a threat. But a CEO of a company that has nothing to do with the Mafia world? He'd see you as a fool, a man trying to play a game he doesn't understand."

He put a hand on Xavier’s shoulder, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You can be the CEO of the company, the public man. Meanwhile, you will continue to run things down here. He’ll never connect the two. The legitimate business will be our front, our way of laundering the money and keeping a low profile. It's the perfect disguise."

Xavier was grateful. Starting up a new family would take time, but Peter had built a new empire for him from the ground up. He had secured their future and given them a way to fight back.

Peter leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near-inaudible murmur. "I heard Gabriele is in need of a new drug plug. His last one was caught and put away. We can go to him, present ourselves as a new legitimate businessman. He'll never suspect you're the one behind all of this. You can penetrate his business, learn his weaknesses, and strike when he least expects it."

Xavier didn’t hesitate. He nodded, "I'm doing it. Let's slowly destroy that bastard!" he said.

Peter had done everything. He had set up the empire, the front, and the connections. He had given Xavier a purpose, a path, a way to reclaim his life and avenge his family. Xavier was no longer a lost man with no memory of himself. He was no longer the defenseless man who had to run for his life. He was a powerful force, and he was about to become a wealthy man with an army behind him. He was ready to fight back.