The Don’s Venom

Chapter 2

(Kieran)

Soft light filtered into my room through the window, casting the room in a bright light. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, wondering if I’d imagined her or if it was really her, I saw.

Lily Payne.

The woman who had hounded my dream and every waking moment even after all these years. Somewhere deep down within me, I knew it was her. The glare she shot me was proof that Lily Payne was indeed who I saw at that funeral.

But how? How was she in Los Angeles? She’d disappeared while I was momentarily distracted exchanging pleasantries with an old friend. A frustrated sigh ripped out of me as I stumbled out of bed into the adjoining bathroom to wash my face.

The sudden sound of plates crashing downstairs reached me. I quickly grabbed a pair of sweatpants and black tee-shirt and rushed downstairs.

Just as I thought, Giana was sulking at the dining table and the chef was hunched over the ground packing up what was supposed to be my daughter’s breakfast. Gia, as I loved to call her had her lips set in a frown and her tiny hands tapped away at the smooth surface of the table.

I took a deep breath and bent over my daughter, placing a kiss on her creased forehead.

“Gia. Tesoro mio. What is the problem? Talk to papa.”

“I hate toasts. They are crusty and hard and I told her that I do not want them.”

The chef’s eyes widened in fear as I turned to meet her eyes. She quickly lowered her head and I could see her lips trembling.

I turned back to my daughter. “Princess, what do you want then? Tell me. Anything you want, I’ll have Nancy make for you.”

Gia peered at me from under hooded eyelids. “You promise Papa?”

“Cross my heart.”

Her eyes lit up as she threw her arms around me in a hug. “I love you, Papa. I want bear pancakes.”

“I love you too, Tesoro mio. Your pancakes will be ready in a bit. Now be a good girl and I’ll take you to the swings later today. Okay?”

“You promise? You’ll come home early.”

“Again, my princess, I promise. But you have to promise to be a good girl while I’m gone too. Okay?”

I pulled Nancy aside and could feel the fear radiating off of her. “She’s a good kid. It’s just been hard on her since… yunno her mother.”

Nancy nodded vehemently. She was one of our oldest staffs and was once in my father’s employ. She was the only one I trusted with mine and Giana’s meal because she was practically part of the family. Her only son also worked for me. So, she knew not to mess around.

I ran my hand through my hair. “Just fix her the pancakes.”

I understood Nancy’s fear. Even I knew words on the street about me. The terror. Kieran Gigante, the name that sent a chill down people’s spines. What many didn’t know was that I wasn’t a mindless beast who killed people for no reason.

I was simply a leader and a protector who would do anything to protect my family. And because of what’s at stake in my line of business, betrayal was never forgiven. Never.

As I returned up the stairs, I heard my best friend and right-hand man downstairs talking to Gia. To my daughter, he was her favorite Uncle Marco, but to Il Cerchio and me, he was a trusted soldier. The man whose counsels meant the most to me.

I was in my study when Marco eventually found me.

“Tell me.”

“I’m sorry, boss. This one is on me,” he began. “We found that Micheal, Gia’s bodyguard was sent by Rhombus to infiltrate our family.”

“Who vetted him?” I forced out through clenched teeth.

“I don’t know. He came highly recommended and Giana had that school event and she’d evaded the bodyguard before him, so his recruitment process was hastened.”

I pounded my fist on the table. “So, this bastard came into my house, ate my food, spoke to my family, even rode in the same car as my daughter and all along, he was a mole?”

“I’m sorry, Don. What are your orders?”

I walked around the desk and stopped before the mini bar I had fitted to my study. Grabbing a decanter, I poured some whiskey into a glass. I watched as the bourbon liquid danced with every swirling motion of the glass.

“I need you to make him sorry he even thought about harming my daughter. And I want a message sent to Rhombus so that the next time they have a stupid idea like this, they’ll think twice about who it is they’ll be messing with. Also, whoever the f**k recommended him has to pay too.”

“Done, boss. Gianna will need a new bodyguard then. I’ll see to it that we get the right one this time.”

“You’d better.”

Marco stood up and made to leave but I stopped him in his track. “Marco, this time, vet the goddamn bodyguard yourself or give the job to one of ours. You know Giana is the most important person to me in this world.”

“I know, Don.”

“Good. Get to work.” As an afterthought, I called out to him once more. “I need a favor. And I want you to handle this personally.”

“Anything, boss.”

I shook my head. “I’m asking this as a friend. I need you to find someone for me. An old friend who I have reasons to believe is in town.”

“Who’s this friend?”

“Her name is Lily. Lily Payne. Find me everything you can on her whereabout.”

“Can I ask why you want to find her? Who is she?”

I pondered for a second on his question.

“She is a past that has come calling once again.”