Tenacious Engagements

Chapter 3: “Her blow job saved my life.”

Gabriel

“Baby, you f**k better than my husband.” Elena sighs as she rolls off of me. It’s a good thing she is hot as f**k, or else I would have kicked her out of my bed for that backhanded compliment. Morris Moretti, nephew to our Boss Leonardo Moretti and Elena’s husband, didn’t give a s**t about her. Now that he is missing, presumed dead, Elena is single.

She only waited one month after her husband’s disappearance when she surprised me by waking me up in the middle of the night sucking my d**k. We both know our relationship would only be temporary. Marriage will never be part of our future.

There are three Russo brothers, and I am the second oldest. My older brother Matteo Junior is the next in line. That left me out as a potential husband for Elena Romano. Elena, just like her father, wouldn’t settle for second best.

Dominic Donato, Antonio Romano, and Matteo Russo, my father, are the three caporegimes in the Moretti’s Cosa Nostra. Elena’s father, Antonio Romano, had ended our relationship as soon as Elena turned seventeen years old. He decided to score a bigger catch for his beautiful breathtaking daughter. He began his campaign of finding a suitable husband for his daughter. Yours truly was not enough for his little w***e.

It turned out he didn’t have to look far. When his eldest daughter passed away a few months after Elena's seventeenth birthday, he arranged for Elena to take her sister’s place. It has been eight years since our breakup, and I still mess around with Elena regularly. Not exclusively, God no.

Now I lay in my bed, watching Elena get dressed. She is beautiful, got to give her that. Elena could have been a model in another life. She is tall, thin, and has tiny perky t**s to go with her perky ass. She recently cut her hair off. It’s an expensive and modern hairstyle, but I preferred her long hair.

She is dressing and is getting ready to leave my bedroom when my cell rings. Getting calls during the middle of the night is nothing new, but I instantly feel weird. It feels like a premonition. My cell keeps ringing. I feel my face going pale and stark. With a sick feeling in my stomach, I answer.

“Gabe, come to my office now.” My father hangs up before I can even respond. Without acknowledging the call, Elena kisses me goodbye and bounces off without a care in the world.

Something is not correct, is what I keep thinking as I walk into my father’s office. My father and younger brother, Christian, are sitting down, each holding a glass of bourbon. He acknowledges me and signals for me to take a seat. I take a seat next to Christian. He pours me a drink. After a moment, my father takes a drink, and we both follow after him and take a drink. With a sullen face and voice, my father speaks, “I was just being informed that your older brother, my son, Matteo, was killed earlier tonight. The report states that he lost control of his car and crashed into a tree. His car wrapped around the tree upon impact. He died instantly.”

I feel like my chest is about to explode. My brother is dead. Matteo is dead. He was only twenty-six years old. What the f**k! My brain feels like I’m not getting enough oxygen to think clearly. I look toward Christian and can tell he is about to lose it. I finally gain control over my senses and ask, “What do you think? Was it an accident or intentional?”

My father takes a deep breath and releases it. “From all accounts, it seems to be an accident. Matteo drives like a bat out of hell. I told him after his latest crash not to gamble with his life like that. Our lives are dangerous enough without adding his need for adrenaline. I will do my part and verify that it was truly an accident, and if I find out otherwise, I will not rest until his death is avenged.” My pop was right. Matteo is, or was, an adrenaline junky. The faster, the better. The son of a b***h even used a camera and would record his crazy escapades. I almost gave my mother a heart attack after watching his skydiving video.

My father stands and walks around his desk. He leans his back to it and looks at Christian and then at me. “Things have changed but also stayed the same in some ways. Gabriel, you are now the eldest. All of Matteo’s responsibilities will fall to you. You are the next in line, son.” His words make my skin crawl. “We have to unite together more than ever and provide a strong front despite this great loss. Your mother and little sister will need us to be strong for them.” After a moment of silence, he continues, “Gabriel, one of your new responsibilities is your brother’s fiancée. You will step up and marry her. This marriage will solidify our business arrangement with Victor Costa and Alberto DeLuca. The marriage won’t take place for another two years. Matteo sent someone every other month to check on his fiancée and report back. From all the reports, she seems to be a good girl. You can review his reports on her. I would suggest that you assign someone you trust to keep an eye on her. Remember what this marriage means to the family.”

Are you f*****g kidding me? I feel anger bubbling up from my stomach. My brother just died, and my father is thinking about a wedding. My father finishes off his drink and heads out. Christian’s face changes right before my eyes. His mournful expression disappears. He looks severe and cold, just the exact look that Matteo and I have been sporting for the last couple of years.

“Gabe, we should be dead as well. The only reason we aren’t is that we both decided to f**k around with the Romano sisters last minute instead of joining Matteo for a night out. We would have left Father alone. s**t, we would have left him without any backup.” You can’t make it in the family without a backup that you can trust. My father only trusts us, his sons.

“It doesn’t feel right. Something is not what it seems—we need to be more vigilant. We are not leaving our family to the wolves. f**k, I can’t believe I just lost Matteo and gained his life. I feel like I am robbing him. I am now supposed to live his life as the eldest son.” I rub my face, trying to wake up from this nightmare. “I’m getting his life and also his f*****g bride. What the f**k!”

I stand up and serve myself another drink. I never envied Matteo’s position. Our father had set his life before he took his first step. As the second-born son, I had the freedom that Matteo never had. I was Matteo’s right hand and enjoyed that position. The amount of stress and pressure that Matteo carried was not something I was ever interested in, despite the benefits of being the next in line.

Christian follows my example and gets another drink. “Matteo was obsessed with his fiancée. Dad doesn’t know, but Matteo has been stalking her. The crazy son of a b***h was looking forward to his marriage. You have two years till that sentence. Right now, we need to regroup and take care of our own. Mom is going to lose it.” We both down our drinks and continue drinking from Father’s bar until there is nothing left.