at Kristen. She just smiled.
The trip to New York was swift. As they walked down the stairs of the jet, they were greeted by a well-dressed man who looked just like Anthony, but was shorter and built more like a solid hunk. His hair was greased back and his suit and pinkie rings were super flashy.
Anthony patted him on the back and said “Kristen, I would like you to meet my brother Marco.” Marco gave Kristen a big hug and took her arm. He looked her over approvingly. “Not bad, not bad. Thanks Tony!” Anthony laughed “Oh no you don’t Marco” and he pulled Kristen back next to his side, keeping his arm around her waist.
As they walked, Anthony said sarcastically “Where is our baby brother Vincente?” Marco looked at him like he should know and answered. “He is out doing some things. I don’t think you will be meeting him today Kristen. Hopefully, I am enough for you.” He laughed and he took Kristen’s hand. The three of them headed towards the exit with her in the middle.
As they approached the terminal, a stretch limo pulled up. Anthony placed Kristen on one side and pointed to the seat furthest away from her for Marco to sit in. Marco gave him a comical look and held up his hands in mock defense. The trip took a while and ended when they reached the wealthy suburb where Marco lived.
Marco’s house was very large and set in front of a small, picturesque lake. He gave Kristen a quick look around as Anthony sat at the bottom of the staircase absorbed in several phone conversations.
When Kristen was returned, Anthony walked up to her and looked apologetic. He put his hand on her shoulder and said very businesslike “I am so sorry Kristen. I need to head over to Jersey and help Vincente out with something. I will be back tomorrow.” Before she could say anything, the stretch returned out front and whisked him away.
Both Marco and Kristen watched as he drove off. Kristen felt a sharp pain in her heart and thought of how Anthony’s indifference was reminiscent of her father who had also been continuously preoccupied with his work. Marco said “Wow! That was cold.” He then turned to Kristen. “Don’t worry, I will keep you nice and warm.” Kristen looked at him and nervously laughed. Marco smelled great! His cologne was strong and he was such a stud!
In his own mind, Marco felt that Kristen was mildly attracted to him. He always enjoyed putting the move on Anthony’s girlfriends. Even though his older brother was blessed with the classy looks and all the brains, Marco knew he had what it really takes and never missed the chance to go out of his way to prove that he was better than Tony.
He sat his brother's fiancée down at the dining room table and they started to talk. Kristen learned that Marco was one year, and Vincente was two years younger than Anthony. Marco laughed as he told her that Vince was extremely short and was very touchy about it. Kristen laughed "I'll remember to slouch if I stand next to him." Marco thought that was very funny and laughed "We also have three sisters who are all tall. Guess the genes got mixed up." Kristen figured they all must have been a real handful for their mother. Marco shared common interests and they had a lively conversation for a few hours as he tried his best to charm her. He started thinking that Kristen was more suited to him than his brother and he began laying it on thick.
Marco’s maid walked in later that afternoon to prepare them a meal. Marco immediately sent her upstairs to set up a room for his guest. Kristen announced “Thank you Marco, but I am going to the city and stay in a hotel there.” Marco protested “No, no, Tony would expect it of me to keep you right here.” The maid had returned and looked back and forth at the two waiting for an answer. Kristen said “I will call him and let him know my plans. It wouldn’t be right to be here alone with you.” She gave him a mischievous smile.
Kristen dialed Anthony and it went right to his voicemail. She left her message and turned back to Marco. “See, all taken care of. What’s the cab service called out here?” Marco looked like his pride had been hurt. “No chance. I am driving you personally and we will have a nice dinner before I drop you off.” Kristen said “I am going to stay at The Plaza and we can eat dinner at their restaurant. I love it there!”
Marco smiled at the thought of feeding her and then bedding her upstairs at a swank hotel. “Great idea” he said. He went up to his bathroom to pile on more mousse and for an extra blast of cologne. He then strutted out to his driveway and selected a silver Porsche for their ride.
As she got into the car, Kristen told him right off “Marco, we are having dinner and that’s it. I need you to understand this before we leave.” Marco took his hand off the wheel and gestured “Sure, sure, I know that. Don’t you worry.” He then peeled off towards the city. The two made polite small talk during the ride and Marco pointed out several points of interest along the way. He was quite charming to be with and Kristen now felt more relaxed around him.
When they arrived at The Plaza, Marco left the engine running and looked at Kristen. “I can tell you are nervous about this, so I am going to let you go and you can eat your dinner in peace without me.” Kristen looked puzzled “I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings earlier.” Marco assured her “No, I just don’t want to have to do any explaining whatsoever to Anthony. He never trusts me around his women. Kristen looked puzzled as she thanked him for the ride and the doorman came up and helped her from the car. She checked in and then went up to her suite, opting instead for room service. Unless she was in a special mood, she couldn't felt comfortable eating alone in public.
Tony had never left New York that day. In reality, he just drove to another part of the city to attend to the serious tasks that only he could take care of. Vincente had joined him and the brothers quickly drove over in one car to an Italian neighborhood near-by. Tony calmly asked his brother “Are you sure we don’t need Marco with us?” Vincente answered “I think we can do this by ourselves. We just need to talk to some of our renters. They are expecting us.” The “renters” were various businesses in the area that were obligated to pay the Fiores protection money in order to stay operational without any hitches.
Normally, Tony and his brothers would not get involved at this lower level, but these were larger places that brought in a considerable amount of income. Their owners felt they were above this type of thug treatment and had recently banded together to oppose the Fiore family’s hold on them. The Fiores were concerned that they might look towards their rivals for help.
The brothers drove up to a small pizzeria and parked. Without any words, four men filed out of the building and got into a large van. These were their back-ups in case there were any problems. They followed closely behind them.
The group soon arrived at a large car dealership. They were greeted at the door by an elderly and surprised-looking owner who was wearing a purple leisure suit and had an unlit cigar hanging out of his mouth. He patted Tony on the back and led them to his conference room. The salesmen on the floor took a look at the men and quickly walked out to the parking lot. The air was filled with tension.
Tony told the owner to sit down. He looked scared when Tony and his men remained standing, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Tony started “Nick, I came here in advance only to talk to you. You can relay this to the rest of your buddies who think they have a say in the matter.” Tony’s men moved in closer, surrounding him.
Tony said firmly “I know you have a gun on you Nicky and I need you to very slowly put it on the table.” The owner looked up at him like a child and obeyed as he reached into his suit jacket. Tony continued with no expression. “I will make this short. You will all continue to make your payments like you have for years to our family, or I will hold you personally responsible for any further delays by the others. I will hear nothing more about this. Right?
Nick looked like he wanted to speak up, but he knew that would be a big mistake. He meekly answered “OK, Tony, I will tell them.” He gazed toward his gun. One of Tony’s men quickly picked it up and put it in his own pocket.
Tony then leaned down and said “
I don’t think you heard me. I will hold you personally responsible. Now that my father is gone, things are not different, despite what you may have heard.” He looked into his frightened eyes and spoke very slowly. “Do you understand me now? Nick said quickly “Yes, I do.” Tony finished “Alright then, I won’t be talking to you again.” He then walked out of the room with Vincente.
The car dealer’s eyes followed Tony as he left. The four men stayed behind and the owner slowly turned back towards them as his body sank further into the chair and a hopeless look came over his face.
Tony was now in a good mood because it seemed that everything had gone well and in a peaceful manner. He gave Vincente a friendly pat on the back. The brothers drove over to the pizzeria to have lunch. Their men showed up forty-five minutes later and joined them. There was no talk about what happened after Tony and Vincente left.
As Tony left to go to another part of the restaurant, Vincente turned towards the men and gave them a questioning look. They all nodded in silence. Vincente said “OK, that’s good, you took care of him. I will keep in touch.” He then got on the phone and made a call to Marco.
After they had a big meal and downed a