Mob Sorcery 3 - Ch3

“I mean, I can do both,” Vince said. “I have one of your enforcers with me right now if you want me to get started.”

He reached out behind Fia’s back to mock-grab her waist, expecting her to step away or grab his arm. Or do anything at all to stop him.

Instead, all she did was give him an upturned look as if daring him to do it. Her tail swished low on the ground, with the tip doing a great job of picking up what little dust remained in Alessia’s high pile carpet.

For her part, Alessia’s lip quirked upward at the edges. She slipped around her desk, placed a hand on one hip and raised an eyebrow.

“This is the part—” Vince began to say.

“I’m not going to bite, V,” Fia said, a smirk creeping across her face. “Go on. Get started.”

His fingers crept closer to her waist, and he was about to grip it when a cough rang out in the room.

The older man stood up and held his fist over his mouth. Not that he did a great job hiding his own smirk.

“Not that I don’t enjoy the show—the spark of youth is so exciting to see in the family after the past few years—but I’m a married man and there’s business to conduct,” the man said, speaking with a notable Italian accent, rather than the Italian-American one of the local wolves. “Care to introduce me, Don Alessia?”

Vince blinked at the use of Don. Nobody called Alessia that, which left him uncertain as to who this wolffolk was.

During the interruption, Fia stepped out of the range of his hand, while Alessia approached them.

“Vince, this is Enrico Palermo, trusted lawyer and family friend of the Lionettis,” Alessia said. “Enrico, this is Vince. I trust he needs no introducing.”

“Between showing up on the news three times this year, yours and Pola’s recent infatuation with him, and the fact he’s the greatest source of excitement in the family in years, obviously not,” Enrico said.

The older wolffolk took several long strides up to Vince, revealing his impressive height. Between the suit, slick haircut, and 6’6 muscular figure, the old man had walked out of a film about the Lionetti Family of old. Probably because he was. Vince didn’t recognize him, but faintly knew the name from some mobster films.

How old was this wolf?

Enrico stuck his hand out, and Vince took it. Not much of a handshake, surprisingly.

“I take it you brought the contract?” Enrico asked. “Did you get it looked at by a lawyer? A real lawyer?” The casual tone of the questions suggested Enrico suspected Vince hadn’t.

Vince reached for the manila folder in his parka with his spare hand, fumbling with his coffee before Fia took it. “My roommate recommended Viktor Krein, so—”

The handshake strengthened abruptly, nearly cutting off circulation in Vince’s hand and reminding him of the casual strength wolffolk wielded.

Enrico’s eyebrows shot up and he let go of Vince. “Krein? Well, at least I know I’m not stealing candy from a baby. If I’m right, I can expect another contract from your roommate? Which means I’ll be talking with Viktor a lot.”

“Miss Hayes is the other independent enforcer I’m contracting, yes,” Alessia interrupted. “But not of relevance today.”

“Sure.” Enrico shrugged and took the folder from Vince. “You know, this would be easier if you just used digital contracts. We usually do.”

“Given the sensitivity—"

“Blah, blah, Houou might intercept the contract and get pissy. It’s a legal document and can be subpoenaed, and it’s going in your system for recordkeeping anyway. Just cut out the middleman and make everyone’s life easier, Alessia.” Enrico turned away and returned to the couches. He held up the folder. “Before I focus on this, are you planning to change anything? Yesterday was exciting.”

Alessia frowned, then nodded. “Yes, but I believe the contract is flexible enough to—”

“Don’t operate on belief. I’m your lawyer, and your new enforcers have their own. Either your new work is covered, or it isn’t.” Enrico flopped down on a recliner. “I’m here and so’s your enforcer. Work out what you want the job to be, I can call Viktor, and we can handle the legal mumbo jumbo, then everyone signs and you’re happy. With how things have played out, I doubt you’ll be waiting for everyone’s signatures to be on the dotted line anyway.”

The expressionless look on Alessia’s face and her motionless tail told Vince she disagreed.

Whereas he appreciated Enrico’s forthrightness. Contract negotiations were painful at the best of times, and having lawyers to do the heavy lifting behind-the-scenes would be amazing. All Vince had to do was argue over the general terms.

Why hadn’t Alessia involved her legal wolf until now?

The don in question glanced at the coffees in Fia’s hands. “Why don’t we take a seat while I make myself a coffee?”

“I’ll make two,” Enrico said, standing again. “Want some punch in yours?”

Alessia crossed her arms over her impressive bust. “It’s not even midday.”

“More scotch for me, then.”

The lawyer vanished into the kitchenette, before Alessia huffed and led them to a different set of chairs. She avoided her desk. Presumably to avoid any appearance of some sort of powerplay by placing them on the far side of it.

“Uh, I should get going and—” Fia tried to say after handing Vince his coffee.

“You can stay, Fia,” Alessia said with a smile. “Not that you have to, but you’re welcome to. Everything we’ll discuss will have to be repeated to you anyway.”

Fia bit her lip, but sat down.

Alessia crossed her legs and the chiffon frills did very little to provide her with modesty during the motion. Not that she appeared to care. Her tail bounced off the rear of the chair when she noticed Vince looking at her and she motioned for him to sit as well.

“I hope this will be quick. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m a little tired of the constant contract renegotiations,” he said while sitting.

“Oh, so you’ll do everything I need you to without any question?” Alessia asked with false positivity.

He leaned back in his chair and said nothing. Fia snorted.

“I figured as much,” the don said drily. “This will be as quick as I can manage, as I already captured most of the situation when negotiating with Miss Hayes last night. But I have had plenty of time to think this morning while speaking with Mayor Kochhar and others.”

“How are we doing on that front? Things were tense last night with Frost,” Vince said.

“Tense, but for reasons that aren’t purely directed at me. I take it you’re aware of the fallout of yesterday?”

“Hard to miss the REAT vans on the streets.”

“More than that, the fallout is political,” Alessia stressed. “Kochhar isn’t worried about reelection so much as being disappeared by furious sorcerers and immortals who have invested far more than any Silicon Valley billionaire could dream of seeing in their net worth. The NASTA conference influences the fate of nations across the world, and the sorcerers’ guild is leaning on everyone behind the scenes.”

Fia hissed. “Shit. That’s why Immanuel and the dragon prick are out there with the big PR campaign.”

“Wait, our grand overlord is pretending he gives a shit for once?” Vince blinked. “I missed that.”

“He made some song and dance on social media. As always happens when he makes noise, it flooded everyone’s feeds. Who knows how much he spent on signal-boosting his stupid posts.” The capo shook her head in disgust.

“I missed that he stepped in at all.” Alessia tapped her chin. “I’ve been busy and haven’t checked online. Is it that same message as everyone else?”

“Kind of, but not really. Scales-for-brains is pretending he’s Aulfair’s king, but took some swings at us for… instigating the situation.” Fia’s expression darkened.

Alessia’s face turned to stone. “I see. I’ll speak to June about that. That goes against everything I’ve heard from the mayor and the other executives I’ve spoken to this morning.”

She flicked her wrist and her phone appeared in her hand. After a few taps, she made it disappear. Presumably she’d made a note or reminder to take care of business.

“So, what is the actual fallout then?” Vince asked, somewhat clueless as to the point of the question.

“We’re all sitting around with our thumbs up our asses or else the entire city will grind us into dust, no matter how storied our history in Aulfair or Japan,” Enrico said as he returned from the kitchenette.

The lawyer carried over two small white cups of coffee on saucers. He sent Alessia’s twirling down to the coffee table between everyone with a flicker of wind magic, and not a single drop of coffee was spilt.

“Thank you, Enrico. For both the coffee and explanation,” Alessia said. “That’s more or less the truth. Until the end of the conference—and likely several days afterward, as it juts into Thanksgiving—all gang warfare and enforcer conflicts will be met with the absolute full force of Aulfair’s police force. Furthermore, every conglomerate and major enforcer syndicate such as the Lionetti Family has agreed to restrict their actions.”

“Is that why it’s bad for the dragon douche to shit on us?” Vince asked.

“It’s more that he’s taking sides in a conflict that everyone else is staying out of.” Alessia took a long sip of her coffee, then sighed. Her cup clinked against her saucer. “The conglomerates have never been friends, but they love to cooperate to keep others down. But Houou’s been pushing their luck ever since they backed Kochhar and started corrupting the police. Yesterday’s assassination attempt means they have no allies left.”

“Even if it’s a frame-up, they’re reaping what they sowed,” Fia said. “A bunch of arrogant foxes have found themselves isolated right as Imperial Japan sends headhunters after them.”

“Funny coincidence that,” Enrico muttered as he wandered back to the couches.

Alessia’s brow furrowed. “It does paint a complicated picture. If the assassination succeeded, Houou would be the greatest beneficiary. Their reputation would suffer, but they could simply step in after Thanksgiving and sweep us aside to reclaim all of Albion. But the failed assassination attempt benefits Knightsgate the most. Given the power on display, I’m unwilling to make a statement either way.”

“Yeah, the fox enforcer who shot me down was definitely trying to kill me,” Vince said. “If Nina had been only a few seconds later, I wouldn’t be here.”

Silence. Perhaps reminding them of how close he’d brushed with death had been a mistake.

Fia reached out and rubbed the back of his hand while her tail shifted uneasily against the back of her chair.

He coughed. “So what does it mean in terms of work, Alessia?”

“At first, I assumed nothing. I would ignore Mei Suwa’s outreach and we would hold out against Houou’s counterattack. Their window to strike against us is narrow. Christmas is a time of peace in Aulfair, and the police will still be on high alert. However…” Alessia bit her lip and covered her mouth with her cup.

“You’re worried,” Fia said flatly. “And want to work with the Yakuza.”

The don rose and walked toward her desk. Her tail fell to the ground and remained motionless as she kept her back to them, allowing Vince to admire her bare back in the backless dress. “Houou want to remove us so badly they potentially deployed some very rare assets. Even with Vince’s and Miss Hayes’s assistance, the counterattack will be… staggering in strength. But the Yakuza have arrived with an eight-tailed fox, multiple immortals equivalent to clan guardians, and the full backing of the true Knightsgate.”

“You can just say you don’t think we can handle Houou, but the Yakuza can,” Fia said, a touch bitterly.

“It’s the truth, Fia. Stopping the Golden Path has always been the problem. We have precious few enforcers who can match Houou’s corporate enforcers. I don’t intend to forge an alliance with Knightsgate, no matter what nonsense Mei Suwa may spout, but if they can help us hold our territory, then it’s worth it.”

Fia looked away.

“Is that the change to the contract?” Vince asked.

He desperately wanted to steer clear of the politics. Although he knew by now that it would be impossible.

This entire job was mired in a massive gang war that was consuming the city and multiple conglomerates. Politics oozed from every pore of Vince’s work now, and ignoring that became impossible.

Thank fuck he had Nina working alongside him now. She understood this shit and even enjoyed it sometimes.

“The two changes I have in mind are simple.” Alessia turned back to face them. “First, the Yakuza will be added to the contract as a conflicting entity that you can’t take jobs from.”

“Easy enough,” Vince said.

He heard Enrico typing nearby, and knew the lawyer was already altering the contract as they spoke.

“Second, there’ll be a new requirement for the job to protect me in all dealings with the Yakuza and handle any delegated work related to them for the next few months,” she said. “I’m expecting they’ll want something in return for defending our territory.”

“I get paid for that, right?” he asked.

His face must have suggested he expected Alessia to disagree, as she scowled at him with an uncharacteristically childlike expression.

“I had a 50% increase in pay in mind, plus a bonus we can determine based on the actual job,” Alessia said.

Oh no. Another open-ended contract. Alessia was piling these up.

Vince crossed his arms, but he didn’t end up needing to argue his point for once.

Fia let out a huff and ran a hand through her hair. She slumped in her chair. “Really, Alessia?”

“I feel I’ve been here before,” Alessia mumbled.

“You said I could stay. I can guess what you meant by that. Or was I wrong and I should shut up?” Fia’s red eyes lit up as she leaned forward.

“Say your piece, Fia.”

“You can afford more, and we can’t afford Vince to walk away. I guarantee he has other job offers right now.”

Alessia raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged.

“Quintus approached me the moment he figured I was a free agent,” he said.

“Yet you’re here to sign this contract,” Alessia said. “It’s plenty of money.”

“It is.”

“Yet it’s nothing compared to what Juliet got paid to ice us,” Fia growled.

“The associate offer is still on the table if Vince wants money and long-term security.” Alessia slipped into her chair and crossed her legs again. Her tail flicked from one side to the other when her gaze caught his wandering. “And the marriage offer is open for Pola at all times.”

Ouch. Alessia had come out swinging with her alternative offers.

Vince narrowed his eyes at her. “How about we consider a new contract whenever the Yakuza want me to do something new? And we just add the requirement that I protect you when dealing with them.”

He exchanged stares with Alessia. Her fingers drummed against her bare thigh. After several seconds, he caught her chewing on the inside of her lip.

“Fine,” Alessia said. “Enrico?”

“I can add that and negotiate with Viktor over it,” Enrico called out. “I need to talk to him about a couple of the changes he made anyway. And can we actually go digital?”

“Fine. Whatever.” Alessia stood, then stopped herself next to the chairs. “Things will be relatively quiet this week, Vince. I plan to let Mei Suwa stew for a few days at minimum. However, negotiations with Kaziern have accelerated. Despite the ban on enforcer activities, I’ll need you to accompany me to a meeting with Gawlik in the next few days. I’ll contact you when necessary.”

This time, she did turn and return to her desk.

Vince took that as a dismissal. He’d gotten under her skin by refusing one of her contract variations for the first time.

Standing, Fia rapped her knuckles against his arm. They rose and made to leave.

“I’ll send the contract to Viktor, and everything will be handled digitally from there,” Enrico called out as they left. “Just make sure you read it before you sign it.”

Vince raised a hand in farewell. He glanced back and saw Alessia buried in her monitors behind her desk.

Right before he stepped through the doors at the end of the massive office, she looked up. He met her eyes.

She raised a hand and waved it in farewell. Maybe he was imagining the spark of regret in her eyes. Probably, given the distance. He returned the wave.

Neither he nor Fia spoke before they got into the elevator.

“Alessia’s not used to being refused, is she?” Vince asked.

“Oh, she’s absolutely used to it,” Fia said, a smile flitting about her lips. “The branch families are a pain and she has a whole board to deal with in Lionetti Enterprises. Plus, the other conglomerates, trying to buy fancy things at auctions, the mayor—the list goes on.”

“Then…” He frowned, uncertain as to what made Alessia act so petty at the end.

“The difference is that none of the people saying no are you, and she absolutely expected to get her way by throwing money and flashing her panties at you.” Fia barked with laughter. “Like, shit, that was amazingly unsubtle. Didn’t even know Alessia could even use her looks to try to win you over like that. Maybe she’ll ask Pola for tips next.”

Vince colored and scratched his cheek.

So, those movements had been intentional. Alessia was gorgeous. Even with his two girlfriends—one of whom was Alessia’s own sister—Alessia held an allure that would have forced him to secretly wash his bedsheets as a teenager. The way she dressed, her deliberate and elegant movements, the perfect makeup and jewelry she chose… The list went on.

Pola was a spoiled rich girl with the natural beauty to match, but a wild streak that both frustrated and attracted him. Alessia was the perfect billionaire CEO who rarely did anything without purpose.

The very fact Alessia tried to seduce him, even if it was to get him to sign a contract, caused a certain part of Vince’s to swell. He willed it down.

“Cat got your tongue? Or a certain wolf?” Fia asked, noticing he’d gone silent.

The elevator opened and deposited them in the atrium. He shook his head and pointed a finger at their surroundings. Clicking her tongue, Fia waited until they returned to her car.

The moment they reached her Benz, she leaned against the door and smirked at him.

“I mean, it’s the first time she’s ever flirted back,” Vince admitted.

“Back?”

“The two-for-one deal. I used it as a way to push her off-kilter at first, as Alessia seems weak to sexual jokes,” he explained. “It’s worked both times.”

“Two-for-one… You said something like that right after Pola antagonized Nina.” Fia narrowed her eyes. “Wait, if you’re flirting, did you… Holy shit. Are you saying you’ve propositioned marrying both Pola and Alessia to Alessia’s face?”

“Maybe…”

The capo stared at him. And stared.

Then slapped her car door and howled with laughter. He glared at her when she didn’t stop.

“It’s not that funny,” he muttered, a little hurt.

Sure, Alessia was way out of his strike range, but it bothered him for Fia to laugh at him.

Fia held a hand up and willed herself to stop laughing, although squeaks still escaped her. “Not… Not like that,” she gasped out. “You idiot. You were the one who started it. Holy shit. This is too great. You and Alessia have such a weird relationship, with the way you needle each other, but hearing this is amazing. Pola will explode if she finds out.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, thanks for backing me up in there.”

His comment finally pulled Fia out of her giggling fit. “Oh. That’s absolutely no problem. I didn’t expect Alessia to let me in on the negotiation, but I told you before that I feel my role is to bring you into the family, not to back Alessia’s decisions to the hilt. You’ve proven too many times now that you deserve to run with the pack, even if you didn’t take the associate role. No matter how badly she wants you to turn Pola into the next La Lupa, it’s getting annoying for her to keep using money to get her way.”

“It still means a lot to me.”

Vince held out a fist, and Fia bumped hers against it with a smile.

She opened the car door and raised an eyebrow at him. “Got anywhere to be today? I have the day off, but I can tell you’re busy.”

“Uh, you’ll hate me for saying this, but I think I need to have a proper talk with a certain demon executive before he sends hired goons after me. Quintus doesn’t like being made to wait, and I’ve kept him waiting as it is.”

- - - - -

Commentary: I've kept lawyers away from the contract negotiations mostly for simplicity, but we're at a level where they should be present even if I don't want them to play a major role. Enrico's surname is a bit of an easter egg, though.

Much of this chapter and the start of this book is establishing the stakes following the attack on Vince, as the fallout of the fox attack continues. But Alessia finally gets proper pushback from Vince as the two dance around the contract stuff. Constantly returning to the contract negotiations is a bit tiring, so I'm going to need to find a better way to have Alessia and Vince to spar financially. Especially as Vince wants to make some big purchases in the near future.