“We need to talk,” Knox said in a serious tone, his dark eyes seeking out his brother’s own.
Dustin stared up at Knox with a perplexed look on his face. He was about to reply something smart, but when he saw the serious as the grave look on Knox’s face, Dustin decided to swallow his words instead. Rising up from his dolly, Dustin brushed himself off and slid his headphones from his head as he followed Knox to the office. Closing the office door behind him, Dustin looked at his older brother with a look of unmuted worry.
“What’s going on?” Dustin asked as he took a seat, slamming his work boots atop his desk.
Knox rolled his eyes at his brother.
“We’ve got a major problem.”
A slick smirk grew from Dustin’s mouth. He had a feeling that Knox had some bad news for him, but he couldn’t resist an opportunity to break the tension.
“You’ve got erectile dysfunction, don’t you?” Dustin asked, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Knox glared at his younger brother, his hostility coming in check.
“Quit fuckin’ around. This is serious,” Knox barked.
Quickly Dustin leaned back in his chair, wiping his smirk clear off of his face.
“Sorry. I hate when shit gets too serious. So what’s the matter?” Dustin asked, finally taking his brother’s plea for help seriously.
Knox cleared his throat as he adjusted his tie. Looking up at his brother with an intense gaze, Knox replied, “Hell has finally frozen over. The old man has aligned himself with Nunzio Rigatti.”
Suddenly Dustin’s eyes hardened as he heard the name of the Brooklyn mob boss who had been his father’s blood enemy since before he was born.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dustin spat. “This has to be a joke. There’s no way in hell…”
“He admitted it to me about an hour ago. I came straight here.”
“Rigatti is going to make a move on Miles.”
“Innocent people are going to get hurt. This changes things, Knox,” Dustin spat as he stood up from his office chair.
“He has no intentions of telling Miles that he’s been boosted to the seat of acting boss. He plans to let him find out when Rigatti comes at him.”
“This is going to be a blood bath.”
“You ain’t kidding. And everybody knows the way to draw Miles out…”
“Letty…” Dustin said plainly. “What are we going to do?”
“For now? Play it cool and stick to the game plan.”
“Have you talked to Miles?”
“Why? So he can break my fucking nose again?”
Dustin laughed as he pointed at Knox’s nose.
“Guess you gotta go back to the plastic surgeon…” Dustin quipped.
Knox gave Dustin an annoyed look. “What the fuck? Why does everyone think I have a plastic surgeon?”
“Because every time Miles sees you, he breaks your fucking nose,” Dustin replied as he shook his head.
“So he dimed out his own son. I wonder why, though?”
“Over a woman, I’m sure,” Knox explained. “At least that’s what I gathered from Letty’s voicemail.
Dustin sat back down in his chair as he pondered the situation at hand.
“Nunzio Rigatti,” Dustin said, as the wheels in his head churned. He had a faraway look in his eyes as he slowly put the puzzle pieces together.
“Father of Gino Rigatti who tried to execute Uncle Sonny after he knocked up Aunt Stef. Dad got his vindication by shooting him dead in the middle of rush hour traffic in Philly. Nunzio is also the grandfather of Giancarlo Rigatti, the murder of whom Miles served seventeen years for. Our father is up to his old tricks. The Butcher frames Miles, and he is going to let Nunzio Rigatti get his revenge. As for Letty, I think the old man was fond of her because she took such good care of him. I think Letty is just a pawn that Michael will use to take Miles out.”
“And that right there is why I fucking love you,” Knox said with a gleaming smile. Shooting out of his chair, he reached across the desk and messed up Dustin’s head of well-gelled hair.
“Aye!” Dustin yelled.
“Wrap this up. We have a dinner to go to.”
“Ah, yes. Dinner. Let me grab my gun,” Dustin said with a dark smile growing across his face.
Knox turned on his heel and with a serious look on his face, he replied, “You might need it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE