family for good. The same day
that he’d stood in his grandfather’s study inside the family mansion in a
suburb north of Chicago, and refused to honor the old man’s request that he
help his cousin Gene kill Frank, Mike, and Danny Rossi.
It
wasn’t that he didn’t sympathize with why his grandfather had wanted them dead,
or that he wasn’t just as upset that Leo, the original hit-man who had never
had time to complete his job, had fled to Europe to avoid prosecution. That was
a betrayal of the family, as much as the Rossi brothers had betrayed Gene’s
trust when they skipped out on a massive drug sale without giving Gene his cut.
Business was still business, even if it was illegal.
The
hit had been taken out on the Rossi brothers by Dominic’s grandfather, they got
wind of it, and then they’d gone to the FBI. Leo had fled the country, but that
left the others behind to face the feds.
Regardless
of his sympathy and loyalty for his family, murder was not something Antonio
had ever wanted any part of. He’d told his grandfather that from the time he
had understood what the word meant, and as soon as he understood the kinds of
organized crime their family was involved in. He wanted to do his part for the
family in other ways. Ways that utilized his skills with computers and logic, but
that wasn’t good enough for the Trapani family.
After
the nuclear war scare of 2072, organized crime enjoyed a resurgence in the USA
and other countries because of the panic. People wanted shelters, and all these
massive underground cities were being built at the same time. That in turn wrought
havoc with the delicate balance above ground between legal and illegal
businesses, and the crime families once again moved in to take over, just as
they’d first done during Prohibition in the 1920s.
By
the time the FBI got their act together, after realizing that there would be no
nuclear wars and mass populations didn’t have to move underground in a hurry,
the damage had already been done. Antonio still hadn’t wanted to resort to
killing people, so he walked out on his family. That simply was not done. Not
if one wanted to live to tell about it, that is.
He
changed his name to Dominic Greco, a character in an obscure book he’d read as a
child, and moved to Los Angeles where his good friend, Viggo Ingram, helped him
build a new identity.
But
no one leaves a crime family. Not really. Not forever. While Dominic built his
empire above ground, he watched his back constantly. It wasn’t until Tommy
Twister sent The Madeline Project running amok that he began to believe he
might be safe one day. In the panic that followed for two years, he moved
underground and built extra layers of protection between him and his former
family.
Then
one stupid argument with a woman named Becca Stowe had nearly cost him all the
work he’d put into hiding from a family who wanted him dead. Dominic shook his
head as he walked back to his desk. It had been a mistake because he had let
things go too far with Becca. As soon as she’d started trying to redecorate his
apartment and made the quip about him not having to use condoms every time, he
should have ended it.
Dominic
had always been upfront and honest about what he wanted out of a relationship.
Becca had a volatile personality that at first had excited him. She was a hellcat
in bed, but he soon realized her temper wasn’t going to soften, and he couldn’t
deal with the constant fights.
He
also caught her snooping in his browser history more than once, with the
excuses she’d been looking for a restaurant they’d recently gone to or an event
they’d attended. He’d known she’d been lying, and still he kept seeing her.
Then
when he’d ended it, she’d quit her job with his company and threatened him. She’d
told him she had taken information with her from work, and it was only then he realized
how easily she could ruin everything for him. He’d been blindsided.
Just like you are now
that he’d stood in his grandfather’s study inside the family mansion in a
suburb north of Chicago, and refused to honor the old man’s request that he
help his cousin Gene kill Frank, Mike, and Danny Rossi.
It
wasn’t that he didn’t sympathize with why his grandfather had wanted them dead,
or that he wasn’t just as upset that Leo, the original hit-man who had never
had time to complete his job, had fled to Europe to avoid prosecution. That was
a betrayal of the family, as much as the Rossi brothers had betrayed Gene’s
trust when they skipped out on a massive drug sale without giving Gene his cut.
Business was still business, even if it was illegal.
The
hit had been taken out on the Rossi brothers by Dominic’s grandfather, they got
wind of it, and then they’d gone to the FBI. Leo had fled the country, but that
left the others behind to face the feds.
Regardless
of his sympathy and loyalty for his family, murder was not something Antonio
had ever wanted any part of. He’d told his grandfather that from the time he
had understood what the word meant, and as soon as he understood the kinds of
organized crime their family was involved in. He wanted to do his part for the
family in other ways. Ways that utilized his skills with computers and logic, but
that wasn’t good enough for the Trapani family.
After
the nuclear war scare of 2072, organized crime enjoyed a resurgence in the USA
and other countries because of the panic. People wanted shelters, and all these
massive underground cities were being built at the same time. That in turn wrought
havoc with the delicate balance above ground between legal and illegal
businesses, and the crime families once again moved in to take over, just as
they’d first done during Prohibition in the 1920s.
By
the time the FBI got their act together, after realizing that there would be no
nuclear wars and mass populations didn’t have to move underground in a hurry,
the damage had already been done. Antonio still hadn’t wanted to resort to
killing people, so he walked out on his family. That simply was not done. Not
if one wanted to live to tell about it, that is.
He
changed his name to Dominic Greco, a character in an obscure book he’d read as a
child, and moved to Los Angeles where his good friend, Viggo Ingram, helped him
build a new identity.
But
no one leaves a crime family. Not really. Not forever. While Dominic built his
empire above ground, he watched his back constantly. It wasn’t until Tommy
Twister sent The Madeline Project running amok that he began to believe he
might be safe one day. In the panic that followed for two years, he moved
underground and built extra layers of protection between him and his former
family.
Then
one stupid argument with a woman named Becca Stowe had nearly cost him all the
work he’d put into hiding from a family who wanted him dead. Dominic shook his
head as he walked back to his desk. It had been a mistake because he had let
things go too far with Becca. As soon as she’d started trying to redecorate his
apartment and made the quip about him not having to use condoms every time, he
should have ended it.
Dominic
had always been upfront and honest about what he wanted out of a relationship.
Becca had a volatile personality that at first had excited him. She was a hellcat
in bed, but he soon realized her temper wasn’t going to soften, and he couldn’t
deal with the constant fights.
He
also caught her snooping in his browser history more than once, with the
excuses she’d been looking for a restaurant they’d recently gone to or an event
they’d attended. He’d known she’d been lying, and still he kept seeing her.
Then
when he’d ended it, she’d quit her job with his company and threatened him. She’d
told him she had taken information with her from work, and it was only then he realized
how easily she could ruin everything for him. He’d been blindsided.
Just like you are now
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