Michael

I smile as the guard pats me down, searching for a weapon. "Are we flirting right now?"

She stands up and rolls her eyes at me. "Mr. Collins, may you please just cooperate? I am not in the mood for your nonsense today."

I gasp and hold my heart in fake shock. "When have I ever been anything but cooperative, Ms. Guard lady?"

The truth is, I was planning on faking my death when I first walked in. I guess that's a no-go.

She lets go of me and sighs. "I'll be watching you both from the window. You're pretty good at talking to him, so there will be no funny business, correct?"

I grin. "I'm pretty good with my fingers too, baby."

She rolls her eyes and opens the door to the room. "Ten minutes." She says as I walk inside.

I didn't actually have a thing for her. In fact, I'm not attracted to her at all. I just enjoy flirting. Gets me going, you know?

I step inside of the room. Mr. Stone sits at one of the tables, his hands cuffed. I cover my mouth to prevent the wheeze of laughter that wants to escape as I stare at him. By the time I take a seat across from him, I am holding my hand out as I laugh loudly.

"What the fuck is funny?" He grumbles.

"From a dangerous mafia man to a handcuffed loser in an orange jumpsuit!" I holler, hitting the table as I wheeze and shake my head in laughter.

I have been visiting Mr. Stone since Dante and Diana got married. Despite visiting him over fifty times in the past three years, I still can never stop myself from laughing when I see him.

Today, however, I was here on my terms. I lean on the table and clear my throat. "All right, I'm done." I say, holding my hands up in defense.

"Why are you here, Micheal? We meet on Thursdays, not Tuesdays."

"Right—yeah—so about that." I fold my hands. "I want to run your mafia."

His eyes widen slightly and his jaw ticks. "You're fuckin' with me, right?"

"Mr. Stone, I'm straight." I respond, biting this inside of my cheek to hide my smile.

"What?"

"I like women."

"What are you talking about-" Mr. Stone pauses, finally understanding. He runs a hand over his face. "Micheal, you're a fucking idiot."

I shake my head and clear my throat again. "On a serious note, I'm not joking, Mr. Stone. I want to run your mafia. I believe I'm the perfect fit for it and I am fully prepared to give explanation if needed."

He leans back in his chair and stares at me intently. "This is my legacy. Meaning it's for my family. You're not my family."

"Ouch."

"Just the truth, Mike."

I lean closer, my facial expression turning into one of seriousness. "Look, Mr. Stone, I can change the game. No offense, but this isn't the nineteen-sixties anymore. People have access to nearly everything you guys have now."

He wipes his nose with his thumb. "I'm listening."

"It'll be more of a business than the reckless kill squad it is now, all the while staying private. There will be a warehouse for each department. Fake money, weapons, and a department where 'business' is taken care of."

He takes a moment to respond. "And I'm supposed to believe you won't do the same thing my son did?"

"Sir, Dante has a life, I don't. He never wanted to be a part of this in the first place. I was born for this."

Mr. Stone nods and leans forward. "You're aware of what's going on, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir. Gangs, detectives, and people all around the world have been trying to take us down since Dante left. And since detective Daniel died last week, it's only gotten ten times worse. There are cops searching my brother's house as we speak, as a matter of fact."

"Michael, your father was one of the most known mafia leaders in the world. He was known for killing cops. Not to mention, everyone in the business industry knows who you are. It'll only draw more attention to you."

"Which leads me to my plan."

"And what is that?"

I smile. "I'll get married."

"How the hell does-"

"Hear me out, Mr. Stone. She's the police chief's daughter and a dentist. Everyone knows her. Meaning, if they found out she's my wife, that'll take the attention off of me and onto her. While they're targeting her, I'll handle everything else. I'll erase everything, making it impossible for them to target us anymore. They won't even have evidence that your mafia existed. Then they'll have no choice but to drop the whole thing and target someone else. Genius right?"

Mr. Stone sits back in seat again. He rubs his beard, staring at the table in deep thought as I wait anxiously for his response. After about three minutes of silent torture, he finally speaks,

"You make this all go away and it's yours." He murmurs and stands up.

My eyes widen and I smile widely. "For real?"

He pierces me with his signature death stare. "Don't disappoint me, kid."

I stand up and nod eagerly. "Yes, sir."

He nods and turns away. "Guard." He says.

A male guard takes him away. I leave shortly after and it isn't till I am driving to Dante and Diana's place that I celebrate. I call Dante and Theo about it. They congratulate me and when they begin asking questions, I hang up. I arrive at Dante and Diana's house shortly after.

I knock once. No one's answers, making me grow impatient. I use my key and barge inside.

"No one answered for a reason, dick-face." Dante says from the kitchen.

I toss my jacket on the living room couch and make my way to the kitchen counter where I find them cleaning together. I take a seat at one of the counter stools.

"You can stop pretending now, Diana. Big daddy is home. Ditch him."

Diana rolls her eyes as Dante drops the rag he is holding. "Micheal, you're disgusting." She replies.

Dante strides toward me with his hand on his gun. Laughing, I get up quickly and begin running away. "I'm fuckin' with you, man, calm down!"

He glares at me before returning to the kitchen with Diana. I take a blunt out of the small ziplock I carried them in. After lighting it, I take a hit just as they finish.

Fiona comes downstairs as I take another hit. I smile. "F-dog! Long time no see, kiddo!"

She flops on the sofa in the living room. "You saw me last night, uncle Mike."

"Well shit." I mumble, exhaling the smoke.

I stay for a while, talking to Diana and Dante about my plan. I leave out some details, such as the fact that I wanted my wife to be Audrey.

Soon I am on my way to Audrey's job, 'Nunez Dentists and Orthodontists'. I step inside and the receptionist greets me.

"Hey, Mr. Collins! Glad to see you again!" she says, wiping a strand of her curly gray hair to the side.

"I'll treat you better than your husband treats you, sweetheart." I reply, walking in the direction of Audrey's office.

"Oh stop it!"

When I reach her office, I open the door. "Get out." I tell her patient. She looks up from inspecting the inside of his mouth.

The man leaves quickly, making her stand up. Her nostrils flare as he closes the door behind him.

"¡No puedes simplemente entrar a mi oficina cuando quieras, Michael!"

I smile, finally hearing her speak Spanish after all this time. She had managed to hide her accent from everyone else, but I knew there was that feisty latina still in there.

"I don't have a clue what you said, but it just turned me on." I respond, taking a seat behind her desk.

She exhales deeply and closes her eyes. After calming down, she stares at me with a glare. "How the hell do you know where I work?"

I dig through my pants pocket and once I find the small box of toothpicks, I grab one. Placing it on the side of the inside of my mouth, I answer, "Funny story actually."

"I highly doubt that."

I roll the toothpick around in my mouth. "In case you forgot, you're a well-known dentist, meaning, anyone with fucking teeth knows who you are." I smile. "And Lily told me."

She clenches her fist and I wouldn't be surprised if she throat-punched me right now. "Okay then, why are you here? Did you come just to ruin my day?"

I don't pay attention to what she's saying, only staring at her long legs. I smile. "How many times do you think I can make you cum in twenty minutes?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Come on baby, take a guess."

"Are you high?"

"Yes I am." I lean forward. "Anything below four is a goddamn insult."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Jesucristo por favor ayúdame." She mumbles. Audrey picks up a scalpel blade off of her desk. "Tell me why you're here or so help me god I will stab you with this."

I shrug. "I want to ask you for a teeny tiny favor."

"What?"

"I need you to be my wife."