Rack 'Em Up

The illness and sudden death of the Sr. Mr. Costillo had come as a shock. A perpetual cough (brought on by years of smoking) he'd had for years turned out to be late-stage lung cancer. He joked that it was revenge from beyond the grave, by all the poor souls who he left sleepin' with the fishes. He left his family struggling to sort out his affairs.

His son, Victor, had been primed for years to take over the family business, so luckily there were no arguments of succession. As the eldest son, the one with three children and one on the way, and the new head of the "family business" it seemed only right that he should move his family into his father's massive and empty estate.

"It weird cooking in this kitchen," Victor's wife, Rowena, remarked. "It feels so strange."

"Dad would have appreciated it, Rowena. Spaghetti was his favorite." Victor settled Leo into his high chair.

The family settled down for dinner. Their eldest child, Cheron, had left for college just a few weeks before, and Rowena had to stop herself from setting an extra place setting for her.

"So, Dad," Daniel blurted out.

"Hmmn?"

"Do you think I'll take over the family business whenever you die?"

Rowena shot her son a look of surprise, while Victor didn't know what to say.

 

"By family business, I do hope you mean taking over the restaurant." Victor took a large mouthful of spaghetti.

"No, Dad. Not the restaurant."

"Good, because I'm passing those duties onto someone else. I'm going to focus on finishing the casino project your Granddad started. But when I die, sure, you can take over the casino."

Daniel rolled his eyes in frustration. "C'mon, Dad. You know what I'm talking about. Bang, bang."

 

Victor threw his napkin on the table. "Dinner's over. I have a lot of work to do tonight."

Rowena shook her head at her teenaged son. "Now look what you've gone and done. Someone gets to help me wash dishes tonight.

Victor hadn't been lying when he said he had a lot of work to do that night. He was finally ready to finish sorting things out for his father's last will and testament. There were some important things to attend to, like give the inheritance money to the rest of the children.

Victor's sister, Gianna, was less than thrilled when she learned that her money was being put into a trust, and she would only receive a certain amount every month.

Instead of giving the money directly to his other sister, Vera, he decided to meet with her husband. He had some private business to tend to with his brother-in-law, so it seemed the perfect time.

"Logan!" he said brightly when the other man entered the room.

"Victor, nice to see you again."

The men sat and chatted in a friendly manner for a while. Victor cleared his throat. "Look, ah, Logan. The family is very aware of certain...proclivities of yours."

Logan shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Um, proclivities?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Don't act like you don't. I play this game with my son all the time, you can't fool me."

"I'm afraid I really, really don't know what you mean."

Victor sighed and lit a cigarette. "I'm saying, we know about you being gay."

What little color was in Logan's face drained instantly. "I-I-I don't know w-what you're talkin-"

"Look, it's fine. You aren't cheating on my sister, she clearly loves you, so I'm inclined to overlook this. In my dad's will, he left the restaurant to you. It's all yours, to do with what you will. But there's a catch. You have the restaurant as long as you're with my sister. It's an incentive. You leave her, you cheat on her, you lose everything, do you understand? And on top of it, I'll break your freakin' neck." The smile on his face didn't match the words he was saying.

After Logan left, the final bit of business he had to worry about was his brother, Pietro. They had to discuss the empire: Pietro was to take over Victor's old duties now that Victor was going to become boss. That meant that Pietro was going to have to select some guys to promote. Trustworthy ones.

Talking business always meant a game of billiards in the Costillo family.

"I'm telling you Pietro, these guys need to be legit. Ones you trust with your life."

"I get it, I get it. I know some guys perfect for the job. A few soldiers who have earned it."

"You sure they're ready?"

"Oh, they're ready."

"Well, then. You're going to need some new soldiers to replace them."

"That's what I'm for!" Daniel said, walking into the room. He picked up a pool cue.

Pietro rolled his eyes. "Get outta here, Danny."

"Where is this coming from?" Victor asked his son.

"Dad, I'm sixteen. It's time for me to get a job."

"Yeah, working at the convenience store, or a busser at the restaurant!"

"That's not an option for me, and you know it."

Victor laughed. "Look, you can play with us, son."

"But you gotta rack 'em up!" Pietro interjected.