Right Behind You

Chapter Fourteen: In Your Eyes

"You always try to hide the pain

You always know just what to say

I always look the other way

I'm blind, I'm blind

In your eyes, you lie, but I don't let it define you

Oh, define you."

-In Your Eyes (The Weeknd)

Andrei:

The Mafia Gala­—or the gangster ball as pretty much all of us called it was a night where the top heads of the biggest crime organizations in the world came together to indulge in all formal luxuries this year's host provided. This year it was our group's turn to show everyone a good time and keep relationships high with the people we haven't heard from in a while.

It was an understatement to say that we did not go all out for this kind of event. I mean it was expected—the term hospitality was taken to the max level when it came to planning for these kinds of events. And guess who was in charge of putting it all together?

Well, of course, yours truly.

Obviously, I had two party planners to help with the details like the table cloth colors, utensils, food served, etc. I could care less about those things. Aesthetically the place had to look good, the drinks had to be flowing, and the food had to be impeccable; it would be a poor reflection on our Bravata if we had anything less than the epitome of luxury.

It would show weakness.

We wanted this night to exude: confidence, strength, fear.

It was honestly exhausting putting this all together, not to mention setting in place the immense security detail needed in order to watch everything. Mafia bosses and their clans with just enough liquor in their system could cause havoc and we needed guards to keep the fighting, shooting, and danger to a minimum. If we were lucky tonight, only about six to seven people would be shot playfully, everyone else to hungover to remember what happened.

We held this year's gala at The Noble Echo Hotel a little far off from the city and away from prying eyes and ears. It was my idea to buy this hotel a few years ago for easy business trafficking, places to hold events, and profits whenever people did decide to stay here. The hotel spent two years under extensive renovations, after all, it was run-down and abandoned and now it looked something out of a Great Gatsby novel, everything exuded luxury.

The ceilings were high and dripping with crystal chandeliers everywhere you turned, marble floors imported from Italy adorned all the easily accessible areas in the main foyer of the hotel. Persian rugs and carpets embellished the remaining places where there needed to be a more cozy and comfortable setting. Most of the items here from the couches, lamps, coffee tables and more were imported from high-end furniture stores in different countries to lift the appearance of the former shabby hotel. The Noble Echo usually got a lot of high traction from Atlanta's elite and visiting tourists when it wasn't being used as a Mafia super party house.

"The perimeter has been secured, Andrei." Matvei one of our associates informed me.

I turned to him and nodded my eyes scanning the growing room of attendees as they filed into the ballroom big enough to fit 650 seated and a 1,000 for just cocktails. We had multiple rooms opened for people who didn't want to sit and dine as well as the hotel suites for "other activities" our guests decided to indulge.