Alexandre traced a finger along the sleek surface of the sniper rifle. The last crate of AR14s had been unpacked, and to his satisfaction, the payment would be worth every penny. Walking around the three other opened crates, the consigliere took his time examining the rifle magazines, picking up an occasional  one and placing it back gingerly in its crate once his gaze had swept through it. The courier remained silent beside the crate, smirking to herself when the man sighed in satisfaction. 

Alexandre motioned for the young intern standing by the door, who dutifully stepped forward to close the crates and begin transporting them to the storage facility. A middle-aged woman in a fashionable Gucci suit regarded Alexandre from behind her cat-eye glasses. 

"To your satisfaction, I assume?" The courier raised an eyebrow at the younger man's smile. He extended a firm hand and nodded.

"Completely so. The 'Ndrangheta never fails to deliver," he remarked, and it was the broker's turn to smile. 

"Well, arms and ammunition is our domain. Besides, Don Ruiz was our constant pillar of support when we were short of weapons during the neighbourhood uprisings. The 'Ndrangheta clans are more than willing to return the favour," the woman replied, returning the handshake. 

"The payment will be made in 24 hours, " Alexandre stated with a quick look at one of the six clocks on the wall. Each one represented a different time zone corresponding to the countries Los Caballos dealt with in business. With Adriano's return in a week, they hoped to add another clock on the wall. 

"We look forward to doing more business with you," Alexandre stated with a polite nod as the broker made for the door with two of her men, She glanced back at him a final time with a gesture of farewell.

"Give my regards to Don Adriano."

As the heavy door shut behind her, Alexandre found himself alone in the large office again. Sparsely decorated with a few oil paintings and an expensive floor-to-ceiling Persian carpet, Alexandre was not in the least surprised that Don Adriano's taste in decor was the polar opposite of his grandfather's antique-furnished study. Then again, Adriano Ruiz's style had always been minimalistic, which came in handy when they had to switch office buildings and didn't have the hassle of shifting a dozen antique desks. 

It was an office Alexandre himself had found himself seated in on many occasions, especially in Don Adriano's absence. As Adriano's consigliere or counsellor, Alexandre was the top man consulted in literally every business decision the Caballos clan made. And if there was something that Don Adriano valued more than his consigliere's  Harvard business degree, it was his friendship.

Alexandre Castellan, then a young graduate from university, had had no plans of getting entangled with the Spanish mafia or their business managing the Mediterranean ports, profitable as it was. His widowed mother, who had benefitted from the kindness of the Don in times of financial crisis, had been the catalyst in her son's association with Los Caballos. As a young entrepreneur in  need of funds  for his consultancy firm, Alexandre had approached Don Ruiz a little reluctantly for assistance. Known in business circles simply as Mr. Angelo Ruiz, the man was addressed by the title 'Don' only in the Mafia circles, and the fact that his mother used this honorary title with such high esteem made Alex a little wary. 

The nature of the Don's favour to his mother was unknown as the woman never spoke about it. To any non observant eye, Mr. Angelo Ruiz was simply a first generation businessman with a gift for making money on the lucrative Mediterranean ports. Yet, there was something more to the old man, as Alexandre assumed, that had something to do with the enormous respect for him in the circles of the Spanish minority, as well as his kindness to those who sought an audience with him if he deemed them worthy of his attention.

Nevertheless, the young man managed to negotiate for himself a profitable little deal with the Don when he had the honour of being granted an audience. 

"If we Spaniards don't look out for each other, who will?" The old man had smiled indulgently at Alexandre as he swirled a glass of whiskey. The young man himself had nervously accepted a drink from the Don's consigliere, but his glass had gone nearly untouched through the course of the brief meeting.

"Of course, my assistance comes at a price," Don Ruiz had informed the business graduate, who was more than willing to repay any debt.

 It all started with simple business consultancy, where the Don would ask Alex for his opinion on their port operations in Europe. Putting his Harvard education to good use, he had advised the Don on where unnecessary expenses could be trimmed so that their profit margin could increase. Such minor consultations soon grew to become business proposals with the Caballos associates, which Alexandre would be asked to scan for loopholes, if any. And after he had proven himself a loyal advisor and confidant to the business of Los Caballos, there had been no turning back for Alexandre Castellan.

After Don Ruiz's unfortunate death, his grandson had stepped in and had instantly recognised Alex's eye for deals and his knack for negotiations. Adriano Ruiz's only condition had been for Alexandre's consultancy firm to be shelved. Los Caballos would be his sole client, and in return, the coveted position of Ruiz's consigliere was his.

Every member of the Caballos Family knew that if Alex stated that a business deal was unprofitable, Adriano Ruiz would never look in that direction again. And if the consigliere suggested establishing ties with a certain Family, the Caballos would call for a meeting with the Family representative without delay.

In less than a year after the old Don's passing, Adriano Ruiz had made significant progress in continuing his grandfather's legacy. On Alex's suggestion, the Spanish Mafia clan had retained strong ties with the Sicilian 'Ndrangheta families, who supplied them with the best weapons as favours. While the Italian Cosa Nostra families, namely the Five Families of New York, had been a little guarded with their interaction with the Caballos, Adriano knew they had to make efforts to break into their market.

Which is where he was then, having left his consigliere to manage the business for the two weeks he was away meeting representatives of the Cosa Nostra. From the call the two men had had the previous evening, the new Don seemed to be making good progress.

"The Genovese Family asked about our work, and I believe they've carried word to the Lucchese," Adriano had reported from the hotel in New York. One that they owned, of course.

"In another month or so, the Gambino Family will know who we are when we make our presence felt in their gambling dens. We'll need to start reassigning posts within the Family."

Alexandre had detected the ghost of a smile as his Don uttered those words matter-of-factly with the self-assurance of a man who knew that his vision was no mere dream. His handpicked consigliere and caporegimes constituted the bridge that would lead there, and this was the metaphorical gold at the end of the rainbow. The consigliere would have to inform Adriano Ruiz of the new consignment of arms that had arrived that afternoon, and process the payment after his approval.

The office phone blared to life, bringing Alexandre out of his reverie. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before picking it up.

"¿Sí?" He replied flatly.

"Elena Moretti está aquí." The monotonous voice of the secretary stated.

His ears instantly perked up at the mention of the Caballos Family's ex-accountant. Alexandre's memories of the woman, unlike his Don's, did not date back to more than five years ago. By the time he had been initiated into Los Caballos, Elena had resigned, but he had heard stories of her financial brilliance uttered by Don Angelo Ruiz in his close circles. Rumour had it that in addition to almost having become Adriano's godmother, Elena had been the frontrunner for the role of the ageing Don's consigliere. For reasons that had never been explained to Alex, the woman had handed in her resignation and vacated her office in a span of merely one week.

And she had returned after nearly fifteen years to the office of Los Caballos to collect all that she had left behind in her hurried exit. They had been expecting her. Alexandre smiled, gripping the receiver.

"Let her in."