Chapter 6: Welcome to Rome!

Sal soon found himself back in one of the range rovers, heading towards the airport with his bags packed. Not that he had anything to pack of course, simply the clothing on his back and the ring on his finger.

Flavio had told him he would have everything he needed and not to panic, saying that everything would be taken care of. After all, Sal didn't even have a passport, but Flavio had said he wouldn't need such trivial things where they were going.

They drove for around an hour or two, which Sal had lost track of time due to looking out of the window too much before finally arriving at a private airfield in the middle of nowhere.

"We are here sir," Flavio said as he exited the vehicle, with one of the guards opening the door for him.

Sal did the same as one of the other men opened the door for him too, allowing him to step out and take a look around.

"Wow... Is that our plane?" He asked, seeing the private jet that was parked up on the runway waiting for them.

"It is," Flavio said with a smile on his face, walking toward the steps

"Good evening sir," One of the pilots said, who was standing outside to greet them.

Flavio nodded to him as he walked up, standing in the doorway of the aircraft as he looked back.

"Well come on then!" He shouted, seeing that Sal was still staring at the plane.

Sal snapped out of his daydreaming and started walking over towards the stairs, getting a nod from the pilots as they stood upright.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." They both said, already having been briefed on who Sal was.

"You too," Sal said with a smile, walking up the stairs towards Flavio who was waiting for him.

Sal entered the jet, taking in the sight of the interior. It was stunning, complete with large leather seats, a bar and state-of-the-art in every way, something he had only ever seen in movies.

"Here sir, please take a seat." One of the air hostesses said as she directed him to a large and comfy-looking chair, catching his attention at how pretty she was.

"Would you like a drink, hot towel or anything else sir?" She then asked as Sal and Flavio took their seat in the largest part of the jet, while the other men took various seats dotted around.

"Get me a glass of Giuseppe quintarelli." Flavio said as he crossed his legs, "oh and an ashtray." He added.

"Right away sir." She said, quickly going to get him what he had asked for.

"I didn't think you could smoke in an aeroplane?" Sal asked, snapping out of his daydream.

"This is a private plane owned by the Mogavero family. We or you should I say, can do whatever you like." He said, lighting his cigarette.

Sal was impressed as he took another look around, hearing the doors shut and the engines start soon after, before they started to taxi down part of the airfield.

"Your wine sir." The air hostess said as she returned, placing his small glass of wine down on the table.

"Thank you." He said, smiling at the woman, causing her to blush before she went to check on the other men's needs.

Flavio picked up his wine and slowly swirled it around in the glass before taking a sniff.

"Ah... Such an excellent aroma." He said before he took a sip.

"This is your captain speaking... we are about to head for take-off, if I may kindly ask everyone to take their seats until we are in the air." The voice said over the intercom, causing the air hostess to double-check that everyone's seat belts were done up, or they were at least seated for take-off before taking their own seats.

Flavio noticed that Sal seemed a little nervous, watching as he held his armrest a little tight, almost breaking the thing.

"Are you alright there Sal, you seem a little nervous." He said with a small smile.

"I-I'm fine... I have just never flown before." Sal said, realizing he was sweating a little.

"Well try to relax, that poor armrest is going to snap in two if you squeeze any harder," Flavio said as he sipped on his wine.

Sal nodded and took a deep breath, letting go of the armrest as he realized he was indeed about to break it with his grip.

The jet started to move along the runway, getting fast and faster causing Sal's head to hit the back of his headrest, feeling the force from the speed.

Flavio on the other hand seemed unaffected, holding his wine glass with perfect balance in one hand and his cigarette in the other, even with the jet getting faster and taking off into the air.

Sal felt his stomach flip as the plane balanced in the air before he finally started to feel normal again, allowing his body to relax a little in his seat breathing again.

Now that the jet was stable in the air, the fasten seat belt sign turned off and the air hostess got up to prepare the food and drinks for the flight.

"It's a two-hour flight to Italy Sal, why not have some food and rest a little," Flavio said, seeing that Sal was looking out of the window with a nervous expression.

Sal turned to Flavio and nodded.

"Whereabouts in Italy are we going anyway?" He asked, remembering he hadn't been told.

Flavio smiled as he slipped his wine.

"To Rome."

"Rome!" Sal said in surprise.

"That's right," Flavio said, taking another sip of his wine.

"Why Rome?" Sal asked, feeling the need to ask more questions.

"The Mogavero main base and headquarters is in Rome. After all, that is where the family was born and so it is where the main family have stayed for the last two thousand years." Flavio said, happy to answer his questions.

"I see..." Sal said, taking another look out of the window, seeing that they were now crossing the sea towards France.

"Can I get you anything else sir, another glass of wine, or some food?" One of the air hostesses said as she returned to check on them.

"Yes, and get young Salvator over there something to eat," Flavio said, getting his attention.

"After all, you are going to need your strength when we arrive."

Sal nodded, looking to the air hostess.

"Certainly sir, today we have a choice of fresh salmon, tender ribeye steak, or roast chicken." She said, waiting for him to make his mind up.

"He will have the steak," Flavio said, making the choice for him, taking a puff on his cigarette.

"Of course sir." She said, smiling at Sal before she walked away to prepare his food.

Sal watched her walk away, blushing a little at how pretty she was, causing Flavio to smirk.

"Eyes on the prize young Salvator. Once you are boss, you can have as many women as you want." He said, causing Sal to go red in the face.

"N-N, What!" He said, trying not to act shy about it.

"I'm not here for women." He then said as he crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, causing Flavio to laugh at his innocence.

"Good." He then said as he too leaned back, placing his empty glass down.

The rest of the flight passed quickly for Sal, eating all of his food and steak, helping to put him at ease. Never had he realised how amazing a piece of meat could taste in his life, having never eaten anything so amazing before. Flavio on the other hand had sunk another glass of wine and then proceeded to fall asleep with a warm towel over his face while one of the air hostesses massaged his shoulders.

Of course, they had offered Sal the same, but he felt too embarrassed to accept, kindly turning the girl down and spending most of his time either looking out of the window or thinking about the power of his ring, studying the marking on it from time to time.

Soon enough the plane had made its way to their destination, landing safely as they had arrived in Rome at another private airfield. Once the plane had stopped and the doors opened, Flavio and the others led Sal outside where he could feel the heat from the sun right away, loving the nice weather as he took a breath of fresh air.

"Please sir this way." One of the men said, extending his arm for Sal to follow towards the blacked-out range rovers that were parked up waiting for them.

Sal nodded and followed him, turning around to see that the air staff were all waving goodbye as they paid their respects to him, causing him to give them a small wave back.

"Please, sir, try not to wave back to the help." The man said as he shut the door once Sal had gotten into the car.

Sal looked to Flavio who simply smiled.

"It's bad practice for the boss is all." He said, not seeming bothered by what he did.

Sal nodded as he placed his seatbelt on, watching as they started to drive away, coming out of the airfield and eventually joining the motorway seeing the signs for Rome ahead.

"It's not far now sir, only twenty minutes or so with a police escort," Flavio said, keeping his arms crossed over his chest.

"Police escort?" Sal asked, looking out of the window and noticing the police cars that had joined their convoy, placing their blue lights on and proceeding to escort the cars through any and all traffic.

"Well, we wouldn't want to be late now would we?" He said, smiling at Sal's consent surprise.

Soon enough they had arrived in the heart of the city itself, even driving past the colosseum itself as Sal remained glued to the window so he could take in the sights.

"Wow... I never thought I would see it up close like this." Sal said as they continued to drive past it, heading towards the Piazza Venezia.

"Yes, Rome is filled with ancient history, amazing how it has survived for so long really," Flavio said, not paying any attention to it as they continued to drive through the busy streets, getting stairs from all of the locals and tourists alike who walked along the streets and allies that were filled with shops and life, watching as the police escorted the small convoy of range rovers through the city centre.

"So where are we going exactly?" Sal asked as he looked at another huge building with a large statue outside of it in amazement.

"To be exact, we are heading to Castel Sant'Angelo," Flavio said.

"A castle?" Sal said, surprised that they would be heading to such a place.

"Yes... However, the castle itself is more of a front these days, posing as a museum for the tourists." Flavio said, explaining a little more.

"A museum?" Sal said, looking out of the window again to see they were crossing a large bridge that crossed over a river running through the city.

"Yes, a museum. You see it helps keep the attention off of its main purpose." He then said as the castle came into view.

"Wow," Sal said, speechless as he laid eyes on the large castle fort before them, seeing the large walls that lined it, along with the large queues of people who were waiting to take pictures and get inside.

"However, the castle's main purpose is to serve and house the boss of the Mogavero family, acting as the main HQ in Italy," Flavio said, watching as the convoy stopped in front of a private gate with armed guards on it located in a private part of the grounds where no one else was allowed.

"Anyway, we are here." He then said as the guards signalled for the gate to open and allowed the range rovers only to drive through, stopping the police who proceeded to turn around and turn their lights off.

"This is insane..." Sal said as he watched out of the window while the car drove into the castle grounds before heading underground into a large car park that was secured by more armed guards wearing black suits.

The car came to a steady stop, only being stationary for a moment before the front passenger got out and opened the doors for Flavio and Sal.

"We have arrived, sir." He said, waiting for them to get out before he shut the door behind them.

"Thank you, Nul," Flavio said, thanking the large bold man who was towering over them.

"Alright, follow me, Sal, everyone is waiting for us," Flavio said, taking his blazer off and throwing it over his shoulder in style before he started walking ahead.

Sal gulped and then nodded, following Flavio towards a large set of doors, not being able to help but notice all of the fancy cars that were parked in this huge underground car park.

Flavio arrived at the doors, pressing a button before they opened, revealing a fancy elevator.

"In we get," He said, allowing Sal to walk in first before he and the other guards followed.

Sal watched as Flavio placed his hand onto the scanner, causing the lift to start moving up until it came to a stop.

"Here we are," Flavio said as the doors opened, this time walking out before Sal.

Sal also stepped out into a large hallway, looking at how fancy it seemed. The floor was lined with a thick red carpet that looked expensive, with the walls lined with paintings and expensive artwork from all over the world, giving it a rich vibe.

"This way sir," Nul said, waiting for Sal to start walking forwards before he followed him, making sure not to get too close to him so he felt at ease.

Sal followed Flavio down the hallway for only a minute before they reached a set of large wooden doors that had gold marking engraved all around them in a fancy pattern, complete with another set of armed guards who quickly stood to attention before they opened the doors.

"Welcome, sir." They said to Flavio before looking at Sal, causing them to stand further to attention.

Flavio smiled at them, giving them the nod to relax before he turned to Sal.

"Alright Sal, are you ready to meet the family?" Flavio asked, turning to look at him.

Sal took a large breath in as he composed himself before giving Flavio a nod.

"Yes, let's do this." He said feeling confident.

"Alright then," Flavio said as he smiled, walking into the large hall and catching everyone's attention.

The hall was filled with lots of different people from all over the world, all well dressed, seeming to enjoy a large buffet with drinks in their hands as they chatted among themselves.

"Everyone!" Flavio shouted, making sure that he certainly had everyone's attention before he spoke again.

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to look at who was causing such a commotion, each and every one of them turning to look at Flavio.

"I, Flavio Russo present to you. The long-lost son of lord Alessandro Mogavero, and the next boss of the Mogavero family... Salvator Mogavero!" He shouted, turning to present Sal to the entire room, who could somehow feel the weight of everyone's eyes suddenly fall upon him.

Sal stood awkwardly in front of the entire hall, looking as all of their eyes watched him, making him feel nervous.

"N-Nice to meet you all..." Sal said, feeling way too nervous and not knowing what else to do, somehow not receiving the reception that he had been expecting.

The room remained silent for a moment as no one dared to speak, instead, everyone continued to look Sal up and down, trying to get a sense of what kind of person he was, waiting for him to say something else.

"Nice to meet you... What kind of fucking introduction is that!" A voice suddenly shouted, causing everyone in the crowd to shift their attention to where it had come from, including Sal as he looked over towards a set of stairs, seeing that the person who had shouted stood at the top of them, having cleared a pathway between him and Sal as no one wanted to stand between them.

"Oh no..." Flavio said, causing Sal to give him a concerned look before he looked back to the man who had shouted.

"Who is that?" Sal asked, feeling an overwhelming power coming from him, even from across the room, causing him to feel as if he was frozen on the spot.

"That... That is your cousin." Flavio said, not seeming impressed as he had a worried expression on his face, causing Sal to feel even more panicked.

"Oh great, another surprise." Sal thought as he looked back over in his cousin's direction, not liking what was about to happen next.