Dante Salerno.

Dante Salerno. 45 Member of the Costa Nostra. Underboss of the Forzas: the most powerful of New York's Five Families. Sovrani loyal.

[dantesalerno]

@vinnievespucci Location: Vespucci's. Dated: 13/9/24.

"I don't typically like to show up unannounced, but given the circumstances..."

Given the circumstances, it was a miracle his tone held any formality at all.

To say he was furious was an understatement. Had even an ounce of it been directed at the man stood before him, the exchange would've been doomed from the start. As it were, in spite of the others throwing blame their way for the events that'd transpired at the post-awards party, Dante refrained from passing judgement. Yes, it could've been more tactful, and yes, it could've been timed better, but it was hardly a first account of the Sovrani provoking the Russians. To hang everything that'd happened since—to assign sin to Vespucci for what'd happened at the hands of the Russians—did little more than sow discontent in precisely the way Vorshevsky would've wanted.

And since the fuck was done taking his shot at the Sovrani alliance with the French, now he was attempting to strip away one more of their few remaining partners.

Dante adjusted his suit jacket subtly, eyes scanning a room that was very much looking on in keen interest. It wasn't every day the future head of the Costa Nostra strolled up to the future underboss of the Sovrani right in front of them.

"A word? Privately."

[dantesalerno]

jeanpalfroix​:

Jean raised an eyebrow at Dante’s proposal. While he didn’t trust the Italian in the slightest, denying Lara Rutherford something she wanted was a tantalizing offer. Had Eliott’s death been a prolonged affair? From what he’d heard, it hadn’t. Just a punch to the throat and it was over. Without saying a word, he merely nodded at the Italian, the only answer he trusted himself to give.

Giving Dante the attacking advantage proved to be a mistake almost immediately. Jean was quick, but even he wasn’t quick enough to completely avoid Dante’s fist, though he was able to deflect it just enough that it only grazed his head instead of making contact directly. The slight mental clarity that avoiding having his bell rung provided allowed Jean to throw two punches, right then left, directly into Dante’s chest.

Eliott, this is for you little bro, he thought before he followed up the punches with his knee.

.

Forfeiting wasn’t closure. Neither was tapping out before he was desperate. But Dante wasn’t too keen to have a knockout on his scorecard, either...

There was a reputation to uphold, after all.

The kid was decent, he’d give him that much. He hit hard, clean, and was unrelenting in his assault. Dante managed to avoid enough of the shots thrown his way to make it seem as though his head was in it; hands up defensively the majority of the time, despite him usually being the aggressive one in his fights. They could likely mark that one down to him being a vain bastard.

Usually he’d hear Kathleen in the crowd. Easy to block everyone else, though. The fact she was suspiciously quite tonight, of all nights, lent credence to the idea that there was something happening between her and the man in front of him. The French never had learnt to keep their hands to themselves. All right, so maybe he could spare a convincing strike or two directly at his ugly fucking face for Kathy. 

But mostly, he just wanted it to be over. 

[dantesalerno]

jeanpalfroix​:

Years later and Jean was finally getting his wish. For so long all he’d wanted was to come face to face with Eliott’s killer and enact his revenge. And yet, staring down Dante in the ring, he didn’t feel the excitement or anticipation he thought he would. Instead, he felt nothing. Which he was sure had everything to do with the dark haired woman he could see among the Italians.

But focusing on Kathleen was a sure fire way to end up reunited with Eliott and so Jean merely took a deep breath and stepped into the ring with his opponent. He didn’t even spare a glance up to the balcony to see if the Rutherford zombie was enjoying the spectacle she’d created. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’d gotten under his skin.

The start signal went off and Jean was immediately on the defensive, with his hands up to block his face, and most importantly, his throat. His weight was centered on the balls of his feet, ready to move whatever direction necessary. For all the havoc that Dante Salerno’s fighting on wrecked on his life, he’d never witnessed it first hand and this was one situation where he was going to do anything but rush in without thinking.

.

Dante Salerno did not want to win this fight.

Nor did he want to lose so badly that Rutherford wouldn’t have him back.

It would prove to be a careful balancing act; though if his inquiries served him well, not as one-sided as the fight with his brother had been. Dante might’ve been one of the better opponents the Italians had to offer, but Jean was good at this. Enough so that walking out of here and taking the loss might’ve been mutually exclusive outcomes. 

“How about we make it quick, and deny her the show she wants?”

It might’ve sounded cocky when Jean had no idea where Dante’s head was at right now. Not that the Italian wanted him to know. When the mother of his children had died as an indirect result of the French almost fucking murdering him, taking the life of one of theirs as punishment, even if accidentally, offered no reprieve. It didn’t bring back the person he still grieved for. It’d been a long an arduous road for him to figure that out, but the Italian hoped that in dishing out the beating of a lifetime to him, Jean would learn the same. It could give him some closure. 

It could protect Kathleen from the repercussions of his choices. Mistakes.

Jean was immediately on the defensive, and so it was decided. Dante would be the one to swing first. And swing first he did. Directly at the Frenchman’s fucking head, with all the might of the seasoned fighter he was. Just because he didn’t want to walk away with the win, didn’t mean he couldn’t still enjoy beating on a Frenchman for the pain the recollections of Versailles all those years ago still caused him. 

[dantesalerno]

@jeanpalfroix & Jenna Marbles.

“Please don’t do anything stupid.” “Stupid? Well, that doesn’t sound like me at all...”

Apparently, judging by her glare, his flippant response was not appreciated.

Having her there was selfish, and he was aware of that. If this fight went the way he expected, hoped, then Kathleen would’ve undoubtedly preferred not to see it at all. Not only would it feel wrong to do it without her after all these years, though, but if Vidal’s suspicions about something going on between her and Jean were accurate, then her presence at the Italian side of the ring might’ve done him some favours. 

Time would tell. 

When he finally parted, he carried her rare look of concern with him. Dante was good at this; it was the reason Lara had always invited him back, even after what’d happened to Palfroix’s brother. But this fight would be different, and they both knew it. The Italian shrugged his shoulders, taking his last few moments to give his arms a final stretch as his eyes caught sight of the Frenchman entering the ring opposite. Unlike Kathleen, his expression was much more difficult to gauge. 

Dante said nothing.

[dantesalerno]

franciscovidal​:

Vidal glanced at Kathleen once more and chuckle. “She never did seem like the forgiving type.” In pity, he patted his friend’s shoulder. Kathleen had an iron clad opinion which most of the times was adorable - butt if you stepped into the wrong light, it would be a terribly hard task to change her view. 

“We met at a party a few weeks back. Nothing serious - you know how it is.” Gigi did look great, but even her company seemed a little bit bland compared to the one he was keeping most days. However, she was bloody hot. 

“I feel the time has come for us to share more information than we usually do.” He didn’t like the sound of it at all. The way the concern echoed in Dante’s voice with the first question, it wasn’t a usual jealousy kind of tone - no, there was more to it. “It’s from the way he hangs about the club to what she’s told me.” Now Vidal wished he pried her for more information. 

“I’m going to need a bloody fucking list at this point.” Now that there was more information, he did not like the sound of that at all. But Kathleen was used to hanging around the French, it wasn’t as if he would be able to make her stop. “I’m going to keep an eye on her. It’s a good thing that she is with you back in New York, then.” Even if he still hated that idea. Regarding Jean now, I almost seemed easier.  

“Make him lose his fucking teeth.”

.

“Yeah, no kidding,” he scoffed, following the man’s eyeline right back to his ex-girlfriend only momentarily, before giving him a knowing look. “So don’t fuck up.”

The insanity of this idiot showing up with Gigi Hadid of all people somehow seemed totally normal given the situation they’d already found themselves in. Dante didn’t get star struck often; benefits of Alessandra Fognini of all people all but confessing her love for him, he supposed. New York had it’s fair share of famous faces to brush shoulders with. But Gigi fucking Hadid? The Italian laughed once more at the thought, before shaking it out of his head.

“I’m glad she’s back there, but I think she misses London, honestly.”

Given how much he knew she loved home, they could scarcely believe it. Didn’t take Dante long to work out what her other friends couldn’t, though.

“Please do. You know what she’s like. If I could keep her with the Italians all night, I would, but Kathleen goes where she wants to go, when she wants to.”

[dantesalerno]

franciscovidal​:

“Ouch…” The man took a step towards the other and while at first he quickly returned the hug, but Vidal followed it with patting him down. “You sure they didn’t put a bomb on you, mate? Do you hear a ticking sounds? Or worse… Did you lose some brain cells?” 

While neither were fans of the French, at least they could agree that the Russians were far worse. The fact that the Rutherfords had an actual agreement still sickened him to the core, and still, no matter how many times he tried to alk with Johnathan - there was no movement on that side. 

“Did you shag your date? Because if looks could kill…” Francisco bobbed his head in the direction of Kathleen, who really seemed to be annoyed at the situation. At least he hoped it wasn’t because of him and Dante, because she already knew better. 

Amaro may have organised the existence of the event, but it was definitely not her who picked the fighters. He knew that first hand yett that information was not for everyone, even Dante. But he would understand when the truth came out, if he wasn’t suspicious already. Vidal let out a sigh as he took a sip of his drink. “I’m too old for this, if I’m being honest. While I enjoy a good fight, I think I was drunk when I signed up. But cheers for the info, I’ll use that. The only advice I can give you in regards to yours? Mention Kathy. I think he may have a thing for her and while she may not know it, it could get him riled up enough for him to lose some of his control.”

.

“Brain cells. Definitely the fucking brain cells...”

It wasn’t lost on him that an exchange like theirs would be a source of interest for many of those in attendance. French, Russian...their own. A New York Italian and a Rutherford. Alliances were a necessity these days, and he didn’t doubt some would assume such things were the only reason they would be engaged in conversation. But Dante had grown to appreciate Vidal over the months that they’d become friends. Business was an afterthought.

“My date? No. Someone else’s? Years ago. And she’ll never let me forget it.”

Dante could only chuckle through that particular fucking ball ache. 

“Speaking of dates...how in the world did you wrangle her of all people?”

Or, more pressingly, how in the world was Kathleen there with Dante instead of him?

“What do you mean, he has a thing for Kathy?” Well, that was enough to spike immediate fucking concern... “I killed his brother in one of these fights. Porto Velho. It was an accident, but rightfully so, he never let it go. I wanted her to come to London to get away from him. It seems he followed. I’m less concerned that he’s genuinely interested in her, and more concerned that he’s looking to punish me using someone I care about.”

[dantesalerno]

franciscovidal​:​

“I fucking found you.” 

Vidal was grinning as he walked over to his mate, who, against all odds, probably shouldn’t have been. But the bond was already there, with the football games being the foundation of it all. 

“You know, even if your fight is right before mine, you’re going to have my full attention. How does it work, anyway? I thought you lot had some kind of agreement with the French? I hope you’re not even going to need to use your all, for that one, mate.” 

.

“Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been talking to the damn French...”

In hindsight, it was possible the awkward silence with Kathleen as she shot murderous glances toward Odile St. Pierre was more tolerable. Fuck, he hated the French. The man in front of him, though? Not so much. With care not to spill his drink, Dante pulled Vidal into a brief hug to greet him, genuinely glad to have finally him in the crowd. 

“The Sovrani have the agreement with the French. Not the Cosa Nostra.”

An important distinction on nights like these. Jean wouldn’t care either way, but Dante didn’t want what he’d done to his brother falling back on the Auditores.

“You guys absolutely have the agreement with the Russians, though. That one is a little left field considering Amaro organised it...” Or so one would assume. “Go for his left knee. It bore the brunt of my lesson reminding him not to touch the mother of my child. He hits hard but moves damn slow. Probably slower now. Make the most of it.” 

[dantesalerno]

franciscovidal​:

“Not at all, mate.” He slapped the man on the shoulder as he took a sip of the drink. Truly, the countless of conversations he and Kathleen had, she never really made him seem as someone not to be respected. Vidal himself was a man of actions, hence why he was not against this, slightly curious, introduction. 

“If anything, however, I do not believe she has only said good things about me. For as much as I have gotten to know Kathy, she must have said something absolutely terrible.” It was an admirable dig at her sassy personality. Kathleen definitely was the kind of person who had a fire to her, a fire but also a heart of gold. 

One of the many things he admired about her. “So, what brings you here? As far as I know your residence is with the New York lot, rather than the ones in Rome.” He wasn’t prying, or perhaps a little. 

.

To the man’s credit, this wasn’t how he’d expected the conversation to go at all. Kathleen had picked some questionable companions in her time—there was an argument to be made that he, himself, was one of them—and Dante had anticipated that he’d immediately be on the defensive. Nobody liked their girlfriend’s ex coming around and asking questions. Whilst he wouldn’t have blamed him for that, though, he also wouldn’t have cared. 

When her nickname left his mouth, the Italian couldn’t feel a little pang of jealousy. It was one she reserved for few. Still, he raised his eyebrows and shook his head, looking as surprised as his slightly teasing words sounded. “Why do you think I’m stood here right now? Nothing bad. Not a word. I couldn’t believe it myself, so I figured something must’ve been wrong...”

Look at that. He already needed another fucking drink. 

“I work between New York and Sicily, so London is a convenient stop between the two. Also means I can drop by and visit them more often.” And that was the real reason he was stood beside the man. Kathleen could handle herself, but some things he just had to be sure about. “Look, I’ll be up front, that’s the reason I came to talk to you. Kathy’s business is her business, but it’d be negligent of me not to be sure that anybody she’s introducing my son to isn’t a piece of shit, you know?” 

[dantesalerno]

viktoriya-kurylenko​:

It hadn’t been enough to cross the proverbial line and invade her space nor enough to suggest he wished her death in front of god knows how many people. No, he had to throw her cousin’s death in her face as well. Behind the smile and calm demeanor, Viktoriya was bristling. Had they been anywhere else she would have allowed her hand to deliver the slap it was itching to give. Or better yet, allow one of the many other Russian loyalists a go at him. She knew just how badly they wanted it. 

The London Awards were not the place for any of it. 

“And what of your faith, Dante? If memory serves correctly, yours drowned in a pool.” He might throw around the murders of her family but the head of her organization was still standing. Who was it that lead the Sovrani now? With so many hands in the pot grabbing for that title, their time in Launceston was becoming messy. The Auditores might have been a threat once but any leadership had died with Alessia.  

“As for my cousin’s track record, I’m sure he would be more than happy to chat with you about it. I’d be happy to make that happen, although I’m much nicer to talk to, trust me.”

.

If she was naïve enough to believe the Sovrani losing Alessia was somehow an exceptional occurrence that had them on the backfoot compared to their enemies, she clearly knew less about the lifestyle than he’d expected. Losing their leader—him losing his best friend—had absolutely been a blow that they’d taken time to recover from. Nothing could detract from that, and it seemed likely that the Sovrani would never be the same as they once were without her at their helm. But Lucrezia, even if different, was an exceptional replacement for her sister.

Because different didn’t mean bad. It just meant unpredictable. 

Still, he would keep that to himself. Appear weak when you are strong. 

Who was he to correct beneficial ignorance? Alessia had taught him that.

“And how exactly did your cousin come to claim his title as revered leader? I seem to recall it came some time after his father was burned alive.” Not to mention the underboss who’d suffered a similar fate barely a few years before that... “It’s not your cousin I wish to speak to, though. If you’re looking to pretend you’re useful, how about you introduce me to Aviv Kasyanenko, instead.”

[dantesalerno]

giordanarossi​:​

“Do you have to look like a snack?” Giordana rolled her eyes as she held her hand out, waiting for Dante to place a drink in the empty space there. “I should really have had a memory of a goldfish and made a move on you anyway. But it’s fine. Pretend you want to fuck me, so I could get the best of the best after.” A smile crossed her lips as she leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Dico sul serio però. Sei bellissimo.“

.

“Absolutely, I do. It’s one of the few things I have going for me. Embrace it.”

Perfectly on cue, he met her with the drink she sought. Giordana was used to being surrounded by Italian gentlemen, and he was hardly the type to disappoint. As he took a sip of his own, the corners of his mouth turned upward in an amused smirk.

“Think we might be on drastically different pages here, though. Pretend I want to fuck you? I’m trying to pretend I don’t.” It was mostly a joke... “I’m here to pick a fight with the Russians tonight, not Vincenzo.”

[dantesalerno]

franciscovidal​:

He left the table with orders. As all of them failed to win anything, they all had a queue of who was getting the next drinks. But the company was good - Kathleen was sitting next to Emilio and Mateo, their other halves quickly warming up to her just as he expected them to and Danielle was in deep conversation with Johnathan about something he didn’t even bother to interrupt with. 

Thus, there he was, on the way to the bar for another few bottles of them all. 

The interruption in his way, however, was a surprise. He knew the Italians had arrived and there were no troubles so far. Really, Vidal would have preferred their alliance was forged with them instead of the Russians. At least that would have offered him a green card to the extermination project he secretly longed for. 

“You alright, mate?” He said, taking the drink from him. “Dante, if I guess correctly? Guess it should be me reaching out for you as you’re the… Odd one out, I’d guess?” 

.

Ah. So he did know who he was.

For the Italian, it’d been a case of filling in the blanks. Whilst Kathleen had spoken highly of somebody she’d met during her time in London, there had never been a name attached to the reputation until Vincenzo had expressed concern. It wasn’t as though she was doing anything wrong. Kathleen wasn’t one of them, nor had she ever been; to sit at a table with the Rutherford underboss of all people was her choice, and he would defend her to anyone who found issue. But she also found company amongst the Italians and the French. Dante had seen what happened to those who sat on the fence in gang wars, and it was rarely pretty...

“Odd one out about sums it up, yeah,” he couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Sounds like my reputation precedes me. Hope she wasn’t too harsh, though. I’m really not that bad.” Dante paused to take a drink. Glance over at her. “She has nothing but good things to say about you. I hope the sentiment is mutual.”

[dantesalerno]

@franciscovidal​

Even though Vincenzo had pointed him out earlier in the evening, it’d taken Dante until the after party to go searching for the Rutherford Lieutenant. Being unsure of how the British felt about the now very public presence of the Italians made casual conversation complicated. The things—the people—he wished to discuss, however, were not related to business, and important enough that he was willing to set aside everything else until it was unpacked.

Still, waiting until he’d separated from Johnathan and company seemed a good idea.

The Italian extended a glass of scotch in his direction. As good a greeting as any.

“Vidal, right?”

[dantesalerno]

viktoriya-kurylenko​:

“Beheadings? How medieval of you, Dante.” She made it a point to use his first name. If he felt the need to make his presence known when he almost certainly knew she had already been informed, than she didn’t feel the need to beat around the bush. Or be polite, but that was a given. “Is that how far Italy has come in its technological advancements? No wonder you always seem to be a step behind.”

If the Italians had been more careful, more watchful of the things they claimed were theirs, perhaps Kathleen wouldn’t have ended up chained to Vorya’s floor. Perhaps they wouldn’t have needed to call in reinforcements from the motherland if they’d done a better job of holding their own.  

And yet…

“I presume your new friends would be the ones doling out such outdated punishments? I mean, they wouldn’t be here if you could do it yourself. Having difficulty performing lately, hm?” And she did mean it in every sense of the word.

.

“Savagery for savages. We try to speak in a language that your kind understands. It was certainly effective enough for Katarina...”

They’d undoubtedly assumed the French responsible for that loss. Dante wondered if they knew that whilst Laurent had indeed been present for the murder, it was Lucrezia Auditore who’d hacked through that particular fucking spine. 

“You’re being particularly flippant.” It was hard to tell whether it was more annoying or embarrassing to endure... “As touching as it is you place so much faith in others to protect you, however, given Konstantin’s track record for protecting his family,” the Italian paused a moment, feigning a look of apology, “I’m sorry, what’s left of his family, one might worry that said faith is misplaced.” 

[dantesalerno]

viktoriya-kurylenko​:

Acknowledging Italians were stupid was akin to acknowledging the sky was blue. And yes, approaching her at all was a stupid idea. One that bordered on impertinence, though they’d never been known for their manners. 

After what Viktoriya had done to his precious side piece it would have been naive of her to think Dante Salerno would keep to himself tonight. The stripper’s relationship to the Italians had been a large factor in inviting Kathleen to the Halloween party. There was no denying that fact. It was clear now that after being so graciously allowed to leave, she’d gone right to the man and spilled her problems in his lap.

Pity.

“And which ones would those be? There are so many, you can’t expect a girl to keep track and still claim to be humble.” Her smile was bright and sharp and venomous enough that he’d have no issue picking up on her true feelings yet any lingering cameras would simply see a charming face.

.

How emboldened they became when they had company...

Dante wondered if she’d be feeling so ‘witty’ if her cousin wasn’t lurking nearby.

Bluntly, “I'm personally rooting for your Most Likely to be Assassinated nod.”

Hailing from Launceston herself, she would know better than most that the Sovrani had an exceptional success rate when it came to people with her shitty last name. When they made subtle digs about their demise, they did so expecting it to be an eventuality, not a possibility. All Kurylenkos were targets. Some like her, however, liked to push themselves to the top of the pile. Dante might not have been one of them, but he had enough influence with the head of the Auditore family to make sure that this one became a priority. If not, the Cosa Nostra certainly would.

“Humble is overrated. You’re worth much more than a simple beheading, at least.”

[dantesalerno]

@vincenzovespucci​

Given the mood he was in, Dante didn’t much feel like playing pretend friends with the French tonight. Or anyone else for that matter. Palfroix was present, which would cause problems in itself if he wasn’t careful, and the Russians infected the crowds like a literal fucking cancer. Sticking close to the small group of Italians who had made their way to London ahead of the others was required to maintain one’s sanity. Whilst the man might’ve been in attendance for a very specific reason, however, didn’t mean he couldn’t use it as a means to multitask.

Approaching his good friend, he handed him a drink.

“So,” he began, harking back to the conversation they’d had in Sicily a few weeks prior. One that had concerned him. “Exactly which one is Vidal?”

[dantesalerno]

viktoriya-kurylenko​:

“Have I missed something? When did the second-hand St. Clair and Rutherford baby daddy become an item?” 

Better yet, why would either want to be in the presence of the other?

The comment wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. Viktoriya was enough out of earshot of the press to allow such comments to bubble up and for her own distaste of the lot of them to be on full display. She rather missed this side of her. With her many nominations, including Biggest Villian and Biggest Sass Queen, it seemed appropriate to live up to the names.

“I’m going to need to start drinking if I’m to see any more public displays of absurdity.”

.

“A Russian needing alcohol to function as a normal member of society,” he greeted without introduction, tone as mocking as her kind deserved. “Ground-breaking.”

The man had told himself to wait. 

There would be better opportunities for these exchanges later in the evening; the after party with far less press attention, for example. But as soon as he’d caught sight of her, his temper had flared. Not that he showed it, mind you. If he’d lost his shit every time he crossed paths with a Russian that had wronged him, Launceston would’ve been burned to the ground years ago. But this one was different. Personal. And he wanted her to know that he knew exactly who she fucking was. What she did. 

“Interesting nominations you earned yourself this year, Ms. Kurylenko.”

[dantesalerno]

Dante Salerno attends The London Awards @ The Royal Albert Hall. Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022. Escorting: Giordana Rossi.