286

My stomach tightened painfully when Enzo pulled up in front of my parents’ house. Anna jumped excitedly into the seat, and even Leonas, who had been crying the whole trip, seemed happy when he recognized the house. I had spoken only briefly with Mom on the phone the night before. Her voice had sounded hoarse from crying, but she had tried to sound composed.
I made Leonas get up from the seat and Enzo helped Anna out of the car. The front door opened and Mother came out, dressed in black as if she were already mourning Horace’s death. Perhaps this was her way of coping, pretending that he was dead so she would no longer have to worry about his fate. If the Outfit had ever caught him, death certainly would not have been the worst option. Bile rose in my throat thinking that Dante might have tortured my brother.
I could not dwell on that thought, not if I wanted to maintain my sanity.
Anna broke away from Enzo and rushed toward Grandma. I kissed my mother’s cheek and gave her a quivering smile. Her eyes were puffy and red, but her expression was proud and determined as she turned toward Enzo. “Why don’t you go to the kitchen? The staff is having lunch.”
Enzo nodded then cast me a look for confirmation. I gave a small nod then followed my mother and Anna, who told her all about her new finger paints. Leonas was particularly agitated today and the moment I sat down on the sofa, he slid off my lap and discovered the living room. My mother had a large collection of expensive porcelain vases and figurines and usually followed Leonas wherever he went to keep him from breaking one. Today she did not even cast a glance at him, which showed how shaken she was.
Anna sat happily on Grandma’s lap.
“How are you?” I asked softly. We couldn’t really talk to Anna in the room. She had already understood more than enough and this situation was way too much for a child her age. I kept an eye on Leonas but so far she had not grasped anything.
Mom shrugged her shoulders, another thing she never did unless she was seriously out of it. Shrugging was not something a woman should do. “I try to focus on the positive aspects. On you and my beautiful grandchildren.”
“What about Dad?”
“He’s trying to be strong for me, but for a man to lose his heir, his only son-especially like this.” His voice died out . “What about Dante?”
I reflected on my answer. “He’s trying to protect the Outfit.”
“As he should. Your father and Rocco are helping him, that’s a good thing.”
I wasn’t really sure. Rocco, in particular, had been trying to foment conflict between the Outfit and the Family ever since Liliana had run off with Romero. He would not be the voice of reason, and my father was too shaken to make wise decisions. Dante wanted revenge. He wanted Horatio dead, though he had not said so openly, at least not to me.
As I realized this, my heart was torn by conflicting emotions. I could not bear the idea that Horace could be caught and tortured to death for what he had done.
On the other hand, I was furious on Dante’s behalf. Horace should have chosen another path, not the Family. He knew how much Luke and Dante hated each other. It was like a slap in Dante’s face to know that his brother-in-law was now part of the Family.
How much more would this war take away from our family?
Almost six years later The wild laughter and shouts of Leonas, Rocco Jr. and Riccardo came to my office. Giovanni chuckled.
“Those guys are a wild combination.”
“They are,” I said.
Valentina’s voice rang out and the shouting ceased.
“Rocco is about my age, I really don’t know how he has the energy to raise two small children.” A hint of melancholy crossed his face, but he quickly hid it. Horace had been part of the Family for five years now. Giovanni never spoke of him unless Rocco mentioned him.
“I think they are less rowdy at home than they are here,” I said, with a crooked mouth.
Rocco’s parenting techniques had not improved much since what Val had told me.
Maria often confided in her during their weekly meetings about Rocco’s lack of patience. He never hit his children or his wife in front of me, fully aware of my position on the issue.
I had tried to broach the subject as gently as possible without risking her realizing that Maria was revealing what was going on behind closed doors. I doubted that he had changed much.
He considered himself strict, not violent. I was a strict father, but I certainly handled punishment very differently from Rocco.
“How is the third child progressing?” he asked conspiratorially.
Anna had let slip that Val and I wanted a third child, and now John and Livia would not stop asking.
The bell rang and immediately silence reigned in the house.
“I think Rocco has just arrived.”
Giovanni sighed. “Let’s hope he brings good news. If I hear another word about the Camorra’s victory march in the West, I will lose him.”
The rise of the Camorra in the West was a troubling development. After Benedict’s death a few years ago, I had thought that the remaining Falcone clan scattered in the different cities would tear itself apart and weaken the Camorra. And initially that had been the case, but then Remo Falcone had seized power and gone on a killing spree. Now he and his brothers ruled the West.
They had not yet attacked my territory, so I had ignored them most of the time. They were fickle and brutal fools like their father, and I hoped they would eventually kill each other and solve the problem themselves.
When Rocco came in, I knew we would not get good news that day.
His face was red and covered with sweat, and the first button of his shirt was unbuttoned as if he was having trouble breathing.
I got up from my chair. “Rocco?”
“You should sit down again,” he muttered.
Squinting, I approached him. “What is it?”
“I received updates from our contacts in Las Vegas and New York.” He burst into bitter laughter. “We’re screwed on both fronts.”
“For God’s sake, what’s going on?” said John.
“Horace has been appointed Sub-Chief of Boston.”
John’s expression turned to stone, but for a brief moment pain flared in his eyes.
I did not move, trying to keep my emotions in check, although a wave of anger surged through me. “Did you say on both fronts?”
Rocco laughed again and staggered toward the desk where he dropped some photos. His fingers turned white from his tight grip on the edge of the desk. I walked over to take a look at the photos. It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. A fighting cage with a blond man in the center.
Fabiano Scuderi with his arms raised, celebrating a victory over a bleeding opponent.
I cast a glance at Rocco, who seemed close to an outburst.
“Where was this taken?”
A suspicion was slowly spreading. One territory was famous for its deadly fights.
“Las Vegas.” Rocco pointed to another photo.
I took it and looked at it more closely. Fabiano had the tattoo of an eye and the knife on his forearm. The Camorra tattoo.
“He defected to the fucking Camorra! And that bastard Falcone took him with him. First Luca with Orazio, and now Falcone with Fabiano! This has to stop.”
Giovanni said nothing. If my body had not gone into a kind of fury-fueled state of shock, I would have asked him if he was okay. He looked pale.
“What are you doing in the Camorra?” I asked, satisfied to hear my cool, calm voice. No sign of my inner turmoil.
“What does it matter?” roared Rocco. “My own flesh and blood has become a dirty traitor. I want him dead!”
Pure hatred shone in Rocco’s dark eyes. But that was not the only emotion I sensed. In their depths, I found an animalistic fear. What was Rocco so afraid of? Of his reputation? That I would remove him from his position as Councilor because of this development? Or of something else? “We must attack the Camorra, Dante. Right away. We cannot show weakness.
Luca and Remo are playing us. We have to fight back. We have to kill Fabiano and Horatio.”
I agreed. Both Fabiano and Horace had to die, but not before I had talked to them. I needed to know what had happened and I needed to know everything they knew about the Family and the Camorra.
“We need to gather more information before we act, Rocco. This is not something we can risk without a foolproof plan. And right now, neither you nor Giovanni are in a state of mind to discuss plans.”
Rocco shook his head. “We can’t wait!”
“Careful with that tone,” I growled. “We will wait and you will gather more information before discussing tactics.
Understand?”
Rocco moved even closer. “You owe me that much. Remember, Jacopo.”
I grabbed his throat and pushed him against the desk.
“One more word, Rocco, and you will die before Fabiano. I will not tolerate your disrespect. And remember, you owe me more than I do.”
Giovanni hovered a few steps away from us, one hand on the gun. He had no reason to worry. I did not need his help against Rocco. I made sure to stay in shape, Rocco on the other hand was only trying to stay in shape by taking a little girl in his bed.
“Get it?” I hissed.
“Yes,” Rocco said. I let him go and he rubbed his throat. “I’m sorry, Chief. It was a shock.”
“Find out more information and once you calm down , we’ll figure out what we can do.”
Rocco nodded and left. I followed him, concerned about his emotional state.
“Maria! Get the kids. We’re leaving!” he barked.
Maria rushed into the lobby, with the two boys in front of her.
Rocco Jr. and Riccardo were four and five years old and looked like twins. Riccardo lowered his head, but Rocco scowled. “But we were playing with Leonas.”
Rocco slapped his eldest son. “Do I look like I care?”
Val gave me a horrified look as he appeared in the doorway behind Maria.
“It’s not a sign of strength to hurt the people you’re supposed to protect,” Leonas muttered the words I had told him several times.
Rocco cast a furious look at my son, but then quickly cleared his face and gave me a tugged smile. “See you soon.”
Without another word, he left. Maria quickly pushed the boys out as well and ran after them.
Val shook his head and stroked Leonas’ head. He approached me. “Why can’t you order him to treat his family well?”
I sighed. “A Chief cannot meddle in family matters.”
“How stupid!” muttered Leonas, stamping his foot.
“Don’t use that tone with me,” I said abruptly.
Leonas shut his mouth abruptly, looking at me circumspectly.
I was not in the right frame of mind for a discussion with him that day.
“I have to work,” I blurted out and went back to my office.
John sat back in his usual chair, looking out the window.
I closed the door and let go a long breath.
John cast me a sideways glance. “Maybe this is God’s way of punishing us.”
I walked over to the bar cabinet and poured us generous glasses of Scotch. “I don’t believe in a higher power. That won’t change now. My mother would probably say we are cursed.” I laughed bitterly and gobbled down a considerable amount of the burning liquid before handing a glass to John.
“I’m not a believer either, but sometimes I wonder…”
“What kind of message would it send to punish us for our sins by favoring other sinners?” Luke and Remus surely deserved hell as much as I did.
“It’s a good thing your father no longer realizes what’s going on.”
“Dementia turns out to be his blessing,” I said sarcastically. He still spared me his disapproval.
I perched myself on the edge of the desk, guzzling the rest of my drink. “What do you think I should do?”
John looked surprised. “You don’t think I’m too emotionally involved to give you advice?”
“Who among us is not emotionally involved at this point, Giovanni? I’m fucking furious about this development. I want to torture and kill until the fire in my veins subsides. Do you think I am capable of making strategic decisions?”
“You are Chief, but you are also human.”
I giggled joylessly. “I am not exempt from failure, that much is clear. D ue high-ranking sons in enemy families.”
I poured myself more scotch. I could not remember the last time I had had more than one drink.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know if killing them will change anything. The damage is done.”
“Someone has to bleed for it. I have to make sure my men know that I will punish them severely if they break their vow.”
John stood up. “Over the years, I have made peace with the situation. For Livia and for Val, and even for myself.”
“Then you have come further than I have. Peace is the last thing on my mind.”
John smiled sadly. “I know. And I’m by your side no matter what you decide. Just remember that a war on two fronts could tear the Outfit apart. All I want is for our family to be safe.”
“Trust me, Giovanni, the safety of my family is my top priority.”
Val, Leonas and Anna were always in my head when making crucial decisions, decisions that could have led to brutal retaliation.
“If you’ll excuse me now, I have to find a way to tell Livia.” He sighed. “We need good news.”
I said nothing, too torn between blinding rage and despair. If I had only me to worry about, I would attack Boston and kill Horatio, then go to Las Vegas to finish Fabiano off. But I was not alone.
I downed the rest of my drink.
John slipped out and closed the door. I cast a glance at the pictures. Why had Fabiano chosen the Camorra and not the Family? It made absolutely no sense.
When he had escaped, the Camorra was in ruins. He could not hope to find anything in the West but a painful death. Luca would have taken him with him, for Aria, to spite me….
A new wave of anger boiled over. Luca had risked a great deal by appointing Horace as underboss. Not only had he been born in the Outfit, but his wife was not Italian. His Family could not be happy with that development.
Of course, I knew why he was doing it. To provoke me.
A shot rang out, tearing me from my thoughts.
Val walked in without waiting for me to invite her in. It was a common occurrence, but that day my patience had run out . “I didn’t ask you to come in.”
Val raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m not one of your soldiers, Dante, so don’t treat me like one of them.”
I gritted my teeth. He was right. I shouldn’t have unleashed my anger on her, but at that moment I felt close to exploding and I didn’t want her to come any closer.
She took a step forward, but I shook my head.
“I need time to think.”
“What happened? My father and Rocco seemed to have seen a ghost. Is it Horace?”
“Valentina,” I said abruptly. “I don’t feel like talking right now. I really need to think.”
“Very well,” Val said, and her expression made it very clear that it was not. “If you’ve calmed down, maybe then we can have a conversation between partners. I’m not in the mood to be treated as one of your subjects.” He turned before I could say anything else and left the room, closing the door with more force than necessary.
I grabbed the edge of the desk, closing my eyes. I hated arguing with Val.