Chapter 43 - Maximo
Maximo
We set out on my yacht tonight under darkness, guarded by soldiers in speedboats keeping watch for any trouble. I want this dinner date to be perfect. Elena deserves that much and more.
“Now that Mrs. Rizzo is no criminal mastermind, who else is on your suspect list?” Elena asks from where she sits across from me. She’s so gorgeous that for a moment I can’t form a reply.
Taking a swallow of wine, I clear my throat. “Unfortunately, two others that I’d prefer not be on the list. Lazaro Achilli and Julius Fabini.”
“Your underboss and your consigliere,” she muses. “As they should be.”
“What do you mean?” I press. Does she know something about them that I don’t?
She nibbles on a pasta dish, one of her favorites from Italy.
“Well, Lazaro was my father’s underboss.
He knew the succession would go to my uncle, Davide, if anything happened to Papa.
There were rumors that he fueled some bad blood between them, just so Papa would favor him over his own brother.
I know Papa and my uncle didn’t like each other much, but I never found out the story behind it. My uncle also didn’t like Lazaro.”
Interesting. “Then how did Lazaro end up keeping his role as second-in-command? Davide could have chosen anyone he wanted.”
“There’s a rumor that Lazaro had something on Uncle Davide, which is how he stayed in his position as underboss, even though they didn’t like each other. So, blackmail, I guess.”
“Is that so?” This is actually all news to me. Though I don’t put much weight on the gossip mill.
She bobs her head. “How did he end up as your underboss? I heard he wanted to be named don after Uncle Davide was killed.”
“He did,” I confirm, popping an olive into my mouth. “When the families backed me instead, I gave him the role as a consolation prize.”
“Oh. Well… sorry to say, but that was your first mistake.” Elena sips her wine, looking every bit the mafia queen.
I arch a brow. “And my second mistake?”
“Julius Fabini. He’s clever, but he’s also out for himself. Mr. Fabini would throw you under a bus if it meant he could get ahead one tiny bit.”
“Is that so?” This conversation isn’t giving me much faith in my past decisions.
“Yeah, it is. Did you know he sold out his only brother to the Russians to save his own skin?”
I lean in. “How do you know all of this?”
“The aunties.”
“Hm, you mean gossip.”
She shrugs. “Gossip comes from somewhere. Even if the details aren’t one hundred percent accurate, I bet you anything there’s truth behind all of those stories.”
I believe her, and the aunties, enough to look into it further. “Okay, so between the two of them, who wants us out of the way?”
She gives it some thought, gazing up at the starless sky. “Who told you Julius would be a good pick for consigliere?”
I think back. “Lazaro.” My brows pinch at that answer. There’s a nagging sensation in my gut, like I’ve been a blind fool.
“I see. Then I’d have to say either one of them, but I’ve never trusted Lazaro.”
“Why exactly?”
She gives a tiny shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I never liked his smugness.
Even when he worked with Papa, he always had this arrogance about him, like he knew a secret that gave him an edge over everyone else.
Or like he had his own inside joke going on.
It’s impossible to explain. Just, don’t put too much trust into him. ”
I listen to what she’s saying, and I do understand. I’ve gotten that same sense from him on more than one occasion. To be on the safe side, I make myself a mental note to unassign Niccolò and Dario, Lazaro’s sons, from Elena’s security detail. If he’s rotten, they could be too.
“Does Lazaro have issues with the other dons?” I ask her.
She considers the question, a tiny crease between her brows as she thinks.
“The only thing I actually know, and take it with a grain of salt, is that Niccolò and Dario used to be close with my brother Matteo and Don Casella’s son, Enzo.
They’re all about the same age. Then one day Niccolò and Dario were forbidden from hanging out with them.
I’m not sure what changed, but from what I remember, there was some kind of conflict between Lazaro and Don Casella.
But, that was years and years ago. Enzo and all of them socialize now, don’t they? ”
“Yes, as far as I know.” I’ve seen them all at social gatherings. Are they close friends? I don’t know. If they are, does that put Enzo on my suspect list too? I certainly don’t trust him. “Anything else I should know about?”
She chuckles, the sound warm and inviting. I take her hand in mine and draw circles on the inside of her wrist.
“What’s so amusing, bella?”
“You. I’m not trying to worry you. This is all ancient history and gossip. All I’m saying is, be careful who you trust. And I wouldn’t trust Lazaro or Julius.”
“You think I should look further into them?”
“I would. But I’m not in charge.” Her gaze hovers over my face. “You are.”
I nod. “I am, but I want you to know that I’ll take anything you tell me seriously.”
She offers me a shy grin. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
Leaning in, I press my lips to hers for a deep, sensual kiss. It’s slow, unhurried, and hopefully conveys the depths of my appreciation that she’s in my life.