18. Francesca #2
“I come in friendship, not hostility.”
“We’re enemies, not friends.”
“That’s your interpretation.”
I wasn’t sure what to do but sit there and stay quiet. I quickly connected the dots and realized this man was from Cosa Nostra. Probably Don Russo, the man Wolfe had viewed as a father the last decade. He’d tried to poach Wolfe back from my father, but Wolfe’s loyalty was ironclad.
“Our stance toward you since our last conversation hasn’t changed.”
“Neither has mine.” Wolfe suddenly stood up, and I was somehow startled by exactly how tall he was. When he was seated with a glass of wine in his hand and a smile on his face, he seemed so harmless. But when he rose to his full height and size, I was reminded of the fact I loved a monster.
He was taller than Don Russo. Bigger. Badder. Everything in between. He stared down the other man.
Don Russo raised a finger before he reached for the inside of his jacket and pulled out a gun.
I immediately swallowed. The terrace was full of guests eating, oblivious to the exchange.
He opened the barrel, showed Wolfe the bullets, and then closed it again. He gripped the gun by the tip of the barrel and extended it to Wolfe like an offering of peace.
Wolfe took it without taking his eyes off Don Russo.
Don Russo nodded to the open table that had four chairs. “Please.” He moved toward it with the other man in his group, and they gathered around the table, leaving two chairs for us.
Wolfe turned to me. “I’ll meet you at home.”
“I’d love for Francesca to join us,” Don Russo said, already knowing exactly who I was.
Wolfe kept his gaze on me. “You don’t have to stay.”
“I’m not scared,” I said quietly. “I’m never scared when I’m with you.”
He didn’t give a reaction to those words, but there was a subtle change in his eyes.
He turned to the table and pulled out a chair for me before he took the seat beside me.
Don Russo was directly across from him, while a man I didn’t know was across from me.
He was younger than Don Russo but not by much.
Both men stared at Wolfe. It was as if I wasn’t there.
The waiter came over and brought bottles of wine and glasses and bread. We’d already put in our order, so the waiter asked for theirs. Don Russo ordered the catch of the day like Wolfe. The other guy ordered the beef cannoli.
When the waiter left, there was a heavy stretch of silence, a long staredown among the three men. It reminded me of some of my father’s business meetings that I was present for. Without that previous experience, I’d probably be a lot more panicked.
The wine was poured, and the men drank it.
Wolfe didn’t touch anything. He just stared at Don Russo across the table like an archnemesis.
Our beautiful evening had been ruined by a visitor from the past. I was irritated that we couldn’t seem to shake the people we wanted to avoid.
“So, it’s true,” Don Russo said. “You and Don Mancini have gone your separate ways.”
How did he know that? It’d only been a week since I’d left the winery.
Wolfe didn’t react to that at all.
“And despite everything you did for him, he doesn’t think you’re good enough for his daughter.”
A sarcastic smile moved over Wolfe’s face. “Ah, I see where this is going.”
I didn’t.
“The answer is still no,” Wolfe said.
“Don Mancini made a grave mistake when he dismissed you,” Don Russo said.
“Oh, I know,” Wolfe said arrogantly. “Trust me, I know.”
“But because you’re with his daughter, I can only assume you want no harm to come to him.”
Wolfe cocked his head slightly. “Meaning?”
“Icarus is in Sicily—and he’s a force to be reckoned with. He hit us last week. We lost the battle but won the war.”
“This isn’t my problem.”
“But what happens if he defeats us and our allies?”
“Don Mancini isn’t in the powder business.”
“But he’s got a rat in his midst, doesn’t he?”
Wolfe didn’t react or speak, but his presence somehow became more ominous.
“Who’s that rat working for?” Don Russo asked. “Because it’s not us. And if it’s not us, then who could it be?”
“Not my problem.”
“As long as you’re dating his daughter, I think it is your problem.”
Wolfe stared him down with the best poker face I’d ever seen.
“Come back to us—and we’ll protect Don Mancini.”
I felt a tightness in my stomach and my chest. I swallowed and remained motionless in my chair, not reaching for my wine even though my mouth was dry. I didn’t want to move at all, didn’t want to draw any attention to myself when everything felt so tense.
Don Russo continued to stare Wolfe down like he expected an answer on the spot.
“I won’t sell my soul to the devil because of Don Mancini’s foolishness.
He ostracized not only me, but his own daughter, and refused to see reason.
Everything I did for him was nullified when he discovered my affair with his daughter, even when I shared my intention to marry her.
I’ve never been so disrespected, and I’ve never allowed anyone who’s disrespected me to live to tell the tale.
I’ve done enough for him—and my loyalty has officially expired.
My retirement came sooner than I anticipated, but I would rather live a quiet life with my woman than be involved with the violent chaos that’s about to overrun Sicily.
If your remorse is genuine, then you will allow us to settle here in Palermo without interference. ”
I wasn’t sure how Wolfe could cloak himself in such calmness.
My heart was racing so fast it was about to burst out of my chest, and whenever I looked at him, his breathing hadn’t changed at all.
It remained gentle and slow, like his threshold for danger and adrenaline and fear was higher than the skyscrapers in Manhattan.
Don Russo stared at him for a long time, and it wasn’t until after a minute had passed that he released a slow breath in disappointment. “That’s not the answer I wanted…but I accept it.”
Wolfe didn’t change his expression, still hard and impenetrable.
“Your retirement is too soon for your age, but not for your years of service. This job has been your life, and I think the happiness you’ve found is well-deserved.”
There was a quick flicker across Wolfe’s face, like he hadn’t expected Don Russo to say something so kind.
“I wish I had handled the past differently. I knew how you’d feel about the business opportunity, but I did it anyway because I assumed you would abandon your principles.
But that was idiotic on my part—because you’ve never abandoned a thought or a promise or a principle.
I was livid when you walked out, not because I didn’t get my way, but because I created a much bigger problem than the previous one I solved.
I lost my greatest asset, my most trusted lieutenant, because I cared more about my own pride than family.
I sit here and judge Don Mancini for his absurd stupidity, but I realized my error was just as idiotic.
It’ll always be my biggest regret. I’d offer you more money if you’d take it.
I’d offer you a promotion if there were anything higher than the position you already had. ”
I didn’t know this man, so I didn’t know how to gauge the truth from a manipulative speech, but it seemed genuine to me. He still held great respect and affection for Wolfe and not just for what he’d done for Cosa Nostra, but for being one of them.
“I’d do anything to go back in time and redo all of that.”
Wolfe continued to stare at him, maintaining an indifference that was starting to slip.
“But I understand your principles. I understand you don’t believe in second chances. I understand no matter how many times I try to rebuild this bridge, you’ll continue to burn it down. So I’ll let you go.”
Wolfe still didn’t say a word.
“But if, in a few years, you find yourself bored and ready to get back in the game, if we aren’t all killed by Icarus and the Skull King, you’re welcome anytime.”
Wolfe didn’t reject him this time. Just let the silence stretch between them.
“And perhaps…we could be friends.” There was a tone of hopefulness from Don Russo.
I expected Wolfe to reiterate that they were enemies, but he didn’t. “A truce is reasonable.”
Don Russo gave a nod. “I appreciate that. But perhaps in time, maybe we could have more.”
“I will never return to Cosa Nostra,” Wolfe said sternly. “So if your hope is to build a friendship from ground zero in the hope you can steer me back into your ranks, you’re wasting your time.”
“That’s not my intention.”
“Maybe you don’t remember all the shit you said when you dismissed me, but I still do. I have a damn good memory, and there was no olive branch then. And now you bring me the entire fucking tree, despite how unreceptive I remain.”
“As I explained, I was temperamental and proud and lost sight of what mattered,” he said calmly.
“Hindsight brings clarity to your memory, but it only inflames mine.”
Disappointment entered Don Russo’s face.
I would never betray Wolfe anyway, but I certainly wouldn’t do it now. Because this man did not forgive or forget.
“Cosa Nostra meant the world to me,” Wolfe said calmly.
“After a lifetime of service, I assumed my place in that family was unconditional. But all it took was one single disagreement to be dishonorably discharged. I believe your remorse, but that’s not enough to change the events that brought us here.
Perhaps if you’d reached out sooner, before you needed me for something, maybe it would have been different…
But probably not even then. You know me better than anyone, so you knew the moment you dismissed me, it was irrevocable. And you can’t pretend otherwise.”
Don Russo didn’t deny it.
“I would like to peacefully coexist with you in this city.”
“And we can—even if you never grant your friendship.”