12. Tito
12
TITO
M y first time at the Peralta home and I'm very impressed. My father has this old-world charm about everything he does. His home screams vintage 1930s, but the Peralta estate has been updated to something more akin to the Twenty-First Century charm I prefer. Though, there are hints of Don Hector's age in the artwork hung on his walls and the curtains draped across his marble floors.
A staff of two maids and a butler greet me at the door when I arrive. They're dressed in black with nametags pinned to their shirts as if I'd ever need their names for any reason. I wonder if Hector is losing his sanity, beginning to grow forgetful as he ages. My father is sharp as a whip, no hint of memory issues or other age-related issues creeping in. If only his lungs hadn't been invaded.
"Mr. Ramiro, it's so good for you to come." A petite woman with dark skin and eyes smiles at me warmly and gestures for me to follow. The woman next to her, with honey-colored hair, nods. "This way, please." She starts off across the large entryway, and I follow behind at a casual pace. The second woman and the man, who says nothing, follow behind me.
When Hector asked me to join him and his son for a short meeting about some business items, I couldn’t say no. The man's money troubles precede him in every way. Every crime boss in LA knew he was struggling. It was only a matter of time before he either folded or reached out for an alliance such as the one we created, and I am the lucky one for having crossed his mind at such a dire moment for his family.
The maid leads me to a large open room with windows that stretch from floor to ceiling. Thick, heavy curtains hang from silver rods and puddle on the floor below the windowsills. The room is sparsely furnished, with only two chairs and one table that sits between them. Along one wall is a bookshelf with only a few titles on it, and at the other end is a portrait of Hector and his wife. In their arms is a young baby, and in their eyes is a deep mourning. Aria never told me she had a sibling who died, but I can see it in the eyes staring back at me from that portrait.
"Ah, so nice to see you, Tito." I turn around to see Hector enter. He walks with a cane. A bulge around his right knee beneath his trousers is indicative of an injury. "You remember Jasper," he says, gesturing to his son who walks in after him. The younger Peralta is stern-looking with pursed lips and angry eyes. He and Aria could be twins if he were a few years younger.
"Mr. Peralta," I say, nodding at the younger man. I extend my hand, but he disdains it so much that he doesn't even look at my offer for civility. Clearly, he gets his hatred for charity from his mother, perhaps where Aria gets it as well. Hector has been nothing but open and welcoming.
Hector walks over to the chairs and takes one, holding his hand out toward the other. I also walk to the chairs and have a seat. Jasper stands behind his father, a looming shadow over our conversation. But the younger man, probably ten years my junior, will take over for his father one day, and he'll need to know the ins and outs of things. Or so he thinks. I'll have controlling interest of every business the Peralta family owns in less than two years, and they'll never see it coming.
"So, what brings us here today?" I ask. I unbutton my tie and lean back in the chair, crossing one foot over the other. The black linen upholstery is stiff, the chair's arms rigid and unforgiving. They remind me of my father's personality, of the way he trained me to be.
Hector wrings his hands in his lap after setting his cane to the side. It leans against his chair as he languidly reclines and closes his eyes. I wait for him to speak because while I already have my prepared solution for their situation, I want him to think it's his idea. It's the only way to ensure my plan is fully successful. He has to ask me for it, and when I give it to him, it will only be his fault.
Jasper, however, is ten steps ahead. If Hector listens to his son's rebuttal—the one I see is already swirling in his thoughts, I'll get nowhere fast. I'll have to go back to my drawing board with a new plan, which will take more time. I just want this all to be over with before my father passes so he can see the man I've become and be proud.
"Tito, I'm going to be honest with you. Things are worse than we once believed them to be." Hector presses his fingertips together and purses his lips. His hands, in prayer pose, float toward his face and lightly touch his lips before dropping back to his lap and turning to fists. "We need more help than I was willing to admit."
Jasper has the same smug, defiant look in his eyes that Aria gets at times. I wonder how hard he's going to resist my advice and suggestions. Hector will plead for my help and fall on his knees in gratitude when I tell him I have a solution for him. He's ready to cry even now before he's even spilled the full issue.
"Alright, well tell me what we're dealing with. There is no problem so large that we can't find a solution for it if we put our minds together." I sit straighter as the same maid returns to the room with a tray. On it there are three glasses full of what appears to be lemonade and a pitcher coated in a thick swath of condensation.
She nods at me, then Hector, as she sets it on the table between us, and I take one of the glasses. "For you, sirs."
"Thank you, Marta," Hector says, but his glass and Jasper's remain on the tray as she retreats.
I sip the lemonade and show my gratitude for the hospitality, but I can't help but wish it were whiskey. It may very well be a testament to the reason there is no furniture in this room. Perhaps they've been selling things off because they’re unable to afford the finer things anymore. All the better for me and my plan.
"We have several businesses that are beyond the point of breaking. We will lose them, I'm afraid. We're letting staff go, a reduction in force, but we're talking assets being sold off now. Our customers and current orders can't be serviced. Tito, we need your help." His trembling hands rest on the arms of the chair and his eyes offer a pleading expression. This is exactly what I need.
"I see," I tell him, then I set the glass down. "And what help is it that you believe you need from me? I've already infused these businesses with the funds to help them get back on their feet… That was in the arrangement, right?" But little does he know there are men inside his businesses siphoning money away to make it appear worse than ever. All part of the setup, which based on the way things look, I never needed to put in place.
"Yes, you did." His head drops and he shakes it. Jasper is now staring off into space with an angry glare. He hates humbling himself. I hate that too. I think it's common to any man in authority the way we are, the way he will be if his family survives my plot. None of us like to show weakness.
"Certainly, you can apply the capitol in responsible ways to ensure your businesses grow." I'm making this painful for him because he has to want it bad enough to beg for it.
"We've done that, Tito. It's just not enough." The words are like knives for him to say, and I can see the pain in his eyes. Jasper still hasn't said a word.
"Tell him, Jasper. Tell him why we're here," Hector says, his voice a tired whisper. This conversation is costing him all of his energy, and I have to hand it to him. He's holding up well, considering the man before me is a hollowed-out version of himself. Jasper opens his mouth and closes it again. He sighs, then runs his hand through his hair and lets out a defeated sigh.
“It’s alright, I understand.” I hold my hand up to halt the undue misery of the younger Peralta man. It’s obvious he refuses to humble himself.
Hector says as if reading his son's mind, “Tito, I’m sorry to say this, but we need more than just an infusion of cash this time. We need more than that. We need a miracle.” I act surprised, but I already know what the next words out of his lips will be. This is my chance to make sure they owe me everything. The time for charity is over. It’s time to cash in on my investment into their company.
“What exactly do you have in mind?” I ask, feigning innocence.
Hector looks at his son, then back at me with resignation in his eyes. “We need you to take over the reins, Tito. We need you to take control of our businesses until we can repay you.”
Jasper explodes, "Father, I won't let you?—"
Hector silences him with a glare that could freeze hell over. I’ve never seen this side of him before, and it catches me off guard momentarily. This is the Hector Peralta I remember from when I was a boy, the one who wouldn’t be trifled with.
“Enough, Jasper. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hector turns to me, guilt written all over his face. “Tito, if you’re willing…”
My outward reluctance is an act, but inside, I’m doing a victory dance. “Well, I see us more as partners.” My offer will be brilliant, really. He wants me to lead, but in offering joint leadership, it says to him that I’m to be trusted.
“Partners?” Jasper scoffs. “And exactly what would you want in return for your 'help'?”
Hector glares at him again and he falls silent. He’s on to me, but his father is all too willing to be putty in my hand. “Forgive my son. He doesn’t understand business the way I do. Now, what do you have in mind?”
I lay it all out for him. I merge our empires, my businesses and his. The cashflow is liquid, ensuring mutual success. I spell it out for him the way Aria advised my brother only days ago, and he eats it up like candy right from my hand. He's almost euphoric by the time I've said it all and thrusts out his hand, to the great disdain of his son, only moments after I finish.
"I'll have the lawyers draw up the paperwork, Tito." He shakes my hand vigorously, and I smile.
"We're family now…" I won't stoop to calling him Dad, though if it meant sealing the deal, I'd have to. The look on Jasper's face tells me he'd pull a gun on me if I tried.
We finish the chat with some small talk, and I walk out of his house a victorious man. Everything worked exactly how I thought it would. I now have controlling interest in his business's financial decisions, and soon, I will make all the decisions myself.
On the way home, Tony calls me, and his tone tells me how angry he is before he even tells me what's up.
"Hey, yeah, Tito, we have a problem."
The car bounces along the road, carrying me toward my house where I'll celebrate with a glass of anything besides lemonade. "What's the problem?" I ask, watching the city zip past out the window.
"That tip to the cops, the one that made us fuck up the deal of a lifetime…"
"Yes, what about it?" If they've discovered who it is, I will personally end the man responsible.
"It came from inside the Peralta family."
Tony's words still my thoughts for a second, but I know he's not blowing smoke. Hector would never give this order, not knowing how desperately he needs my help, which means there are men below him who aren't faithful. The right thing would be to bring my accusation to him personally and let him handle it, but I'm not the sort of guy who does things the right way.
"You're certain?" I ask, but I know he is.
"Positive…"
"Then deal with it, hard and fast. We don't have time to deal with snakes lurking in the grass." I hang up knowing my orders will be followed. If he's caught, there may be fallout, but I’m prepared to deal with that now. After all, I have a firm contract and I hold the purse strings now.