Chapter 23 #2
“And a reason for the Bratva to provide assistance. I assume the Five Families had an inkling the Camorra were preparing to rise from the dead years ago.” Alexander swirled his glass as he studied the Italian.
“That’s what I understand. Only until recently, they had no understanding the timing had escalated. There’s violence on every corner of every street all throughout Italy. The rumor is that the Russians are developing a smokescreen. That’s all I know.”
“The Five Families. Russo. Capechi, Mavetti, Bruno, Scavullo. Yes?” My brother recited.
Scavullo. Hold on. Since when had my brother learned the names of the Five Families? Not that it was a secret. I’d simply not found a need or cared to learn about them. There were dozens of crime syndicates across the world. Scavullo. The name stuck in my mind.
“That’s not enough. What about Sergio? Where is he?” My demand was harsh.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t check in with me.” Carmine laughed bitterly.
“The men brought to you from the warehouse. Yours?” Alexander sat forward in his seat, keeping his eyes pinned on Carmine.
He laughed. “My father’s men. I don’t have the loyalty he did. Clearly, Sergio has been recruiting them behind my back.”
A weak man and we should have seen it coming.
“Bring Sergio to us and I want the names and every scrap of information regarding the Five Families, the Camorra. Everything your cousin has. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Sergio is dangerous. You don’t know what he’s capable of.” He continued to glance at Zorro, obviously worried.
Carmine’s admittance made us laugh. “So are we,” I answered.
“Your father was provided with a gift years ago. A gift of our alliance. I’m going to make a suggestion to you, Carmine. Don’t fuck with it. If you do, the territory you pretend as if you don’t want anything to do with will go away. And your family? Well, that remains to be seen.”
Alexander was never harsh with his words. He merely made a promise that the entire family had no trouble keeping.
Carmine rose to his feet, making his way toward the bar to refill his glass.
“Even if my cousin wanted to provide the information, doing so could place his life at risk. You have no idea how much my father angered the Italian family. I had no idea. And Sergio is my brother. For all his foibles, his anger issues, and the shit I’ve put up with, he’s the only family I have left. ”
I didn’t need Alexander to command I provide a reminder. I’d seen the flash of anger on his face both before and now. Anyone who disparaged his wife under any circumstances faced Alexander’s wrath.
As I knocked the glass from his fingers, Carmine gasped.
When I slapped his hand on the surface of the bar while pulling out my favorite hammer, his eyes opened wide and for the first time, I sensed he understood both his life and his livelihood were in our hands.
I tapped the hard steel on his knuckles, drawing his full attention.
“Please, don’t! I’m a surgeon. I save lives!”
Alexander took his time finishing off his drink before standing. As he walked close to us, a smile crossed his face. “And I take them when necessary. Either you find out what I want to know and bring your brother to me, or you won’t need to worry about your patients any longer.”
The two men stared at each other for a full minute before Alexander gave me the go-ahead. I waited as my Don and older brother walked toward the door before following his orders.
Carmine’s whimper was a reminder that the world of the mafia wasn’t for everyone. He was best suited to continue being a doctor.
I lifted the hammer, taking a heavy swing.
Putting one huge dent in the bar’s surface.
It took a few seconds for Carmine to realize his fingers were all intact.
However, he’d likely need a change of clothes. At least his trousers.
I headed toward the door, stopping just before walking out. “One question, Carmine, and I need a truthful answer. Do you know a girl by the name of Anastasia, perhaps one of the daughters of the Five Families? The Scavullo family, maybe?”
He glanced at me, shaking his head with enough vehemence I knew his neck would hurt later. “No. I’m sorry. I just never cared about that life. You know that.”
At least I knew he was telling the truth.
I’d learned several extremely valuable aspects about life and leadership in the last few days.
One. Know thy enemies even abroad.
Two. Dwelling on the past only provided blinders.
Three. Caring about someone wasn’t a weakness, but not doing so was a death sentence.
Emmeline: Roses. Don’t forget the huge bouquet of roses. Don’t be a cheapskate either. Three dozen minimum.
Huffing, I fought to keep from choking. Zorro peered over my shoulder, staring at the screen. His whine brought a smile.
“It’s okay, buddy. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“What the hell is that?” Alexander asked.
“Emmeline reminding me to purchase roses for Anastasia’s performance tonight. You know our sister.”
“Yes, I do. She does keep you on your toes.”
Me: I have no intention of forgetting.
Now, where the hell was there a flower shop?
Emmeline: Right. The best florist is Valley Flowers on Stargazer Avenue.
I rolled my eyes and scratched under Zorro’s chin.
Me: I think I know how to purchase some flowers.
When her reply was a devil emoji, I almost tossed my phone.
“Emmeline is going to drive me crazy.”
“Yeah, well, she knows how you are and wants the best for you. But watch out. Her bite is worse than her bark.” He lifted his eyebrows.
“True for all women.”
We both looked at each other, nodding in agreement. One big loving family. Almost like Italian families. My impatience was growing. I’d hoped to learn everything about Anastasia prior to the meeting with Carmine. Maybe it just didn’t matter at this point.
What was I saying? Everything about her mattered. I was hooked on the lady, even if she continued to lie to me. Damn it.
At least I knew she was safe, the two soldiers assigned already checking in twice.
“I don’t trust Carmine,” Alexander said quietly as he glanced into the rearview mirror.
“Neither do I. He’s hiding something. If I had to guess, I’d say Sergio is working for him, not against him.”
He glanced in my direction, nodding while yanking his phone into his hand. “Very intuitive. It’s time to lock down the Russo family and finish laying claim to their territory. I should have known better than to allow their continued operation with the leadership intact.”
“What truth do you think there is with the Russians being muscle for one of the Five Families?”
“There’s been unrest for years as businesses grow. There’s not that much territory inside Italy that can be shifted back and forth. The businesses are too set in stone. That’s why Vitelli Russo left when he did.”
“Which could mean an explosion of Italian crime syndicates in the future.”
He laughed as he headed to the interstate.
“You know what they say. America is the land of opportunity. We already knew the Barishnikoff scum were eager to conquer various cities in the US. All of this sounds like a perfect opportunity to advance their kingdoms. But… That would require assistance from the Ivanov family. Possible, but we’ll need to wait and see. ”
“And with an Italian princess marrying a Russian prince, imagine the worlds they could conquer.”
“This has nothing to do with Anastasia being groomed for Sergio. The one truth Carmine had stated was how much the Italian Russo Don hated his brother and likely his nephews.”
“True. But that doesn’t mean Carmine isn’t interested in sucking up to another of the Five Families.”
Alexander shook his head. “Then why not grab her in New York?”
“They tried.”
“That begs a bigger question as to whether she came here of her own accord or was lured here.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say lured. Only she’s unaware that she was.” Or at least I thought she was. Maybe I shouldn’t have said a damn thing to her.
His grin remained. “From everything you told me about her, Anastasia is a very smart girl. Maybe your idea of marriage isn’t a bad one after all.”
“Does that mean you’d enjoy a piece of the Five Families Italian pie?”
As he cocked his head, I could tell he was thinking about it. “Not a bad idea. If that girl is of importance, imagine our clout. Two mafia princesses. Oh, the power we would yield.”
“That would sound remotely greedy if I didn’t know how much in love with Catherine you are.”
My God, even his sigh was an indication. “Yeah, I am. Marriage can be life changing. Including for you, little brother. That is if you’re ready.”
“Ha. Is anyone ever ready?”
“That depends on how you feel about her.” Now his look was inquisitive.
“There’s something very special about Anastasia. I can’t lie.” She was as close to perfect as possible.
“Obviously, since you told her about Rose. You know what our mother and grandmother always said. Everything happens for a reason. Zorro. Now, the woman.”
“Isn’t it interesting how the women of our family are always right?”
We laughed together. This was as close as I’d felt to my brother in years. Since I’d needed him the most.
“Our family has been through a hell of a lot, Jax, but we’re very blessed. If she’s the one, then fight for what you want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I listened as he contacted Sinclair, ordering him to put together a team to secure Sergio’s whereabouts. In the meantime, I stared out the passenger window, thinking about both what Carmine had shared and the conversations held with Anastasia.
She was a pawn in a dangerous game that had been started years before.
Scavullo. Scavo. The names were far too similar.
Maybe distinct enough that while living in America, Anna had managed to hide under the radar.
While Donatello had yet to provide any real information on her, tiny pieces were falling together.