27. — hold it. #3
“All the same, Sal. I’ll be seeing you.”
“I look forward to it, cousin,” Salvatore replied.
The factions from Maine and Vegas made their move, dropping marbles into place one after another, and then heading out without a word.
Nico couldn’t help but notice the way Salvatore continued staring down Carmine at the other end of the table as Big Mike finally stood to place his marble into the centerpiece.
“A pleasure doing business with you recently,” Big Mike told Salvatore.
“Same. It certainly worked to our favor, didn’t it?”
“Never been a problem between us in sight.”
“How’s the wife?”
“Due any day.”
Salvatore smiled. “A girl, right?”
“Mmhmm. All these girls, and one boy. God’s not fair to me, boss.”
“Well, they’re all healthy. Seems fair enough to me, Mike. I’ll be seeing you.”
“Sure thing,” Big Mike replied.
Then, to Nico, the capo nodded. Nico did the same back.
After the New Jersey capo cleared the room, that just left the two at the end. Nico cleared his throat, eyeing Salvatore from the side whose gaze focused on the hands he folded in his lap. Like he needed to hide his fingers from himself lest he lift them to be visible at the window.
“Thank you for listening even when I didn’t explicitly tell you to remain seated,” Salvatore said then.
“Did you need to?” Carmine asked.
Salvatore laughed under his breath. “Ah, Carmine...I’d like to make this as painless as possible, but that’s just not going to happen. And you know why.”
“Chicago’s making us a lot of money,” Nico said to Salvatore then.
“I know. And you, and Big Mike. However, that’ll be your responsibility to correct once this is said and done.
You’re the underboss, Nico. If I deem a faction unworthy to continue business with, then you will handle the ramifications of said choice.
If that means you do the talking and explaining for me, and handle the brunt of the frustration, so be it.
You can make new deals. With people I don’t want to kill daily. ”
He blinked at that comment. It wasn’t like Sal.
“So, what does that mean?” Davido asked behind Carmine. “You’re cutting us off? This family started in Chicago.”
“Don’t you care why I’m doing that?”
Carmine patted Davido’s hand on his shoulder. “Stop.”
“Tell him why, Carmine.”
The capo’s jaw tensed, muscles twitching. “I’m not sure it matters at this point.”
“So, he doesn’t know.”
“He knows the big picture.”
“Details are important, too,” Salvatore replied, tone chilled.
“I don’t agree.”
“Remember, you asked for this, Carmine.”
“I—”
“You fucked my wife,” the boss said.
Every word came out louder than the last. Nico felt his whole body go numb as he looked down the table to Carmine. The hand on the man’s shoulder drifted away, back to Davido’s side, although it trembled on the way.
“She came to me,” Carmine replied. “They all come to me. For various reasons; by various means; with various needs. She came to me for help.”
“You really think you did something, don’t you?
” Salvatore asked. “And you know, that’s what kills me about it, Carmine.
You were the only one she sought out, purposely.
The others, she found in bars or fucked high.
You weren’t the same—you offered something.
You had something she thought she needed.
She thought you were going to be able to do something for her, so every step she took to go to you, thinking it would heal that broken part in her was a choice she made.
None of the others hurt me like that one. ”
“Why, because it was me or because—”
“The only reason I let you live,” Salvatore interjected before the man could dig his hole even deeper, “was because you didn’t know it was her until after.”
A loud swallow came from Carmine. Behind him, Davido stared down at his partner.
Nico had missed something here. He knew the crew from Chicago, and specifically, Carmine and his life partner, had made their money in drugs, sex, and the lifestyle of it all. If a person had a fetish, preference, or need, one of those two men could supply it.
“It took her four fucking years to come back to me after you,” Salvatore said then, “and you think you helped her? You did not help her.”
“I did what she wanted.”
Salvatore’s jaw worked hard, teeth grinding, but he stayed quiet.
Davido broke the silence first. “He did know.”
All eyes cut to the man, including Carmine who had to turn in his seat to do it.
“What?” Salvatore hissed out. “What did you just fucking say?”
“Davido,” Carmine murmured, pleading.
The other man shook his head and looked to Salvatore.
“He had to know it was her, if you’re talking about what I think you are.
Every woman that comes into the Red Room fills out a form and signs a waver with her legal name.
She thinks he doesn’t know who she is, and the masks help with that, but he does know.
He sees every wavier before the scene so that it’s fully consensual on both parts. He can refuse.”
“Davido!”
Carmine’s shout did nothing. Then, he turned on Salvatore again. “You have to understand, it’s what she wanted, Sal.”
“What?” the boss asked calmly, his words hollow and cold.
“Did my wife ask you to force her the same way her father did? On that form, did she spell out how he liked to tell her to show him what daddy paid for before he put her on her knees, just the way he liked? Do you think reliving a choice she didn’t have, and turning into one she could make as an adult helped her forget?
Or do you think it just made her realize she never would?
Since you know so fucking much, Carmine, and you’re just giving them what they want, right? You tell me.”
Carmine’s mouth opened, but he struggled for words momentarily until they came to him in a rush. “No. She just requested a violent scene. I didn’t kn—”
“Oh, she didn’t explain why she wanted it like that, huh?”
“Am I free to go?” Davido asked quietly.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Carmine snapped.
“We got married last year, asshole. Our boy, he’s nine. And I get it, Carmine, you need what you need, too, but you lie. You’re always fucking lying to me.”
Two men broke at the other end of the table. The two on the other side stayed steady.
“You may leave,” Salvatore finally said.
Davido turned on his heel instantly.
“Davi!”
He didn’t turn around. He didn’t even hesitate.
Nico remembered something, then. Something that happened in Chicago; something Carmine said. “So, you know better than to fuck the consigliere’s daughter,” he said to the quiet room, “but his wife was okay?”
Readjusting in his chair to face them, Carmine’s shoulders trembled as he tried to keep his composure. “I don’t do anything they don’t ask me to.”
“Mmm,” Sal vocalized, looking entirely unimpressed.
“And look at where it’s got you. You were the only man that fucked my wife whom I had yet to have a conversation with.
Because I couldn’t imagine doing it and both of us coming out of the conversation unscathed.
When men cheat, they do it for the attraction.
Women, they’re filling a void. You just cratered hers.
You made that void bigger. And you...I made myself sit at tables with you because I knew what would happen if the truth came out while Giorgio ran the show.
I’m starting to think he should’ve known. All along, you knew it was her.”
“I only did what she—”
“Keep saying that. It won’t change how there isn’t a universe where I exist that I will ever sit at another table with you and not kill you. I will kill you. Do you understand me?”
Carmine folded his arms over his chest. “So, what? I stay out of your way, and you’ll stay out of mine? That’s it?”