Chapter Eighteen #2
He looks disappointed, but he quickly hides it. “That’s fine. You’re loyal to your alpha as you should be.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Marcello will need that loyalty more than ever, I fear.”
“What do you mean?” I ask sharply.
“I’ve heard some troubling things recently.” He glances around, and then lowers his voice. “I was hoping to mention them to you if we ran into each other at the club yesterday. But you weren’t there.”
I blink at him. “These things you heard… were they bad things?”
“As I said, they were troublesome.” His eyes are very serious.
“What did you hear?” I ask breathlessly.
Salvatore’s expression shifts. Not dramatically.
Just a slight tightening around his eyes.
“It has to do with the ports.” He holds out his hand.
“I’m not asking you to tell me what happened concerning them.
I understand you can’t talk about that. But Marcello needs to be aware that some of the families are concerned that he stripped the ports from the Luccheses. They’re questioning his motives.”
I grit my teeth. “He had a very good reason. He didn’t just take the ports because he wanted them.”
Salvatore sits back in his chair, looking thoughtful. “I worry sometimes Marcello is too prideful. If he has a good reason, he should communicate that to people. That would probably calm them down.”
My stomach tightens. “Do you really think they’d be okay with him taking the ports if they just understood what made him do it?”
“If the reason is good enough, yes.”
I let out a harsh breath. “I can assure you, he had a very good reason.”
“I believe you, but the others… they would need more than your word to trust his motives.”
Frustration eats at me. “I told him he should be honest, but he’s so stubborn. He thinks he knows best. He thinks it will all blow over. And while I know nothing about being a mob boss, I do know people. Nobody likes having their feelings brushed aside.”
He meets my eyes, and there’s conflict there. He looks like a man deciding how much to say. “I wish he’d listen to you before it’s too late.”
My anxiety spikes. “God, you’re really worried for him.”
He pats my hand. “Now don’t get upset, my boy.
I could be wrong. It… it might be nothing.
People talk. Alliances shift and re-form.
It’s the nature of this world. To be honest, usually, it comes to nothing.
” He studies me. “Marcello is a strong don. He’s smart, he’s feared, he has resources most men would kill for.
I don’t think anyone is foolish enough to move against him directly. ”
“But?”
He hesitates and the hesitation terrifies me. “There are three families who worry me,” he says quietly. “The Moretti, Ferrante, and DiMaggio syndicates.”
My stomach rolls with stress. I recognize those names as the ones Carlo warned Marcello about.
He continues. “I don’t believe the DiMaggio or Moretti syndicates would make a move on their own.
” He sighs. “But I know for a fact that the Ferrante syndicate has been talking to a large Russian syndicate out of town. The Russians have wanted to make a move into this area for over a decade. If they see a crack, they’ll do their best to exploit it. ”
“The Ferrante syndicate would turn on Marcello?” I’m sure he hears the fear in my voice.
“You have to understand, Elio, to them, Marcello drew first blood against the Luccheses. They’re scared that he’ll do the same thing to them.”
“But he didn’t draw first blood,” I growl. “They did. They… they tried to kill me, Salvatore.”
He widens his eyes. “What?”
I let out a harsh breath. “They attacked me first. Marcello actually showed mercy by only taking the ports.”
He looks shaken. “Well, that changes everything. If they came after you, of course he had to punish them severely.”
I’m relieved he sees it the same way as Marcello. “The problem is Marcello won’t tell anyone the reason he took over the ports. He doesn’t want to look weak.”
“Hmmm.” Salvatore nods. “I can see why he’d be reticent to do that.”
“I don’t know what to do.” My voice comes out rough-edged. “The other syndicates might understand why he did what he did if they knew his reasons. But Marcello won’t tell anyone for fear of looking vulnerable.”
“It’s quite a problem,” he muses. “By not telling anyone his motivation, he looks arrogant. By ignoring their paranoia, he’s actually feeding into it.”
“I agree.”
He falls silent, a deep line between his brows. When he looks up, there’s a stubborn set to his jaw. “Elio, I think I can help.”
I lean forward. “You do?”
He nods. “I happen to be very close to the head of the Ferrante syndicate, Naldo Ferrante. I helped his family out when they went through some hard times long ago. We’ve stayed close. I have dinner with Naldo once a month.”
“Okay,” I say breathlessly.
“In fact, I’m seeing him tomorrow night. I could talk to him if you’d like.”
“Do you think it would help?”
“It certainly wouldn’t hurt.” He narrows his eyes. “As I said, I don’t think you have to worry about the DiMaggio or Moretti syndicates making a move against Marcello.”
“But Naldo is different?”
“Yes. Naldo is a very pious man. If he has it in his head that Marcello was being greedy when he took the ports, that could make talking to the Russians more appealing. He might think he has to do something to stop Marcello from overstepping.”
“But remember,” I say with some urgency, “no one can know why Marcello took the ports from the Lucchese syndicate.”
He nods. “I understand. Naldo won’t need to know. I don’t mean to brag, but if I tell Naldo that Marcello had a good reason, and that he did not draw first blood, Naldo will believe me. No questions asked.”
“Really?” I narrow my eyes. “You hold that sort of sway with him?”
“I do.” He shrugs. “I may not be the most powerful man, but the Marchetti syndicate still holds a lot of influence. Some of the younger bosses discount me and the other older alphas, but men like Naldo will listen to me, and he won’t ask questions.
If I say Marcello had to act, Naldo will trust me. ”
“Jesus, why didn’t Marcello just ask you to speak to Naldo earlier?”
He winces. “Marcello doesn’t respect me.
He thinks the older alphas are antiquated and useless.
But the truth is, we still have a role to play.
We have decades of relationships within all of the syndicates.
In a situation such as this one, those close relationships are what can make the difference. ”
“If you’re willing to use your friendship with Naldo to intervene on Marcello’s behalf, that… that would be an answer to my prayers, Salvatore,” I say breathlessly. “I’ve been so worried for Marcello.”
His smile is warm. “Consider it done, Elio.”
“God, I… I can’t thank you enough. I mean that.”
“Naldo will probably be relieved to stand down. No sane man wants to go up against Marcello Foschini. I do wish Marcello would learn to communicate better though. So much trouble can be avoided when things are explained.”
“I agree.” I grimace. “Communication isn’t always his strongest skill. Perhaps I can work on that with him.”
He pats my hand. “You should do that, for his sake, if nothing else.”
“Again, I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s my pleasure. It’ll make me feel useful.” He smiles and glances at his watch. “Oh, crap, it’s later than I thought. I’m supposed to have dinner with friends tonight.”
I rise, wanting to hug Salvatore because I feel so relieved. “Will you let me know once you’ve talked to Naldo?”
“Of course.” He winks. “Maybe don’t mention my interference to Marcello. He doesn’t always appreciate us older alphas poking our noses in where he doesn’t think we belong.”
“I won’t say a word.” I sigh. “I appreciate your help, Salvatore. Not sure how I’ll repay you.”
He grins. “You can repay me by having dinner with me sometime.”
“Of course. I’d be honored.” I touch his arm. “Thank you again, Salvatore. I can’t thank you enough for talking to Naldo.”
His eyes flicker. “No need to thank me, my boy. Peace among the families is always a good thing.”
“Yes.”
I walk out of the café with Salvatore, and watch as he climbs into his SUV. I continue watching until his driver pulls away from the curb, and then I head down the sidewalk toward my vehicle.
When Dante silently falls into step beside me, I startle. “Where did you come from?”
“Oh, I’m never far.”
“I need to put a bell on you.”
His lips twitch as he unlocks the SUV. “Will you be doing more shopping, sir?” he asks politely.
“No, I’m ready to go home. I’m all shopped out.”
“Whatever you say, sir.”
As I settle into the SUV, I have to admit I’m glad I ran into Salvatore today. Ever since Carlo came to the house to warn Marcello, I’ve been stressed. Marcello’s violent world terrifies me. There are so many people who want to hurt him. To take him down.
Thankfully, Salvatore has Marcello’s back. Now I can relax a bit because everything should be okay.