The Woman on the Stage

Chapter One

Milo

“Ma, can I call you back later?” I asked as I pulled into the parking lot of Famiglia.

“Oh, so busy. Heaven forbid you spare your mother five minutes of your precious time.”

“I’m gonna be at Sunday dinner.”

“You said that last week. And your setting sat empty all night.”

“I had—”

“Work,” she finished for me. “Haven’t we talked about the difference between making a living and making a life?”

“You just want me married and popping out babies for you to love on.”

“I want you settled and happy.”

“I’m happy.”

“You’re busy. Not happy.”

“Being busy makes me happy.”

“There’s more to life than money.”

“Would it make you feel better to know that all the money making is so I can give my future wife and kids a nice life?”

The pause let me know I had her.

“Slightly. But I still want you at my table this weekend.”

“I got every plan to be there. But Luca is waiting on me, so I gotta go.”

“Tell him I send my love.”

“Will do,” I agreed, hanging up the phone.

My sisters getting into relationships really screwed things up for me. Now my mom’s focus was on me all the time since I was the last one to settle down. Or even show any signs of it.

I hadn’t been lying, though it was important to me to be in a really stable place financially before I found a woman and started a family. So I’d been busting my ass since I got made.

So it was no surprise, as I climbed the steps up to the over-water restaurant that served as our boss’s headquarters, that I saw Domenico standing on the deck waiting for me.

Because we were the only two capos who hadn’t settled down and gotten busy making a life—and babies.

Dom was tall with black hair and eyes and the kind of frame that said he spent a good chunk of his time in prison working out in his cell or on the yard.

The general “fuck off” on his forehead meant that even outside of prison, everyone gave him a wide berth.

“Guess we got a job together,” I said when I saw him.

“The new dream team,” he agreed, heading to the door.

Inside, we found Luca in the party room, sitting with his back to the wall of windows that gave a view of the waves crashing below.

“Did you carpool?” he asked when we walked in, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“You got a job for us?” I asked, dropping onto a chair.

“God forbid we have a little small talk before we get down to business,” Luca said, shaking his head. But because he knew me, and because he benefited almost as much as I did from my work ethic, he shrugged. “But, yeah, I have a job for you. But it’s a little unconventional.”

What in our business wasn’t? It wasn’t like we were paper pushers. We imported illegal shit for our own criminal empire… as well as other organizations who used our docks for a fee.

“Unconventional how?” Domenico asked.

“It would be asking you to leave town. The area, actually.”

“What? Do the New York Families need us for something?” I asked.

“No, not exactly. Right idea, wrong location.” It wasn’t like the mafia was limited to New Jersey and New York. But as far as I knew, we didn’t have strong connections to the families in Chicago, Philly, Detroit, or Boston. “Do either of you remember Uncle Luigi?”

The name had a familiar ring, but I couldn’t make any connection.

“Luigi. Did a life bid for a double homicide,” Domenico supplied.

“Right. He was a big deal during my old man’s reign as boss. Back before we stabilized as an organization.”

I had heard stories from some of the old-timers about how it had been the wild west from the seventies until the nineties. So many murders (both of our own people, and us needing to take out enemies) and a bunch of arrests.

“Thought he died in prison,” Dom said.

“He did. Over in Illinois, where they shipped him to isolate him from the Family. But when he first went away, he had a wife and kids. Because she wanted to be closer to the prison, and because shit was so dangerous around here at the time, his wife decided to relocate. So those kids were raised far away from any of us.”

“Until?” I prompted.

“Until one of the sons decided he wanted his Family heritage back.”

“So he’s back in town,” I said.

“Not exactly, no. I did have a meeting with Remo when he first moved through this way. But he made it clear he didn’t want to work in Navesink Bank.”

That made sense.

Navesink Bank was a relatively small pond. And it was already teeming with fish. There was no real upward mobility here.

“He wanted to be a boss somewhere else,” Dom concluded.

“Something like that, yeah. It’s understood that when it comes to this state, I’m the boss. But he wanted to start his own Family that would operate independently but would kick up to us.”

If this Remo guy could get his crew up and running, that could mean a lot of money to our Family.

And if I could be a part in making this new venture successful, Luca was the kind of boss who would cut me in on the kick-up indefinitely. That was the kind of thing that would allow me to scale back on my current workload. It was steady retirement money. It was stability.

“Where is he looking to take over?” I asked.

There were a lot of untapped big cities in Jersey that were run by smaller organizations. Ones that would be easy enough to move out so Remo could take over.

“Atlantic City,” Luca said.

There was a small burst of laughter from Domenico.

I didn’t know if that was a laugh at the cliché nature of the destination, or because he knew how contentious the area was when it came to crime.

I mean, there were times when the mob basically owned Atlantic City.

During Prohibition, for obvious reasons.

Then again when gambling got legalized in the seventies.

Those had been prime times for organized crime, back when the mafia basically ran the area like their own corrupt resort town.

I couldn’t imagine how many bodies were buried in the foundations of all those buildings on and around the Boardwalk.

I didn’t know the exact reasons the mob lost its foothold down there. I imagined it had something to do with RICO statutes and the whole Rat Era, where Made members were turning on the organization left and right to get shorter sentences. Or witness relocation.

The Families everywhere started to crumble.

The only reason things seemed to be making a comeback was because these new crews—like ours and several of the ones in the city—had loyalty that came from blood, not just connection. We were a Family but also family. That shit made a difference.

This Remo guy, despite being a stranger to all of us, was blood too.

“I’m game,” I said.

“You don’t even know what the job is.”

“Does it matter?” I asked.

“Christ,” Luca said with a little chuckle. He glanced toward Domenico. “Were we ever as cocky and reckless as these young bloods?”

I wasn’t that young.

But being the ‘baby’ of the family meant I was often on the tail end of a lot of ribbing.

“Well, I was. You had that ‘future boss’ mantle to carry around that slowed you up,” Dom said, shrugging. “But for the record, I’m in too.”

Luca shook his head.

“Alright. Well, I can’t send you in blind, so keep your asses in your seats to hear me out before you rush off to pack.”

He knew me too well.

And Domenico was still in his ‘soaking up outside life’ ever since he got released from prison. So I could see him eager to experience Atlantic City just for a change of pace.

“Remo has managed to take control of an area of AC. But he has his sights set high. And he has one target he wants to take down.”

“A major player, it sounds like,” I said.

“Yeah. Both in money and influence. And he needs some unknown faces to help him work on this job. That’s where you two come in.”

“And we’re getting paid for this?” I asked, not wanting to waste days or weeks of my life on a job that would pad someone else’s pockets.

“Yes. From both Remo and me for the job itself, since I’m now invested in the outcome of it. And in a kick-up to be determined later. Things are still new down there, so I’m not sure how much the revenue is going to be right now.”

“Hey, any residuals is money we don’t have to work for,” Dom said, shrugging.

“Exactly. Remo is going to be keeping me updated, but I want check-ins from both of you too. Especially if you think, at any point, that Remo is in over his head and needs additional help.”

“Got it,” I agreed. “Do we need to make arrangements, or—”

To that, Luca chuckled.

“I’ll send the hotel reservation information to your phones.”

“Knew we were game before we even got here?” I asked.

“Had a hunch,” he agreed.

“When are we leaving?” Domenico asked as we all got to our feet.

“As soon as you can get your bags packed,” Luca said. “Take individual cars. I have no idea what kind of jobs he will be sending you two on.”

“Sounds good. How are we making contact?” I asked as we walked through the restaurant.

“Remo has your hotel room information. I expect him to make contact when you both check in. Bring your own burners in case he doesn’t provide them. Your actual phones stay in your hotel rooms. You’re just tourists enjoying the Boardwalk and some legal gambling.”

“That sounds like we got a slush fund,” Dom said, shooting Luca a smirk.

Luca shook his head but reached out to one of his guards that was nearby. He placed two black zippered pouches into his hand. Luca handed them to us.

“Whenever possible, establish alibis. Get chips from various casinos. Get drinks. Do some gambling. Be seen on cameras far away from wherever Remo wants you to be working.”

“Got it,” I said. “Be in touch,” I said before making my way to my car.

There was a sizzling in my veins, something I always got at the beginning of a new (possibly really profitable) job.

And, yeah, it would be nice to get out of town and have some fun on Luca’s dime too.

It had been all work for me for a solid year. I needed a night or two out. And Dom was decent company. After years locked in a cage, he was usually up for drinks or hitting a bar, finding women, the usual.

I just had one unpleasant thing to handle before I got home and got packing.

I stuck my phone in the holder and dialed before pulling out of my parking space.

“Ma, I got some bad news about Sunday dinner…”