“Perhaps you need a lecture now more than ever,” he says firmly. “I am proud of you for taking the initiative with the Bostonians. You have not only formed an alliance, but made a business deal that will profit everybody. But what happens when a shipment goes missing, or you find somebody skimming a few grams?”
“You know what happens then.”
“Yes—you overreact. You punish them viciously. And this man’s friends and brothers and uncles, they decide they want revenge. So you start a war over a few measly bags.”
“It’s better than being disrespected,” I argue, but my words sound weak.
“Respect,” Father says. “Look at me, Angelo.”
Reluctantly, I turn to him. The car pulls up outside Father’s brownstone. “You have to give respect to earn respect, my son.”
“I respect you,” I say. “I respect t
