Chapter 18

Lorenzo Sicily, present day “At last, this engagement will finally be completed! Dante’s complaints gave me more headaches than all the other problems, every single day during these damn years he waited for your engagement,” my father, Salvatore, complains. Or celebrates. I do not know. “If they had not offered me children as options, there would not have been any waiting.” “Do not complain again! You know that…” “It is my responsibility as future Capo to establish solid and respectable alliances to consolidate my leadership. I know my responsibility, I simply disagree with the way they shoved it down my throat, Don! Accepting the Consigliere’s and the Underboss’s complaints because we eliminated traitors was so… it is something I would never have done, you know that.” “That is called respect, Lorenzo. I know people fear us, but to friends, we grant benefits. Otherwise, what reason would they have to remain by our side?” “They had nothing to complain about, since they pulled the trigger. Dante killed his own wife, and did not seem truly sad when he removed his brother from our midst.” I sigh. “We are not going back to that discussion, but I did not like it back then, and I do not like it today, knowing that the De Luca and Sartori clans were my only options.” “You know she is an adult woman now, do you not?” “What difference does that make? She is still irreparably younger and more inexperienced. She knows nothing about life after being locked away in that place for almost a decade. I accept the agreement and I will not break the alliance, but I do not trust your trusted men.” “Pietro De Luca was the traitor, not Dante.” “I knew Pietro, and I was surprised to discover him as a traitor, you know that. And it does not fit in my mind that you keep his brother by our side. What certainty do we have that the entire De Luca clan was not involved?” I state firmly. “Dante saved my life that night, Lorenzo. I would have died in that accident and you know it. He could have saved his own blood, but he chose his Don.” “And that is enough?” “Do not create problems, I already told you.” “I already said I will marry. Just do not ask me for loyalty toward the De Lucas.” “You condemn them for a mistake they already paid for with blood. They are more loyal to the Cosa Nostra than…” He falls silent, and his look tells me I should not question what he refers to. “I warned you that everything we do is, in the end, a damn test. Even a friend outside the organization is dangerous…” “I already got rid of all of them, you know that.” “Of course! But how do you know how to distinguish whether someone approaching you was or was not sent by an enemy?” “That never happened at any moment, Father!” “I have already seen it happen, son,” he states harshly. “The loyalty of a Man of Honor is tested every day, and Dante proved his. It is your duty to return, in the name of our commandment, the favor I received, and make Valentina as honorable as her mother.” “I will not fail. I am sorry,” I say. “She returns this week, and everything will proceed as agreed. It seems she created no obstacles about the marriage. She is safe, healthy… almost like a brand-new toy!” I say ironically. “The reports?” “All always the same. She grew up in that boarding school, went out with one teacher and returned to it. Healthy, discreet, maybe she even breathes. Dante visited her only a few times. Nothing exceptional in her routine all these years. I am sure the council must be satisfied with the choice I made.” “Even the wife who walks beside you cannot represent weakness. Remember that. They cannot see in her your weak point, because that is where they strike when necessary.” “A woman I do not know cannot be my weakness.” “If someone hurts, strikes, or humiliates someone who carries your surname, it may not shake you inside, but your enemies will gain a victory over you, because they hurt your clan, your bloodline, and challenged your authority. If she is shamed, it is your name that falls. You may not care about her, but you need to ensure she is untouchable. Why do you think I forced you to take care of her security all these years?” “Power,” I admit. “Power. Dante has known for years that you, still a soldier, are greater than he is. Every Capodecina knows that your authority has already become greater than that of the Underboss and the Consigliere. She is not just any girl, she is the representation of another clan, one over which you already rule. Dante already knows this, and every member of the Cosa Nostra does too. No display of power is irrelevant.” “Then the girl knows too,” I state, and he nods. “Yes, Valentina De Luca, by now, knows that your yes and your no belong to the Vitales and not to the De Lucas. That clan received forgiveness for Pietro’s betrayal when you accepted their daughter, but they were also punished for losing authority the same moment they gave her hand. For years, a simple soldier has been greater in our hierarchy, and everyone has already noticed.” “Do you ever do anything without a calculated reason?” I smile. “I learned from your grandfather. Giuseppe was always precise when he spoke about power. He established the empire of fear and authority, and in that we agreed.” I raise my eyebrows. “I know you resemble him much more than I do, and America seems to have made that worse in you. But know this, son. I could have denied marriage with clans from which traitors came and handed the positions of Underboss and Consigliere to Caruso and Mazza. But I would be acting like a coward, and the Don of all Dons never retreats.” “May God take care of your friends…” I begin. “Because as for my enemies, I hold them in my hands,” he completes. “It does not matter where Valentina comes from. You are marrying the Cosa Nostra.” “She is only another means, one that kept them close.” I agree with the reasoning. Or almost. “Do they still meet in secret?” “No. A few years ago, they became more discreet and do not meet without another Man of Honor present.” “Do you think they stopped?” “No. They only reduced it.” “It would be easier to confront them…” “Other businesses are not forbidden, Lorenzo. What is forbidden is harming the Cosa Nostra, and that I still have not proven. Believe me, I would be the first to eliminate every De Luca and Sartori, but without proof I cannot. I would lose the trust of all the clans.” “Do you think they divert some of our activities?” “No. Dante continues commanding the heroin trade as he always wanted, and the profits remain inside our business. Giácomo coordinates all the Capodecinas, and the Sartori clan is practically extinct. They would not use cocaine—you know that business belongs to the Calabrians.” “Organ trafficking?” “Or s****l,” he adds. “But whatever it is, it is not in our territory.” “They would operate near the Camorra or the 'Ndrangheta?” “The Stidda is still small and would not know how to deal with intruders. They hide well, and we will only be able to do something if we know where they operate. That is why, Lorenzo, marry and consolidate yourself, because this problem will probably become yours very soon.” “You still have much to offer the Cosa Nostra.” “Much more I have to offer the future Capo. We waited all the years you asked for so the alliance could be established and you could fulfill every condition to become the Boss. Fulfill them and keep yourself above everyone. Even above me, if necessary, because I am not the future here—you are.” “I swore it in blood, during my initiation. I swear it to you, Don.” He smiles, satisfied.