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“Brady’s death will be the cover for the meeting. His body will be taken to Roxbury to be buried. We’ll have the funeral there.” Smoke circles Enzo’s head, and then he blows out another puff, scattering the smoke trails.
I remind them what happened at the infamous Apalachin summit. “The funeral cover sounds good. But can we be sure that the congregation of La Cosa Nostra won’t attract the FBI the way it did when they held the summit in Apalachin?”
Bobby adds, “Up until that meeting, the authorities didn’t know how organized Mafia activity had become. They thought the crimes were separate, and the individuals who committed them did so on their own. When they all came together, it took no time to figure out just how organized they really were.”
Enzo doesn’t often show a frown on his face, but it’s there now, telling me he’s got some worries about this thing. “If it weren’t for the things we can learn from this meeting, I wouldn’t put us in this much danger. The fact is, there will be men from Sicily, Ireland, and Russia there too. We can learn a hell of a lot from the men at this summit.”
“So this thing has gotten big.” I light up my cigar, needing something to steady my increasing nerves. “I don’t know if I like that.”
Enzo nods in agreement. “We’re going to need to lay as low as possible. I think the mistake the men at the Apalachin summit made was they stood out like sore thumbs—wearing expensive suits, driving expensive cars, and making their presence known in town were bad ideas.”
“So we wear normal, everyday clothes,” Bobby directs, looking at all of us. “Rent midsize sedans that no one will ever notice and maintain a low profile, and we should be okay.”
“We can do all those things, but chances are none of the other people will. We’re only a small part of this,” I remind everyone. “It’s highly unlikely that everyone will commit to doing those things.”
Enzo nods. “This won’t be easy. And trying to hide who we are, where we come from” —he shakes his head—“we don’t go that route, Bobby. We don’t hide from anyone.”
I feel like we’re all going to be sitting ducks. And not just for the authorities. “We have to look out for rivals and others who would take advantage of having so many bosses at one event.”
All of them nod and mumble, but no one has any real idea of how to avoid the ultimate danger that comes with attending.
Leo asks, “Do we have to go to this thing, boss?”
“Do you know how weak it would make us look if we didn’t show?” Enzo shakes his head as he looks down at the floor. “Whoever don’t show up will be targeted as weak, and you know takeovers will happen. We have to go.”
“So, it’s settled.” I take another hit off the potent cigar. “We’re going to Roxbury, Massachusetts.”
Returning from that summit might not happen though.
Bobby drums his thick fingers on his leg as he thinks. “How secure is this Donut King’s estate?”
Enzo answers the question, “I’m sure it’s well-fortified. Not that it matters. Once we leave the protection of the estate, we’re all fair game. At the Apalachin summit, the authorities put up roadblocks so the men had nowhere else to go, and they arrested them on trumped-up charges so they could take them in. They got all the information they could while they were in custody.”
“You know I hate to manifest negativity,” I say, “but I’ve got an awful feeling about this.”
Bobby sighs. “But we gotta go, Frank. The boss is right, you know. We’ll be considered chickens, and our rivals will increase, making running our businesses difficult. We’ll have to watch our backs even more than we do now.”
“If we’re not completely destroyed,” Enzo adds.
I know we have to go. I know there’s no way out of this thing. But I’m not happy.
I’ve finally got it good. I go home to a woman who takes excellent care of me. Lisa stepped up and has been learning what she needs to do as the wife of a man in the Mafia. She’s a natural, and I couldn’t be happier with her as my wife.
To think of losing it all just because a bunch of Mafia bosses want to get together to show off their shit bothers me immensely.
We have no choice in the matter though.
“Well,” I say, “we will just have to make the best of this thing and do all we can to make sure none of us are taken into custody if the FBI decides to make an issue out of this meeting.”
Enzo gives me a little smile, which isn’t a thing he does often. “That’s the right attitude, brother. I’m gonna put you in charge of getting that area surveyed so we know all the roads that lead in and out of Donut King’s estate and the town of Roxbury. I want you to make sure we have exits if roadblocks are put up. And I want you to put the right men on guard to keep us abreast of anything that happens.”
Since it’s me who seems more worried about this than anyone else is, it’s up to me to make it as secure as I possibly can. “I’ll get it taken care of.”
“You got about a week,” my brother informs me. “We leave for Roxbury in five days.”
It’s not much time to get all the surveying done, but I can make it happen. “I’ll get on it right away.”
“See that you do. Your family is depending on you, brother.”
