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“I see I’m interrupting dinner,” Don Leone said to me. “Please, let us sit.”
“Would you like anything?” I asked him. “Food, wine. Anything you want.”
“No, no, please. Sit down. We have some things to discuss.” He frowned at Aida for a moment. “Does she know where things stand?”
“She knows,” I confirmed. “I told her the details already.”
He smiled. “Good. Then she can listen to this.”
Aida shifted in her seat, clearly very uncomfortable. I was wary, on edge. I didn’t know what the Don wanted or how he felt about my hit. The fact that Tad, Roberto, and Dino had come along with him didn’t speak well of this visit. They could be here to end me and offer me as a sacrifice to make up for what I’d done. Or they could be here to promote me for all I knew.
I kept myself on edge, ready in case of anything. I had to hope that my service to the Don wouldn’t be forgotten, and that he’d approve of my move. After all, he said I should go forward with my plans.
Don Leone looked between us, a kind smile on his lips as he leaned his walking cane against the table and settled into his chair. He sighed with pleasure then leaned forward and placed his hands on the top of the table.
“So,” he said. “Dante. You’ve certainly been busy today.”
“Yes, Don Leone. It’s been a busy day.”
He chuckled. “I suppose you’re wondering what I want to talk to you about.”
“More wondering what you’re going to say about it.”
Don Leone nodded. “The whole city is talking about your hit. You should hear what some of the soldiers are calling it.”
I hesitated. “What are they saying?” I asked.
“They call it the Dockyard Massacre.” He chuckled. “It wasn’t at the docks, but it was close enough. And it does sound rather nice.”
“I’m not sure it’s something I’ll add to all my online social media profiles, sir.”
“No, I suppose not.” He continued smiling and I glanced over my shoulder at the muscle still lingering behind us. “Tell me something, Dante. What was your goal with that move? Was it simply to sow chaos?”
I shook my head. “No, Don. I wanted to kill Vlas. I wanted to show strength. I assumed that his deal with the Jalisco would not mean good things for us, and I wanted to make sure that did not happen.”
“And how did you even know of that deal?” Don Leone asked. “I wasn’t aware that we had someone on the inside of the Jalisco.”
“I have an informant,” I said. “A personal one.”
The Don leaned back in his chair, clearly surprised. He glanced over at Roberto, who only grunted and glared at Dante.
“You have an informant in one of the biggest cartels in the world, but you did not share that informant with me?”
“I know how that seems, Don,” I said. “But it was necessary. That informant costs me a lot of money, and I couldn’t risk his identity leaking out. I decided to keep him private for the good of the family.”
“And yet you didn’t use him for the family, Dante. You used him for yourself.”
I glanced at Aida and I could see the anxiety on her face. This conversation wasn’t going well, and I could only guess at what she was thinking.
“You know that was not my intention, Don. When Vlas tried to hit me, again and again, it was my duty to hit him back. I had to make the family look strong. Interrupting the deal with the Jalisco only helped the family in the end, since it’s one fewer connection the Russians have.”
“Perhaps,” Don Leone said. “And yet that seems like something I should have decided, not you.”
I clenched my jaw. I wanted to argue, but I could tell from the Don’s posture that further outburst would not help. So I shut my mouth and waited a long moment while the Don stared at me and slowly shook his head.
“I also have a contact within the Jalisco,” Don Leone said. “He is placed very high in the organization, and I have not leaned on him much over the years, though we have been very beneficial to each other. And I will tell you this, young Dante. That man is very angry.”
I sat back in my chair. “I gave them fair warning.”
“Perhaps you warned their underlings. But you did not warn the bosses, and they see that as a sign of disrespect.”
“I told them I’d buy their product for more than they were getting from Vlas.”
“And who authorized such a deal?”
I hesitated then shook my head. “Nobody, Don.”
“Nobody.” Don Leone leaned toward me, eyes hard, and I saw the man beneath the facade, the killer with a heart as cold as ice. A man didn’t become the head of a family like the Leone family without having steel in his chest.
