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Giovanni took his time pouring the two drinks and when he eased the bottle to the counter, I noticed his hand was shaking. As soon as he turned around, he noticed my gaze and sighed.
“Getting old is a bitch, Valentin. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Parkinson’s.” As he walked closer, his expression shifted, a moment of sadness sliding into his eyes. “I’ve lived a long life, son, but I do have remorse for all the things I wished I’d done differently.”
I took a glass from his hand, both of us lifting in a salute.
“Per una vita lunga e appagante.”
To a long and fulfilling life.
The toast was one I’d heard my father say over the years, but it seemed to have more significance at this moment. “I’m sorry. Is it manageable?”
Shrugging, he moved to one of the leather chairs, nodding toward the second. “It is progressing at an alarming rate, at least according to my doctors. I will lose more functionality every month, rendering me useless by the end of the year. Imagine the irony. I was once a boxer, a man considered the best in Italy. Did your father ever tell you that?”
“No, I assume there are many secrets.”
Chuckling, he lifted his glass, twisting it in the light. “There will always be secrets, son. It’s how you handle them that matters. Do you need anything else from me? I still have certain… connections.”
I adored the man, including his lust for life, and his adoration of his family. Bella had come along very late, a gift from God, he’d called it. His other two children had gone on to live their lives far removed from Gio and his wife, wanting to separate themselves from what they considered a reprehensible family. The loss had almost killed him. Then Bella had come along. I’d almost killed his two sons with my bare hands for disowning them, but it hadn’t been my place.
“As I said, that’s one reason I’m here. I was hoping you had some knowledge about the Adamos clan. I’m not certain of their origins in Poland.”
He took a sip then another. “Bastardi del cazzo senza valore,” he hissed.
Worthless fucking bastards.
“There must be a story,” I said quietly, studying his now hardened expression.
“They were animals. Nothing more. They made a deal with the devil during the Great War, selling out their own communities in exchange for power.”
The Great War in his and my father’s minds was World War II. “The Nazis.”
He nodded, polishing off the rest of his drink. “I won’t tell you about the torture their own family members received after their betrayal or the riches that family was awarded by Hitler himself. They rose to power soon after the end of the war, claiming territories that didn’t belong to them. At least your father had a hand in almost destroying them.”
Wait a minute. My father had never told me the story. “What are you talking about?”
Giovanni eased to the edge of his seat, shifting his glass back and forth. “He never told you?”
“Why should he?”
“Because that was one of the reasons that he decided to make the United States his new home. They were just as brutal after the war, perhaps more so.”
“Why didn’t I hear about them?”
“Perhaps because there wasn’t a single Cosa Nostra or any smaller families that acknowledged them. They were the scourge of the earth, nothing more than cockroaches. For a time, it was believed they’d lost power. Then the last generation began to make inroads into Italy, also expanding into the US. I’d thought them eliminated again after hearing almost nothing about them for several years. It would seem I was wrong. What has your father told you?”
I was floored, trying to remember if my father had ever said anything. I’d known he’d had some difficulties during the last few years, some of his holdings and power stripped away, but to that extent, nothing had been said. “That’s the problem. He’s told me nothing. Tell me the story.” A wash of anger slid up from my loins. My father had allowed us to be tossed into an ambush. Why hadn’t he eliminated the small clan when he’d had a chance?
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Valentin. I made a promise to your father that I intend on keeping. You’ll have to ask him.” He jerked up, swaying slighting then bolting for the bottle. “But know that if they are intent on strengthening their hold in America, then you should be worried. They have money hidden away, continued riches from their affiliation with Hitler. They also have continued backing from the descendants of the original family who dishonored their people. I fear they have additional retaliation on their mind.”
Retaliation.
Now?
I took a sip, closing my eyes. At least I had my reason why they were determined to invade my family’s territories. How much bad blood remained between the two families, I couldn’t be certain. However, talking with my father was imperative. “This must have been planned for some time.”
As he returned, he looked down at me and I could see sadness in his eyes. “Likely, which means they have hundreds of men lying in wait, prepared to fight. And, if that’s the case, then you and your entire family will need to work together. I will make some inquiries with certain friends of mine.”
“I would appreciate that.” I fingered the glass, the force used nearly crushing the dense crystal. Why the fuck hadn’t my father trusted me with his concerns?
