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One by one, the capos hang up until it’s only Lorenzo and me left on the call.
“Those fucking assholes,” he spits, lighting up yet another cigarette. It’s his fifth one in under twenty minutes. “You can see what they’re trying to do, can’t you? They’re trying to push me out.”
I remain perfectly still. “I don’t think that’s true, sir.”
“Of course it’s true! None of them listen to me. None of them show me the respect I deserve.” My captain takes a long drag, smoke rushing past his lips. “None of them want to make a move against Renato because they know how close he is with the sottocapo. They won’t jump on him until they have hard proof.”
“They might have a point,” I say.
Lorenzo’s nostrils flare. “Are you fucking kidding me, Costello? His men attacked you and your woman. We need to take action, not sit around and wait for the bastardo to take us out.”
I grit my teeth. Lorenzo doesn’t mention Arin by name, but I don’t like that he knows about her. Ignoring the burning sensation in my chest, I say, “With all due respect, sir, retaliation will cost us a lot of men. If Renato really is trying to make a move on your territory, it’d be wiser for the sottocapo to sort him out.”
My capo snorts. “We’ll be dust before Sal decides to get off his fat ass to do something. No, Costello. We’re not going to sit around and wait for Renato to walk all over us.”
A cold ball of steel weighs heavily in the pit of my stomach. “What do you want to do?”
“We’re going to hit him back,” he says. “He’s got those warehouses down by the harbor.”
“You want to claim them for yourself?”
“No. I want you to take a team down there anddestroythem.”
I shake my head. “Renato has millions of dollars’ worth of weapons stashed there.”
“Exactly,” Lorenzo cackles. “If he thinks he can fuck with me, he has another think coming. He won’t be able to survive that kind of financial loss. Once he’s taken the hit, he won’t have the resources or the backing to keep coming after us. It’ll take him out of the runningandout of Sal’s favor.”
“What if they find out it was us?” I ask, struggling to sit still.
This isn’t good. I can’t disobey a direct order from my captain, regardless of whether or not his plan is suicidal. Renato’s a greedy son of a bitch, but he’s no slouch. The man’s got a loyal base of associates, control of the harbor, and a quarter of the police force in his pocket. Even if I were to put together a big enough team to take the warehouses by force, we’d be looking at a staggering number of casualties.
“They’re not gonna find out,” Lorenzo says, as if it’s truly that simple. “Take care of it by the end of the week.”
“Sir, with all due respect—”
“Do it, Costello. That’s an order.”
The call ends.
“Well, fuck,” I grumble.
* * *
It’s well past one in the morning by the time I return home. Johnny, who’s been posted on guard duty, stands to full attention. His arm is in a hefty cast, a few scrapes on his face from his own shootout, but apart from that, he seems to be making a speedy recovery.
“Welcome home, signor,” he says.
“Report.”
“It’s been quiet,” Johnny informs me. “Elio ordered them some pizzas around five. The little one was in bed by seven thirty. Ms. Wilson’s friend, Lana, left around nine. Elio left not long after.”
I nod. “Good. How are you holding up?”
Johnny smiles. “I’m well, sir.”
“Don’t hesitate to ask for relief if you need it. A couple of the boys are downstairs keeping watch at the main entrance.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for your concern.”
