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I was skeptical.
But as I’d said, I trusted Jimmy and was prepared to do what he asked of me.
“It went as well as could be expected. Edoardo Genovese knew from my choice of restaurants that I was connected to you, and he still showed up.” The dinner hadn’t been as terribly awkward as I’d envisioned. I still didn’t plan on extensive bonding with my birth mother’s family, though my half sisters were surprisingly entertaining.
“I’d say that’s a good sign.”
“Sign of what exactly?” I asked, a niggling sense of unease tensing my shoulders.
Jimmy stopped again, this time pinning me with his impenetrable stare. “I know how you feel about your past, Conner. It’s understandable. But you’re rooted in our family now. Ties with the Italians won’t change that.”
Logically, I knew he was right. But aside from being adopted, I wasn’t even a Byrne in name. My adopted mother was the only sister of the Byrne brothers. Her married name was Reid, which only served to separate me further in my mind’s eye. I doubted the others would have agreed if I’d voiced my feelings, but their thoughts on the subject didn’t change the way I felt. I had already spent my life defending my right to sit alongside my cousins. Highlighting my newly discovered Italian heritage only made things worse.
“I hear what you’re telling me. Doesn’t mean I want to hang out with them.”
His features hardened. “It might be time you work on your perspective, son. We’ve been handed a golden opportunity. A way to ally ourselves with the most powerful families in the city. Think of what that would mean for us.”
This time, I was the one to stop and stare. “What exactly are you getting at?”
His chin lifted and chest expanded before he spoke the words that would change my life forever.
“A marriage. The Italians and Irish bonded by holy matrimony.”
I might as well have been sucker punched in the gut. His statement winded me, tilting the world on its axis.
“You want … me … tomarry… an Italian?” I asked, struggling to even say the words.
“I know it’s not ideal, Conner, but I can’t think of any other circumstances that would present this unique opportunity. An alliance like that could cinch our place in this city and be crucial to our survival. Think about it. What happens if the other bottom feeders see what the Albanians have been able to do and decide they want to come after us? We don’t have the resources to fight them all off, but with the Italians at our side…” He didn’t have to continue for me to know how vastly different our circumstances would be. While we were one family, the Italians had the power to join their five ruling families against any common enemy. It made them nearly unstoppable.
An alliance like that would be monumental for us, and I was an essential component. It should have made me enormously proud, but I couldn’t stop the whispers in the back of my mind that my Irish family was just trying to get rid of me. Not fully one or the other, I didn’t fit in anywhere.
Stop your fucking whining and grow up. Who cares if you like the idea?
What Jimmy said was true, and I knew it. This could be huge, and I should be honored to help my family in any way I could. Debating about my feelings was pointless anyway because when it came down to it, I knew I’d do whatever Uncle Jimmy asked of me.
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
* * *
Three days later,we sat down to lunch with Edoardo Genovese and his brother Enzo, who was the boss of the Lucciano family and the head of the Italian Commission. Jimmy had spoken to them after the funeral, and to my astonishment, they’d agreed to consider our proposal. I hadn’t expected much to come of his idea. What incentive could the Italians possibly have to enter such an arrangement? Yet they got back to us a day later and asked for a meeting. I was still struggling to grasp the implications.
“Gentlemen,” Jimmy greeted when they joined us. “We’re honored to have you at our table. I wasn’t sure how our proposal would be received, so today is a very pleasant surprise. Edoardo, I know you’ve met my nephew, Conner, but I’m not sure Enzo has been introduced.”
I stood and shook hands with both Genovese men. “It’s a pleasure.”
Enzo nodded. “You’ve given my sister-in-law such peace by agreeing to meet with her. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you. I won’t forget what you’ve done for her. As for lunch today, we’re always pleased to sit down with honorable men such as yourselves.”
“You’re willing to meet with us,” Jimmy pointed out somewhat coyly. “But does that mean you’re actually entertaining the arrangement I’ve proposed?”
Enzo held back his response until after the server had taken our orders. We’d chosen an independent restaurant in neutral territory to ensure we were all on equal footing, but that meant being cautious about what was said near outsiders.
“We are, in fact, very interested in your proposal. We’ve done our best to keep it quiet, so you may or may not have heard, but the Sonora Cartel has recently given us trouble in the city.”
Jimmy and I exchanged a surprised glance. We’d heard nothing about the cartels advancing into the East Coast but could only imagine the chaos that might ignite.
Enzo continued. “We dealt with the gentlemen giving us the most problems, but there is no guarantee that whoever comes to power next won’t continue the charge into our city. Edoardo and I have talked it over and decided a broader network of associates could only benefit us. In addition”—his gaze locked with mine—“we want Conner to know that he has family on both sides of this table.”
Well, I’ll be damned.
