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“Julian has a prior claim,” I add. “He deserves justice for what happened to his mother. He’s suffered enough.”
“You speak of Julian Castellani as though he is a child,” she says, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Is he not the most feared assassin, a man with no conscience, a man who must be kept on a leash lest he kill at whim?”
“No, he’s not,” I snap, and Sandro sways slightly towards me in warning. “I mean,” I backtrack, “yeah, he’s a killer. So am I. So are you, ma’am, though maybe you keep your hands clean of the blood. But you can’t blame Julian for following his nature.”
I think I’ve fucked up. But then Anna-Vittoria’s expression softens ever so slightly. “I knew his mother,” she says. “And yours, Sandro,” she adds, nodding at him. “I understand a son’s love for his mother, and I cannot fault Julian’s desire for vengeance,” she concedes. “But you must see that my Family also cries out for blood. Blood for blood, yes?”
“Oh, you can rest assured,” Sandro says with irony, “Rizzo’s blood will be spilled.”
“I will want proof of it,” she warns. “Send his head, once your brother is done with him.”
I blink. For a moment there, I actually forgot Anna-Vittoria Esposito was the head of one of the most successful Mafia Families in LA.
“I can do that,” Sandro says.
She looks down, thinking. “For the sake of peace,” she says slowly, “I will accept the head, and a gift of recompense.” Her eyes come up, and if I forgot her position before, I never will again. There’s cold steel in this woman. “But there will be no second chances.”
“What gift do you propose?” Sandro asks.
“I won’t ask you for it now, Don Castellani. But there will come a time when Iwillask for something, and I want your word that you’ll give it to me.”
Sandro doesn’t like it. I don’t like it either. But, once again, we don’t have much choice in the matter.
“You have my word,” he says, and steps forward to shake the hand that Anna-Vittoria offers.
I hope he won’t live to regret it.
* * *
As we leave the park and head back toward Sandro’s Lamborghini, I chuckle. “Well, shit. That went a lot better than I thought it would.”
“Did it?” He sounds moody and dark. “I just made a blind promise to that woman. She has an agenda. I just don’t know what it is.”
“Maybe she’ll ask for territory,” I say. “Or money.”
“I hope so,” is all Sandro says.
But for now, at least, we’ve managed to secure a fragile peace—and that’s a victory worth savoring. I point that out to him, and he agrees. As he pulls out into traffic, though, Sandro changes the subject. “I want to talk about your relationship with my brother.”
I stiffen immediately, fearing the worst. Is he going to tell me to back off of Julian? “You should know,” I tell him, “if you try to throw me over your balcony, I’m not gonna make it easy on you.”
He laughs. “It’s nothing like that,” he says. “It’s just… What Anna-Vittoria said tonight was not untrue. Julian can be childish. He is troubled. He needs strong boundaries. I feel like I’m passing on a burden to you.”
I’m almost angry with him. “That’s not how it is at all,” I say abruptly. “I love him. Your brother’s no burden to me—and if he was to you, then maybe it’s worked out best all round.”
He looks genuinely surprised by my admission, and stays silent for a few moments. “Perhaps that was unfair of me,” he says at last. “Ihavenoticed a change in him. A good one. I believe I have you to thank for that.”
My heart swells with a mixture of pride and affection for Julian. “Listen, Sandro, you need to give him more credit. If he’s changing, it’s because he wants to. Not because of me. But…if my presence in his life helps him find some peace, then I’m grateful for that.”
“Thank you,” he says quietly. “I mean it. Thank you for being there for him. He and I…we have a difficult relationship. And I am grateful, too, for your presence tonight,” he adds, glancing at me. “Yes. I have lost a Castellani Capo, but gained a Bernardi Enforcer. I should count my blessings.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Maybe you should.” There’s a long pause of expectation, and I finally break it. “We talked about me taking vows. And I’ll do that. But you gotta let me take care of business first, Sandro. You get me?”
“I understand. But it must not drag on, Leo. I’ve averted a war with the Espositos. I have no desire to start one with the Bernardis instead.”
“Why is that?” It’s the question I’ve been curious about for a long time. “Why not just pulverize us? Them? The Bernardis?”
The streetlights flash over the car a few times before he says, “You should know already. The lion does not concern itself with the business of ants, after all. If your father wants to rule his little fiefdom, to stamp his foot on the docks and make a fuss, it’s of little interest to me. My imports and exports will come in or go out as needed. And if they don’t, I’ll send Jack with another message written on a bullet. You understand now?”
