AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Marco chuckles as he waves his hand in front of my face. I knock it away irritably. “Shut it, fuckface.”
“Christ, can we get down to business?” Matteo complains, shifting impatiently in his chair. “The sooner we get this over, the sooner me and Marco can get back to work. We got a problem down at Phoenix Construction I gotta get solved, that can’t wait.”
Marco and Matteo co-own a construction business that’s partnered with my real estate concern. Even though the two of them are as different as night and day, they complement each other well in business, with Marco supervising the men that work under them and Matteo running the organization and keeping an eye on the books. Together, the three of us have a lock on the construction industry that brings in more cash to the D’Agostino family — and thus, to the Boss — than any of the other capos in Cleveland.
“Sure, sure,” I say, waving him off. “Sal, look, can we be done here?”
“No can do,” Sal says firmly. “We gotta talk about this, Antony. Look, as successful as you boys have been, some of the older dons see you as a young upstart.”
“Pagano trusts me,” I shoot back, referring to Luca Pagano, the Boss of the Cleveland Family.
“Sure, but he’d trust you more if you settled down and started having kids.” Sal shrugs. “And New York and the Outfit don’t know you that well except by reputation. And your reputationincludes you being a ladies’ man. Which is fine, or whatever, if you were married, which you are not.”
Christ. I run a rough hand through my jet-black hair and let out a grunt.
“All right,” I mutter. “Jesus, fine. So supposing I was to get married. You got any suggestions on who the unlucky lady would be, or have you already got that set up for me, too?”
Sal spreads his arms wide and grins. “I’m open to suggestions.”
I chuckle in spite of myself. “Yeah, right.”
“What about the Mucci family?” Matteo suggests, suddenly taking an interest. “Carmine Mucci is old as dirt, and he ain’t in great health. He doesn’t have any sons, just two daughters. Serafina and Stamatina.”
Marco’s mouth parts in a wolfish grin. “The Mucci sisters are both hot. The younger one especially. Tina.”
The picture in my mind’s eye when I try to recall the two Mucci sisters is blurry and imprecise. What I remember of them is from at least ten years ago. The younger one was giggly and doll-like, with a penchant for frilly dresses. A coquettish attitude that spoke of a cherished and possibly spoiled baby of the family. The older one, I have even less memory of. She was probably just on the cusp of puberty back then. I think I remember that she seemed tall for her age. She smiled less than her younger sister, and was quieter, too. Instead of seeking the attention of the people in the room she was in, she was more of the observant type. I recall that she seemed like a tomboy.
Matteo, the more serious of my two brothers, looks pensive as he considers the idea more. “It’s not a bad choice, Antony. Mucci’s territory shares a border with ours.”
Marco shoots forward in his seat. “Mucci turf is a moneymaker. Lots of protection money to be made, laborracketeering…” He rubs his hands together. “You get your foot in the door there, next thing you know, Mucci’s turf could be ours.”
I shake my head. “The Mucci crew are loyal men. Pushing Carmine Mucci out could start a war.” The last thing the Cleveland famiglia needs, just as we’re working to consolidate and expand.
“Not if you marry the older one,” Sal says. “She’s gotta be what, twenty-four, twenty-five or something by now? Mucci ain’t a fool. He must be looking to marry off both his daughters, but probably her especially. He’s getting too old to protect them anymore. Unlucky for him he was never blessed with any sons, but daughters are currency, too, just a different kind. With Carmine Mucci’s blessing, you could have all the Mucci territory, men, and operations. No bloodshed.”
“Just cold, hard cash,” Marco agrees, a gleam in his eye.
“This would be a good match, Antony,” Sal urges. “Think about it. Your duty is to the D’Agostino family first. If you boys don’t start getting married and producing some heirs, there won’t be a family for much longer. You don’t want to waste time, here.Capisce?”
Duty.
I swivel my chair around to stare out my office window for a long moment, as I take in the Cleveland skyline.
“Arrange a meeting,” I tell Sal.
2
SERA
“What do you think, Serafina?”
My father’s question echoes off the walls of his office. I stare out the window of Daddy’s thirtieth-story office, at the view of Cleveland Harbor below and contemplate my response. I can feel the eyes of his captain on me as they both wait for me to answer my father’s question.
The captain, whose name is Samuel, has come to my father, Carmine Mucci — the Mucci Family capo — with a business proposal from a recent appointee to the Cleveland Waterfront Planning Commission. Cleveland Harbor is in Mucci territory, and we’ve controlled the docks for decades. This appointee wants to give us access to two entirely private commercial docks, no questions asked, in exchange for a cut of the profits.
I’m sure Samuel came here assuming my father would agree immediately to such a sweet deal — which would mean a raise in Samuel’s own share of the profits, and also his esteem in my father’s eyes for securing the transaction.
Unfortunately for Samuel, I was here in my father’s office when he turned up to discuss the deal.
