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Bet on the wrong Carluccio.
Maybe he just has too much ego to turn away?
“He has a daughter, loves her to death. Paulie’s a real shit about giving him time to be with her. Not sure if Jason knows it, but Paulie does it on purpose. Thinks it’s funny, watching him struggle with it.” I file the information, further sickened by what a fucking asshole I’m “engaged” to.
“Is that it?” I say the words with a sigh, and the silence on the other end tells me he can hear it. I think if he were in front of me, I’d see the start frustration across his face. Irritation that I’m not impressed by what he’s handing me.
“I just gave you dirt on two of the Carluccio soldiers most loyal to the man you need to take down.”
“No. You told me some gossip and something random as fuck. That’s it.”
Silence.
“Give me something or I’m hanging up. I’m bored, Johnny. I’m a busy woman. I have shit to do other than stand around in fucking Newark.”
“Teresa,” he says quickly, like he’s afraid if he doesn’t, I’ll hang up, but also there’s an edge of reluctance in his voice.
Whatever he’s about to say, he doesn’t want to share.
“Teresa?”
“She’s feisty.” I stay silent. Finally, something that I find interesting. “Tony—he was going to leave her when all that shit went down with your mother. Carmine wanted him to marry Libby, get the connection to you. Fuck, that was the plan all along, why Arturo had to go down.” My jaw tightens, and Dante’s eyes go dark.
He has no idea what’s being said but knows that whatever it is, it’s upsetting me, so he hates it by default.
God, I fucking love this man.
“Anyway, she figured out his plan, had some words with him. There was a fuck ton of screaming. Tony threatened to cut her off.”
And yet, she’s not. She’s living in the compound, in control of Tony’s money and assets, and living the life.
“Not sure what happened, but then all of a sudden, it was settled. They weren’t happily married, and he had his goumads like any made man does.” I roll my eyes. “But they were good.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask. “While it’s startlingly interesting, the soap opera of the Carluccio family, it doesn’t give me anything. You want immunity, you need to give me fucking information, Johnny.”
“She has something.” Silence. “She has something, something to threaten Tony with.”
“What does she have?”
“No idea. But he’s locked up and still scared of her.” I let that sink in, remembering the pretty woman I met the night Dante announced my engagement to Paulie, remembering her mentioning my mother.
She knew who I was.
“Is that it?” I ask, not giving Johnny insight into my thoughts.
“Is that it?” His voice is incredulous through the crackly line. “I just gave you three pieces of information you didn’t already have.” I don’t answer.
He was Carmine’s second-in-command.
He undoubtedly knows more.
I can hear the skeletons rattling from here.
But whatever else Johnny has, he’s holding it tight, be it from fear or leverage, I don’t know.
“So we’re done?” I ask, ready to hang up and move on.
“Paulie.” I knew there was more.
