Page 149 of Vita Mia

“The Camorristi is imploding and right now you’re only picking up the scraps left on the floor. My family still stands strong in the Amalfi. My family is the biggest weapon you can use to push back the Puglia clans. Everything and every person has a price. What is yours?”

Tarzan sat forward. “What is yours Donna Nera?”

His gaze swept down her crossed legs before he continued.

“I’ve heard stories about you. You like powerful men. Soon there will be no one more powerful than me.”

“I’m flattered,” Mirabella said.

Tarzan chuckled.

“But I’m not interested. What else do you want?”

Tarzan glanced at Brian. He nodded. Brian left his seat and walked over to the bar. She watched as he pulled out a panel and removed an attaché. Mirabella braced herself for a negotiation she wasn’t comfortable in making. The one thing she and Giovanni couldn’t predict were the Russians. And now she was left to handle it on her own.

“It’s very simple. I have money, I have guns, and I have the territories your husband and Camorra have left unattended. What I don’t have is power. I want that most of all. And I want all of it.”

“With great power comes great responsibility,” Mirabella said.

“And if responsibility is squandered then you are left to deal with men like me.” Tarzan put his hand to her knee. She could see Nico from her peripheral sit forward. She allowed his touch and it fell away when Brian returned.

“First you are to give me Sorrento. Giovanni has some properties that are key for development along the Amalfi. You will need to sign these documents.”

Brian placed three sheets on the coffee table. One in particular caught her eye. It was Melanzana. Her home.

“Second, I want the entire bay of Naples. The importing business is overrun by the Chinese with your Don gone. Giovanni has a lot of influence there. Brian and your attorneys can work through the details, but my terms are non-negotiable.”

“No need. I trust everything is in order. I have Giovanni’s proxy. I can sign it all over to you.”

Tarzan’s eyes stretched.

“I suggest you speak with your attorneys before you agree,” Brian said.

Mirabella smiled. It couldn’t be this easy. Everything the Russian asked for Giovanni had suggested. And her instructions were clear. After the fire, the heartache, and the loss of life she and her husband had prepared to give it all over to the Russians. In name only. It was after all his Campania and no one could take what was his permanently.

“I am serious gentlemen. I want Lorenzo—alive. I’m not a gangster or businessmen like you. I’m just a wife trying to save her family.”

“You’re more than a wife. I’m not stupid,” Tarzan said. He stood and walked over to the bar.

Mirabella could see his anger surfacing. She tried to appear unaffected.

“There’s one more thing I want.”

“Yes?” she answered.

“Antonio Rastrelli,” Tarzan said. He accepted a fresh drink from his bartender.

“The President of the Campania? What about him?”

“He doesn’t like my investments. He’s not willing to be my friend. That’s makes him my enemy.”

“He’s a politician, a new one. He’s doing his job,” Mirabella said.

“I think he does it poorly. And to make the moves I need to make in the next year I rather he not be in the position of opposition.”

“What is it you want from me?”

“Very simple Donna Nera. Only what the Camorra is good at. Solve my problem by removing it. I want him assassinated.”

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