Page 23 of Corrupted Memories
Luca may not answer to the Commission directly, but I’ve been taught that at the end of the day there’s only one boss in the Cosa Nostra, and he’s the Don that oversees Sicily. Famiglia has its leeway as the American branch of the Cosa Nostra, but that’s at the mercy of the Don.
Luca stares at me for a moment before turning to glare at a spot on the wall. “I want to discuss the information you gave the Irish.”
The refusal is on my tongue, but curiosity gets the best of me. “Why?”
His jaw tightens before his gaze returns back to me. I almost laugh at the internal battle playing out on his face. “I had hoped to have them as a possible ally.”
The laugh escapes before I can stop it. “Well you fucked all that, didn’t ya?”
“Is it true you provided them with information in exchange for help finding a woman?” he continues, studying me.
I bristle at his cold tone, an underlying threat to it. “You still haven’t told me why it matters.”
Luca’s demeanor changes, the brutal Underboss aura if I’ve ever seen one. My fingers twitch to grab my gun for a different reason now as my heart rate picks up. I’ve never been one to immediately jump to violence, preferring to fuck with people in different ways. But I recognize a killer when I see one.
“Perhaps I’m not an expert on sparrows the way everyone seems to think I am.”
I lean back in my chair, trying to make sense of his words as we stare at each other. Is he saying that the sparrows he has planted in all of the organizations don’t report to him? They swore loyalty to the Famiglia, so if they don’t report to Luca, then who? My mouth opens in slight shock. Does he have a coup going on in his organization?
“I’m not sworn into the Outfit, regardless of who my father is. I cannot speak on their behalf.” If he’s looking to make a treaty or any kind of peace talk, it would not be through me.
Luca’s head tilts, a taunting expression on his face. “You hold his ear, do you not?” He waves his hand, pulling on the cuff of his jacket. “Do you not operate an office within Manhattan as a front for them?”
I swallow, hating discussing anything to do with my business. “We are above board.”
“All your investors?”
My lips pull into a grin. “Test them and find out.”
He watches me for a moment before sighing. “I’m not an unreasonable man, James. I’ve been trying to form alliances civilly and somehow my words get twisted or perhaps my intentions misunderstood.”
I shake my head. “It's because you seek help while giving nothing in return. Nothing to offer, nothing to leverage with. Give me somethingreal, Luca.”
“Alright. I believe there’s a coup happening within the Famiglia, and it started with the poisoning of my father.”
Sitting back stunned, I watch his stoic expression. “Your father was poisoned?”
He nods, cracking his neck to the side as if it physically pains him to say this aloud. “Yes and he’s not doing well.”
“So that’s why no one has seen him.”
Luca shrugs. “And for his safety.”
“You have no idea who to trust,” I say, mostly to myself. I know he’s not relaying this information to be vulnerable. I’m positive no one knows about his father’s poisoning, if it’s even the truth, and if that information spreads, he can pinpoint the leak straight to me.
His throat bobs and his jaw works back and forth before he blows out a breath. “I thought I did, but I seem to be questioning it more and more every day.”
I’ve heard the whispers of Ricky defecting. He had been one of Luca’s closest friends, Capo in the making if not already promised to Gio. His sister was married off to the Irish for an alliance that fell apart before it ever began. Then Ricky and his family disappeared, the restaurant left a bloody mess and the house untouched.
“Why are you coming to me?” I ask.
His eyes narrow. “Because somehow you got the information to blow up everything.”
My lips pull into a smirk. “That I did. What do I get out of helping you?”
“What do you want?”
“Matt from VIXI security, a company that runs right here in your city. He’s Gio’s half-brother.”
