Page 5 of Reign Of Triumph
“What happens to me?” Giusto spits out angrily.
“You will work under the new underboss and perhaps learn from your mistakes,” Marco curtly returns. He seems to be running out of patience.
“Who’s the new underboss? Danilo? Vincenzo?” Giusto continues to snipe.
He’s about to find out, I think to myself, and knock on the door. Nero lets us in. My eyes go directly to Giusto, who comes to his feet quickly, nearly knocking the chair backward. His jaw drops open, then he turns back to our capo.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He glances back at me with a sneer. “He abandoned La Famiglia, and he’s being rewarded? He betrayed us all.” He looks at Marco and pulls his trump card. “You promised my father?—”
That’s when Marco cuts him off, and he does so in a physical fashion, with a backhand across Giusto’s face. I hear the snap from where I’m standing.
“Quiet!” Marco shouts. Gloria, who was hanging on to my arm, slinks back and leaves, shutting the door behind her. She knows that Mafia business remains between the men and knows when to remove herself from an ugly situation. Marco’s chest puffs out, his face fierce. He may be older, but there’s no doubt that he’s a formidable opponent.
There’s a silent pause in the room. Luciano moves closer to our capo. He doesn’t like what he sees, and, being the devoted soldier and future consigliere to Nero, he takes his role seriously to protect his capo. Nero’s face is stone. I think if he moves, he’ll end up killing Giusto, and that won’t work for me, because that’s to be my pleasure, in time.
“The promise I made to your father was between me and him. I’ve kept my word. But my word did not extend to allowing you to do whatever you damn well please. Every underboss has a financial responsibility, and you are shirking yours. There has been a consistent drop in your territory. I’ve seen your soldiers, and they need a strong leader. You’ve had countless opportunities to make things work and failed. The rest of the underbosses have questioned your tactics, and they have been correct in doing so.” Marco takes a deep breath and lays it out on the line. “Eros is the new underboss. You will report to him. He decides where you go and what you do. If you make his life miserable, he will end your life, and I won’t do a thing to stop him.”
The fear in Giusto’s eyes is there for all to see. “Put me under someone else.”
Marco dishes out the last blow. “No. Eros also needs to marry. I have decided that Serafina will make a good match. This way, as family, perhaps you can put your differences aside.”
That’s not the reason behind Marco’s actions, and Giusto doesn’t know that. I expect he’s going to make a plea for his sister’s freedom, but instead, he surprises me by saying, “He can marry Serafina, and we’ll work together as family; however, giving my sister over should allow me to keep my position.” The selfish, fucking prick is throwing his sister under the bus.
My jaw clenches. I want to ram my fist into his face. I would move heaven and earth to have my sister back with us. My parents and I tried to get Miranda help, and we failed. We’re all living with the guilt of not being able to save her from her depression. We bear the weight of losing her, and yet Giusto readily tosses his sister to the wolves to save his own skin.
Sure, it’s normal for our women to marry men of their families’ choosing. It’s also true that in many cases, it’s a business contract as well as a marriage, sometimes for power or prestige. But I know that good fathers work to find a suitor who will treat their daughters with respect and protect them. Giusto and I are enemies. There’s no mistaking what we feel for one another. I am able to maintain a cool facade and play the game because, in the end, I’ll get what I want.
“I’ve already said my piece, Giusto. Your role will be right-hand man to Eros. Luciano will call a meeting in the morning. All your men must be present. They’ll all be told at the same time,” Marco states.
“I’ll be a laughingstock,” Giusto rebuts, his face going red.
“Not if you make it your choice,” I interject. “You can say that you need to step back for family reasons. No one will question it with your mother’s failing health. You’ll be looked upon as the devoted son.” Personally, I don’t give a shit what people think of Giusto, but throwing him a bone will make it easier to keep him close and keep tabs on him.
“Serafina takes care of our mother,” he throws back.
“Serafina will be a new wife, and her attention will need to be on her husband. Bianca will look after your children and take care of her parents. I believe your peers will see this as a selfless and commendable act,” I retort.
“This is all your doing!” Giusto jabs a finger in my face. I grab it and twist, then pull it back. I pull it back just a little farther until I wonder if I’ll hear it snap. God, I’m so tempted.
“Never do that again, or I’ll end you,” I tell him, my stony eyes meeting his pained ones. “You can either accept the change or not. I don’t give a shit, but I feel that our capo wants us to sort out our differences. I will comply if you do. However, I will never allow you to come at me again. The next time, I’ll break your hand, then sever your tongue and hand it to you. Am I understood?”
Giusto pulls his hand back, and I let it go so quickly, he staggers back a few steps. He turns to Marco, gingerly holding his hand to his chest. “Is this your final word?” he asks our capo.
“It is. I suggest you accept and learn what you can to be better. When the opportunity arises for an underboss, you will be considered, provided you do the work,” Marco finishes.
“Fine,” he snaps. “Has Serafina been told of her impending marriage?”
“Not yet. Eros will go to her home tomorrow with Nero. You’re more than welcome to be present. Perhaps your sister would like to have you by her side,” Marco says.
“I’ll be attending to the business the new underboss assigns to me. Serafina will have my mother by her side,” Giusto says. “May I go, or is there more?”
“You may leave,” Marco confirms, and Giusto’s out the door in an instant. Marco then turns to Nero. “I want him followed. Tomorrow, before he arrives, I want to have a word with his men. They need to understand where their loyalty lies.”
My father speaks up. “He’s livid, and he’s going to retaliate. I don’t like this.” He shakes his head.
“Not to worry, Armando. Danilo and Vincenzo have asked to be transferred, but instead, they will have a new underboss. There has been talk about Giusto’s decisions, and they will welcome Eros. I think Giusto’s men will be grateful for the change in leadership and will flourish under Eros’s guidance. In the meantime, Luciano and Nero will be close at hand, and their men will be available to Eros as needed,” Marco finishes.
Marco heads over to the bar and pours his best whiskey, then hands us each a glass. “To the newest underboss. May his reign be long and prosperous.” Our capo lifts his glass in a toast.
