Page 2 of The Agreement

“Good,” he said as he walked out of the living room. “Come join me, I want to talk to you.” Val sat her purse down on the table by the door and followed him into the cozy room. Most of their house was formal, as befitting who he was, but mom made sure there were rooms of comfort and coziness and not hard and cold. Her mom often felt that more people would open up if they were in a comfy place, unlike her dad, who believed hard was better. He sat down on the couch and she followed suit.

“What’s up dad?”

“You know there’s been a long-standing war between us and the Constantini’s right? A war that was started by your grandfather.”

“I’m aware, probably why Vinny and I have issues.” He sighed at that. He knew about them, that wasn’t news. Hell, their issues with each other stemmed as far back as their playing on the school field. Vinny was one year older than her, so for them, they really had been around each other forever. And hell did he remember the phone calls they would get about the two of them fighting.

“Well, those issues need to stop.” ‘Stop,’ she questioned to herself, they just had a show a couple of hours ago in fact!

“Why dad?”

“Donatello and I called a cease-fire.” Her eyes opened wide. A cease-fire? That was unheard of. But, then her eyes narrowed. They were mob bosses, and you didn’t do anything for free.

“What’s it costing us?”

“It’s sad that you can’t be my heir, your mind is so ready for that.” Yes, it’s a bitter pill to swallow that she was a female, but no female was allowed to be in control; they couldn’t make those tough choices.

“I know, it’s a shame, now answer the question.”

“You.”

“What do you mean ‘me’?Hai intenzione di massacrarmi prima di loro? Lasciando che il mio sangue corre per le strade invece?” (Are you planning on slaughtering me before them? Letting my blood run down the streets instead?) She was furious. He was willing to do that to his only child, female or not.

“No! You are to marry Giovanni.” Oh, that was not any better. She’d rather take a bullet to the chest than be led to the other version of slaughter, holy matrimony with the biggest playboy around; yeah no thanks on that. She clenched her teeth as she stared at her dad.

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“Join me, son,” Donatello said as he took his eyes off the pool table and glanced at his son. At 24, Giovanni was a good-looking man who had all the women at his feet and his dad knew that. And knew that his son would never think about settling down, now or anytime soon. So, as much as he hated being a controlling son of a bitch with his kids, this time he needed to. Sure, the cease-fire was great, but he could admit the other motive; marrying his son off to a damn good family.

“What’s uppapa (dad)?” Donatello sank the nine ball and tossed the stick to Vinny.

“Had a meeting with De Luca.” Giovanni nicked the table at those words, not even hitting a ball.

“And you didn’t kill each other?”

“No, actuallyfiglio(son), the De Luca’s and the Constantini’s have a cease-fire.” Donatello watched his son, watched as his eyebrow’s scrunched together, watched as his jaw clenched, and watched as his hands fisted.

“Why?”

“Because enough is enough. Too many lives have been lost. Who is to say you weren’t next?”

“I can’t of course, but really? How did you manage that? I mean, De Luca isn’t the type to just say, ‘here, we are done, what now’?”

“No, he isn’t,” Donatello said as he took another cue stick and lined up a shot, sinking the ball and looking up at his son. Giovanni moved to sit on the stool as he watched his father.

All his life, all he had heard about was this war; about the anger these two families had. And, yeah sure, it spilled out on their kids; Giovanni could admit there was a time or two he wished he could have punched Val, but there were also times that he wished he didn’t have to be so cruel to her. Valentina was a smart woman, and there were times he would have loved to just talk to her. Granted, those times were few and far between. And yet, here was his dad, talking nonsense.

“So, you called a truce, what’s the cost? Are we paying him? Giving him run over our streets?”

“De Luca’s empire needs none of that. What he does need is a stable and strong hand for Valentina.”

“Marriage?”

“Yes.”

“To who? I have all sisters and my cousins wouldn’t work for that princess. Are they taking one of your men?”

“No, not unless you are one of my men and not my son.”

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