Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
“He’s wealthy. He has enough wealth to get the soldiers on his side. To manipulate other capos to his way of thinking. Don’t be fooled by a man who appears to be no one.”
“Okay, so why are the Ricardos there?” he asked.
“Everyone has a weakness and the Ricardos have been chasing their title to be leader for a long time.”
Massimo ran a hand down his face. “I’m going to talk to Vigo, then we’ll talk.”
“Adelina was a good choice,” Vincent said.
“You want to talk about my wife now?” Massimo asked.
“I don’t see a better time.”
“Dad, look, I get it, you’re ... dealing with your shit, finally, but trust me, I’ve got to get to this meeting, and if you want to, come with me.”
His father looked at him, as he stared back. The offer was there. Massimo would take his father with him. For a long time, Vincent had been locking himself away from the world. The scars and pain of losing his wife had taken too much out of him. Massimo watched as his father looked back at the board, and then toward him.
“I’ll grab my coat.”
Now, this surprised him. There were so many times over the past decade when he had asked his father to come with him, and each time he would say no. He would bow out of the fight and slink back to his office.
Together, they stepped out of the office and headed toward the door. Massimo had a quick word with his guards and told them to keep an eye on Adelina and Isabella. They were not to leave the house unless he was contacted first. With that, he and his father went to his car.
A couple of guards got into a second car, and Massimo reversed out of his parking spot, put it into “drive,” drove out of the main driveway of his home, and entered the main street.
“You okay, old man?” he asked, teasing his father.
“Old man. I bet I could still whip your ass and show you a couple of things.”
Massimo laughed. “Yeah, I bet you could, but I also bet Vigo will not know what has hit him when the two of us show up to this meeting.”
“I remember Vigo. He’s a pain in the ass, but he is fair. He can’t stand the Mafia. To him, we’re all cheating scum.”
“Cheating scum?”
“Some kind of card game many years ago, where he believed Russo was counting cards. It wasn’t the case. It was just a lucky card game,” Vincent said.
“You believe that.”
“Russos do not cheat. We’re lucky. There is a difference.”
Massimo had never cheated at anything in his life. Pushing his foot to the gas, making his way away from civilization, where King had wanted full visibility at a local café. Vigo had opted for an out-of-the-way diner, in the middle of nowhere. Minimal guards, minimal weapons.
He had a sneaking suspicion it could be a trap, but right now, he had to eliminate suspects. However, he couldn’t get his father’s board out of his mind. It kept dancing through his mind, on repeat.
“Why did you put Ferri’s name? I thought you liked Adelina.”
“I do, and she is no longer a Ferri. She is a Salvatore. Ferris are hounds, Massimo. They want an easy way into the good life. What better way than to help the enemy get close to Russo to take them out?”
“But Ferri is not close to the Russos,” he said.
“Which is why I put them as more of a pawn than anything else, but think about it. Out of the blue, they wanted their daughter to marry Diego, right?”
Massimo frowned. “And?”
“Why? Adelina was not a great catch and think about all of the other wives Diego had. He doesn’t go for any that look like Adelina. He likes them small, cowardly. He doesn’t like a woman who might have the risk of hitting back.”
“Dad, you didn’t see how Adelina looked at some of these parties.”
“No, you’re right, but look into Adelina’s eyes. She is a fighter, so unless his preferences have changed and he wants a woman to break, she is not for him. Diego has always gone for the scared, timid women. He likes to scare and intimidate. It’s his deal. Mainly because no man has ever been afraid of him. He doesn’t exactly hit tough. He brings money to the Russo Mafia. That’s it.”
“And you think he approached the Ferris, and to earn a place once Russo has been taken over, they offered up their daughter as payment?”
“Yes,” Vincent said. “I know it sounds far-fetched, but shit like this happens.”
“Okay, so explain the Ricardos to me.”
“As you know, they’ve been struggling for years. A few bad decisions, and a large chunk of their fortune was gone. Many people don’t know that they also lost a large portion of Russo’s wealth.”