Page 6 of Forgetting the Enemy
“I know, but I can’t do this alone. I don’t have the muscle, but the Vitalis do. Your family is the strongest of the five families, and I believe the others will follow suite if the Vitalis act. None of the other families practice the old ways like my father, and I believe they will rejoice when it is all said and done.”
“If that’s the case, then you surely can handle this without getting us involved,” I reply.
“No, Michael. I can’t. You are wrong. Our family is different than your family. You can trust every man working for you all the way down to your soldiers and buttons. Me? I have no fucking clue whom to trust. Hell, I even had to ask my personal bodyguard to step away so he could not hear this conversation. I can’t even trust him completely. He works for my father. Those who are loyal to my father will rise against whoever takes him and Victor out. The Vitalis are the only ones who have enough muscle to stand against them.”
“If we agree to this, what happens to the Bonitas? Do you take over the family?” I ask.
“No, I don’t. I know I’m destined to take over when my father passes on, but in all seriousness, I don’t want it. I’m a lawyer, Michael. I like the law, and I like what I do. I’ve never wanted to be head of the family and would be completely comfortable merging our two families together.”
“So all the soldiers loyal to you would be part of the Vitali family?” I ask. I know it’s what he said, but I need a definite confirmation.
“Yes. That is exactly what I’m proposing.”
“And what role do you play in all of this? If you don’t want to be a part of your birthright, then what happens to you?” I ask.
“Hell, I don’t know. I will still be a part of the family. Obviously that will never change. But, Michael, I could never be a wise guy, tough guy, or whatever they call themselves. What about an advisor to the family?”
“We have a consigliere,” I reply matter-of-factly.
“I wasn’t thinking consigliere, just an advisor. You’d have a guaranteed attorney on the family’s side always. I’m one of the top defense attorneys in the state. And, I’m not only licensed in New York. I can practice in several states, thus covering your interests throughout the country.”
“Fuck, Vince, I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head.
“Pensaci. That’s all I ask, just think about it.” He stands from his chair, and I nod. “I won’t take up any more of your time.”
I look at Ricco to escort Vince out.
Over his shoulder, he calls, “I’ll be in touch.”
I watch him walk back toward the house, and my first thought is how totally insane I am to even entertain this, but if we could pull it off, it could be a good thing.Dolce giustizia. Sweet justice. And the world would be rid of not just one but two sick bastards.
I leave the pool and head straight for my father’s office. He should have been in on this meeting, but he insisted I handle this one on my own. He is working really hard to prepare me to take over. He’s reminded me many times my thirtieth birthday is around the corner and that he’s ready to retire and grow old with my mom.
I chuckle to myself. My father is such a hopeless romantic. He is ruthless in business but a puppy dog when it comes to my mother. I can only hope to find a love like theirs when I settle down.
***
I knock on my father’s office door.
“Enter,” I hear through the door.
After opening the door, I step in. My father is sitting in the chair at his desk, reclined back with his feet propped up on it, and he’s smoking a cigar.
“Ah, Michael, have a Partagas. I have to say, these Number Fours are robust yet smooth. I like them.” Handing me a cigar, he says, “Remind me to get some more of these.”
“Pop,non dovresti fumare,” I say, admonishing him. “Mom would have your hide if she saw you smoking.”
“I know, but fuck, they’re good.Non dirlo a tua madre.” He takes another puff. He’s like a little kid, asking me to not tell on him. The aroma fills the room, and I find I am now itching to light my own. I grab his lighter to do just that, then take a drag. He’s right, robust and yet smooth.
Shaking my head, I reply, “I swear you encourage me to smoke with you so that I won’t say anything to mom about it. You’re manipulating me to feel guilty because I choose to smoke with you, therefore appearing as I am encouraging you to do something you shouldn’t be doing.”
He laughs. “Of course I do. But I also like sharing a stogy with my son as well.” He pauses and then asks, “So what did Vince want?”
I take another hit of my cigar, exhale and then say, “Oh, Pop, you’re not gonna believe this one.”
He laughs again, and I tell him what Vince and I discussed.
“Damn,” my father says when I finish telling him everything. He lifts his hand and runs it through his hair. As I watch him do this, it occurs to me that although my father is beginning to show his age in his face and hands, there is not a gray hair on his head. He looks at me and then says again, “Damn, Michael. I don’t know how to react to this.”
