Page 45 of Forgetting the Enemy
I nod. “Good point. Thanks.”
A few minutes later, Marco appears with Vince. “Hey, Michael,” Vince says when he enters my office. “How’s Zaira?”
“She’s good. When we’re done with the meeting, feel free to go see her. She pretty much keeps to her room or the pool,” I say. “How did things go with Ice?”
“Good. They’ve arrested him for murder, but they’ve got no substantial evidence. All they have is a deranged man’s accusations. Nothing puts him at the scene of the crime. I’m working to get him bail now. He’s a first-time offender, so I’m hopeful.” He pauses and then says, “By the way, they requested that Sainte stay until Ice gets out. Apparently he’s got a babysitting gig with Ice’s old lady. And let me tell you, she’s quite a looker. I guarantee he’s gonna try to tap that.”
“I expected as much. And if Sainte touches Ice’s old lady, Ice will kill him. I’ve seen what that man can do, and he makes Nick Saintero look like a teddy bear. I’ll be sure to make contact with Sainte and fill him in.”
“I told Hawk to keep his eye on Sainte, just to be safe. Anyway, I think things look good for Ice.”
“Good. I appreciate all you are doing for him. I owe him and his club.” Taking one last minute before facing the other families, I rub my temples and look up at Vince, “So, let’s do this.” I get up from my desk and walk toward the door. Vince and I proceed down the hall toward the den, where the other heads of the families await.
Vince walks into the room and I follow, with Ricco and Marco close behind us. Vince walks to the open seat and sits down. I walk toward the table and realize this is the first meeting I’ve had with these gentlemen since I took over the family.
“Gentlemen. Thank you all for coming here today.” There is a humidor of cigars nestled on the table in front of me. I open it, take out a stogy, and light it. “Help yourself, gentlemen,” I say as I gesture for them to take a cigar.
A few of the men indulge.
I sit in the chair at the head of the table and say, “Again, thank you all for coming today. I’m sure you all have heard the rumors and have a lot of questions. I promise you that by the time we’re done here, all your questions will have answers.”
“Is it true you now run the Vitali family?” Constantine Romano asks. The Romano family controls the better part of upstate New York.
My father chimes in. “Yes, Constantine, Michael is now head of the family.”
Romano nods, and the other men follow.
“Vince, would you like to start?” I ask.
He nods and gets up from his chair. Pacing around the table, he says, “As all of you know by now, my father and his underboss, Victor Masserie, were murdered a week ago.”
“We heard the Vitalis made the hit?” Joseph Genco asks.
“We did,” I reply bluntly.
“And I ordered the hit,” Vince says.
All the men in the room look at Vince in disbelief.
“This meeting is to put all your minds at ease. This was not a hit on the five families of New York. This was a hit on my family and my family alone. None of you are in danger.”
“Except for the Vitalis,” Genco adds. “Word on the street is that Armino and Carmine are out for blood for Alberto’s murder, and the Vitalis are number one on their list.”
Fuck! I knew it.“Don’t worry about the Vitalis, Joey. I’ve got it under control.” It’s another fucking lie, but at least I’m not lying to Zaira again. “Vince and I wanted you all to see that we stand together on this. The Bonita family is now part of the Vitali family. It is our hope you all will provide your loyalty to the Vitalis and stand with us. You give us that, then Carmine and Armino are nothing but an inconvenience.”
Joey stands and walks toward me. He takes my hand and kisses my ring. “Michael, you always have the loyalty of the Genco family and all its territories in the Bronx.”
“Thank you, Joey.” I nod. And one by one, the other two family leaders rise and do the same.
Santino Magnano says, “We may have our own families, but the Vitalis are the strongest of us all. Your family, Michael, has always had the backing and loyalties of the Magnanos.
“Thank you, Santino.”
“Here, here!” Joey adds, and the others follow. My father smiles, and I can see the pride on his face.
“Gentleman, thank you.”
“How you gonna hit ’em?” Santino asks.
