I smiled. I knew that I wasn’t threatened by him, not in the least. Especially not now. He had what he wanted and he was bringing me back.
I tried not to think about what was ahead. That he was going to have to marry Izzy. That thought turned my stomach, really.
We got in the car, and drove away. Although I was going home, technically, I couldn’t have felt more out of place.
Eight
Lucca
I was determined not to show Bianca how was I feeling about all of this. How I was dreading it. I was dreading going into a partnership with her father, and I was really dreading the prospect of making Isabella my wife. I didn’t even know this Isabella, had never even met her, yet, somehow, she and I were going to be married. I knew that there was no choice in the matter, as much as I tried to imagine that there was. I simply had to strike a deal with Benito, and this seemed to be the best way to do that. I just had to suck it up and take my lumps.
But taking my lumps meant that I couldn’t be with Bianca.
“Hey,” I said to her. She was in the front seat of my car, looking out the window, not saying a word. “What’s up? What’s on your mind?”
She shrugged and made a face. “Nothing. I just don’t want you marrying my sister, that’s all. As I said, she deserves better.” She rubbed her stomach and looked like she was going to be sick. “Better than you.”
I put my hand on the back of her neck and squeezed a little bit. It was a playful move, not meant to be serious, but I felt that she was tense. “Bianca, I don’t like it, either. I don’t know your sister. I’ve never met her. Arranged marriages went the way of the Passenger Pigeon, or at least they should have. Believe me, if you know of any other way to get what I want, then I’m all ears.” Bianca knew her father, so she knew his weak spots. Maybe she had a way for me to get to the old man without doing this.
She sighed. “He’s a stubborn one, I’ll tell you that. And ruthless. Believe me, considering how young you are and inexperienced, he’s going to keep on trying to conquer you and your business. He’ll do it, too. I know him. So, no, there’s not going to be an easy way out of this. There’s no chance that you can just go on in there and tell him what’s what and he’ll roll over. None at all.”
I nodded my head and looked at the road. Bianca didn’t need to tell me this. I knew it. Benito Fattore was not one to be fucked with. He had it all over me as far as experience went. I wasn’t going to have a choice. If Benito offered me a deal, and that deal was contingent upon my marrying Isabella, then I would have to take it. I would have to take it for the sake of the organization and for the safety of everyone involved.
Tentatively, I put my hand on hers. She was resting her hand on the seat of the car, and I covered it completely and squeezed. She looked at me with a question in her eyes and then looked back out the window. “She deserves so much better,” she said softly, as if she were trying to convince herself that this was the reason why she didn’t want Izzy and me to be together. “So much better.”
I cleared my throat. “Are you sure that’s the only reason why you don’t want me to marry your sister?”
She spun her head around and glared at me. She snatched her hand out from under mine and crossed her arms in front of her ample chest. “Yes. Why? Why would you think that I have any other reason for not wanting her to be with you? I would think that what you did to me would be reason enough.”
I sighed. “I said I was sorry about that.”
“Sorry won’t cut it.” She wrapped her arms tighter around her body and glared at me. “Sorry won’t make up for it. I’m glad you’re taking me home, but what was going to happen if you didn’t figure out this master plan?” She raised an eyebrow. “You would have just let me go, no harm, no foul, and then my father would have fucked you up. Because I know that you wouldn’t have laid a hand on me. I know that you’re too much of a pussy to do that.” Her face looked smug, like she knew that she had me.
Smartass. “Well, you’ll never find out, will you, princess?” That was all that I thought to say.
“Let’s not talk about this, huh?” She resumed looking out the window. “This is going to be a long car ride,” she mumbled, so softly I barely heard her.
“What?”
“I said this is going to be a long car ride. Where are we, anyhow? You live in Connecticut, you didn’t tell me that it was in East Jesus land.” She shifted in her seat and then turned on the radio. “God, I need to hear some music. Three days and no music.” She shook her head.
“Three days? Listen, princess, you were in that room for about a day.” I motioned playing a violin for her, and, to my surprise, she managed a smile.
“One day? It seemed like a thousand days. A hundred thousand days. I felt like I was going to get out of there when I was an old lady, too decrepit to walk out of there on my own. That’s how it felt.”
I kept pantomiming playing a violin until I got her to laugh out loud. “I’m playing an entire Stravinsky concerto just for you,” I said.
“Stop that,” she said with a giggle and then shook her head. “My brother always does that to me and it never fails to make me laugh. I guess I am acting like a princess. Get used to it.”
She uncrossed her arms and put her hand back on the seat. I immediately covered it with my own again. “No,” I said softly. “You aren’t acting like a princess. It was a dick move that I did to you, and you have every right to be angry.”
She nodded her head slightly and turned her eyes to me. I swallowed hard, because I could see in her eyes the real reason why she didn’t want me to marry Isabella. I could see that she was feeling just as passionate about me as I was about her.
That look of passion was just a flicker, however, and, when I looked at her again, she no longer looked that way. “Are we there yet?” she asked me, crossing her arms again. “I can’t wait to see my sister and brother.”
I noticed that she didn’t mention wanting to see her father. Not that this was a surprise. The man was clearly a bastard. I wondered if he was just as much of a bastard with his own family. Considering he was threatening to send Isabella away and force her to give her child up for adoption, I thought that was probably the case.
We crossed the bridge into Manhattan and headed to Benito’s home in the Upper East Side. He owned two floors in a pre-war apartment building. I would imagine that place was as old-school as he was.
My suspicions were confirmed when I rang the doorbell and a maid opened the door. She was dressed in a black and white maid’s uniform with a little white hat on her head. She was short and dark-haired and looked annoyed. “Can I help you?” she asked me, looking from Bianca to me and back again. “Miss Bianca, your father is looking for you.” She shook her head and started to mumble in Italian. Bianca, Bianca, Bianca, always causing your father so much heartache she said in Italian.
Bianca just smiled. “Nona,” she said, gesturing to the maid. “She’s been with my father since before I was born.”
“Her name is Nona, or she’s your grandmother?” Nonna is Italian for “grandmother.”
“Her name, of course. As if my father would have his mother working as a maid around here. Sheesh.” She rolled her eyes.
I looked around. Just as I supposed, Benito seemed to be extremely old-school. From the table and chairs, which were French Colonial, to the enormous chandeliers, to the friezes on the ceilings, to the oriental rugs on the floor, this was a place that looked like it was owned by somebody very wealthy and extremely old-fashioned. There was a winding staircase on the side of the enormous foyer and a fire-place on the side. The ceilings were at least 30 feet high, and the room that we walked into was bounded by Roman columns and arches.
I stood on the my tip-toes and rocked back and forth. I was feeling nervous, and I hated to think that this man was going to take one look at me and laugh in my face. Hell, I would laugh in my face if I were him. He had thirty years of experience on me. He probably thought that he could sma
sh me like a bug.
“Stop that,” Bianca said as she watched me fidget. “You can’t show nervousness around my father. If he senses for one second that you’re jejune, then you’re toast.” She raised her eyebrows. “Stand up straight, look him in the eye, and, for the love of God, get those hands out of your pockets.”
I looked down and noticed that my hands were shoved into my pockets. Body language. You have to show this man that you’re his equal. That you won’t be pushed around. And hope that he accepts your proposal.
I took my hands out of my pockets and put them behind my back, clenching them tightly. I was in a high-dollar suit with a high-dollar tie, so I knew that I at least looked presentable. I just felt self-conscious about my youth and inexperience, and I hoped that it wouldn’t show.
I cleared my throat and looked at my watch. I had informed Gino that he was going to be in the negotiations room, and I wondered where he was. The grandfather clock bonged 2 times, indicating that the meeting was soon going to start, and I felt just a little bit panicky. In over my head is right. Where is Gino? Gino had been in the business for years, and he was going to be able to articulate our position much better than I ever could.
I looked around, and, to my relief, Gino was coming through the door. “Sorry I’m late, boss,” he said. “Traffic.”
I rolled my eyes, wanting to squeeze his head into a vise. “Don’t be late again. You’re lucky that Benito also seems to be running late.” I nodded my head at the grandfather clock, which showed that it was 5 past the hour.
“It’s Mr. Fattore,” Bianca said. “Not Benito. If you call him Benito, he’ll have you thrown out of the room.”
“Thanks, princess.” I knew that she was only trying to help, but she was really annoying me. I think that I was feeling the heat, and I was on edge.
“Only trying to help,” Bianca said.
I took a deep breath. “I know, and I’m sorry for the sarcasm.”
“It’s okay.” She put her hand on my backside and squeezed my ass. I looked down and she had a little smile on her face. “Nice,” she said, squeezing a little harder. “Very nice.”
I was going to say something to her when I felt her hand hurriedly taken off my ass. I looked up and saw a man coming towards us. Benito Fattore was an imposing figure. He was 6’4”, a good 225 pounds, and seemed like he was made of solid muscle. He had a full head of hair that was almost completely grey, and his eyes were the color of coal. Deeply tanned and also deeply wrinkled, his face was expressive, and the expression was one of disdain.
I wasn’t sure if he caught Bianca with her hand on my ass. It was impossible to tell. He looked pissed, but, then again, he looked like he one of those faces that perpetually looked angry. “Mr. Azzarra,” he said. “Follow me.”
“Uh, hello, Mr. Fattore,” I said, feeling like I was blowing it. This man was intimidating, but I had to get him out of my head. “My second in command, Gino Rossi, is here with me. He’s going to be sitting in on the negotiations.”
Benito looked over at Gino and gave him a withering look. Gino, for his part, stood straight, perfectly straight, and looked him right in the eye. The two men stared at one another for a few minutes, neither blinking much and neither looking away. I was impressed with Gino. He was looking at Benito with a look that challenged him and told Benito that he wasn’t going to be pushed around.
Benito finally nodded at both of us. “Mr. Rossi, you are welcome to be in the room with us.” He turned to me. “You would have done well to have informed me that you were going to have somebody else in these negotiations, Mr. Azzarra.”
I looked at him in the eye, feeling inspired by how Gino handled Benito. My insides were churning, but I was determined that he wasn’t going to sense my fear. I could handle him. I might have been an absolute kid to him, but I was the most powerful boss on the east side, and he was going to know it. “I apologize. Thank you for allowing Mr. Rossi in with us.”
I looked back at Bianca, who was standing in the foyer, talking to Nona. I wondered if Benito would want her in the room for us, and I wondered if I should speak up about it.
“Ms. Fattore,” I said to Benito. “Should be in with us as well.”
Benito just shook his head. “No women are ever allowed in negotiations. It isn’t their place. That goes for my daughters as well.”
I took a deep breath, determined that I was going to show who was boss of this negotiation. I might have gotten off on the wrong foot by showing my nervousness when I met him, but I had recovered and I was going to make a power play. “Ms. Fattore will be in the room with us,” I said. “That’s my condition for speaking with you.” I might have been overplaying my hand, and, truth be told, I had no idea why Bianca needed to be in the negotiation room. She wasn’t a factor in this deal at all. I wanted to show him that I was going to control things, and that was the best way to do it.
Plus, I wanted to see if he felt he had a good hand. If he refused this request, then chances were he felt that he was on solid ground. If he allowed it, maybe there was an opening. Not that there would be an opening that would mean that I could avoid marrying Isabella, but perhaps there would be an opening that would mean that I would get more favorable terms out of Benito then I thought.
“You are impertinent,” he said gruffly. But then he motioned to his daughter, who was looking at the three of us.
She walked towards us. “Yes?” She said to Benito. “You beckoned me, father?”
“You will be in the negotiation room with us.”
She gave me a look that said I’m impressed. “Yes,” she said. “Thank you.”
I started to relax. That was the first move that I made that was somewhat serious, and Benito backed down. I suddenly realized that Benito had a weakness that might be exploited. I wondered if I could offer him less than I previously thought.
I followed Benito down the hallway into a large room. The room faced Central Park, and the light was coming through the window and reflecting on the hardwood desk. On both walls were bookshelves that went from the floor to the ceiling, and they were filled with leather books. I noticed that the man had an entire collection of law books, both federal law books and state law books. The other books consisted of mainly first-edition classics from around the world.
Everybody sat down, and Benito poured a glass of water for himself. “Would you like a glass?” he asked us.
I nodded, as did Gino. Bianca didn’t do anything at all. She was sitting there, next to me, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here. I felt for her. I felt the exact same way.
I sipped my water and decided that I was going to take the floor first. “Thank you for meeting with me. Mr. Fattore, I-“
He interrupted. “First, before you say anything, I would like for you to know one thing. Mr. Azzarra, if you ever try something like you did with young Bianca, you won’t be alive much longer. I do not countenance things like kidnapping my children.” He took a sip of his water and glared at me. His stare was so cold so…evil…that I felt like I was going to melt in my chair.
Nevertheless, I sat up straighter and looked him in the eye. “Mr. Fattore, what happened with Bianca was regrettable, but I felt that you left me no choice. I have sent messages to you, I have tried to call you, I’ve tried to visit you. You’ve refused to see me or speak with me. I wanted to have a civil conversation with you, a civil bargaining session, but you were the one who refused me time and again. I had to send a message to you that I’m not the person that you think that I am. I’m not going to just roll over and let you take what you want from me and my organization. Again, taking Bianca was regrettable, but it was necessary.”
I glared back at him. He had his nerve questioning my tactics. What about what he was doing? What he did? Working with Piero to hit my father. Threatening my men, telling them that they must come and work for him or he would have them killed. Attempting to poach my clients and invalidate my contracts. He was trying to weaken my organization to t
he point where he could easily take it over, absorb it into his own organization, and try to do it with minimal bloodshed. He was far too aggressive in his moves, and he was doing it all without speaking a word to me. Of course I had to take his daughter. He literally left me no choice.
Then I looked over at Bianca, who seemed to shrink in her chair. I felt badly for her, because she was an innocent party who was used as a pawn in this whole scenario. She certainly didn’t deserve it. Not that I could think of her feelings in the matter, because she really was just a commodity in this whole struggle with her father. A very beautiful commodity. A commodity that made me rock hard. But a commodity nonetheless.
He put down his glass of water and stared his patented stare.
Gino spoke up. “Mr. Fattore, we need to move on here. You know and I know that what you’ve been doing have been acts of war. It’s against the treaty that the five families in this area have signed. As such, all is fair, and our actions in taking your daughter are well within our rights.”
Gino was referring to the treaty that the prominent Mafia families signed, which stated that every family was to respect all the other families boundaries. They were not to try to poach clients, take territory, or attempt to take men. Benito had been in violation of that treaty from the time that he hit my father, so, after he did that, which constituted an act of war, anything that we did to him was simply considered retaliation. We were well within our rights to defend ourselves, and having Bianca kidnapped was also within our rights. Benito knew this. He just didn’t care.
Benito stood up, making himself an imposing figure. “It is never within your rights to abduct my daughter. I would like to make that perfectly clear.”
Gino stood up as well. He was as tall as Benito, as was I, but neither of us were as physically imposing as this man. Nonetheless, nobody intimidated Gino, and that would include Benito, even though Benito not only was physically imposing but his position was intimidating as well. At least it should have been for Gino.
Lucca: Azzarra Crime Family Book Two Page 6