Page 76 of Vicious Intentions
“Nico tells me you’ve come up with a solution to our little Outfit problem,” he says, his grin stretched wide on his face.
“I have,” I reply, leaning against my desk in front of him.
“Well,” he retorts with a chuckle, settling back in his seat, “don’t keep me in suspense. Let’s hear it then.”
I open my mouth to start, then find myself hesitating for a second. Once I tell Moretti my plans of how I intend to hurt Romano and get New York out of his grip, there’s no turning back. It will cease to be just an idea and become a full-fledged scheme. One word, and I’ll make it real.
“Matteo?” he asks suspiciously when I don’t say anything right away.
Cazzo.
With my best Machiavellian smile, I start from the very beginning and give him the bullet points of how I intend to get us our city back.
I tell him I’ve established contact with Vincent Romano’s youngest and that for the past few months, I’ve managed to gain her trust. I purposely leave out Raffaele’s involvement with Anna, since I know Moretti won’t take too kindly to such a betrayal of thefamiglia.If he found out that Raffaele had been secretly talking to her since he was fifteen and had even visited her in Chicago, not once, but twice, he would want me to make an example of him. And Moretti’s idea of punishment would be far more severe than the one I doled out.
He might be a patient and kind boss, but he’s still a Don. A treason of that kind could only be satisfied with blood. And though my relationship with Raffaele is strained, he’s still my baby brother. I will always protect him, even if he doesn’t acknowledge it.
Moretti listens attentively as I keep my tone measured and detached, not going into too much detail about what my talks with Anna entail. I only tell him that she believes I’m someone safe. Someone she can confide in and trust. I don’t mention the four months’ worth of intimate, personal text messages and voice memos we shared. I don’t mention laughter or videos or the way her voice has started to infiltrate my dreams. Only strategy. That’s all he needs to know anyway.
I explain that at the first opening I have, I’ll steal her away from Chicago and bring her to New York. Once she’s here and safe in my grasp, I’ll make it known to the Outfit that I’m the one who has her and offer a parley. In that sit-down, I’ll reveal that there is a new boss of theCosa Nostraand then explain my terms.
If Romano wants peace, if he wants his precious daughter to remain safe, then he should leave New York for good andrelinquish any prior control he had over us. To make sure he understands that my threats aren’t unfounded, I will personally marry Anna and therefore cement that her rightful place is no longer under her father’s wing with the Outfit, but with her husband’s and theCosa Nostra. Our union will be the thing that combines our two families together for generations to come, forbidding Romano from striking at his own flesh and blood. However, if he still wants war, he shall have it.
Moretti’s smile widens as I continue, especially when I outline theCamorra’srole in all of this. How they’ll close ranks around the Irish before the sit-down and get their pound of flesh, just like I promised Vitale. I also explain the various stages of the war, should Romano attempt to move his soldiers into our city. Starting with the New York Times and Wall Street Journal full-page advertisements, revealing the Chicago giant’s scandalous private life, and how most of his children aren’t even his. Every news outlet on the East Coast will pick up the story and run with it. While most citizens will be frothing at the mouth with the gossip, the revelation isn’t aimed at the general population, but at the syndicate families of Chicago.
Romano will feel the pressure from every direction. His rule will end by my hand.
By the time I finish, Moretti is practically glowing.
“I told you it would come to you,” he says, getting up to his feet and clapping a hand against my shoulder, genuinely impressed. “Vitale will be disappointed, though. He was hoping to make a match between you and one of his daughters,” he jokes with a chuckle.
“Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. He’ll survive the disappointment,” I reply with a smile a little too tight, something that Moretti notices.
“You don’t look pleased,” he says mildly. “Is there something I should know? A flaw in the plan I’m not seeing?”
“Everything will proceed exactly as intended,” I answer, steadfastly. “You have my word.”
“And when do you plan on kidnapping the girl?”
“I’m still assessing the most opportune time.”
“I’m positive you’ll find it.” He nods, clearly satisfied. “In the meantime, we wait.”
“We’ve been waiting for years,” I reply calmly. “We can handle a few more months.”
The sound of a scoff coming from behind Moretti has us both turning our sights toward Rocco and Niccolò. Since I know that Niccolò would never interrupt a Don meeting in such a way, I’m left to assume that the sound came from Moretti’s heir.
“It sounds like you object to my plan, Rocco.”
It’s not a question. By the look on his face, I know he does.
“Yeah, I fucking object,” he spits out, throwing a disapproving glance at his father. “When the fuck did theCosa Nostrastart kidnapping children?”
My jaw ticks at the remark, but it’s Moretti that gets a handle on his son.
“The girl is eighteen, Rocco. An Outfitprincipessa, at that. She’s not a child.”
“The fuck she’s not,” he huffs out again. “Forcing her to marry a stranger, one that hates her and her family to his very core, is not right, and you know it, Dad.”
