Page 230 of Mario
“And Bellandi would get exactly what he wants,” Edoardo says.
I look at him.
“Protection,” he continues. “Legitimacy. A stronger name to stand behind while he pushes.”
“Correct,” I say.
Alessio leans back. “And when the blood starts spilling, he’ll call it loyalty and let us bleed first.”
Diego smiles faintly. “There is Lorenzo in that one.”
Lorenzo does not look amused, though I know he is.
“He is right,” I say. “Never mind the fact that I have no interest in allying with a man who resorts to the means Bellandi uses to gain power.”
The disgust is immediate.
Matteo’s jaw tightens.
Tomasso looks down, lips pressed into a thin line.
Ricardo’s expression goes murderous.
We’ve all heard the stories.
The measures Bellandi resorted to in order to gain power in Luca Conti’s territory. Trying to have a pregnant woman killed because he wouldn’t do business with him.
There are lines.
People outside rooms like this do not believe men like us have them. They think because we break laws, we break everything. Because we use violence, we have no standard for how violence is used. Because we do what must be done in the dark, we must be without honor.
They are wrong.
Whatever we are, whatever we do, whatever others think of us and what we do, we maintain our own personal honor. We do not harm women carrying children. We do not use unborn babies as leverage.
“We will not ally with Emilio Bellandi,” I say. “If he asks again, the answer will still be no. If he threatens us, we will answer differently.”
Diego’s mouth curves slightly at that.
Ricardo looks almost pleased.
“Until then,” I say, “we watch.”
Dante speaks for the first time.
“And Atlantic City?”
I look at him.
His voice is even, but there is something beneath it. A quiet curiosity.
“We watch them, too,” I say. “But we do not provoke. We do not move toward them under Bellandi’s banner. If and when there is contact with Luca Conti, it will be on our terms. Not Emilio Bellandi’s.”
Dante nods once.
His eyes drop to the table for a moment, but his jaw remains tight.
Interesting.
