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"We're having the FDNY open an investigation to look into that as possible arson," I tell him, watching for his reaction.
Don Montegna doesn't flinch, doesn't care, and his body language screams indifference. Even if he is behind the burned down shops, he's certain it won't trace back to him. It's most likely he's got nothing to do with it. My instincts are rarely wrong.
"What about this morning?"
"Alessandro," he sighs. "You of all people know that when I schedule appointments, I never miss. We wouldn't be having this conversation if I had anything to do with that. I'm sorry that your family ended up in the line of fire, but your sudden merger kicked a hornet's nest. Anybody outside of La Familia is likely to choose their own teams. You just ended up on someone's opposing team."
"I have some other things to check on, but Montegna, if it comes back to me that you have anything to do with this?—"
"Don't make threats, young man. I know who you are and what you're capable of. You also have a wealth of resources at your disposal that I find useful. Why the fuck would I want the Howard Beach Butcher on my back? I'm dealing with my European friends and don't need that kind of heat, capiche?"
I nod and chug down the rest of my drink. "I haven't heard that name in a while."
"Real men never forget. I'd like to thank you for your restraint. Despite the slab of bacon you got hanging in a locker room." I hate how fast news travels, and I'm going to need the men working at Oz's place to learn how to keep their mouths shut.
"I'm sure it's being barbecued by now." I know Oz isn't going to let that guy live. He has a habit of making sure the bodies disappear.
"When you get situated, come see me in Bayonne. I got a law firm that can use someone like you as a partner. Your marriage to the Rossis, a professional marriage with me, seems like a match made in La Familia heaven. I don't want any problems. There's a lot of money on the table, and we shouldn't be fighting during these turbulent times. Your father getting sick and that macchia di merda running off on the Family looks bad for all of us. Let's stick together, Alessandro. I gotta go. But call me. You still have my number."
Don Montegna slaps the table, throws down a few hundred bills to cover the bottle, and leaves. Lorenzo doesn't waste any time sliding into the seat across from me.
He takes down a drink and rubs the back of his neck. "That didn't sound like a man who's been burning down our businesses. I got ahold of some soldiers on the ground, and we'll have an update on the arson investigation by the end of the week. It's only a few businesses on our end. I'm waiting for capos on Rossi's side of things to get back to me."
"Okay, we'll keep this quiet. I'll send word to everybody that we don't hit Montegna's people or businesses until I put together a strategic attack. Have you made contact with my father?"
He nods with a slight shake of his head and light laughter. He swipes the screen on his phone for a second before flipping it around to show me what's so funny.
"For fuck's sake," I groan and cover my eyes. "Is that Pop? My father? Don Sandro De Luca, doing fucking yoga? He's outside in the sunlight without a care in the fucking world while we're getting shot at?"
Lorenzo shrugs. "He's recovering, remember? Imagine if he'd been at your uncle's place. If he didn't get shot, the shooting itself would have given him another heart attack. Whoever that nurse is, she's something special to get your father to do anything, let alone fucking yoga."
"Agreed. First thing I want to do about that is find the person who took that video, and?—"
Lorenzo holds his hand up to stop me. "No skinning required. I called Don Sandro to check on him, and when he didn't answer, I called the guard on duty. They said he was doing yoga and I didn't believe him, so he sent proof. It's deleted, and now I'm deleting it off my phone too. It stays in the Family."
I sigh reluctantly. "Fine. Let's go home. I want to make sure Evelyn's alright."
The ride home is quick. The adrenaline coursing through my body is dissipating, and I'm anxious to see my wife. However, the sight when I walk inside is the last I expect to see.
"What the fuck happened to you?" Lorenzo questions from behind me.
Evelyn's taping a wound under Jenkins's eye. There's a gun on the table, and her clothes are smudged with soot and dirt from earlier, meaning she hasn't been home long.
Evelyn's tone is matter of fact as she says, "What happened was some guy harassed us on the street and I had to step in so Jenkins wouldn't kill the guy with his bare hands."
I pull the razor out of my pocket, checking to see how dull it is before closing it and slipping it back into my pocket.
"Mio dolce, Come with me. Lorenzo, get to work on that list. Jenkins, you and Evelyn are going to show me where this happened. I'm anxious to finish what I've started."
14
EVELYN
The gash under Jenkins's eye is small, but it's getting puffier with every passing second. Alessandro looks like a madman, his hands boasting a red hue that I can only assume is somebody's blood. The way he's talking leads me to believe it's not his.
Still, I'm exhausted and have no intention of leading him into Anita's apartment complex.
"It's okay, Alessandro. The guy was just some street kid looking to give the people who looked a little too nice for the neighborhood some trouble. The punishment you're thinking of isn't worthy of the crime. You should shower and burn everything you two are wearing."
