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He sips his coffee. “Their representative came to see me. He is not a man you would want to trust. I’m sure he will have made more or less the same offer to all three families. If I’m honest with you, I probably would have taken it.”
“But?”
He shrugs and lowers his eyelids like a cat, “If he made the same offer to all three families — who knows, maybe more besides — then it’s not an offer at all. It’s just a ruse. A scam. A way to get all of us at each others’ throats.”
There’s a pause while we study each other. “I tell you this, though,” he says, “I’d be surprised if Romano doesn’t take the bait.”
“Me, too. Have you given them an answer?”
He says, “My actions would be my answer. Either way.”
I run along Aki Beach for another half hour, trying to get my head clear. The funny thing i can’t shake out of my head is, while I’m apart from my men, it seems like all of the dons in Seattle have something they just have to run by me or try to get me interested in.
Mikey collects me with the limo. Maybe it is time for something else.
As we drive, as usual, he waits for me to talk and in a rush I let it all off my chest
While I’m talking, I hear myself sounding like the world is caving in on me.
Gently Mikey asks me, “Do you want to negotiate with them?”
“What have they got that I want?”
He gives me a long look in the mirror. His jaw works as he looks at me.
“There’s obviously something they want.”
“You’re trying to tell me something, Mikey. Come on. out with it.”
He takes a breath. “You’re not steady, Princess. You’re making mistakes.”
Only Mikey can talk to me like that. If it were anyone else, I might kill them. Hearing it is hard, even from Mikey.
“How can you say that? What I’ve been through the last few days alone, anyone else would be dead. None of the men in my position could stand it without a fucking army around them.”
I’m shouting. “And my army is all either joining the other side or away in fucking hiding somewhere.”
When I see Mikey’s eyes watching me, kind, understanding, indulgent, I know that he understands. It makes me well up.
He’s been in my life forever. He drove me to school, nearly every day. Ever since I was a little girl. All the times I can remember Mom or even Daddy taking me to school it was because Mikey was not available, like one time when he was away a whole month in Europe doing something for Daddy, or when he was in hospital for nearly a week.
Every day I drew him a card for him and took him something to read.
First I call Ester in Italy. Carlo’s birth mother and Bruno’s adopted mother is a woman with incredible resources. I would be surprised if doesn’t know the people I need to get in touch with. Even if she doesn’t, I’m sure that she will know someone who does.
Then I call Daddy.
He answers with a sigh that tugs at my heart. “Tesoro. You only ever call me when you want to borrow the plane. What’s wrong with all the Fortuna planes?”
“I like our plane.”
He sighs again. He knows I’m just being evasive, but he doesn’t make a fight about it.
“Okay, where do you want to go?”
“I don’t want to tell you, Daddy. Tell the pilot to file a flight plan for Boston. after he’s airborne I’ll send him the destination and he can file a change of plan.”
“Piccolo cucciolo di orso. What are you getting yourself into now?”
