Page 51 of Condemned to You

“Whoa, whoa,” Alfie held his hands up – one held a gun, “We are on the same team here.”

“That’s how you greet friends?” I nodded in the direction of his gun.

Alfie tossed his gun onto a nearby table. “We are on the same team Emilio.”

“I’m not on the team you think I am.”

“You taught me to learn a man’s pattern. See how he moves so you can try to dictate his next step.” Alfie walked closer. “If we weren’t on the same side, I’d be dead already along with Luca and the rest of the DeCarlos. You’re the only one that would be able to pull it off.”

“You’re gonna look me in the face and tell me you aren’t working for MC?”

“MC?,” Alfie questioned, “You mean ghost.”

I let out a deep breathe. “At least now we know who we are dealing with. How long have you been in contact with him?”

“For the last month, but it was to get close enough. It was the only way.” Alfie stood tall and firm in his decision. “I got him to believe that I’ve turned on Luca. He trusts me. No one has gotten close to him any other way.”

“Bethany has, she’s seen him.”

“No, she thinks she has. He hides in plain sight. You’ve probably stood right next to him without giving him a thought. He has someone else play him in front of people. Same features so it stays consistent.”

“Shit. We really are dealing with a ghost. Are you sure you’ve seen the real ghost?” I lower my gun.

Alfie nodded his head. “I’ve seen him before. Like I said – hides in plain site.”

“He wants the trio dead.”

“Not necessarily. He wants the Baricelli line to cease to exist.”

“What’s that got to do with the trio?”

“Il codice was started by Vincenzo Baricelli who we know was a power hungry prick. But turns out he’s sicker than we knew. He started the trio under the assumption that it will govern all families under 3 Dons. Each Don, however, is a descendant of Baricelli himself – something he didn’t disclose.”

“Jesus,” I spit out. Talk about ultimate power. “So you’re saying they were related to him somehow. That's one way to ensure loyalty.”

Alfie shook his head to correct me, “I’m saying, direct descendant. As in each one appointed is his son.”

My mind raced to connect the dots that would make this all make sense. “You know this for a fact?”

“Ghost said so himself.” Alfie grabbed a bottle of scotch and two glasses pouring us each a drink. “Domenico obviously was his father’s successor. But if Vincenzo was as power hungry as he was, then there is no way he’d give up his seat so soon.”

“Not unless it guaranteed him ultimate power.”

“Exactly, if the trio all followed his command, he would have all the power. Which means Luca is really a Baricelli.”

“That’s a far stretch there Alfie.” I chugged the liquid in my cup.

“Think about it. Luca and Bethany don’t look anything like their siblings. MC – ghost- whatever you want to call him, he said that Lorenzo’s older brother Michael Cassarino was appointed to be part of the trio originally. He was killed. Marco, Luca’s brother, was killed. But Marco couldn’t have been Vincenzo’s son.”

“Why not?”

“Because the DeCarlo’s didn’t start working for Baricelli when he was born. It was only when Nicoletta fell pregnant and had a boy did the DeCarlo family become his Underboss.”

“Where are you getting your information from?”

“Started as a hunch and then I did some digging. One thing I’ve learned is that women love to talk. And if you stick around long enough, they tell you more than you want to know. Nicoletta spent hours talking about her husband and how he came to bring them up from poverty. She talked about sacrifices that she didn’t want to make for the sake of survival.”

“What about the Cassarianos?”