Blaze continued interrogating Micah. “But what else does she have on you?”
Micah’s shoulders lowered as he sighed, and he rested his forehead against the white wall. “My name is Marcu Argento, and my whole family was in the Italian Mafia in New York. They were murdered when I was a kid. I’ve been in hiding ever since. That’s why I was able to walk in and take over Salvatore Grande’s operation in Philadelphia and use it to destroy Vincent Genovese’s power structure in New York City. I hold them both now, Philly and New York.”
Blaze paused, digesting that information and integrating it before he blurted, “So you’re the goddamn Godfather?”
Micah’s shoulders shrugged and fell again. “We don’t use that term.”
He glanced at Sarah, whose dark eyes were wide as she stared over her unwavering gun at Micah. “But you’re thecapo di capo,or whatever you call it?”
The back of Micah’s blond head swiveled as he shook it.“Wedon’t use that one, either. Just the FBI does.”
“Then what do you call your position?” Twist asked him.
“We don’t really call it anything. I’m just the boss. The chairman, you know?”
Twist said, “I thought Frank Sinatra was the chairman of the board.”
“That was the joke because he was connected. The capos liked hanging out with him because he was famous. He was just a singer, but he had the panache.”
“Okay, good to know.” A thousand other questions about John F. Kennedy and other US presidents and politicians boiled up in Blaze’s brain, but focus was essential in Navy SEAL operations. “So why does a Russian bratva leader have the New York and Philly mafia boss by the balls?”
“That’s the fucking question, isn’t it?” Micah growled.
From over on the other side of the bed, Sarah said, “Because the Italian Mafia only inducts people who are descended from their one region in Italy, like Sicily or Naples. The Russian bratvas recruit anyone from anywhere and allow them to rise in the organization as long as they are loyal and effective.”
Blaze glanced back at her. His eyebrows must have been on top of his head because she shrugged and said,“Books,and I was listening to those guys on the plane talk about thatand more.”
Yes, she had something to tell him, and if they could just catch a break for five minutes, he’d figure out how to get that information from her without being overheard.
The back of Micah’s head nodded. “She’s not wrong. I’ve been trying to open my organization up to non-Sicilian talent, but the old-timers believe that blood is thicker than water, even though that’s not what that quote means.”
Blaze asked Micah, “So what is more important to you, me and Twist, or the vows of omertà you took with Mary Varvara Bell?”
“I didn’t take omertà vows with Mary Varvara Bell. She wanted to do business on a handshake, so no vows. Besides, my loyalty lies with you two assholes who I grew up with and the members of my organization who are and always have been loyal to me, not some upstart c—”
“Whoa!”Twist exclaimed at Micah’s vocabulary, and Sarah’s mouth had dropped open.
Micah grumbled, “Sorry. I’ve been spending too much time in London. The guys in the pub drop that word like we say dick.”
“But you’re working for her,” Blaze said.
Micah growled, “I’m going to destroy that fucking White Holdings organization. How dare she coerce me and my organization and Twist and you into doing her fucking bidding? How dare she threatenmy wife?I will fuckingshow herwho she’s messing with.Fuck around and find out.”
Micah was shouting at the wall by the time he was finished. The back of his pale neck had turned red under his blond hair.
That much emotion from the normally reserved, preternaturally calm Micah Shine was shocking and convincing.
Blaze asked him, “She threatened Kylie, too?”
“Yeah, she fuckingdid,and her Russian rats have infiltrated my organization. I can’t even keep mywifesafe from her.”
“If we take her down, both your wives will be safe. This fucking nightmare will be over, and we can go back to our lives.”
Twist nodded, saying, “Hell,yes.”
Micah said, “I swear on the vows of omertà that I will stand with you against Mary Varvara Bell, and we will burn White Holdings and her goddamn bratva to the ground.”
Blaze said to Twist, “Yeah, untie him.”
