I nodded. “By now, I imagine Denise has told Illiana that the Varassos are out, so she’s already making a move to take California. That allows us to go east to start. The laundering in Philly, New York, and especially in D.C. are huge markets. Denise has got to have access to some of Donovan’s old contacts. If we can get an old Varasso or Binachi captain under our belt, they can helm that operation and get money coming in the door quick.”
My dad’s head nodded as I explained. “That’s good, Ash. Work on that. Make sure you get everything you can get out of her because we’ll kill a couple of birds with one stone when it’s finally time to end Illiana.”
Everything in my body screeched to a halt. “What?”
“What? That’s when it makes the most sense. Lure her there, let her think she’s safe, and just take ‘em both out.”
I looked over at Callista, but she was avoiding my gaze, so I turned back toward my dad. “We didn’t say anything about killing Denise. That’s why she’s doing all this.”
A gruff, throaty laugh bubbled up out of my dad. “You didn’t think we were going to keep her, did you? She knows too much. She’s a threat.”
Arturo’s head lulled over to the side as he peered at me. “That’s not a problem, is it, Ash?” The left corner of his mouth curved up into a smirk. “Not gettingweakare you?”
If they truly believed I couldn’t be trusted to maintain a professional relationship with Denise, they’d kill her. I imagined the position I’d be putting both Denise and myself in if I said anything other than, “No. I just don’t get it. She’s of more use to us alive.” I held out a hand toward my dad. “You said so yourself that she’s a second-to-none con-woman. What if she were one of us instead?”
“She isn’t,” Arturo spat out.
“He’s right,” my dad responded. “Yeah, if she were one of my own, it’d be a different story, but she ain’t.”
“What if she swore her allegiance to us? She’s gonna prove she’s working for us by getting us to the end of Illiana Costa. She’s gonna give us everything she knows. If, after she’s proven herself again, she agrees to be a true Carducci, then she’d be one of us.”
My dad’s large arms folded into one another as he leaned back in his chair and pondered this thought. Both Arturo and Callista had their eyes on him, Arturo with disgust, and Callista with curiosity. “She’s already disappointed me quite a bit,” he said finally. “I don’t know that I trust her to carry the weight of what this takeover is going to require.”
“If she succeeds at helping you kill Illiana Costa, I think she’s more than up to the task,” I responded.
“Perhaps that’s true.” He looked me in my eyes when he asked, “What are you proposing?”
“I’m proposing you let this be Denise’s chance to earn her life back. It’s not like she’ll be able to go back to the Costas once Illiana is dead. They’ll know it was her. She’ll need protection, and we can provide it in exchange for her loyalty,” I explained.
“You’ll marry her?” Arturo asked.
My eyes danced between Arturo, Callista, and finally, my dad. “I don’t know what the future holds, only that she is useful. Too useful to waste.”
“Who’s to say she would even swear allegiance?” my dad asked.
“She’d have no choice,” Callista finally spoke up. “Not only would it be her only option, but shedidcome to us originally, remember? She’d do it. If we could pull this off, she would agree.”
After a long, extended silence, my dad nodded at Callista. “If you’re willing to vouch for her, as well, I suppose it’s worth exploring.” He looked at me. “It sounds like you already have the beginnings of a game plan, so flesh it out. Bring it to me. This is our chance to strike, and I want to know exactly what this takeover is gonna look like.”
“Yes, sir,” I responded.
Arturo was glaring at me but was disrupted when my dad reached over and whacked him across the back of the head. “Get up, you drunk,” he spat. “Time for bed.”
Arturo’s eyes were weary, clearly settling into a hangover, and he didn’t protest as he stood up from the table. My dad stood up and followed Arturo as he ambled out of the game room. We could hear their footsteps retreating up the stairs toward the bedrooms, and when they were too far away to still be heard, Callista cleared her throat.
“You know, you’re supposed to be the smart one of us,” she said. “You’re playing a dangerous game with Denise.”
Had my siblings gotten together and decided that they were just going to hammer the same advice at me over and over, or was I just that blind to something obvious? “I don’t know what you mean.”
I grabbed the metal case that we stored our poker chips in and started to stack them in, more for something to distract my mind than a necessity. They’d likely be back out within a couple of days.
“You know what I mean,” Callista replied. “You keep making all of these promises, and what happens if you can’t carry through?”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to carry through?” I asked.
“Denise is…” she sighed. “Troubled.”
I scoffed. “Gee, I wonder why.”
