I do know what he means.
As for the rest of them, Nick Fontana and Snapper Marino are eager to witness the scene, and Al Vollero comes in last of all, pride lighting up his face.
“See for yourselves,” I instruct them. “I don’t want there to be any doubts. And I want all of us to remember tonight. What we achieved together.”
But Vollero is not interested in looking at the dead Lou Clemenza. He takes my hand, bends over it, and ostentatiously kisses the Morelli ring. “Don Morelli, may you live forever.”
I pull him upright and into an embrace, kissing him on each cheek. “You did well, Al. Very well. Thank you for putting your reputation on the line for the Family. And your life, too; it was a dangerous play.”
“No need to mention it,” he says with false modesty.
“Hell, yes, there’s a need to mention it,” Nick says, coming over to clap him on the shoulder. “And I gotta tell you, Al, you make a much better rat than I ever would have.”
They laugh together. I’m glad to see it. I’m relieved everything has worked as planned, because without loyalty, without teamwork, none of us will survive.
“We can kiss each other’s asses later,” I say, shaking off the formality. “Let’s get rid of this mess first. Al, there’s a Clemenza bodyguard down there who claims he’s been working with you these last few weeks. Just confirm he is who he says he is, will you? I don’t want any surprises tonight. Snapper, call in the cleaners. Nick, get word to Rossi and Alessi, and to Big Gee, of course. Let them all know. Make sure they understand thatIdid this, that I had no choice. I’ll give them a full report tomorrow night at the meeting. And tell them we’ll divide up Clemenza’s territory between the four of us. Best to do it soon, before the Clemenzas get it into their heads to regroup.”
They all nod and set about their work. I catch Vitali, taking him aside.
“Let Angelo know it’s done, too,” I murmur in his ear. Vitali stifles his grin, and nods.
“Will do, Boss.”
As for me, I want to make sure Finch is alright—but when I go down the hallway to find him, he’s disappeared from the kitchen.
Chapter Seventy-One
FINCH
I’m standing in the cellar, hands on my hips, looking at the place where Tino Morelli died when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Angel?”
“Yeah.”
Luca comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. He doesn’t ask why I’m down here, and I love that about him. He knows. He gets it. We stand there together, breathing in and out, coming to terms with what we’ve done tonight.
I told Luca more than once that I wanted to be there when we ended the man who ended Tino Morelli. He was resistant at first, but when the Commission laid out their objections, he agreed I could be there at the dinner—as long as I had a gun with me. “I like my husband armed and dangerous,” he told me, “and able to defend himself.”
“No arguments from me,” I told him. Vollero was the one who fed us intel about when a sympathetic bodyguard would be on duty—Thursday night—and everything fell into place. When that bodyguard patted me down, he said nothing about the gun strapped to my ankle.
And so the stage was set.
I didn’t go into that dining roomintendingto kill Louis Clemenza. But I’m sure as shit not sorry that I did.
“Did I really fuck things up for you with the Commission?” I ask Luca now in a small voice. That’s my only possible regret about tonight. I know Luca thinks stability is important—for us, for the Family, for New York.
“Ah, I’ll smooth it over.” He gives a chuckle. “You know, Machiavelli believed that when a ruler is establishing his empire, even his most violent actions should be excused if the results are beneficial for the masses. I’ll play that card. Besides, I’mCapo dei Capi, for Christ’s sake. They need to accept that sometimes I’m just going to do what is necessary, and damn their personal feelings.”
I think what Luca is telling me—without actually telling me—is that he’s glad I forced his hand. He wanted Clemenza dead as much as I did. He was just trying to find the best way to make it happen.
The law was never going to be able to touch Louis Clemenza, and the Commission wasn’t willing to make the hard choice, either. But Clemenzawasa danger—not just to Luca and me, or the Morelli Family, but to the whole of New York City. Now, with the Clemenza Family decimated, Luca will regain complete control of New York. He’s built up goodwill and influence in the other major cities as well, that insistence on making friends and cooperating has finally paid off.
There’s even a part of me that thinks Luca and I might besafefrom now on. Or at least that we won’t have to live our lives in constant fear like we have these last few years. That’s not to say I plan to go waltzing around without protection, whether that means a bodyguard or a gun, but at least now the balance of power in New York will be in Luca’s hands.
And maybe I’m biased, but I really do think he’s the best man to hold that power.
I know that upstairs the senior members of the Morelli family are removing Lou Clemenza‘s body, cleaning down the blood, making it seem as though he was never here at all. Vitali’s probably ripped up the damn carpet already. When we first came up with this plan, and Luca talked about what might happen if things got out of control, he asked me if I was really sure that I could live in a house where murder had been done.
