“Russos do not cheat.We’re lucky.There is a difference.”
Massimo had never cheated at anything in his life.Pushing his foot to the gas, making his way away from civilization, where King had wanted full visibility at a local café.Vigo had opted for an out-of-the-way diner, in the middle of nowhere.Minimal guards, minimal weapons.
He had a sneaking suspicion it could be a trap, but right now, he had to eliminate suspects.However, he couldn’t get his father’s board out of his mind.It kept dancing through his mind, on repeat.
“Why did you put Ferri’s name?I thought you liked Adelina.”
“I do, and she is no longer a Ferri.She is a Salvatore.Ferris are hounds, Massimo.They want an easy way into the good life.What better way than to help the enemy get close to Russo to take them out?”
“But Ferri is not close to the Russos,” he said.
“Which is why I put them as more of a pawn than anything else, but think about it.Out of the blue, they wanted their daughter to marry Diego, right?”
Massimo frowned.“And?”
“Why?Adelina was not a great catch and think about all of the other wives Diego had.He doesn’t go for any that look like Adelina.He likes them small, cowardly.He doesn’t like a woman who might have the risk of hitting back.”
“Dad, you didn’t see how Adelina looked at some of these parties.”
“No, you’re right, but look into Adelina’s eyes.She is a fighter, so unless his preferences have changed and he wants a woman to break, she is not for him.Diego has always gone for the scared, timid women.He likes to scare and intimidate.It’s his deal.Mainly because no man has ever been afraid of him.He doesn’t exactly hit tough.He brings money to the Russo Mafia.That’s it.”
“And you think he approached the Ferris, and to earn a place once Russo has been taken over, they offered up their daughter as payment?”
“Yes,” Vincent said.“I know it sounds far-fetched, but shit like this happens.”
“Okay, so explain the Ricardos to me.”
“As you know, they’ve been struggling for years.A few bad decisions, and a large chunk of their fortune was gone.Many people don’t know that they also lost a large portion of Russo’s wealth.”
“What?”
“Yep, Russo was able to work back the wealth that had been lost, but along with it, the respect and trust was long gone.”
“How come I didn’t know about this?”Massimo asked.
“Some things you need to know, and other things you really don’t need to know.”
“How did Russo earn that money back?”
“Hello,” Vincent said, with a smirk.
“You won it back?”
“He came to me, and of course I did.A weak leader is not what anyone wants.Russo asked me to help him, and I did.Why do you think I can get away with not going to any of the social functions?I earned his respect and my title.I earned the respect of our family.I earned my dues with Russo.”
“So, what you’re saying is we’re pretty much one of the few families that haven’t pissed Russo off?”Massimo asked.
“There are plenty who haven’t,” Vincent said.“Is that our stop?”
Massimo looked ahead, and sure enough, he saw the neon sign declaring THE GREASE BALL.Only, some of the letters were missing, and it looked more like, HE G EA E ALL.
He saw two cars, and he parked and climbed out.There were two men standing by one of the cars.
“Vigo is waiting for you,” one of the men said.
Massimo followed one of the men inside The Grease Ball.There was a single waitress behind the counter and no other customers other than Vigo sitting in front of a large stack of pancakes.
“Gentlemen,” Vigo said.“Well, well, well, I am surprised our meeting would bring out Vincent Salvatore.To what do I owe the honor of such a visit?”
