And in the morning, right after rounds and another short visit with her sister, I once again had to practically carry her out of the hospital.
I promised her we’d go back at night, but I’m not gonna be able to keep that promise.I told her as much right before she came undone on my fingers like only she can.Just a little preview of what she can expect for the rest of the night.Beats sitting in a hospital.I’m sure that deep down she agrees.
Against all odds, her sister will be fine, and the rest of her family, not just her father and his men, will be coming with us to LA.She won’t mind that news either.I just can’t tell her yet.Because I’m not sure whether I will let them spend time together or not.I like having her all to myself, hateful and mean as she can be.Once she’s reunited with her mother and sister, the hate will just get worse, I’m sure.
I’ve been talking to the men all day, telling them about my plight, my revenge fantasy.Some of these men I saved in the battle for Ferro’s throne.Some saved me.But none are too eager to sign up to fight my war all the way on the other side of the continent.Not until I mention all the money I have to give out to those who come.I know where to find all that money.But I don’t know if it’ll still be there when I go looking.I know Dante Moretti never found the secret stashes hidden away by my uncles, cousins, other distant relatives before they died.But that doesn’t mean someone else didn’t.
Caputo volunteered without needing to hear about the monetary compensation, to my surprise.Which brought with it about twenty of his cousins and other relations.Francesco Leone also volunteered and that gave me another ten.I figure he mainly just wants to put some distance between himself and Ferro, over what his family had done to Angelo’s and which Angelo will probably never forgive.But beggars can’t be choosers.I’ll take all the men I can get.
My cousin Nico is coming too, along with some of his close friends.I love my cousin, but I’m afraid his coke habit could prove to be a liability.
So that’s about forty men.Together with Codelli’s guys, of which there are around twenty, maybe thirty, I have a good starting position.But Dante Moretti—the guy who murdered my entire family and the man I will kill with my bare hands if it’s the last thing I do—has over a hundred loyal to him.He’s the top dog in LA now, no two ways about it.
But he’s not old school like us.He has no real family to speak of, runs his operation like a business and he tends to rub people the wrong way.I hope he’s amassed enough enemies by now that taking his throne won’t be too hard.
I’ll go to the Russians, the Japanese, hell, maybe even my sister’s biker club friends—she owes me, and they do too.I will have his blood.All of it.
I just got done telling Ferro all about that.We’re in his smokey office with all the windows shut, because a storm came from the sea as night fell.It looks like all hell is breaking loose out in the garden, with huge trees swaying in the strong winds, moving deeper black shadows against the already very black sky.Fat raindrops are hitting the windows, sounding like bullets and the lights flicker every so often right before thunder echoes outside.
Ferro is watching it all through one of the windows with a big old grin on his face.
“I love storms, don’t you?”he asks.“It always looks like the world is ending.”
“I prefer it when the sun comes out again after a storm.”Especially now.Because I can’t help thinking that this storm is a very bad omen for me, coming right after I solidified my plans to finally get my revenge.Maybe Ferro’s right, maybe the world is ending.My world.
He looks at me over his shoulder.“Are you scared of a little thunder and lightning?Never would’ve guessed it.”
His grin is mocking now.A part of me wants to wipe it off his face with a fist.While another part is willing to lay my life down for him, because he’s the one who will finally give me what I’ve craved for so long I don’t even remember wanting anything else.
“It’s tricky,” I say and join him by the window, looking out at the trees, some of which are bending down almost to the ground in the wind.“Whenever anyone from my family gets what they want the most, something bad happens to them.Usually they die.Or lose everything.It’s the family curse of ruin and this storm makes me think maybe it’s finally my turn to feel its bite.”
He looks at me, still grinning, but his eyes are almost compassionate now.
“Come on, a curse?”he says, grabbing hold of my shoulder and squeezing.Hot ash from his cigar slides down my arm, but I barely feel the heat.“You’ll get what you want.And you’ll keep it.There’s no room for doubt anymore.And certainly no room for hexes and other superstitious bullshit.I’m backing you, remember?And I’m the king of New York now.”
I think that’s what’s making him so happy.Getting rid of Gianna’s father, or at least neutralizing him, was the last thing he needed to do before he could claim his title ofcapo dei tutti cappi.
“I wish I could be here to see you take your throne,” I say and clap him on the shoulder.“You’ll make a great King.”
“I’d ask you to stay and be my right-hand man, but I understand that you must do what you must do.”
It’s the sincerest thing he’s said to me yet.
“You’re right,” I tell him.“I would stay if I could.”
He nods and releases my shoulder, goes back to staring out the window.
“But you can’t.The plane will be ready to take you to LA tomorrow afternoon.The rest of the guys will join you before the morning,” he says.“I keep my promises.”
“And Codelli and his men?”I ask.
“I’ll make sure they’re there too,” he says.“And I’ll throw in their boy Rafaelle.He’s still not a hundred percent healed, but I have no use for him now and the guy will never yield to me, not in a million years.Maybe you’ll have more luck with him.”
I sincerely doubt I’ll have any more luck with the guy, seeing as he was the head of the Codelli family security team and hated me from day one.But I’ll take all the bodies I can get.I’ll need them to help me get to Dante Moretti.
“I owe you my life, Angelo,” I say.“So whatever you need.Anytime.I’m your man.”
He looks at me and nods, the grin gone from his lips.
