Brian was very pleasantly surprised when Magick appeared from under the counter, and, after rubbing herself against his legs for a good minute, greeted Baldassare with a friendly meow. Then, she jumped in the young man’s open arms, purring louder than before and kneading his arm, to his great delight.
Baldassare seemed to really enjoy the time spent in the company of the white feline, cooing at her and laughing at her playing with a feather toy. However, Brian came to know him very well over the four years that passed since the two of them met for the first time, and could tell something was bothering him.
The young man’s shoulders were tense, and his back stiffer than usual, Brian noticed worriedly, as he examinedhim with the corner of his eye. Baldassare was following the physiotherapist’s instructions religiously, and he didn’t miss any of the riding sessions with Legend, so he didn’t have a health problem.
Last time Brian met Elyan, about a month earlier, the blond, curly-haired young man was as in love with his husband as ever, his eyes shining with adoration every time he was saying his soulmate’s name, so the marriage was going smoothly, too. At this point, the librarian gave up on guessing what was causing the tension in Baldassare’s body.
However, he started to suspect it was something about the Old-World Mafia, a chill running down his spine at the thought. The year that passed since Brian managed to escape from Donna Fabrizia’s captivity was uneventful, to everyone’s relief. The evil woman was nowhere to be found, so she couldn’t be brought before The Council for her wrongdoings, but, on the upside, no other incidents took place during this period.
Brian hoped things would continue to stay the same. Although the newly-appointed members of The Council proved they had the competence and authority to offer solutions that satisfied both parties involved in a disagreement, they were still unprepared for a more serious crisis like, all gods forbid, a street war.
Of course, as the Wisdom Keeper, Brian would do everything in his powers to help the young members of the new Council, and he had Luca, Don Calogero, Malaspina, and a lot of other older, experienced Mafia Dons to rely on in casethe situation got complicated. The librarian’s mind was telling him there was no reason to be concerned, but his inner worrier nagged him big time.
After petting Magick some more, and another round of playing with the feather toy, Baldassare straightened up and discreetly gestured with his head in the direction of Brian’s small office in the back of the reading hall. Nodding, the librarian headed to the small room, his protégé hot on his heels. Mafia business, he thought, as he opened the door.
“Please, take a seat,” Brian gestured to the armchair on the other side of the desk, smiling warmly. “I missed talking to you, too, so let’s skip the introduction and go straight ahead.”
Baldassare shifted in the armchair, clearing his throat before he finally started to speak.“I’m not saying this as an excuse, but one of the reasons I didn’t visit you more often or even call you was that I inspected our network of informants, and learned a few things. Some of them are good, others, not quite.”
“Normally, I’d prefer you to start with the not quite good things, but it’s your choice.” Brian made efforts to hide the tinge of worry and panic starting to creep into his voice.
“One good thing is that, contrary to my expectations, our eyes and ears on the streets are well-organized and everything they told me is of great help. Also, most of them are loyal to a fault to both The Council and the Old-World Mafia as a way of life.” Baldassare fell silent, waiting for the librarian’s question.
“You said most of them are loyal,” Brian frowned, “what’s with the others? Who are they working for?”
Baldassare huffed a laugh. “Actually, it would be quite funny if it wouldn’t be so damn frustrating.” He ran a hand over his face. “Technically, they are also loyal to The Council, but can you believe they still think Il Burattinaio controls it? Four years since that traitorous pile of garbage is dead, and almost two since we were confirmed, and our men on the field still don’t know about the transfer of power.”
Brian reflected for a moment before replying, “Hmm,” he hummed under his breath, “I guess there are other Dons out there who oppose the new Council, and keeping the people on the streets and the soldiers from knowing who is in charge is their way of showing it. Passive resistance.”
“Speaking of soldiers, we need an army.” Baldassare leaned forward and fell silent for a moment, then started to explain his idea to the somehow puzzled librarian. “I know, you’d say what’s the use for it, since all the members of The Council are heavily guarded, but it would be for special interventions, not personal protection. Think of the rescue crew at The Base, and those protecting the place from intruders.”
Brian nodded in approval, appreciating the young man’s idea. However, as always, he wanted to know more. “In theory, it sounds great, but where do we get the right men for the job? You can’t just take them off of the streets and put a gun in their hand. Besides, it would take a lot of time to turn a bunch of guys coming from different backgrounds into disciplined, well-trained, loyal soldiers.”
“I thought about this a lot, and I found a solution,” Baldassare relaxed in the chair. “There are a lot of people who are bound by loyalty and gratitude to one or another of the Grand Families. Proving themselves worthy of the bosses’ trust and respect is their biggest dream, and being part of TheCouncil’s army is the best way to do that. Just think about it: these people have a huge potential, as they are already disciplined and skilled fighters.”
Brian let out a low whistle of admiration and applauded silently. “You really did your homework, which doesn’t surprise me at all; you always have all the answers to all the possible questions one may ask, when you come up with an idea or a strategy.” The librarian remembered something the other man said earlier and frowned. “Are there any problems you want to tell me about? You said something about some not quite good things.”
Baldassare pressed his lips together. “There would be something, yes, but I’d prefer not to bring it into discussion until I’ll know more on the subject. However, there would be one more thing, a rather sensitive matter.” He paused, searching for the right words. “How are the things between you and Miss Stephanie? I mean, does she share her thoughts and plans for the future with you?”
Brian’s eyes went wide, and he flinched, visibly surprised by the question, especially since it was coming from The Council’s War. “We have a great relationship, and talk quite often, about a lot of things. The bond between us became even stronger and tighter after I escaped from that nightmare. Is there a specific reason why you asked me this?”
“I like Miss Stephanie very much,” Baldassare ignored the librarian’s question. “She is intelligent, feisty, witty, a quick learner, a skilled negotiator, an open mind…in short, a real Cavallieri.” The young man stopped talking for a while, like he was unsure how to continue. A few seconds later, he spoke again. “If she decides to live the life of a Mafia lady, she’ll be a valuable asset, not only for your family, but also for the whole Council.”
“Look, I knew you as a straightforward guy, and I highly appreciate it, but now it seems you are chasing your tail, and I’m not so sure I like it.” Brian didn’t make any efforts to hide the irritation in his voice. “To call my sister an asset, that’s…”
“Did the two of you ever talk about her marriage?”
CHAPTER 15
The question shocked Brian, but he managed to hide it, giggling instead. “Yeah, right. I’m a lot of things, but crazy am I not, and I don’t have a death wish. If you care about your life or still want to be in possession of the family jewels, I advise you to avoid the subject, too.”
“It would only be you telling her about the arranged marriages and how she could benefit from such a union,” Baldassare explained, leaning forward. “No engagement of any type from her part, no names offered as examples, just present her the idea, see if she finds it…appealing.”
“After what happened to Bailey, my sister detests even mentioning the word marriage, and, in a way, I can’t say I don’t understand her. Seeing our sibling being put through hell by that monster and not being able to defend them must have been very traumatic for her.” Brian ran a hand over his face and sighed heavily. “Besides, it’s too early for a talk on the subject.”
“Oh…” Baldassare’s eyes clouded with sadness. “I completely forgot about the death of her ex-fiancé’s brother. Sorry for being such an insensitive asshole, I think it’s because of the career I chose; it’s not an excuse, but you can’t be a good lawyer without having a thick skin.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Brian gave the younger man a warm, paternal smile, “you have a lot on your head as it is. Bastiaan’s death was so tragic and unexpected, so unfair, just when he was finally reunited with Stephanie and found thecourage to voice his feelings for her.” The librarian shook his head. “They would have been married by now, had he lived; their wedding was supposed to happen two months ago.”
