“Maledetto figlio di cane, pezzo di merda,” Brian cursed in Italian, balling his hands into fists. “Goddamn coward, wait until I meet the waste of space, I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget too soon. No one can hurt a Cavallieri and get away with it, not even San Gennaro!”
Stephanie shook her head, visibly amused by her brother’s burst of anger. “And I, who thought Luca was the one with a short-fused temper… Anyway, back to the story, with the help of a co-worker from the company’s IT department, I found out who his associates were, met them, and threatened to expose the whole scheme. Of course, I was bluffing, I didn’t have anything on them or my husband dearest.”
“Wow, sis, you really are something else!” Brian exclaimed, admiration and disbelief mixing in his voice. “You really are made for this life, soon you’ll have a solid reputation as a Mafia princess.” He grinned. “Beginner’s luck, or those fellas were really dumb, because if I was them, you wouldn’t have walked away so easily.”
Stephanie returned the grin. “Well, I knew how the scheme worked, because I recorded my husband dearest bragging about how easy it would be for me to steal from the clients and how the others would cover my tracks. Anyway, long story short, I offered them an escape route: to sell that pathetic piece of crap down the river in exchange for their freedom. Theyagreed, that goddamn bastard was put behind bars for ten years, and died there shortly after.”
Brian, who listened very carefully until then, looked into his sister’s eyes. “Why do I have the feeling that this is not the end of the story, but its beginning? You didn’t come all the way here just to brag about how you put that abusive pile of garbage where he belongs. There’s more to it, am I right?”
“You chose the wrong career,” Stephanie avoided a straight answer, “you should’ve become a cop or a prosecutor.” She inhaled sharply. “Yes, you’re right, that’s only the tip of the iceberg; a few weeks before the bastard was arrested, he raped me, and I became pregnant. Of course I didn’t tell him, that child was mine and mine only.”
Brian smiled tenderly. “So, that’s why you came here today, to finally tell me about my niece or nephew.” A small frown creased his forehead. “Where is the child now, and, more importantly, where were they all this time? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you sent them abroad, someplace safe…” The librarian abruptly stopped when the realization hit him. “Duke and Melina, right? They were the ones who helped you.”
Stephanie’s jaw hit the floor. “How…” She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Never mind, I give up guessing what methods you use.” The young woman’s tone changed, becoming more serious. “They took Eli—that’s my son’s name—with them, when they went to live with their grandfather in England. When they came back, Eli continued to stay with them, but now…”
Brian nodded in understanding. “I know, Ian told me something about Melina finding the perfect guy for her and the two of them making plans for the future.” He cleared his throat. “Some things are hard to explain, even to the mostloving partner, especially when the relationship is only at the beginning.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Stephanie leaned forward, looking straight into her brother’s eyes. “Eli adjusted to living with me, knows who I am, he’s an extremely intelligent child, who understood the situation; both Melina and I explained to him why the two of us had to stay apart. I also told him about my extended family, and he’s curious to meet all of you.”
“Whenever he’s ready, we’ll welcome Eli with open arms. You can bring him here, to Reardon’s, or wherever else he feels comfortable.” He left his seat, went on the other side of the counter, and hugged his sister. “Thank you for trusting me with your best kept secret.”
“And I thank you for being the best, most supportive and protective older brother in the world,” Stephanie replied in a voice thick with emotion.
Right then, Magick appeared from under the desk, carrying one of the snowballs in her mouth. Tired of waiting to be noticed, she put the tiny kitten down and started meowing discreetly. The strategy worked, both Brian and Stephanie turning to the duo and giving them all the attention and affection they needed, and then some.
The young woman spent some more time in the company of her brother, telling him about Eli’s outstanding achievements at school, way above his six years, about his thirst for knowledge and curiosity. He was also an avid reader, Stephanie added, to which Brian remarked the love for books and reading was a trademark of the Cavallieri family.
After petting Magick and her kittens some more, cooing at them and smiling like a carefree little girl, the young woman kissed her older brother on his cheek, thanked him once again for listening to her, then walked out of the building, climbed into the car, and took off, while the librarian watched her from the window.
Life isn’t always sunshine and roses, but it’s worth living, especially for moments like this, Brian said to himself as he went back to his chair behind the counter. However, the joy and excitement he felt at the thought of meeting his nephew were gradually replaced by an ominous feeling he couldn’t explain.
For some reason, Brian felt there was something else to Stephanie’s story, something she either omitted, or wasn’t aware of. He couldn’t tell why, but he leaned towards the second version. Maybe, the librarian said to himself, is because her story is very similar to what Cole put you through. When you kicked him out of your house, helped by boss Elias and Lochlin, you thought it was over, but you were wrong.
The more Brian thought about the similarities between his and Stephanie’s ill-fated relationship, the more sure he was that his sister’s ex-husband was alive and kicking, hiding in some dark corner and waiting to launch a mortal attack on his unsuspecting prey. This won’t happen, asshole, the librarian thought, balling his hands into fists.
Brian slapped his forehead when he realized Stephanie didn’t mention the name of her good-for-nothing ex-husband, and he forgot to ask, captivated by the story as he was. The manmade a mental note to talk to Elyan and Julien. Ask them to do some digging based on what he had; it was a long shot, but the two were miracle workers.
I have to talk to Tanner and Malaspina, tell them to pay attention to the newcomers and report any suspicious activity, and also to boss Elias, ask him to double the number of guards around the library. If that goddamn bastard is alive, as I suspect, and stalked Stephanie, or had someone else doing it, this is the first place he’ll come looking for her.
If Julien and Elyan would have any luck in finding a photo of the guy. They would age it using the latest technologies. Brian planned to give it to Baldassare, who would distribute it to The Council’s eyes and ears on the streets. The librarian didn’t want that waste of space harmed yet, just wanted to keep a close eye on him, so he wouldn't harm Stephanie.
Eli. The name of his nephew popped in Brian’s mind in bright, big, neon lights, making him shiver at the thought that the pile of garbage who forced himself on his sister could use the little boy to get revenge against his mother. I can’t allow it, I won’t let the evil bastard anywhere near Stephanie and her son, he said to himself, clenching his fists until the knuckles turned white.
Memories from the past resurfaced from the grave Brian buried them in four years earlier, and he relieved the last encounter with Cole, when his ex from hell threatened to hurt Bart and the children if he didn’t go with him. Never again, the librarian promised himself, anger coursing through his veinslike fire; I’m the Wisdom Keeper of the Old-World Mafia’s Council of The Ten, and whoever messes with my family, messes with us all.
***********
CIA, MI5, MI6, FSB, Mossad… by San Gennaro’s blood, what did this guy do to have these secret services, and who knows how many others after him? Baldassare shook his head as he read the report one of his top informants compiled for him, based on what his subordinates told him. Oh, look, that’s not all, the list continues, he smiled, amused.
The Bratva, The Conference, a few Triads, the New York City branch of Yakuza… The fella is either crazy, or he has some balls on him the size of the Empire State Building and is not afraid of anything or anyone, Baldassare continued his internal monologue. Or, most likely, he uses some kind of magic which makes him invisible to his enemies.
He put the stack of papers down, let out a tired sigh, took his glasses off, and started to rub the bridge of his nose, doing a recap of what he just read. The subject of the report, who was going by Vincent, was hunted by an army of secret agents, but none of them couldn’t get close enough to eliminate or even hurt him, although a few got into his den. Rumors had it the guy had a stash of very important documents, some of them top secret, and threatened to use them if he wasn’t left alone.
It was the same with the Mafia-like organizations; he claimed chunks of their territory, met the leaders, accompaniedby only three unarmed men, negotiated with them, and, in most of the cases, won the territories he occupied and walked away unscathed. Something must have happened in the past, Baldassare frowned, something the mob bosses that Vincent guy took the territories from felt guilty about.
The young man frowned and sighed again, this time in frustration. He suspected all the territory the guy claimed was rightfully his at a certain point, and wanted to check his theory, but couldn’t. Except for a first name, which could be false, he didn’t have anything on the guy. Plus, he wasn’t sure what to make of the information he had.
Suddenly, Baldassare’s face brightened, his until then dull eyes started to shine. Of course, Zio Brian knows better than anyone what to say and do, he is not Wisdom Keeper for nothing. With this thought in mind, he put the pile of papers back into the folder and, leaving his home office, headed to the library.
