I got out of there, thanked Jack, and drove to The Place as I brewed my new plan. I needed to fill my brother in, but as much as I trusted him, I couldn’t invite him to our meet-up spot. The safe house was one thing, since it was virtually untraceable, but if anyone thought to follow him here, we’d be fucked.
* * *
“No. FUCK NO,”Dominic said when I told him the plan.
“Our plan is fine the way it is,” Gio said.
“Do you think we need backup?” Dean asked. “And is it worth the price?”
“I’ll pay whatever price and deal with Harry personally,” I said. “This is the best shot at all of us making it out of there alive.”
“He’s not wrong about that,” Gio said. “We’re trying to ambush them with what, ten, fifteen people? They have thirty.”
“That we know of,” I said.
“I get that,” Loren started, “but what if the Irish turn on us during our own ambush?”
“They won’t,” Dean said. “That’s not how they operate.”
He was very familiar with the Chicago Irish family. While his dad was Italian, his mother's partner — who had treated him like a son — was their second in command until he was killed. Dean was still close to the current boss.
“They’re a lot like us, right?” Gio asked. “Women and children are off-limits to them?”
“Yeah, they abided by that even before we had that meeting to clarify,” Dean said.
“Why?” Dom asked. “Why are you changing the plan?”
“We may not have enough people,” I said, taking a breath as I looked at him. “Giuseppe hit Lenora.”
His chair screeched as he stood. “What?”
“He hit her. Slapped her around, pulled her hair, banged her head against the fucking wall, sold her fucking horse out of spite,” I said, my voice growing louder with each point.
Dom looked horrified and angry as he plummeted back into his chair. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“And now you want us to team up with the Irish to take down La Cosa Nostra,” Loren stated, trying to make sure he understood.
For a long time, I’d had it in my head that we weren’t Cosa Nostra. Our fathers were legit Sicilian immigrants who were heavily involved in organized crime, and therefore, La Cosa Nostra. That wasn’t us. Not really. Being born and raised in the U.S. gave us different experiences with different cultures and races. Even our food was different. We did share the same core standards: We were loyal to the oath of Omertà, we didn’t sell drugs, and women and children were off-limits. Their rule about women and children only pertained to their own men. Ours meant all women and children. Dealing drugs was tempting since it was profitable and we owned businesses where drugs were being passed around anyway, but we tried not to fuck with it. There was a hierarchy we all followed. Once Giuseppe was out, his underboss would take his place. Since his underboss would no longer be alive if our plan worked out, Lorenzo’s father, the consigliere, could technically step up. I doubted he would, but it was something he’d help with.
“The plan is to take down Giuseppe and the men he brought with him. If you want to spare their lives and let them decide where their loyalties lie, then by all means. . .” I shrugged. “I just want him.”
“I can’t believe he hit her,” Dom said quietly. “And Aanya? Fuck, Nora must be distraught.”
“She is.”
Dom’s eyes snapped up. “You saw her?”
“I just came from the spa,” I said. “And distraught is the perfect word to describe her right now.”
“I’m worried about the people attending the wedding who aren’t part of this,” Loren said. “Will they be in the line of fire?”
“No. I think we should keep what happens inside the church the same. O’Conner’s people can take down the guys outside, while we work inside.”
“It would serve as a good distraction,” Gio said. “And Giuseppe would never see it coming since his war with them ended.”
“Their war,” I said. “Our fathers wanted them gone too.”
