“You know where to bury the body. And take care of his wife.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Alessandro made a move to walk towards the door, Othello ran away as quickly as his feet could carry him to the kitchen, where Maria and Iago were making cookies. He pretended that everything was fine and that he hadn’t seen anything, but he couldn’t get the image out of his thoughts for weeks. The good thing was that Alessandro didn’t know he had seen the shooting, and Iago had never noticed his distraction. Even to this very day, Othello had never mentioned it. It was theone time he’d let his curiosity sit and fester. After being a part of the clan, Othello knew where they had buried the body. Owning a construction company came in handy in more ways than one.
On a particular Saturday during one of their weekend visits, they were all sitting at the table eating dinner like an official family when Othello blurted out his question.
“Why do they call you the don?”
Maria, Iago, and Alessandro’s forks paused at their lips, and all eyes were on him.
“Where did you hear that from?”
“From one of the big guys that are always following you,” Othello answered.
Alessandro didn’t speak right away, but after a few minutes, he stood up, walked over, and kissed Maria. Maria nodded and gently squeezed Alessandro's right arm. Then, he looked at him and Iago and said, “You boys follow me.”
That night, Othello and Iago learned what Alessandro truly did for a living and that the construction companies, although real, were a front. He pointed out the dangers of being Don Alessandro’s sons. The La Famiglia Romano was about family and brotherhood, with a mix of Spanish, Portuguese, and, of course, Italian heritage. It was an underground organization that had been around for many years.
They were not the top dogs, but Alessandro’s dream was to be the head of The Commission and to have his clan sit at the forefront of all the clans. They needed to take down the two main clans, who were the Ricci and Greco families, which made others shake in fear just at the mention of their names evennow, which irritated the fuck out of Othello. In the past, the Ricci family cornered the market on prostitution and the Greco family on gambling and racketeering. Still, as influential as the Romano name was, they were considered a minor family. When Alessandro had explained everything to him and Iago, they’d had a long ladder to climb before they could reach the top.
Before the Ricci and Greco families took their place, there were seven families in total, each clan responsible for one economic factor that contributed to their pockets and society's growth. However, as time passed, the Ricci and Greco line cut down and consolidated with the other five families. While the Greco and Ricci families made no secret of their actions, none of the other clans opposed them.
Their bite and bark were loud and fatal. They were involved in more than prostitution and gambling. The steps of the two major families set off a chain reaction, and the other families wanted to dip their toes into every corner that would line their pockets, forgetting about the mafia organization’s main purpose, which was economic growth.
But the Romano clan was close to accomplishing its goal. Slowly and quietly, it had shortened the ladder, removing the other families and merging their properties into the Romano family. Alessandro’s father, who died young, had started the organization, leaving him in charge. Alessandro knew his wish would take a long time, but he had hoped his heir could complete it if he did not succeed himself.
Alessandro had always believed in telling them the truth and never sugarcoating things. He felt being honest with family was always the best. Other than their own family law, they lived by the omerta code of silence and secrecy. A blood vow made byeven the lowest soldier never to cooperate with authorities or reveal what happens in the organization.
After laying everything out, he had given them the choice of being adopted by him and Maria, and neither he nor Iago batted an eye when they said yes.
“Good.” He smiled. “One day, one of you will be my successor, and the other will be his right-hand man. So show me your worth, and don’t let me down.”
Six months ago, Othello was chosen as Alessandro’s right-hand man. Standing at the head of the family clan with his brother beside him meant everything to Othello. All that was left was to fulfill his promise to take the clan to the top of the underworld food chain.
SCENE V
OTHELLO
The next time Othello woke up, a wonderful smile broke on his face when he saw the most gorgeous and proper woman dressed in a name-brand pants suit sitting at his bedside.
“Mama,” he croaked, his voice hoarse.
“Don’t you Mama me, Othello Romano-Moor,” she snapped without any real anger.
Although he was adopted and took the Romano name, he’d wanted to keep his birth parents’ name, holding on to the last bit of connection to them, and Maria and Alessandro had agreed.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Maria quirked a perfectly arched dark eyebrow. “How did a simple meeting turn into bloodshed? Your father and Iago won’t tell me, and from the look on your face, I guess you won’t either.”
As far as Othello knew, Alessandro had never kept the darkness of their world from Maria. She knew the inner workers and was respected in the organization and among the other clans. Sometimes, Maria had Alessandro’s ear more than anyone else.
“Why didn’t you wear one of those suits you paid so much money to have made to protect you?” she ranted. “Everyone else did. I’m disappointed in you,meu pequeno.”
Over the years, Othello had made many changes to the organization, adding more security measures to the Romanos' home, outfitting the soldiers with better Kevlar vests or suits, and increasing their training. He bought out the two mansions on either side of the Romanos, turning them into living and training spaces for their soldiers. He built an extension connecting them to his parents’ home.
“I’m sorry, Mama,” Othello said softly, hoping to appeal to her tender heart. “I shouldn’t have gotten hurt. I won’t let it happen again.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, but what can we do?” She sighed and brushed his hair from his forehead. “How are you feeling,meu pequeno?”
