“Good day, Mr. Zanotti.”
I balance the coffees on the roof of my car to open the driver’s door. “Good day to you too.”
He scurries on to the next illegally parked vehicle as I climb in and start the engine. Just as I pull onto the street my cell phone rings. Cristiano.
“Hey. You on your way over?”
“Yes, boss.”
A groan travels down the line. He hates me calling him ‘boss,’ not least because I’m his uncle, for all intents and purposes, and nearly twice his age.
I was his father’s underboss first, then after Gianni died and Cristiano took the top job, I agreed to resume my role.
It’s a pleasure to serve him. Cristiano has grown up to be the most levelled-headed mob man I’ve ever had the privilege ofworking with. As such, he doesn’t dignify my jibe with a worded response.
“Good. Everything okay in Queens?”
I drive over the bridge toward the Parkway. “It’s all good. Everything we lost is back in our pockets.”
I’m referring to the recent Russian infiltration of our territories, but we never talk specifics over the phone. You never know who’s likely to be listening in.
It could well be our allies in Boston, because those kids can hack a damn brick, but it could also be the Feds. And those cretins are two-faced. In our pockets one minute, writing up reports on us the next.
“We’ve got a construction team on the deli too.”
I can almost hear him nodding. “The boys will appreciate that, I’m sure.”
Cristiano releases a tense sigh. “I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They went too quickly and quietly.”
“Yeah,” I drawl. “I hear you. It’s almost as though they have bigger priorities, and what can be bigger than New York?”
“Exactly. They have something up their sleeve and whether it involves us or not, I need to know what it is, otherwise I can’t protect our interests.”
“I understand.”
“Anyway, we can talk when you get here. Did you get coffee?”
“I did.”
“From Captain’s?”
“Indeed.”
“ThankGod,” he breathes out. “It’s all she can talk about.”
“No problem.” I hesitate. “Can I ask you a favour?”
“Sure.”
“Do you have a spare shirt I can borrow?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Long story.”
“I’ll look forward to hearing it.”
I grin and hang up. The coffee will likely be cold by the time I get to Cristiano’s, but his heavily pregnant wife won’t care. She’d consume this stuff through an IV drip if she could.
