I took a deep breath, my thoughts drifting to Anastasia. “With one of the Five Families.”
Carmine nodded, studying me. “Yeah. I think they might have approached more than one family, although my uncle had no intention of talking about the situation. My cousin just said there was unrest, not only among the Five Families but also with other crime syndicates in Europe.”
“An alliance of that nature would provide Russian muscle for one Italian family to destroy the concept of the Five Families altogether.”
“Yes, and imagine the imbalance of power. One reason I never wanted to be a part of this fucking life,” Carmine hissed.
“But Sergio always did,” Alexander offered.
“Sergio would love nothing more than to move to Italy and be a part of the life. This side of the Russo family is tarnished. No one would want him.”
“But the Russians might.” I shook my head. “When did you realize Sergio might be an issue?”
“A few days ago. Maybe you don’t realize just how ruthless the Camorra is in relation to the Five Families. I didn’t understandthe difference until a couple weeks ago when my cousin explained it. The people of the Camorra are even more powerful. They were thought to be exiled from Naples, a dead syndicate if you will.”
A few days ago. About the time Anastasia came to New Orleans. The timing was tight, maybe too much so, but worth investigating.
“Who’ve been involved in a quiet revolution over the past few years.” Alexander sighed and I could tell he’d heard about the situation. Given it was thousands of miles away, the power struggle shouldn’t affect our world.
Unless there were ulterior motives, greed the determining factor.
Carmine was clearly agitated, uncertain how to handle the situation. He wasn’t equipped to be the leader of the Russo Cosa Nostra in any country. But his roots and the legacy of his family went deep, perhaps more so than ours. “Imagine if there was a way for the Five Families to take control, able to destroy the Camorra altogether,” he tossed out.
“They’d need muscle, such as the Bratva.” The light was beginning to dawn on the seriousness of the situation.
“And a reason for the Bratva to provide assistance. I assume the Five Families had an inkling the Camorra were preparing to rise from the dead years ago.” Alexander swirled his glass as he studied the Italian.
“That’s what I understand. Only until recently, they had no understanding the timing had escalated. There’s violence on every corner of every street all throughout Italy. The rumor isthat the Russians are developing a smokescreen. That’s all I know.”
“The Five Families. Russo. Capechi, Mavetti, Bruno, Scavullo. Yes?” My brother recited.
Scavullo. Hold on. Since when had my brother learned the names of the Five Families? Not that it was a secret. I’d simply not found a need or cared to learn about them. There were dozens of crime syndicates across the world. Scavullo. The name stuck in my mind.
“That’s not enough. What about Sergio? Where is he?” My demand was harsh.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t check in with me.” Carmine laughed bitterly.
“The men brought to you from the warehouse. Yours?” Alexander sat forward in his seat, keeping his eyes pinned on Carmine.
He laughed. “My father’s men. I don’t have the loyalty he did. Clearly, Sergio has been recruiting them behind my back.”
A weak man and we should have seen it coming.
“Bring Sergio to us and I want the names and every scrap of information regarding the Five Families, the Camorra. Everything your cousin has. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Sergio is dangerous. You don’t know what he’s capable of.” He continued to glance at Zorro, obviously worried.
Carmine’s admittance made us laugh. “So are we,” I answered.
“Your father was provided with a gift years ago. A gift of our alliance. I’m going to make a suggestion to you, Carmine. Don’tfuck with it. If you do, the territory you pretend as if you don’t want anything to do with will go away. And your family? Well, that remains to be seen.”
Alexander was never harsh with his words. He merely made a promise that the entire family had no trouble keeping.
Carmine rose to his feet, making his way toward the bar to refill his glass. “Even if my cousin wanted to provide the information, doing so could place his life at risk. You have no idea how much my father angered the Italian family. I had no idea. And Sergio is my brother. For all his foibles, his anger issues, and the shit I’ve put up with, he’s the only family I have left.”
I didn’t need Alexander to command I provide a reminder. I’d seen the flash of anger on his face both before and now. Anyone who disparaged his wife under any circumstances faced Alexander’s wrath.
As I knocked the glass from his fingers, Carmine gasped. When I slapped his hand on the surface of the bar while pulling out my favorite hammer, his eyes opened wide and for the first time, I sensed he understood both his life and his livelihood were in our hands. I tapped the hard steel on his knuckles, drawing his full attention.
