“Well, he’s the next oldest, right? After your father?”
I nodded.
“Why isn’t David stopping Matteo? Is David siding with him? I mean, there can’t possibly be two evil brothers, can there? From what you’ve told me, Matteo seems to be the only one causing trouble, the dictator, so to speak. What if David could do something about it?”
I searched her face, noting her eagerness. She wasn’t one to stand idly by. I should have seen this coming.“Honestly, I have no idea what David thinks,” I said.“He might be on Matteo’s side, but I really don’t know. He’s never attempted to reach out or find me, not that I know of. So, fuck him. He’s shown no inclination to help stop Matteo. Besides, even if he gave a shit, everyone who’s tried ends up dead.”
My crass, irritated language didn’t phase her, and she gave me a wink and a wide smile.
Fuck, her steel mental walls would be the death of me.
“Could you call him and ask?” she went on.“What if he agrees with us and wants to help? Maybe we can motivate him to, you know,dosomething.”
I kept up the shroud of annoyance.
She didn’t falter, again pushing past my obvious displeasure.“I mean, what’s the harm, right? We’re already in hiding; it’s not like he can make things worse for us. Just think, what if he hates Matteo as much as we do? What if there’s something he can do with our help?”
I shook my head, feeling nothing but endless doubt. I pressed my fingers to the ridge of my brow, mulling over what to respond with.“From what I recall, David was never keen on the New York operations, especially under Matteo. All I really know is that he moved to Boston to join the organization there.”
“Exactly,” her face lit up.“He left, which could mean that he’s just as angry with Matteo as you are. I mean, he’s lost two of his brothers now; he has to feel something about that? Besides, isn’t the mafia good at taking care of its own, including its problems? There has to come a point where the threat Matteo poses affects other organizations, too. To me, it feels like a weak spot they wouldn’t want exposed or wrapped up in some huge public controversy. What if there are a lot of people looking to shut him down, not just you and the FBI? I mean, obviously the FBI can only operate a certain way and has to chart every detail, but an organization such as, say, the Boston Mafia? They don’t have to worry about all that red tape.”
I set the last potato down with a forceful thud.“So, you want me to call him up… out of the blue and… what? Ask him to kill Matteo?” I glimpsed Sybil in my peripheral vision. She was trying to make herself appear as small as possible in the corner, fiddling with the books on the shelves.
Betty simpered, though it felt insincere.“I wasn’t suggesting you ask David tokillMatteo… at least, not specifically.”
I blinked twice, jaw clenched.
She shrugged.“But if that’s what hewantedto do…” she trailed off.
I sighed, rounding the counter and placing my hands on Betty’s hips to look her straight in the eye.
She leaned into me, placing her hands on my chest.“It doesn’t hurt to ask. That’s all I’m saying.”
Honestly, it was something I’d long wondered myself: wheredidDavid stand? He’d always been a secretive, reserved man. In all the time I’d known him as a teen, I never figured him out.He was nice to me, but a man of few words—an observer.
He and my Uncle Luca were close, and if Luca had disagreed with Matteo, then it would stand to reason David did too. I never knew how he’d reacted to the death of my family; I never had the chance to find out. My only focus was survival. And now, how had he reacted to the news about Luca?
“Just think about it,” Betty concluded, picking an imaginary piece of lint off my shirt before twisting in my arms and picking up the potatoes.“Come on, Sybil, let’s go take Bill down to the fire pit. We need to season all the meat from the river and get it hung.”
Sybil jumped and spun away from the bookshelf, her eyes wide, an obvious tremor of unease passing over her face.
Betty mentioned Sybil had been a recluse for most of her life, and social situations made her feel and act awkward. I saw that now and could relate. With her eyes cast down, Sybil hurried to the door, desperate to leave. She grabbed the dog’s leash from its hook.
Bill sprang up from his sunny spot on the floor, ready to follow them.
Betty kissed my cheek, her fingers caressing down my stubbled jaw before trailing behind Sybil. At the door, she blew a theatrical kiss over her shoulder, charming me into submission.
After the door closed, I let out a long, drawn-out“Fu-uck.”
Therewasa way to reach David.
Ethan provided me with that information a few years ago, likely hoping I would do something with it, like the girls want me to do now. Ethan’s contacts were keeping a casual watch on David, but his activities didn’t necessitate the intense surveillance that Matteo’s affairs did. David kept his side of the street relatively clean.
Tapping my fingers on the counter, I stared at the cabinet holding the satellite phone. My stomach churned. I knew if I let myself dwell on this any longer, I’d never go through with it, and Betty would never stop.
It was as good a time as any to call and get it done; then we could move on and devise a different, more successful strategy.Relying on my family wasn’t something I felt comfortable doing, but if it made Betty happy, I’d try.
Chapter 31
