by Ws Greer
“Yeah, your crew! Because you’re the newest capo, and the one who’s fucking envelope is light. And also because I fucking said so! You got a fucking problem with that, Jimmy?”
“No, of course not, Dominic,” Jimmy mutters, quickly avoiding eye contact again.
Nobody says anything after that. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s wise guys who don’t know how to be good wise guys. I don’t have time to sit up here and teach this fottuto idiota how to be a captain. In Our Thing, you either learn or get clipped, simple as that. So Jimmy and John better shape up, or there’s going to be hell to pay.
The meeting adjourns as all of us stand up and do our customary hug. Each capo wraps their arms around me, then reaches into their jacket pocket and retrieves an envelope to give to me. Fifty grand per captain, except Jimmy, of course. I don’t even bother to ask him how much is in his envelope. I just take it and shove it into my jacket pocket before turning on my heel and walking out. I hear Frankie tell Jimmy, “Get it together,” just as the door closes behind me.
Alannah
“See, what’d I tell you? Fits, no problem.”
“Well, of course it all fits in here, this closet is massive,” I reply to Dominic with a giggle as we look around the expansive walk-in closet that looks more like an extra bedroom. “Looks good together.”
Dominic walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, nuzzling his nose into my neck.
“Yes it does. Just like I knew it would,” he replies, kissing me softly on the cheek, his warm breath teasing my skin.
“I guess this makes it official then, huh? I actually live here.”
Dominic doesn’t reply, but I can feel his cheeks lift into a smile.
It’s been a few days since he asked me move in with him, and we didn’t waste any time getting started. I was just too excited, honestly. The thought of being able to come home to Dominic every day and night, and having him come home to me was just too much to wait for. So, two days after he asked me, Dominic had some of his guys from the Family show up at my house early in the morning and start hauling my big stuff over. I didn’t bring everything since the penthouse is already decked out with awesomeness, but Dominic was kind enough to make sure I brought the things that mattered most to me. So, I brought my pictures of my parents and college friends from Alaska, and Dominic cleared space for me to hang them. Even my little knick-knacks from the top of my dresser found a home in our bedroom. I put pictures of me and my parents up next to pictures of Dominic and his dad, and he didn’t mind one bit. So, now we get to walk down the hall towards our bedroom and see pictures of us as teenagers side by side. The pictures are separate, but it’s cool to see us next to each other as kids. It’s kind of metaphoric actually, representing how we were physically separate for all those years, but we were right next to each other in our hearts.
When I told my parents I was moving in with Dominic, I could hear the worry in their voices, but they tried to act supportive at least. I know they’re still worried about what Dominic does for a living, but I keep telling them that he’s just a casino owner, and after a very quiet year, I think they’re starting to buy it.
Everything is falling right into place, and I smile to myself as Dominic and I walk down the hallway into the living room. I didn’t bring much living room stuff from my house because Dominic did a great job of decorating it already. He has dark brown couches that work so well with the cherry wood floor and brick fireplace. His cherry wood coffee table rests on top of a red rug with gold designs running through it, and I just so happened to have two gold-plated lamps in my house, so we decided to put one on each of the cherry wood end tables. I placed half of my dishes and silverware into storage and brought the other half with me since Dominic was used to eating for one, and I even found a space for my bookshelf in the room that Dominic calls the office. It all worked out so perfect, and I know I’m going to be grinning like a kid on Christmas morning every time I take the private elevator up to my new home, because everything I wanted as a kid is coming true. I have my soulmate, and we live together. To ask for anything more would just be greedy.
“It’s so perfect, Dominic,” I say as I stand in the hallway and look into the living room. The three massive windows on the far wall give us the perfect view of the Arch and river reflecting the setting sun. It’s like a snapshot of heaven.
“Almost,” Dominic replies. “There’s something missing, I think.”
“Missing? Like what?”
“Well, to celebrate you being officially moved in, I had something special planned. I’ve got sort of a move-in present for you.”
“Aww, you didn’t have to do that, babe.”
“I know, but I wanted to do it.”
“Okay, so where is it?”
“It’s not here. We gotta take a cab to go get it.”
“A cab? Why don’t we just drive? Both of our cars are downstairs.”
“I know. Just trust me. Come on.”
Dominic grabs the black jacket that matches his slacks and heads for the elevator, forcing me to jog to catch up. He’s completely silent on the ride down, but has a tiny smile tugging at the sides of his mouth as we walk through the lobby and hop in a cab that was already waiting for us.
“I don’t understand why we’re taking a cab,” I say to him as we climb in, focusing my attention on the grin resting on his perfect lips. Dominic leans forward and whispers something into the ear of the cab driver, just before the old black man puts the car in gear and takes off. “Why all the whispering?” I ask.
“Oh, I whispered? I didn’t know I did that. Sorry.” He smiles again as he looks out the window.
“Well aren’t you Mr. Sneaky?” I say, giggling to myself. “What, now you can’t look at me? Dominic, where are we going?”
He turns to me, revealing a bright smile. “It’s a surprise. Just enjoy the buildup. I got this.”
I eyeball him suspiciously, but on the inside, I’m beaming. I love the spontaneity, so I’ll play along.
I let the driver take us to the middle of the city without saying a word. Traffic is horrible and I usually try to avoid coming down here if I can, but when the cab turns into a packed parking lot, I feel excited and confused all at once. My forehead probably has a thousand wrinkles in it when Dominic finally ends his forced stare out the window and makes eye contact with me.
“You ready?” he asks, as he gives the cab driver a twenty to cover our fifteen dollar fare, and places his finger on the door handle.
“Am I ready? Ready for what? Why are we at a car dealership?”
“Not just a car dealership. A Mercedes dealer. And we’re here so you can pick one.”
There really isn’t any other way to react except to stare blankly, so that’s what I do for about ten seconds, before my heart finally starts to beat again.
“Pick a Mercedes?” I ask in nearly a whisper.
Dominic answers like what he’s doing is no big deal at all. Just another day in the life of Don Collazo.
“Yeah, whichever one you want,” he says with a shrug.
My eyes bulge.
“Dominic, are you saying we’re here to buy me a Mercedes right now?” I feel like I already know the answer, but I just have to ask the question again because it can’t be real. But Dominic says yes with nothing more than a playful nod of his head and an adorable smile.
“But I already have a car.”
“Now you have two.”
“Oh my god!” I scream, leaning over and throwing my arms around him. “This is the move in present? You’re unbelievable!”
“Nah, you are, Alannah,” he answers. “Our life together is the most important thing in the world to me, and that’s something I never thought I’d say to anyone after you moved away all those years ago. But now that you’ve been here a while and you’ve moved in, and we have this life together, I want us to have the best life. I want us to have everything we ever dreamed of as kids. The most important thing is our love,
and since we know we’ll never be lacking in that department, I want us to have everything else too. It’s our world, Alannah. You and me. Yours and mine. So if we want something, we’re gonna get it, because the world belongs to us.”
I feel my heart speeding up like it’s in a race and my eyes starting to mist over. I don’t know how it’s possible that I met the love of my life at the age of eleven, but staring into his blue eyes right now, I know I’m the luckiest woman ever.
“I love you, Dominic,” I manage to say as I fight back tears and hug him again. The cab driver stares at us through his rearview mirror, but I close my eyes and ignore it.
“I love you. Now let’s go pick your car.”
I hop out of the cab like a kid about to go on a candy shopping spree, and I’m amazed at how beautiful these cars are. Every car on the lot is a Mercedes—SUV’s, sedans, roadsters, convertibles—you name it, they have it. The colors aren’t bright and flashy, but they don’t have to be when the body is this nice. I practically skip my way down one line of cars and turn to skip down the next when I see the one I know I want. It’s a shiny metallic white two-door with a sexy sleek body that hypnotizes me. I stop skipping and stare at it like it’s a beautiful painting in a gallery.
“Good choice,” I hear Dominic say from behind me.
I turn around to see him smiling, just before he turns on his heel and heads towards the entrance. While he’s inside, I do a complete walk-around of what has immediately become my dream car, admiring all of its beauty. The windows are already tinted, the rims are a shiny silver and black, but not the flashy chrome that I hate. I gaze through the window at the wood grain dashboard and black leather seats. I’ve never been so in awe of a car before, and by the time I’m finished doing my walk-around, I see Dominic walking towards me in step with a salesman. The salesman already has dealer license plates and keys in his hand, and I get excited about the idea of a test drive.
The goofy-looking salesman drops the keys in my hand and walks to the back of the car. “Congratulations,” he says with a broad, enthusiastic smile. A smile that is obviously thankful for the commission.
“Wait, what? You already bought it?” I ask, looking at Dominic.
“It’s yours,” he replies.
“But, I don’t even see a price. How much is this?”
“Asking price for a 2016 AMG S63 is $163, 150,” the salesman replies, grinning from ear to ear as he attaches the dealer plates. “But Mr. Collazo just bought it for one-fifty.”
“A hundred and fifty thousand dollars!” I yell by accident. “I didn’t know it was that much. Wait, Dominic, you do not have to buy this. I didn’t see the price, and I definitely didn’t know it could get that expensive. Oh my gosh!”
Dominic smiles again, completely nonchalant.
“Have you forgotten who I am?” he asks, playfully. “Let’s go. Take me for a ride in your new car.” He pops open the passenger door and climbs in just as the salesman thanks me and walks back inside. Just like that, the car is ours. It’s mine.
I try to get over my excitement as I drop into the driver’s seat, but the beauty of this car is too much. I take another minute to marvel at the interior, and then another to be astonished at the low rumble of the engine when I crank it up. I slowly press the gas and pull into traffic, laughing at how people are staring.
Dominic finds something soothing on the radio station, and we spend the next hour cruising through St. Louis. I thank Dominic about a million times before I realize it’s probably annoying him, and I drive with nowhere to go.
I flick on the white interior lights as the sun completes its descent. Even after over an hour, I still can’t believe Dominic bought me a one-hundred fifty-thousand dollar car like it was just another run of the mill purchase.
“Dominic, I know I’ve thanked you more times than I can count, but I just have to say it again,” I start, but he cuts me off.
“No, you don’t. You’re welcome, babe. Just enjoy it, and don’t let the bullshit with your job stress you. We’re happy together, and that’s all that matters. People can think what they want. Like I said earlier, the world is ours. So, turn your new toy around and take us home.”
“With pleasure,” I reply.
I hit my turn signal and turn us around at the first opportunity. Just as I get on the highway, Dominic’s phone starts ringing in his pocket. He doesn’t look happy when he sees the name on the display, and his mood immediately changes.
“Frankie,” he says when he answers, then he just listens. I can’t hear what Frankie is saying on the other end of the call, but I can tell it’s not making Dominic happy.
“Goddamn it. Alright,” is all Dominic says before hanging up. When I look at him, the smile he’d been carrying since we woke up this morning is completely gone.
“Is everything okay?” I inquire.
Dominic thinks on it for a second before answering, “Go to the Lumiere.”
“Okay, you’ll be okay to get home after I drop you off, or you want me to wait for you?”
“Don’t wait for me,” he answers, his mood completely reversed. “This shit is gonna require my full attention.”
Dominic
I pull the doors to the conference room apart and find Frankie, Tommy, Jimmy, Sal, and John all standing there waiting for me. Their immediate reaction seems to be relief from my arrival, as if they’ve encountered some sort of monster that only I can scare away. I’m already annoyed that I had to be pulled away from Alannah because of this bullshit, but seeing their anxious faces really irks me.
I fight back the urge to call them all pussies as I greet them with our customary hugs and walk over to the table, taking a seat in my red leather chair. After I’m seated, the rest of my roundtable of gangsters takes their seats as I light up the cigar that was already waiting for me in a marble ashtray. I light it up, blow out a white pillow of smoke towards the ceiling, and exhale.
“Okay, la mia famiglia, somebody tell me what the hell happened tonight,” I begin, resting my arms on the glass table.
Frankie clears his throat before speaking.
“We’ve got a problem, Dominic,” he starts. “Jimmy’s crew stopped the Big Vic truck on the highway tonight. The driver pulled a gun again, but they beat the shit out him and sent him running off, leaving his truck behind. When they opened up the trailer on the back, they saw it was a refrigerator truck full of boxes. Some of the boxes had frozen meat inside, and some of them held frozen money.”
“Frozen money.” I reply, unsure of if I’m asking a question of just restating the fact.
“Yeah,” Jimmy chimes in. “As it turns out, Big Vic’s is a meat packing place up in Chicago.”
When I hear the word Chicago, I feel the urge to rub my forehead from instant headache.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”
“Yeah. Like I said, we’ve got a problem, because Big Vic’s is owned by Victor Fronzo,” Frankie informs me, just like I was knew he would. I let out a loud sigh and let my head fall backwards onto the seat cushion.
So, here’s how this works. Everyone knows the Original Five Families in New York, but what most people don’t know is that La Cosa Nostra is everywhere. We’ve got families in California, Las Vegas, New Jersey, St. Louis, and of course, Chicago—and that isn’t even all of them. The Family in Chicago is called the Chicago Outfit, and in the rare occasion that the Commission gets together in New York, the entire Midwest is represented by the boss of the Chicago Outfit, Victor Fronzo.
Victor is seventy years old, and probably the most ruthless boss left in Our Thing. See, everyone else has been replaced by younger bosses, but not Victor. He’s managed to avoid trouble and jail time better than anyone in the history of La Cosa Nostra, and his family is the most loyal I’ve ever heard of. They do not go against Victor, and they will brutally murder anyone who disrespects his name. My father once told me a story about how Victor’s consigliere, Giovanni Cirillo, cut a guy’s dick off for getting d
runk and making a pass at Victor’s daughter. Under Victor’s orders, Giovanni cut the guy’s dick into ten pieces—he shoved one piece up the guy’s ass, placed one piece in each of his hands, and then shoved the rest into his mouth, all before he actually killed the guy by slitting his throat. Giovanni is just as ruthless as his boss, and together, they can be a huge fucking thorn in anybody’s side.
Victor Fronzo is old school, and he doesn’t like this new style Our Thing seems to have with the younger bosses. He’s the last of a dying breed, and crossing him means imminent death. The fact that he visits with the Commission face to face gives him a lot of swaying power when it comes to decisions the Commission makes. So basically, if you’re a made guy and Victor wants you dead, he’ll get the approval he needs from the Commission with no trouble at all. They back him up all the way, because he’s their bridge to the past. He’s their representative for how things used to be. If you have trouble with Victor Fronzo, you’re fucked.
I’ve never been afraid of another man, and I never will be, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take certain guys seriously. This isn’t some young micio from Russia trying to be his father. I’m smart enough to admit Victor and Giovanni are the real deal, so I have an instant headache because this is an instant problem that won’t go away on its own.
“Victor fucking Fronzo,” I exclaim, repeating the Chicago boss’s name to myself. “Well, you’re really on a roll, Jimmy.” The new capo doesn’t even look up at me, so I just roll past humiliating him. “Alright Frankie, call up Giovanni and arrange a sit-down.”
“You got it, Dominic.”
Dominic
“Okay, I don’t like this.”
“I know, but I gotta take care of this before it blows up.”
“But you said this Victor guy is the most ruthless boss you’ve ever known. Seeing as how you’ve been involved in this your entire life, I’d say that’s a pretty big deal, Dominic.”
I can hear the worry in Alannah’s voice, and I can definitely read the way it’s written all over her face. Even after a year in this life, I know she isn’t completely comfortable with everything that goes on, though she tries her best to act like she is. She knows nobody takes care of business better than me, but her love for me makes her worry. I love that she loves me that much, so I don’t try to tell her not to worry when I know she will anyway. My only goal is to show her that even though she worries, I almost come out unscathed.
