by Anna Widzisz
She took a new package of bandages and wrapped them around her hands as well as she could. Then she picked up a pair of boxing gloves, laying on the bench. She had no experience as far as her fighting skills were concerned. So Lynette didn’t exactly know how to throw a punch, but that didn’t matter. She pushed her hand forward clashing it heavily with the bag. An overwhelming feeling of relief went through her body. That was all the encouragement she needed to continue. Throwing hits made her satisfied, helped her forget about the marriage, her fight with Jason, the messages she got. The life she led. It was like a bad case of drama turned into a Mexican telenovela.
Time seemed to stop for her. Lynette didn’t feel any tiredness and her punches were still as strong as in the beginning. Heavy panting was the only sign of wasted energy. There was no precision in her moves. And she could care less about it.
Her cheeks were getting wet. Wiping them with the gloves, she saw that those were in fact tears rolling down her face. Emotions took over her body and her hands became too heavy to lift. Backing up a few steps, she felt a cold stone wall hit her back. She slid down using it as support and pulled her legs to her chin. Biting down on her lower lip, a metallic taste invaded her mouth. Blood. But that was the last thing on her mind right now. With all the willpower she could muster, she tried to hold back an unavoidable cry.
If there was something Lynette hated most, it was feeling weak and appearing this way to others. She wanted to be strong no matter what the mafia world made females look like. Just because she was a woman didn’t mean that she was born to be fragile. A far cry from it.
“Sco, are you alright?” She heard the concerned words of the Consigliere and a few seconds later she felt his arms slipping around her, drawing her closer to the warmth of his chest.
Without thinking she hid her face in the crook of his neck, focusing on the man’s voice. The strong, intense scent of his perfume enveloped her.
“I am sorry,” Lynette whispered as she pulled away after some time.
She didn’t regret her decision. Because it allowed her to pretend that she was normal. At least for a while. But the apology was real. Till now, Jason was the only one she never lied to.
The man nodded. “Go get dressed. That’s enough training for today,” he signaled, completely dismissing her apology as if he didn’t need it. He seemed to have forgiven her already.
After taking a quick shower, she came into the dining room where breakfast was being served. She was extremely hungry and not even the presence of Severo could make her leave the house right then. Her father was already sipping on coffee and reading his every-day newspaper. It was his kind of routine.
Putting an award-winning smile on her face, she came up behind him and kissed his cheek as if everything between them was as good as new. The Capo was clearly surprised by the gesture.
“Figlia, I have some news for you.”
Lynette braced herself for the worst. “On Monday, there will be an engagement dinner organized in our favorite Italian restaurant. I invited many important people: my captains, underbosses, and enforcers. Marco will arrive with his sons. I would appreciate it if you showed your best side and didn’t disappoint me.”
Nodding her head in agreement wasn’t something she wanted to do, but decided otherwise.
“However, your wedding will be finalized only after you graduate. Education is important.”
That meant that she still had two years to prepare herself emotionally for her new life.
Severo looked down at his watch and cleared his throat. “I’m leaving for South Dakota soon. I will be gone for two days. I upped security measures just in case. Diego will be here when you need to go somewhere. Jason is too busy to keep you company throughout the weekend.”
She loved that part of the information. It seemed like a dream come true whenever her father left for business. That Diego Micheli, Capo's tech-guy, was supposed to be guarding her wasn't a problem. The man barely talks.
She smiled. “I understand, padre.”
§ § §
“Is there a possibility you could talk to Falcone about the engagement?” Lynette asked Jason as soon as they left the house. The Consigliere wasn’t supposed to interfere in the arrangement, but she still held some semblance of hope that he could advise the Capo against going through with it. Carnovale seemed to be the only option left for her. The only way out.
Jason sighed loudly. “You know very well that I cannot question the decision of my Capo in front of others. It would make him look weak if a soldier didn’t openly agree with him. Sorry, Sco, but you’re on your own here. However, I would suggest that you leave it be. Your father isn’t a forgiving type of person, and he has only so much patience, even when it comes to you. Don’t test it.”
“Do you know anything about Noah?” She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man he was. She didn’t know anything about her future husband.
The man tightened his grip on the steering wheel. A fact which didn’t escape Lynette’s attention. “Tell me,” she pressured him. Might as well find out every horrible thing now before having to learn it as his wife.
“Marco Falcone is known for his cruel attitude towards his family. He trains his sons to be killers. They are said to be brutal. Or at least Noah is. He got initiated when he was only fifteen. That’s really young, as you know, for the mafia world.” He glanced at Lynette to see if she was listening. She was. “No one knows why Marco decided to do it so quickly. But it couldn’t be just a whim. And when it comes to Noah? A lot of people actually think that he is going to be an even more dangerous Capo than his father one day. But they respect him and it’s said that he already has a lot of followers. It wouldn’t be that hard to reach out for power even now. He could overthrow Marco.”
“So Marco can’t control his own men? That’s a sign of weakness if you ask me.”
Jason agreed. “Marco’s actions made him a lot of enemies throughout the years. Noah was a front-row spectator. He can learn well from his father’s mistakes. He rules over some businesses in Las Vegas on his own and has managed to change a lot of things. In our world, Made Men don’t need much to respect someone when they’re able to do what he does. However, I don’t mean only Marco’s soldiers. Rumor has it that Noah keeps in touch with an outside Famiglia. Don’t know which one. If that’s true, the kid has more power than he should.”
Lynette swallowed. She didn’t like what she was hearing. As much as the rumors in her school turned out to be fake more often than not, in the mafia world rumors were mostly based on true stories. Brutality was never something that Made Men wanted to hide. They were too proud of it.
“Why isn’t he taking over then?”
“I have no idea, Sco. It can just as well not be true. Marco doesn’t strike me as a person who shares. Even with his son. He would eliminate Noah if all I said was proven to be true. Nothing can question his position.”
“But Noah is still going to be a Capo one day. So why would he try to build his own connections with others on the side?”
“Being the oldest is not equal to becoming a Capo. Noah must prove to be a better option out of both of Marco’s sons. If you were a boy, you were to do the same. It’s a nasty and brutal way to live. Noah might as well hate his father, but he’s a man of honor and most likely respects the Capo’s power.”
That was enough for Lynette to form her own opinion of Noah Falcone. And it was far from being a good one.
“Those are just speculations, Sco. And when it comes to marriage Severo and Marco look at it and see an investment.”
Lynette snorted. “That’s how much I mean to my padre. A bloody investment.”
§ § §
The goal was to find Isaac Henderson. The boy who was known for helping students with illegal things; mostly giving fake IDs or fabricating their mid-term reports. It wasn’t public knowledge, so naturally all students know. Lynette too, but she had never needed his skills. Until now.
She knew exa
ctly where to find him. As an assistant of the IT teacher he spent most of his time in the biggest computer laboratory on the third floor. That’s where she was headed.
A dark-blond guy was sitting at the teacher’s desk looking at the computer screen. Having heard the door being closed, he looked up wide-eyed. He gripped the mouse tightly, clearly feeling nervous to be in an empty room with her. If Lynette were to guess, he would actually run out if only she wasn’t blocking his only way out.
“No one’s here beside me,” he mumbled.
“I can see that. I was looking for you,” she stated, coming up to the boy. She ignored his behavior. “There’s a problem I can’t quite solve and I hope you will be luckier with it. That is, of course, if you agree.”
Isaac swallowed not being able to look her in the eyes. “Depends on what it is about.”
The same fear that Lynette could see in everyone was reflected in Isaac too. And it was getting on her nerves. They were all the same.
“Fucking hell, I am not that scary!” she growled making him jump at the change in her tone. Great, now she’d given him more reasons to be scared. “I really need your help, Isaac.” Her voice returned to a gentle approach.
He nodded.
“I would like you to trace the phone of a person who’s been sending me messages from an unknown number. Whatever you can find. You will get two hundred dollars for the job. Are you in?” she asked, handing him her phone. There was nothing that could incriminate anyone on it so she didn’t feel anxious giving it to Isaac.
“Alright, but I will need to hold on to it for some time if I am to do anything,” he said.
“Sì, I realize that. But is it possible for you not to read the texts? I would highly appreciate it.”
“No problem. I don’t need it to do the job.”
Lynette sent him a full-on thankful smile and backed towards the door. As she gripped the door handle, she turned her head towards the boy once again. “Also, secrecy would be great.”
“That would be my preference, too. After all, it’s kind of illegal for me.”
She knew everything about illegal. He didn’t have to repeat himself. Having said goodbye, the girl went to the library to catch up on reading for the next class.
§ § §
For any Made Man to see a police officer was never a sign of anything good. And even though Lynette was far from being a soldier, she was a part of the Famiglia. She might not be the one involved with the illegal business, but she was as good as a criminal in the eyes of the outside world. So when two policemen came into the cafeteria in the middle of lunch, she held her breath hoping no one could see the blood drain from her face, leaving her as pale as a ghost.
The headmaster stood in the middle of the room getting the students to be quiet. After a few attempts, it finally worked.
“I’m sorry to disturb your lunch break but the police officers have something very important to tell you." he said with a long face. Whatever the information was, he already knew it, and it wasn’t good. He stepped back giving more space to the men. The taller one looked around, then cleared his throat.
“We regret to inform you that yesterday your friend, David Rodson, was declared missing.” The policeman sounded like a university rejection letter. “His parents haven’t heard from him in quite some time. So, if you have anything to say, know something that can help us find him or if he’s contacted you, please, feel free to come to the headmaster’s office. We will be there until the end of classes.”
The hope of having a calm day had been ruined by David’s disappearance. Lynette could feel many students’ eyes resting upon her. Stories of what went down during Spanish class filled their heads once again. They tried not to make it obvious but the girl knew better. She was too perceptive for her own good, and they didn’t hold back their suspicions very well. What was worse, the police officers could also see the reaction, and maybe even heard a few words accusing Lynette. They both looked at her and it was as clear as day that they knew exactly who the girl was. The Famiglia might have been a secret organization as far as the population of Seattle went, but the police knew more than that. They just didn’t have any proof or resources to actually take the matter of the mafia’s presence in their own hands. What’s more, Severo had many of them on his payroll, anyway.
When the policemen left, she looked at the table where Francisco was sitting with his friends. Both he and his sister looked terrified. And she could hardly be surprised. The situation they’d witnessed not long ago didn’t put Lynette in a good light. More guilty than not. However, she needed to come off as strong in front of all these students. That’s precisely why she returned to reading her book as if nothing had happened. She felt like she was trying to cut the Gordian knot but only managed to make it even tighter. There was a huge possibility that someone would go and tell on her.
And as she suspected, half an hour later, as classes were supposed to start, she was called to the headmaster’s office. It started pretty innocently. The police officers just asked her whether she knew David and basic things that they could ask every student and get the same answer. The boy never talked much to anyone but teachers and nothing seemed out of place when it came to his recent behavior. She didn’t say anything that could be of help in the investigation. Then, they moved on to a more intense line of questioning. Mentioned the Spanish class incident, letting the girl know that someone had, in fact, told on her. It got even more personal; they bombarded her with questions like when she spoke to David last, when she saw him last. Anything to get her caught up in a lie. But she was telling the truth all along. Selvaggio had never even exchanged a few words with the boy.
No one believed her, so when she got fed up with repeating the same answers over and over again, she insisted on calling her father. They shouldn’t have even questioned her without his presence, but they could probably get away with it since the headmaster was present as both an adult and also her guardian during school hours. The men were most certainly not on Severo's payroll.
It gave her more time to breathe while waiting for someone to come and end this stupid situation that she’d got herself into. The last thing she needed was to say something that could bring unwanted consequences to the Famiglia.
Looking out the window, she was thinking about these moments being her last ones in this school. Severo would sign her out and force her to be homeschooled the second he heard of the rumors. He would do anything to protect his daughter and especially his Famiglia. As a Capo that responsibility rested on his shoulders.
After twenty minutes, the office doors opened and Jason stepped inside with determination written all over his face. Lynette hadn’t expected him to show up. But it made her really happy. That meant her father had already left for South Dakota and knew nothing about the entire situation. Not yet at least.
Unless the Consigliere had called him. However, Lynette wouldn’t count on it. First, he would want to find out what it was all about.
“Jason Carnovale,” he introduced himself to the police officers. “Unfortunately, Mr. Selvaggio could not come because he is on a business trip. He sent me instead. What is this about?” he asked, going straight to the point so the men had no time to ask about his boss’s whereabouts, or whether he should actually be the one to act as the girl’s guardian.
He shouldn't.
There was no possibility for the police to ask Lynette any more questions. They knew who she was. Let alone to know about Jason and his position in the Famiglia. She didn’t manage to say anything because Carnovale talked instead of her every time they voiced a question. The whole meeting looked more like a tennis game; with Jason striking the ball to the opposite player as quickly and powerfully as he could. He didn’t let them drive the girl up the wall with the questioning, knowing exactly what to do. It wasn’t the first time he was talking to the cops. Because of it, they were out the door after a couple of minutes, pleased with having left the office.
Seattle, Washington
2015
It was a late night for Jason Carnovale. He’d tried negotiating with a senator the best way to take care of the elections. Famiglia was making a campaign for her so that their connection would last much longer. The woman needed money and support, and Capo was eager to have as much of the outside force on his side in Seattle as possible. So, after long hours of talking about politics, the Consigliere was too tired to do much else. He wanted to go back home and sleep.
The phone rang with a new message. His boss reminded him to come to his house tomorrow afternoon. They had many things to talk through before he was to pay a visit to one of the men that borrowed money from Selvaggio and was delaying giving them back. As generous as Severo was, he didn’t tolerate breaking the rules and one’s given word. In such cases people needed a brutal reminder of how he operated. Usually one of the enforcers would take care of this, but as it was a first strike, the Capo decided to give the man space for improvement. Jason was a good way of doing that. With the position of Consigliere it could only emphasize the importance of the deals that were made with Famiglia. Moreover, one look at him and people were more than eager to give everything back as to not find out how much damage could this one massively build man do.
That is why the next day Jason drove his car to the Selvaggio's house, sitting down with his boss to go over all the necessary arrangements.
”Have you found out something more about Mario?” the Capo asked.
Jason nodded, pulling out his phone and showing it to the man. There were phone billings and bank account statements lighting up on the screen.
”As you can see, everything is clean there. He is smart enough to hide laundered money from his account and not call anyone suspicious from his phone. However, not smart enough to tell his brother, Anderson, to do the fucking same. They are dealing with the fucking Triad.”
