“Thank you, Vinny, I appreciate it.”
John speaks next. “So you know why we’re here then.” His expression is somber.
“Yes, how long have you known?” I look back and forth between the both of them.
Vinny speaks up. “Probably since just about the beginning. The contacts I reached out to when we first started discussing this project caught wind of the situation as soon as things got held up and as the other ‘relationships’ were being made.”
“I see,” I say wondering why it took me so long to find out.
Vinny continues. “We knew you’d find out on your own and would handle things so we didn’t want to interfere.” He pauses and looks over to his old friend John. “And maybe we were hoping that things would right themselves before it went too far.”
“The situation has been taken care of and things are moving forward. Now that you’re here, they’ll realize the entire situation and the attempt to sabotage it are exposed and stopped,” I reply.
“Yes, and I’m glad you made local connections on your own, they will be very useful to you, as you’ve already found out,” Vinny answers.
Christine knocks on the door and I get up to let her in with the tray of our three cups of espresso and sugar on the black lacquer tray.
“These look perfect. Marco has taught you well. You would make a fine wife for a good Italian boy,” Vinny says. Some things never change.
“Thank you, Mr. D’Angelo,” she answers, blushing then turns to me. “I spoke with Liana and Steve. They’ll be here as soon as they can.”
“Thank you, Christine, let me know when they get here before they come back, and close the door behind you when you go, please.”
She looks at me with a puzzled expression before saying, “Yes, sir,” and turns to leave, closing the door behind her as instructed.
I turn back to Vinny and John and ask, “The question is what do we do now?”
John sighs, sitting back in his chair, as Vinny answers. “This is an unusual situation. Normally, as you know, the person would already have been taken care of, but in this instance we’ve decided to wait until we speak to them directly before moving forward.”
I let out a deep sigh. This is what I’ve been dreading.
“I appreciate it being handled this way. I just can’t believe it’s actually come to this.” I can’t help but feel torn. I wanted to “take care” of this person myself but my personal feelings outweigh all of my anger.
“Well in the old days it wouldn’t have come this far but thank God things have changed a little.”
I fill them in as to the progress we were able to achieve even with the problems we had getting started and I show them the timeline Elizabeth prepared for me. It’s useful in getting Vinny and John up to date on the situation. I even tell them about the Bid On a Date function I’m doing and, God knows, I haven’t heard them laugh that hard in years, which is a good thing because we all need a good belly laugh.
The phone rings, breaking the light mood. “Yes?”
It’s Christine and I can tell she’s tense. “Liana’s here.”
“Excellent, have her wait to come in until Steve gets here. And don’t worry, sweetie, everything’s fine. Okay, Christine?”
“Ok, Marco.” She sounds a little less tense.
“Good girl.”
I look to the men sitting anxiously quiet across from me. “Steve’s not here yet.”
They each nod in understanding.
The minutes are beginning to drag by loudly.
My phone alerts me with a text from Elizabeth. I can’t help but smile as I read it and I’m relieved at the brightness it brings to a very bad moment. I don’t know how this is going to work out. The fate of the traitor is not up to me finally but up to these two men. And they did not become the well-respected powerful men they are by being nice and complacent.
Hi Sexy, was just thinking about you Elizabeth’s text reads.
Vinny asks, “Is that a girlfriend, Marco?”
I look up at him. “Yes, it is. We’ve been seeing each other about a month. She’s the one who prepared the timeline I showed you. Her name is Elizabeth DiStefano.”
He looks at me and the corner of his mouth turns up as his eyes uncharacteristically soften.
“A nice Italian girl, this will be the one you will marry, Marco. I know that look. I remember when I first had it, so many years ago.” The look in his eyes is one of nostalgia for long ago memories of a new love.
He’s just knocked the air out of me. Me, married? No fucking way! But even as I try to deny it the idea alone warms my heart. I push it aside not wanting to think about that now. I don’t want to fight with myself about the possibility that I could feel like that about Elizabeth, finally.
“I don’t know about that, Vinny, but she is an amazing woman.” I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face at the thought of her, picturing her face, her voice, her smile, her laugh, the way she smells and bites her lip when she gets nervous or turned on.
“Vinny knows. He gets that sight from his grandmother. She knew who all of us would marry as soon as she saw our faces. He should have been Cupid or something,” John states, testifying to Vinny’s words.
The absurdity of these two tough guys talking about marriage and Cupid and hearts and flowers is too much to resist and we all have another good laugh at the idea of Vinny dressed up in a red leotard with a bow and arrow and wings. Holy shit, that’s funny!
The phone rings again and we all stop, getting jerked back to what is going on and why we are all here.
“Yes?” I answer it again.
“Steve’s here now,” Christine states. I can tell she’s nervous again. She’s probably picking up on the tension in the air.
“Thank you, bring them both in together if you please, Christine.”
She lets out a little sigh before answering, “Okay.” She does not want to be a part of this. Even though she doesn’t know what ‘this’ is, she can feel something is going on.
The three of us sit and wait silently for the door to open. The few seconds seem to drag on forever.
There’s a light tap on the door before it opens, initially just a crack then it slowly opens all the way. Steve enters first, his jaw clenched tight and his brows pulled together above his eyes that are shooting back and forth from each of us. He steps to the side and allows Liana to come in from behind him. She of course has her nose up in the air and saunters in, daring anyone to confront her.
“Hi, Pop, good to see you,” Steve says to his father. “I didn’t know you were coming up. You should have called me, I am your son.”
John sets his glare on Steve warning him not to push it.
“Because you’re my son is why I’m here, Steven. For no one else would I have come for this.”
I see Steve’s nostrils flare. At least he has the common fucking sense to keep his mouth shut.
“Hello, Zio, you should have told me you were coming,” Says Liana to Vinny.
Vinny is Liana’s uncle, zio means uncle in Italian. She has always used this term of endearment to get what she wanted, almost to the extent of abusing the fortunate position she had nothing to do with.
“I love you, Liana, but you will not be receiving any special treatment from me; this you are well aware of,” Vinny warns her before he continues. “Now, sit, both of you. You know we have much to discuss.”
Vinny speaks with the mannerisms of the old times, not giving in to slang. His position as the head of our family is one that was established many generations ago, following his father as the head of the family before he came over on the boat and was dropped off at Ellis Island in the early 1900’s. We all sit and wait for him to begin, showing our respect.
“Now, Steven, why did you do it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Is he a complete fucking asshole? He did not just insult Vinny’s and his father’s intelligence by denying he bribed
a governor. His plan to get the local offices to stop my permits with a promise of large financial support to the governor during his re-election is now common knowledge. Steve also promised favors to him with some very strong political backing, connections he did not have. He’d attempted to use his father’s and Vinny’s power to persuade the officials to support the governor in order to gain control over my business and project.
John leans forward in his seat and speaks calmly, putting his hands together, “Steven, we’re going to ask you one more time, only once, and if you’re smart, you’ll tell us everything.” He sits back in his chair and takes a deep breath before continuing. It’s so quiet in here I can hear the fabric rubbing as we shift in our seats. “Why did you do it?”
John stares into his son’s eyes for a long moment before Steven opens his mouth. “Because this should have been my project. I’m your son. Marco’s not even blood and you offered him this opportunity, put him in charge of the first expansion. He doesn’t even have the business education. I’m the one with the certifications. How could you do this to me, Pop?”
I’m torn between wanting to destroy Steve, physically and professionally. If he was anybody else, I would already have done it. After he dragged his ass up from the beating I would have given him he would never be able to show his face again. The anguish, hurt and resentment pouring out of him is breaking my heart. I want to get up and leave the room, I feel so guilty. I feel as if I’m responsible for taking his opportunities away from him, that I punched him in the face and left him there to suffer. We’ve been friends for a long time, or at least I thought we were.
“Steven.” John is not an emotional man but his tone is endearing right now as he speaks to his son. “Yes, we offered Marco the opportunity to make this expansion happen. And he formed this company. We are involved, but minimally. This is all him. But you should have come to us and asked us what we had planned for you. Do you think we would not have done anything for you as well? And do not insult Marco by saying he’s not blood. He’s part of the family, just like Vinny and I are family. And what you did here, you did to the family. That cannot go by without being punished somehow.”
Steven’s expression has just become one of mortification. He knows what’s happened to those who have wronged the family in the past.
Vinny turns to me and asks, “How much did this cost the company, Marco?”
“Approximately $10,000,” I answer calmly. He asked me this earlier so I’ve calculated the fees due to delays and other incidentals.
Vinny turns Steven. “You will write a check to KMD Enterprises for $10,000 to correct the financial loss incurred. It hasn’t been decided what’s going to happen with you but for now, you’re coming back to Florida with us. Go home, pack your suitcases and be ready to leave. We’ll call you to let you know when the flight is. And don’t say a fucking word, Steven. You’re lucky you’re getting off this easy, and you know it. Now go. I’m so disappointed with you right now I can’t see straight. What you did to the family, you should be ASHAMED of yourself. And you made us look like fools up here with these politicians and the local rednecks, putting us against each other. How do you think we look in terms of strength as a company? As soon as we get into town you start fighting for power, fucking disgusting! Now go!” He bellows so loud, the door shakes.
Steven has the decency to look ashamed with his head bent and a flush on his pretty boy face. He stops at the door and turns to me. “I’m sorry, Marco,” he says quietly then turns to leave.
“Steve…” He’s my friend, I can’t help it. Never, never would I have imagined he would betray me like this. The pain I feel is deep.
I don’t know when I’ll see him again. What happened breaks my heart but it doesn’t break the bond I have with him. It goes too far back. Money, power and greed turn people into monsters, using and betraying the ones they love. It’s so sad.
Vinny turns to Liana who, unbelievably for once, has been sitting quietly.
“Liana.,” he says to her.
“Zio…”
“Thank you for calling me when you thought something was not quite right. Your keen senses never let you down. I’m grateful for your attentiveness. It does not go unnoticed.”
“Of course, Zio.”
I am shocked!
“You knew? When?” I ask Liana. I have no doubt the surprise is evident on my face.
“I had a feeling something was up. I overheard some conversations Steve had on the phone and something seemed off but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Sometimes being thought of as a bimbo can be used to your advantage. People think you’re stupid.”
The insinuation succeeds in making me feel like an asshole. Then something dawns on me.
“So every time you came into my office…” I let the sentence trail off as the realization comes together in my mind.
She picks it up. “Yep, I was checking to make sure Steven hadn’t gotten into any of your documents or hacked into your computer.” She looks relieved that everything is finally out.
“Holy shit, I can’t believe it. I’m sorry, Liana, if I’ve ever insulted you, I would never want to do that.” My apology is genuinely heartfelt.
“Marco, regardless of what you may think of me or feel about me, I would never do anything to jeopardize you or your business. But we can discuss that privately if you’d like,” she purrs at me, right in front of Vinny and John.
“Liana, behave yourself. Marco is taken, stop that,” Vinny chastises her.
“I know, Zio, but it’s so cute to aggravate him and watch him get all flustered.” So she’s been playing with me all of this time, that little pain in my ass.
John has been sitting quietly through this whole conversation until now. “Marco, you’re going to have to get a replacement for Steven immediately,” he points out. “Now that things are moving again, you need someone with experience to oversee what’s going on out on the project.”
“Yes, you’re right, John. I’ve already spoken to a friend of mine who does have experience and he agreed to help me out until a full-time replacement can be found.” I look back and forth between Vinny and John. “And if you have any other ideas or suggestions we can discuss it.”
“Liana, you can go now, my dear. As always it’s lovely to see you.” Vinny stands pulling Liana up with him and puts his arms around her.
“Thank you, Zio, give Mama and Papa a kiss for me, okay?” she says as she kisses both of his cheeks.
“Of course, my dear, and don’t make any plans for dinner, we’re all going out, even Marco’s girlfriend. Send Christine in on your way out.”
Vinny has a very elegant way of dismissing people. And I can’t help but think that Elizabeth is absolutely going to love this. She’s going to kick my ass.
Christine knocks tentatively at the door.
“Come in, Christine,” I call from behind my desk.
When she enters she looks at each of us and can tell that the air in here has cleared. Her posture immediately relaxes. It’s wonderful being able to read a woman, no matter who it is.
“Christine, make reservations for us for dinner tonight at…” Vinny turns to me for a restaurant.
“Circa 1922,” I interject and smile.
“At Circa 1922 for seven o’clock for, let me see…” He counts the number of people in his head. “Six people, okay?”
“Certainly, Mr. D’Angelo.” She even appears not to be as afraid of him now.
“And, Christine, call Elizabeth at work, the insurance agency, and let her know about the reservation and that I’m tied up in meetings with Vinny and John. Explain why I’m not calling her, please.” I know I have just appeared totally pussy-whipped in front of Vinny and John but I don’t care.
“Yes, Mr. Kastanopoulis, um, Marco.” She steps out smiling to herself. Even she thinks I’m a pussy. Shit.
Vinny and John look at each other.
“Yep, you are so fucked, Marco, better just cut your balls of now and hand
them over to Elizabeth in a nice little Tiffany’s box with a pretty ribbon wrapped around it,” John says busting the last nut I’ve got.
Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth
I’m a nervous wreck and have been since I received the phone call from Christine at work. She was babbling about two men arriving today, and Marco and these men are locked up in his office having a meeting, and how she doesn’t want to go back in there. And that I was having dinner with them tonight at seven at Circa 1922. If I didn’t understand anything else about that conversation I do know it’s good news because we’re eating at “our” restaurant and if it’s there, it’s got to be good.
After I hung up with Christine I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t want to call Marco because, obviously, he’s extremely tied up or he would have called me himself. He always calls me, and I don’t want to text him because I don’t want to distract him from whatever’s going on. So I decide to not worry about it, apparently everything is fine and he will either pick me up or if he’s not here by 6:45 then I’ll just meet them there.
It’s 6:15 and I’m trying to ignore my nervousness, fake it until you make it, and I’m faking being calm. When I’m alone, I tend to have elaborate conversations with myself, taking on both sides of an argument. The argument going on inside my head at the moment is about why Marco is throwing me in to a den full of lions tonight, two that I know of, without giving me any information about them. This is really quite unfair. It could be anyone really, like Brian and John or the councilman and another politician. There is no way of knowing without speaking to him. On the other hand, he wouldn’t knowingly put me in an uncomfortable situation without giving me fair warning, would he? I stand at the open door to my closet in a black bra and panties with my thumbnail sliding between my front teeth as I’m trying not to chew it, not really looking at anything, completely lost in my thoughts. Then I hear the front door click open.
“Baby?” Marco’s voice floats to me from the foyer.
“Thank God you’re here!”
My body instantly relaxes just knowing he’s here and I let out the air I guess I was holding.
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