Authors: S. W. Frank
They slumped to
the bed
and he held her lovingly in his arms.
Their breathing in rapid unison until it slowed and sleep came. In his dream state
,
sometime during the late hour, he said aloud
in his sleep
, “
El
amor
,
usted
es
más
que la esposa de
un
mafioso
,
usted
es el
corazón
y el alma!”
She’d heard his declaration in Spanish. The words wafted through her slumber and a smile of contentment settled on her lips. His words
were poetry,
lulling her to sleep, again with its own sweet melody. ‘Love, you are more than a mobster’s wife, you’re his heart and soul!’
CHAPTER
TWENTY
-
THREE
The natural charismatic grace in which he walked demanded attention. His tailored suit was refined, an expensive quality brand that only added to the visual appeal. The
blue eyes were unforgiving and cold. They held not one glimmer of doubt
. He was a different man
,
more mature, confident and wiser
.
He was primed,
one of their own and they were curious in what direction this Don sought to go.
They were all
t
here, ten of his top men, including Vincent, Lou and even Crazy Nicky. The only man missing was Nico. He’d gone into retirement and from his brother’s account was ‘happy humping exotic trees and drinking tropical sunsets.’ So, Alfonzo let him be, grateful his loyal friend and protector found his paradise.
The meeting room was
his private boathouse, not far from the estate, where the only entries were through the main grounds or by sea. Each
was
tightly secured, not only by manpower but also high-tech surveillance videos and sensors. He’d know if any were breached. Money did buy a man warning equipment, the rest was left in God’s hands, as his mother would say.
This morning his mood was foul, he’d received notice from the company’s legal department the Bronx contract
was rescinded in light of his brush with the law. He expected as much. The contract was going to another bidder,
Rajid
Sanduwar
.
A local New York contractor who often used substandard and cheap construction material.
He cut corners, building crap out in Queens and Brooklyn. Homes which he
later
sold for exorbitant amounts to his own Guyanese people and other immigrants searching for the elusive American dream.
On this project, Alfonzo would provide unauthorized oversight. He’
d
clamp down on the low-life, make sure he didn’t skimp on materials and
hire
qualified laborers. He was no longer playing by anyone’s
rules;
the bastards were going to dance to his
salsa beat
for a change!
The men were assembled, food, of course was provided thanks to Anita and her new helper, her niece Sonia. He’d given the woman too much power in his house. When she came to him demanding he hire the young woman, he thought to refuse until she spoke in their native language to remind him
of his obligation to assist those less fortunate. She also added, “Sonia has no criminal record,
she is
an unemployed mother of three, trustworthy, family
and mute
to the business of others.”
He took a day to think about it, actually, he had her thoroughly checked out, rechecked himself and what Anita said was true.
After Franky, anyone new to his home underwent an intensive background check. He would not suffer the sa
me betrayal more than once. There were not going to be any slip-ups, not ever!
He stood, hands in his pockets, relaxed and ready to get started. “Glad you all made it, let’s get to it.” He walked to
the center of the room, eyeing each man, looking for dissenters, finding none.
“Please sit.”
They sat.
He remained standing. His adrenalin
far
too high to do anything other than
walk
it off, an excited professor
with loads of material to cover in a forty-five minute course
. “The reason you’re here
is simple
. You worked for me once and were the best, most experienced, most loyal. I’m going to require those same skills going forward.” His eyes connected with each man, “
Retirement is not everything it’s cut-out to be, more hazardous to a man’s health then fucking working!”
The men laughed, many agreed.
“I’m ready to get to work, Don Alfonzo!” Crazy Nicky exclaimed.
A chorus of, “Hell yeah, let’s
do
it, I’m in!”
Vincent stood beside Alfonzo and recited the
Giacanti-
Diaz doctrine, “On the blood of your mother, your loyalty is bound...”
The men all stood
and o
nce again pledge
d
their allegiance. Afterward the oath of
Omertá
, the code of silence was taken. “And it is by death the penalty shall be.”
They repeated these words, kissed Alfonzo’s ring, not the Palazzo
c
rest, one less ostentatious,
and designed
by Alfonzo to represent a new order.
The rise of Don Alfonzo
Giacanti-Diaz
, a
direct descendant of Sergio Giacanti
.
The Giacanti
name would be
heard aloud and not whispered conspiratorially in shame, ever again. T
his he swore.
When they returned to their chairs, Alfonzo spoke
c
andidly, “Your business ventures are protected,
except
those
involved in the
distribution or supply of th
e drug
Anarchy
.
Any of you
have a
part
in
this menace
?
”
There were frowns, mumblings of disgust, even
the statement
,
“I have a teenage daughter,
and the
last thing I want is to be the man responsible for killing my own kid!”
Alfonzo was
glad
to hear they were not involved
because
secretly he planned to slit the throat of whoever raised their voice in assent.
Two of his cousins’ friends and an aspiring young man were dead because of the drug, a transgression he could not forgive.
“
I
must be explicit about my vision so we have no misunderstandings. In my business, the drug trade is off
limits. Leave it for those who can
’t see opportunity. Money is great, we all love it
but real
wealth lies in
freedom, how else can you enjoy
riches
?
I don’t want any
drugs on
any of
my propert
ies,
cars or in
your possession
. We keep our hands clean and minds alert.
You
’re
all familiar with the
se
large tech companies. We use them every day, like soap.
Nerdy
boys raking in billions of dollars
,
building profitable empires.
Their clout is in their legitimacy. They lobby with money. Well, here’s my vision. Technology is the
latest
drug of choice. It’s an addiction, every time a new gadget,
or
upgrade hits the market, people must have it, right?”
“Right!”
“Those billionaire boys haven’t
met us. Oh, we’re not going to do any old-fashion shake-downs. Uh-uh, we’re going to acquire controlling shares of these companies by panicking the market. Those guys on Wall Street, the self-important economist, speculators and analysts won’t be able to predict us coming.
We’re not stopping there, the Fortune 500 companies,
corrupt CEO’s robbing from workers, we’re bitch-slapping their asses then taking their purses.
”
Alfonzo left out the most crucial detail, not only were they going to infiltrate these companies, they were going to do the same in the political arena.
Once the mafia had people in the different branches of government, then their power would have no equal. The antiquated system and its racist politics
were going
to
change.
“About goddamn time we hit those bastards, every one of them!” Lou exclaimed, “They’re worse than thieves.”
“I’m fucking with you all the way. The penny ante shit is for the birds. Yeah, I make an okay living but it’s nothin
g compared to what those snot-nose kids are making from their social networking sites
and those guys up top getting multi-million dollar bonuses
they skimmed from real estate Ponzi schemes
. Nowhere close!”
“My kids can be set for life.”
“Exactly.”
Alfonzo let the
m talk. They were in. His mafia vision went far beyond the limited thinki
ng of his peers. To keep his family protected, he needed the influence of government.
As the
idea
marinated with the group, he broached a different
subject, family. “
My
wife
and
family
,
as your wives and families are to be treated with respect. I will not interfere in personal business, but do
n’t
bring shame to yourselves
or my name
and
operate with discretion. Keep your affairs and vices under the shadow of caution or you open the door to insurrection
and infiltration
.
Am I clear?
”