Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Only you would get into this situation.”
He gave a shrug. “Right place, right time.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“When you come back to Taormina.”
He stared at me blankly for a couple seconds like he didn’t understand. “I’m not coming back, Con.”
The finality of his words struck me like a blow to the stomach. “What?”
“I originally came here because I knew you didn’t want to see my face. Wanted to stay out of your way. Didn’t want to make family dinners awkward for everyone. But I’ve been with Cosa Nostra for a couple months now, and I like it.”
“It’s the Mafia, Edric.”
“I know, I know. But it’s not like what you see in the movies. I mean, sure, it can be. But I like the guys, and I like the work. I like being a part of it.”
“Until you piss someone off and get a bullet in your skull.”
He gave a slight shake of his head. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s not like that. They’re good guys, as crazy as that sounds.”
“It sounds crazy because it is crazy.” I should have listened to Ma and come sooner. Now Edric was mixed up in bullshit that would get him killed.
“Look, it’s nice to do something different from working in a kitchen all day. It’s nice to be respected. It’s nice to get paid well. It’s nice not to smell like tomato sauce all the time. And the women . . .” He shoved his closed fist into his mouth. “Goddamn . . .”
“There are beautiful women in Taormina.”
“Sure, but Cosa Nostra has their own women . . .”
“What does that mean?”
“Like how a famous band has groupies? Well, they have their own groupies.”
“Edric, you’ve never had a problem getting laid.”
“I know, but these women are unbelievable. You need to see them to understand.”
“Edric, trust me, you don’t want to get mixed up with these guys—”
“Trust me, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My brother was at it again, chasing something shiny and new that he’d regret later.
“You used to talk about leaving Sicily. Traveling to Rome and Paris. Seeing the world. Doing something different from slaving away in a kitchen all day,” he said.
“Yeah, but that was before—” Before I fell in love.
“You gave up on those dreams because you chose to settle down. But now that you and Isabella are done, maybe you should reconsider what to do with your life. Because I know making arancini isn’t your calling.”
“And stealing from people and killing people is yours?” I asked incredulously.
“Whoa, you’ve got it all wrong.” He held up both of his hands like he wanted me to back up. “Cosa Nostra kills people—but only people who deserve it. They aren’t out killing people for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And we don’t steal from people. Well, except the government . . . because we ain’t paying taxes. We just run our business the way we want without an audit or interference. Pay off people who get in the way. Bribe people to look the other way. Infiltrate businesses to do our bidding. And if someone tries to infringe on our territory or compete with our businesses, then we might kill them.”
He talked like he was one of them. He was already that deep in this cult. “Ma will never let you stay here.”
“What’s she gonna do?” he asked as he threw his arms up. “Fight my boss?”
“Yeah, she might,” I said seriously.
He chuckled. “Honestly, Ma would be perfect in Cosa Nostra. That woman doesn’t flinch.”
“You can’t really see a long-term future with these guys.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“You’re going to want to do this when you’re married with a family?”
“Why not? A lot of the guys have wives and kids. And who knows if I’ll ever clean up my act enough to settle down. I’m not going to base my decisions for today on a future version of me I may never know.”
“And what if you want to leave? They’ll kill you.”
He released a loud laugh. “Another thing from the movies that’s just not true.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he said. “Come down with me and let me show you around.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“Why not?” he asked. “Come on, aren’t you just a little bit curious?”
All I could do was stare because I couldn’t honestly say I wasn’t curious.
He grinned. “Knew it.”
Prologue III
Constantine
Edric drove me to an enormous villa behind an iron gate. No one was out front, monitored instead by a series of cameras, but once the gates opened and we made it inside, we saw the militia of armed men in the courtyard. All carried rifles and shotguns, smoking cigars as they leaned against the cars and waited for their shifts to finish.
I’d never been around guns before, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me.