Page 13 of Inherting the Mafia

"We have a small branch in London, which is why you have a place there. We also have satellite offices in several of the Asian countries, some in Europe, and one in Los Angeles, although I would not suggest visiting that one as we are currently in a dispute with a cartel over there."

"A dispute over what?" Tony asked.

"Territory boundaries," I replied. "They want to sell their drugs in our territories. We've allowed it in the past, but they had to pay for the privilege. They no longer want to pay. They just want to take over the territory."

"Are we into drugs?"

"We don't manufacture them, but we do take a cut from those that do. The bulk of our money comes from shipping, which is why we have so many branch offices around the world."

"I know nothing about shipping and I'm horrible at geography."

I let out a small chuckle. "That's alright, Tony. You don't have to be. Most of what you will be doing is approving deals and making sure that the organization runs smoothly. You don't have to know all the ins and outs."

Tony shot me a look I didn't understand. "Do you know?"

"Yes, but I grew up in the organization. My father worked for yours before he passed away. I started at the bottom and worked my way up, learning everything along the way."

"How old were you when you started?"

"Ten," I replied. "Your father had a rule about no one starting in the business until they were at least ten years old. He wanted them to experience being a child before having to grow up."

Tony snorted and crossed his arms, looking out the passenger side window. "Maybe it was just me then."

"You what?" I asked.

"My father seemed so concerned with the welfare of everyone except me." The smile on Tony's face when he turned to look at me sent a shiver down my spine, but the sadness in his yes made me want to punch his father. "So, maybe it was just me. Maybe I was the only child he wasn't concerned with."

"I told you he sent money every month for your upkeep."

"Did he ever check to see if I was actually receiving that money? Or send one of his underlings to check? Because I can assure you, I never saw a penny."

I didn't have an answer for that.

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "I can only tell you about the man I grew up around. I can't comment on something that happened before I was there."

"And anyone that could is dead, right?"

"Uhm, that may not be true. My uncle was around during that time."

"Your uncle." Tony squinted for a moment. "He was my father's advisor, right?"

"He was," I admitted. "He's been your father'sconsiglierefor almost forty years, but they were friends before then."

"How is it he didn't die in the explosion? Or you?"

"Uncle Carmine had been away on business. He was on his way home to attend the wedding when his flight got delayed so he chartered a jet. I was sent to pick him up at the airport and get him to the wedding. The bomb went off before we arrived."

I still got sick to my stomach when I remembered the scene we had pulled up to twenty minutes after the bomb exploded. There had been carnage everywhere, blood and bodies and so much burning debris we'd had to dig through it to get to everyone.

"Why didn't he take one of the family jets?"

"They had all been put into use bringing family in for the wedding."

"Let's not celebrate like that again. I like breathing."

"As much as I'd like to tell you that there is no danger, there is. We still don't know who set the bomb. We're looking into it, and we have a few ideas, but no concrete proof."

"It wasn't the Borelli family was it?"

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