Page 126 of Assassin's Obsession

"I thought she wasn't coming for another week," Salvatore sets his fork down without putting the bite of ravioli on it into his mouth.

"I got intelligence flight plans were filed for Don Messino's jet to arrive in Boston yesterday. My mother and her husband are listed as passengers along with a detail of six men."

Miceli frowns. "That's a small security detail for the godfather's daughter and one of his favored dons."

"They may have other soldiers flying commercially," Big Sal says.

I agree. "Manifests for flights into Boston on the days before and morning of their flight are being checked against known members of the don's security force."

"Did she mention coming to Boston before traveling to New York?" Salvatore asks me.

"No." Which doesn't necessarily mean she and the don are there for nefarious purposes. "My mother does not share her plans with me. This is the first time in five years she's bothered to tell me she's coming to the States at all."

That does not mean her plans in Bostonaren'tnefarious either.

"Do you think the Lombardi is sympathetic to Don Messino's point of view?" Nerissa asks Miceli.

Miceli negotiated the peace agreement after the Lombardi's nephews were involved in unsanctioned actions against the Genovese Family while he was still Severu's underboss.

"Even if he is, he's smart enough to know that backing anyone but my brother in this altercation would be the downfall of his mafia."

Miceli is not talking out of his ass. The Lombardi mafia are heavily involved in politics. Backing a Sicilian play over a powerful ally in New York would be stupid. Unlike his nephews, the Boston don isn't that.

Big Sal frowns. "You talk like we're going to war. We haven't exhausted the option of diplomacy."

"We aren't going to war, but diplomacy only works when the other side respects you as an equal."

Whether or not, Don Messino sees Severu as his equal, my boss will never see the other godfather as anything but a hidebound fool.

Our plans don't include war though. That would put too many members of the American Cosa Nostra at risk. We'll take care of the problem subtly, but permanently.

Salvatore rubs his chin in thought. "Do we know who they might be visiting in Boston?"

"They both have known associates in the city," Severu replies.

His wife keeps records of the underworld and their connections that the FEDs and Interpol would cream their pants over having access to.

"Do we need to worry?" Big Sal asks with a frown.

He's not thrilled that the intel comes from Catalina. While he loves his nephew's wife, she plays a role he doesn't consider appropriate for a traditional mafia princess.

"They're not big players," I answer for my boss. "The likelihood is they will facilitate plans for my mother and her husband with strategic assets."

Severu steeples his hands. "Domenico's team is compiling a list of properties, weapons access, etc. in case they're gearing up for a violent attack on me."

"They have to know that would fail but would cost many lives. It would be a declaration of war." Big Sal shakes his head.

"Don Messino's arrogance makes him blind to reality sometimes." Severu looks at me pointedly. "He wants to oust me for the same reason he rejected Angelo as his uncle's successor."

"He thinks you're a psychopath too?" I ask drolly.

Severu shakes his head. "Your lack of empathy makes you impossible to control and he never understood your code of honor and loyalty."

"The old dinosaur knows he can't control my brother like he did Don Caruso," Miceli says with satisfaction.

"He didn't control him at the end," I point out.

Don Caruso backed Severu as his choice for the next godfather against my grandfather's wishes.

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