Page 134 of Roberto

Lau smiled. “I decided to be delicate in case anyone was listening in.”

I assumed by ‘anyone’ he meant Hong Kong law enforcement.

I turned back to Xi. “For 25 years, my father headed up our family business. Eight months ago, he died of what my brothers and Ithoughtwere natural causes.

“Now we’ve discovered that my uncle – who was my father’s right-hand man for those same 25 years – had him poisoned. We discovered the truth three weeks ago, shortly before my uncle tried to have two of my brothers assassinated.

“My family is at war, gentlemen. You’ve undoubtedly experienced similar situations in your long careers. Perhaps not with family members, but certainly with rivals. As a result, I’m sure you can appreciate one fact: war is expensive.

“Unfortunately, when my uncle moved against us, he also attacked us financially, embezzling over 25 million euros worth of funds. I need the money I invested with the Syndicate so my family can fight my uncle and win.

“I assure you, this is nothing more than a temporary measure. My family and Iwantto continue our business arrangement with the Syndicate. When we reinvest – if you allow us to – we would be more than willing to accept any new terms that are more advantageous to you.”

The Yakuza boss spoke next. Gota’s English was slightly more accented than Xi’s, but still excellent.

“You areCosa Nostra,yes?” he asked with that unnerving smile.

“Yes.”

“TheCosa Nostrais from Sicily, an island off the coast of Italy, yes?”

“Correct.”

“It is my understanding that Sicilians are greatly feared in the Italian underworld.”

“They have a certain reputation, yes.”

“Yet you are from Florence.”

“Just outside Florence, in the countryside of Tuscany.”

I had no idea where Gota was going with this, but I needed his vote, so I did my best to humor him.

“How is it that a Sicilian criminal organization is in Tuscany?” Gota asked.

“The Italian government has tried to wipe out theCosa Nostrafor many years.They began a purge starting in the 1980s that continued through the next decade.

“Long before the purge started, certain families in theCosa Nostrasaw the writing on the wall. They knew what was coming, so they spread to other parts of Italy – much the same way theCosa Nostrawent to the United States in the early 20thcentury – and secretly worked to gain control over the major cities.

“My grandfather came over from Sicily and established a base of operations in Tuscany. From there, he expanded our family’s organization into Florence. When he died, he passed control to my father. My family is just one of many, all originally from Sicily, that control different parts of Italy.”

“So your grandfather was Sicilian,” Gota said.

“Correct.”

“I am assuming your father was Sicilian?”

“Yes.”

“And your uncle – he is Sicilian, as well?”

“He is.”

“AreyouSicilian?”

“I’m half-Sicilian. My mother was from Florence.”

“Florence was the city of the Medicis, was it not? A banking family?”

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