Page 68 of A Life Betrayed

Beyond Giovanni, Henri stood at the entrance gate, watching. The boss’s car idled in the parking lot, his driver waiting behind the wheel.

“He liked the stocks,” Giovanni said, holding up the newspaper, which was folded to the financial section. He stepped past Mathias to drop it on top of Tony’s grave. “Liked to play the market. He was a dumb old bastard sometimes. Never really knew what he was doing.” The boss laughed. “But that’s all of us, isn’t it? Dabbling in things we don’t fully understand.”

The remark hit upon something, disturbing a smattering of thoughts that moved too quickly to capture.

“Heard you pulled the pin with Truman.”

“As promised,” Mathias replied. “I was waiting to tie up a few loose ends, but now’s as good a time as any to tell you. I’m leaving.”

Giovanni made a small grunt of acknowledgment. “So, you finally came to your senses, then. And what—you’re here for the old man’s blessing?”

They both looked down at Tony’s grave.

“Collections is yours. Do what you want with it,” Mathias said. “Far be it for me to fight you on progress with things as they stand. Tony wouldn’t have liked it, but we’re beyond that now.”

“That’s the difference between you and Tony—he was happy where he was, but you, Mathias, could never seem to climb high enough. You were never quite satisfied with your lot.”

There’s more hands on this than you think.

Mathias’s blood went cold. The tip-off. If there was one person insidious enough to manipulate the federal police like a puppet on a string… He was a fool not to have seen it. But for some time now, he’d been sorely off his game.

“It was you.”

Their eyes met, and Mathias saw in them the cold steel of a giant with the power to move mountains and crush unsuspecting men beneath his feet.

Giovanni sighed. “I can’t fault you. It’s in your nature and—I’ll admit—was a very useful tool to have at my disposal. Until I realized it was only a matter of time before that ambition was used against me.”

“Why didn’t you—”

“Have you clipped?” The boss gave a low chuckle. “Where’s the fun in that? I saw what happened with Piero. I didn’t want to make the mistake of unleashing your particular brand of revenge if that failed.” He slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks and rocked back on his heels. “Besides, it’s a little uncouth for the boss to whack one of his own council, don’t you think? Wouldn’t exactly send the right message.”

“But enlisting the Feds to take me down—that hits the right note?” Mathias sneered. “And that bullshit with Collections… That was about covering your own ass. With me gone, there’s no one even remotely qualified to run the fucking thing, so you figured you’d outsource.”

Giovanni cocked his head and smiled. “See, this is why you made this difficult for me, Beauvais. Because I see myself in you. I admire your grit, your competence. You would’ve made a good boss—would’ve been my first pick, if we’re being honest. But I could never shake the suspicion that you’d take it from me with a knife to the back.”

Mathias had trouble recognizing the feeling that seized his chest, unsure why the boss’s words pierced him like they did. He was no stranger to treachery, but this was a man he admired and had never thought to deceive.

“I wouldn’t have taken it from you,” Mathias said, the words stripped down so only the truth remained.

“Who knows what our future selves are capable of?” Giovanni said. “But I’ve survived this long by anticipating danger before it comes. I couldn’t risk having you challenge me for the position. You can thank your second for the inside wire.”

Mathias reeled.Who else is in on this? Enzo, with his well-timed warning?Did I really think, after being blindsided once, it wouldn’t happen again?He remembered how he’d practically begged the boss to give him one last chance. The thought made him sick.

There was a flap of wings as a pigeon launched from the tree above their heads. Giovanni reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out his cigarettes. He offered the pack to Mathias, who refused to take it—an honor slighted. They stood before each other, no longer boss and subordinate but two men.

“You and the Quintino hatched this little plan?”

“The Quintino weren’t involved.” Giovanni placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. “This was personal, between you and me.”

“After everything I’ve done, you would let me rot in prison?”

“Or rot in the ground. It’s up to you. Those are the only options left if you’re not gone by tomorrow.”

Mathias’s mind skipped ahead, the runway he’d given himself immediately contracting. It was as though the walls around him were closing in. “And Truman?” he asked, buying himself time, his thoughts moving at lightning speed. “You put the heat on him to cover your tracks.”

“I did you a favor there, Mathias,” Giovanni replied, exhaling smoke through his teeth. “Look how quickly he turned on you. Glad you cleaned up that mess before I had to get involved.”

Mathias shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve done many things, Bianchi, but roll over on one of my own?”

---