Page 65 of La Dolce Vita

Lorenzo shrugged off the insult, but Armando could see the tick in his jaw that was the trigger to his temper.

"My cousin has had what some would call an epiphany. He doesn't understand why the world should not know that his wife is half Sicilian. That her father is Marsuvio Mancini, and that she is the heir to the Mancini fortune. He is done with games--especially games with his enemies."

"So, I'm an enemy?" Armando asked. "I wasn't an enemy when I found his fucking wife being raped and tortured by the China man!"

"You've never been a friend," Lorenzo said. "Eighty million buys you time. He'll never be silent for you."

"You come in here, into my home, and talk like we are equals. You aren't fit to lick piss off my boots. I'm Don Mancini. I'm everything you and your half-breed cousin will never be. This war between us, since we were boys, is all about jealousy. All you've ever wanted was to be me. To sit in this chair. To own Palermo. I will tell you now it will never happen!"

"This is business," Lorenzo said. "Maybe the other four Dons of Sicily will disagree?"

Armando slammed his fist on the desk. Lorenzo didn't move. Even if Ignacio, who hovered in the line of Lorenzo's vision, were stupid enough to draw his weapon, Lorenzo would gladly go out in a blaze of bullets to put one in Armando's ass. And Armando knew it.

"What about Isabella?" Armando asked.

"That matter is being handled," Lorenzo forced himself to say.

Armando's smile was slight, but Lorenzo caught it. He stared at Lorenzo, and in the silence, Lorenzo felt the cold chill of displaced triumph.

"You still play games, Lorenzo. Even with the cards, you were dealt in life," he said. "Second to your cousin, last to me, just like your father. A nothing. It is why your dick is hard for your wife? Not out of love or respect for her. But because of her tie to me, to all of this. What you will never have."

"Insult my wife again and your dog over there in the corner won't be able to stop me from cutting your fucking throat."

Ignacio stepped forward and pointed his gun at the back of Lorenzo's head. Mancini waved hisconsiglieredown. He seemed unbothered. And that on top of his words pissed Lorenzo off.

"Tell Giovanni fuck him, and fuck his games. I'm not one of the dogs ofCamorra. He challenges me; he challenges all of Sicily."

"Your funeral." Lorenzo stood and slid his hands into his pants pockets. Ignacio lowered the gun, but he kept it at his side.

"No, my friend. It will be yours," Armando said. "After I put the gun in Giovanni's hand. It'll be yours."

Lorenzo froze and frowned at the statement. Then being the one-sided idiot that he was, he missed the message and shrugged with his usual arrogance. "We are coming for what is ours. What your father said belonged to his daughters. You won't stop us."

"The other day I had a young man arrive looking for work." Armando removed a cigar from his cedar box and licked the stick. He cut his gaze up. "A boy no older than fifteen, hungry, said he's been doing odd jobs for just about five years to survive. Had a sister he wanted to protect as well. Said he was looking for help from my family. "

Lorenzo almost turned to leave, but something in the pitch of Armando's voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"So, this kid found his way to my father's garden where I was eating my dinner. He thinks he and I have a common enemy. Care to guess who?" Armando asked. Lorenzo didn't reply. "The poor soul. He and this sister of his are the last surviving Calderones."

"The Calderones are dead. Every one of them." Lorenzo said.

"This kid says differently. This kid says his family was slaughtered unjustly. That Giuseppe was framed. Unjustly. And that his mother was the only one wise enough to hide him and his sister. It's an interesting story. Being a generous man I took him in. Good thing I did. An enemy of yours is a friend of mine."

Lorenzo tipped his head at Armando and turned and walked out as his hands clenched tightly into fists.

Armando watched him leave until he disappeared from his sight. He smoked his cigar until Ignacio returned after seeing Lorenzo to the door. Armando rubbed his chin and tried to keep himself from giving the order to take Lorenzo down before he left the property.

"What's the next move, Boss?" Ignacio asked.

"That fucking half-breed bastard doesn't know gratitude. If it weren't for me his wife would be dead, or a slave to that China man!Bastardo!" he seethed. Ignacio stood silent, and Armando cut his eyes to him. "Catalina. Is she here?"

"Boss, let me send the message. If it's war, we should strike first. I'll put a bullet in Lorenzo and send his fucking balls in a box to Giovanni."

"No, no, that's too easy. I want him broken. I want them both on their knees." He extinguished his cigar "Have the car brought around. We'll send Giovanni a message, but first I want to see Catalina."

Ignacio smiled and walked out. Armando reached over and pulled out the drawer. He found the tape cassette. Holding it in his hand gave him so much spirit. He couldn't wait to play it for her.

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