Page 70 of A Touch of Fate

“Dante killed him even though he was set to become his Consigliere.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Why? Did he try to betray the Outfit?”

“Oh no. He was loyal to the bone and as sadistic as they come.”

I gave my father a look. We too held a certain sadistic streak, or we couldn’t do what our work required. Dad shook his head. “You don’t understand. He was sadistic to women too, and your mother was promised to him.”

“Oh,” I said, suddenly understanding. “And Dante saved her from that fate.”

“He did, and he convinced his old man to give your mother to me.”

“But that means Dante’s betrayal saved Mom and helped you too.”

“It did. I’ll forever be grateful for what he did. But you are my child, and I’ll always make sure you are protected, so I think it might be wise for you to learn more about Dante’s past.”

“Thanks, Dad. But I have no intention of bringing myself into another situation that requires blackmailing Dante.” I wasn’t even sure if that was still something I could blackmail him with. Dante’s power was solidified, and the Scuderis didn’t hold any power at the moment.

We got out of the car and entered the vast building through the steel door. Inside the hall was split into different areas, one for martial arts and box fights, one for knife technique, and one for shooting, though that one was separated by noise barriers. Then there was an area off to the side where recruits would be submitted to light torture to test their endurance. This was where a recruit failed on occasion.

Most boys gathering in the hall for their evaluation today were fifteen or sixteen, but I caught sight of a few who looked a bit younger. Sometimes poor families of Italian descent hoped to earn money that way, but they didn’t know what price they had to pay first for money to start rolling in.

A hush fell over the boys and our soldiers as my father and I strode through the hall toward the back of the hall, where lockers and benches were situated. There wasn’t a privacy screen, and the three boys about to change out of their day clothes looked intimidated as my father and I stopped beside them.

I gave them a nod. Then I shrugged out of my jacket and unbuttoned my shirt. Of course, I could feel many of the boys throw me curious glances as I undressed down to my briefs. My body was littered with scars, and I made sure I was ripped. Dad did the same routinely. He too carried the scars of a man his position accumulated over the years. When I was dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants, I headed toward Geno and two more soldiers who would help with the testing today.

I shook their hands, then motioned to the knife fight area. “I’ll start with the knife skills.”

“I’ll focus on shooting and questioning,” Father said.

“Will you join the questioning later too?” Geno asked me.

“Of course. But first, I’d like to get my heart rate up with some fighting.”

Geno chuckled. “Torture doesn’t have that effect on you after a while.”

“No,” I agreed.

I moved toward the mats where the knife fights were about to take place. There were also a few puppets to see the throwing technique of the boys. But I would get them tired before they could prove their aim. It was harder to hit a target if you were out of breath.

I noticed a tall boy whose face reminded me of Greco Senior, especially the square jaw. Unlike the other boys, he was by himself. He noticed my gaze and straightened. I motioned for him to come closer.

With a swallow I could see from afar, he pushed away from the wall and strode toward me under the scrutiny of his peers. “Fiorentino?” I asked louder than I usually would. I wasn’t sure how well he could hear me despite his hearing aids, and it was loud in the hall.

He nodded and gave me a hesitant smile.

“Why are you here?”

“To become a part of the Outfit,” he said without missing a beat, straightening even more. His speech was slightly off, but I had no trouble understanding him.

“I’ll test your fight skills first.”

He reached for his hearing aid.

“What are you doing?”

He flushed. “I want to take it off for the fight.”

I shook my head. “If this was a real fight, you’d need your hearing as an additional help against the enemy.”

---