Chapter Twenty
Salvatore
The image of Molly sleeping, one arm raised over her head, her breasts exposed, and a smile on her lips lingers in my mind as I drive to Franco’s house. I’ve begun to contemplate the inevitable. I’m going to have to take Franco down, and soon. Though I hadn’t planned on moving to destroy the Mariano’s for at least a year, I don’t have a choice anymore. I can’t allow Franco to get his claws any deeper into Molly than he already has. It will be risky striking this soon, while some people are still suspicious of me.
As I enter Beverly Hills, I fantasize about barging into Franco’s house, guns blazing. I could take out him, and as many goons as possible before I’m gunned down in a shower of bullets. It’s a tempting thought, but I’ll have to be patient. For now, I’m playing along.
I toss my keys to the valet and let myself in the front door. Franco’s hispanic housekeeper scurries into the lobby, a panic stricken look on her face. I’m sure Franco has instructed her not to let in any unauthorized visitors.
“Relax, I’m family,” I tell her, then saunter out to the atrium where Franco’s drinking coffee at a small, wrought iron table table.
“Good morning, Sal,” Franco says. “I didn’t hear you knock.”
“I didn’t,” I say, taking a seat across the table from him.
He smirks, then calls the housekeeper to bring me some coffee and a plate of toast. I refuse her offers of milk and sugar, and drink mine black.
“An exciting opportunity has come up,” Franco says, folding his hands on the table in front of him. “I’ve managed to connect with a supplier of illegal firearms down south. It should be a very lucrative business.”
“Guns, drugs, and pussy,” I say. “Always recession proof.”
“Exactly,” Franco says, pointing at me. “I like the way you think, Sal. You cut right through the bullshit, just like me. You understand what’s really important. That’s why I’ve chosen you to lead this racket.”
Jesus. This should be a dream come true for a soldier like me, to have a lucrative racket just fall into my lap, so I act like it.
“Uncle Franco,” I say, holding my hand to my heart. “I don’t know what to say.”
He beams at me proudly. “I know you’ll do a terrific job. Don’t forget, there’s lots of room for growth in your position. Impress me, and you’ll be rewarded.”
I watch him butter a piece of toast. He’s a slick bastard. I know what he means, and he doesn’t even have to say it. By making me think of it, it seems like my fault.
Room to grow. There’s only one position above me, capo. Franco wants to pit me against Snake. He’s planting the seeds now. The only question is, does my uncle know how many steps ahead of him I am?
Franco offers me a piece of toast, which I wave away. “So, we should discuss the nuts and bolts of this new operation,” Franco says. “I’ll need to put up a significant amount of capital to get things running, approximately two hundred thousand dollars. Of course, I’ll need to move large sums around without detection, so I’ll need the lovely Molly’s help.”
I feel my gun on my hip when he says her name. “How much will you donate?”
Franco shrugs. “Three hundred thousand.”
“Make if five hundred.”
Franco stops buttering his toast to glare at me.
“The more money that’s in the charity’s account, the easier it will be to move big chunks around,” I explain. “And since Molly’s taking a considerable risk for us, she should be more fairly compensated.”
Franco nods. “You make some good points. I’ll consider them. Kiss Molly for me, will you? And tell her I’ll be in touch very, very soon.”
I bid my uncle goodbye, then wait on his front steps while the valet gets my car. There’s a plan materializing in the back of my mind, and it’s giving me energy. If I can get rid of Franco after he donates the funds, then Molly will get to keep all the money. Maybe that will be enough to redeem myself for the lies I’ve told her. But if this is going to work, I need to start putting the pieces into place. And there are still details to be worked out, like, how I’ll exact my revenge on Snake. But I’m sure that will fall into place. Right now, I need an ally. I take out my cell phone and call Bruno.
“Yo, Beast. What are you doing right now? Let’s meet up.”
*
Bruno’s in the park on a bench where he’d said he’d be. I can see his huge shoulders and tall form from yards way. After walking casually down the trail like any other person, I act surprised when I see him.
“Yo, Sal,” Bruno says, standing up to shake my hand.
“I didn’t know you were here.”
This is all a ruse. In case one of Franco’s goons spots us, it’ll look like we just ran into each other. We didn’t plan this. We’re not discussing a mutiny.
“So, what’s up?” Bruno says when I sit down.
I shrug. “You tell me.”
“You’re the one that called me.”
“And you know why, don’t you?”
Bruno nods. “I think I do.”
I glance around the park, taking stock of who’s here. There’s a few joggers, a few dog walkers, and not much else. “You think we’re alone here?”
“Yeah. We’re good.”
“So, we know why we’re here,” I say. “What are we going to do about our little problem?”
Bruno tilts his head from side to side, cracking his neck. “I said we’re safe here, so let’s come right out and say it. I don’t want any confusion. How do we get rid of Franco?” He turns to me with an earnest expression on his testosterone sculpted face.
I plant my hand on his shoulder. “I like it, Beast.” I lean in a little closer to him. “We could hit him outside of Firenze, make it look like a drive by. Or sneak into his house one night. We’d have to disable the security system. It’s an extra step, but it can be done.”
He rounds his shoulders forward, his elbows on his knees, and shakes his head. “We can’t just take him out. This isn’t about one man. It’s about moving an entire group.”
“Sounds like that will take a lot of time.”
He sits up straight and stares into the distance. “We’ve got time.”
Shit. He might have time, but I don’t. And my purposes are revenge and saving Molly, not a regime change.
“Snake’s nowhere near close to turning away from Franco,” I ask. “What if he’s against us? He’ll have to go.”
“That’s why I want a few more on my side. Snake included.”
I scoff. “Good luck with that. You think Snake wants to risk his cushy position?”
“If I know you’re with me, I can start working on Snake,” Bruno says. “We all have to come together, you, me, Snake, Anthony. It’s the only way.”
I understand that Bruno wants to have to some happy family reunion, but he’s operating on the premise that he can trust Snake. He hasn’t learned the truth about our old friend like I have. Snake’s loyalty is to Franco. Not us.
“Listen, that sounds great,” I say. “I’d love to do this with the old crew. But Snake’s not ready, not yet. He’s still brainwashed into doing whatever Franco says. You go to him, and he’ll give us up.”
He shrugs his massive shoulders. “That’s hard for me to believe. Snake would never go against us-“
I shoot him a dark look, and he stops talking. I don’t even have to say it, that my dear friend Snake killed my father, and I can’t quite find it in my heart to trust him again.
“Snake will follow any order from Franco,” I say, calmly. I clench my teeth, tempted to suggest we take out Franco and Snake at the same time. But I’m not sure Bruno’s ready for that. In fact, I’m not sure Bruno can help me at all.
I stand up, patting him on the back. “Be patient, Beast. These things take time. And keep this to yourself for now. We’ll talk later.”