you think she never married?” I asked Uncle Carlo, turning away from the window and walking toward him. “She’s a beautiful woman and I couldn’t have been the only one to take notice. She’s got Gypsy eyes, and my father used to say a Gypsy could steal your heart, soul, and wallet all in the same day.”
“She’s powerful and deadly,” Uncle Carlo said. “Most men shit their pants when they come across somebody like that. They can’t handle the heat that comes with having her by their side. Toss in the drop-dead looks and for many guys a dream woman like Angela becomes a nightmare.”
“Did you expect me to marry her?” I asked. “Would it have made it easier if we combined the families?”
Uncle Carlo took a deep breath. “You married who you were meant to be with,” he said. “What it means for me doesn’t matter. Not now, not then. I’ve never been one for arranged marriages. More often than not, they’re more trouble than they’re worth—easy as hell to get into, tough as shit to get out of. You and me have both been lucky and unlucky with the women we married. Lucky we found somebody we were crazy about and unlucky in that we lost both before their time.”
I stared at my uncle. “I need her to go against Raza,” I said. “There are other ways in, but she’s the best option. She can get the information we need about his operation and then help me burn it to the ground.”
“Let me talk to Jannetti,” Uncle Carlo said. “He might be open to the notion of the two of you working together more than he might have been back a year or two.”
“What makes you say that?”
Uncle Carlo shrugged. “You’re single now. He might figure to play that card again. See if it comes up aces. Meantime, you get your ass on a plane and go see the Strega.”
“It’s a business deal,” I said. “Nothing more.”
Uncle Carlo shrugged. “Either way, she’ll be good for you. Help get your mind straight and keep you on your game. And you can leave with no worries about Jack. Between me and Jimmy, we got him covered at every base.”
I leaned over and kissed my uncle on the cheek and started to walk out of the room. “You know how she got that name?” I asked, turning back to face him, hand on the doorknob.
“She made sure everyone heard,” Uncle Carlo said. “Invited half a dozen rival crime bosses over for a sit-down. She had a feast prepared, from baked clams to pasta with artichokes to steak pizziaola. And they ate it up like they were just let out of the state pen, every one of them.”
“And they all died, right there at that table,” I said, shaking my head, still amazed by the story. “Rat poison. Angela sitting at the head, sipping red wine, watching them drop one at a time. Overnight, with one meal, she helped her father take over the streets of Naples.”
Uncle Carlo smiled. “Do yourself a favor when you’re over there, would you?” he asked.
“What?”
“Eat alone,” Uncle Carlo said. “You’ll live longer.”
Chapter 14
Paris, France
Raza and Vladimir sat with their backs to a setting sun, each holding a bottle of mineral water. They ignored the noise of the early evening traffic, the blared horns, the shouts from frustrated drivers.
“This should be the only time you and I meet,” the Russian said. “It’s how I conduct business.”
“You’ve never done business with me,” Raza said, his voice cool. “I like to know who my partners are before I complete a mission.”
Vladimir gazed at Raza. He was impressed by the young man’s confidence and manner but put off by his disrespect. Someone like Raza lacked the skill needed to reach the heights of the Russian syndicate. He might be a rising young power in terrorist circles, but in the bare-knuckle world of international organized crime he would be a low-end operator at best, a hired hand and nothing more.
Vladimir had gone over Raza’s background with care, paying close attention to how he planned and
“She’s powerful and deadly,” Uncle Carlo said. “Most men shit their pants when they come across somebody like that. They can’t handle the heat that comes with having her by their side. Toss in the drop-dead looks and for many guys a dream woman like Angela becomes a nightmare.”
“Did you expect me to marry her?” I asked. “Would it have made it easier if we combined the families?”
Uncle Carlo took a deep breath. “You married who you were meant to be with,” he said. “What it means for me doesn’t matter. Not now, not then. I’ve never been one for arranged marriages. More often than not, they’re more trouble than they’re worth—easy as hell to get into, tough as shit to get out of. You and me have both been lucky and unlucky with the women we married. Lucky we found somebody we were crazy about and unlucky in that we lost both before their time.”
I stared at my uncle. “I need her to go against Raza,” I said. “There are other ways in, but she’s the best option. She can get the information we need about his operation and then help me burn it to the ground.”
“Let me talk to Jannetti,” Uncle Carlo said. “He might be open to the notion of the two of you working together more than he might have been back a year or two.”
“What makes you say that?”
Uncle Carlo shrugged. “You’re single now. He might figure to play that card again. See if it comes up aces. Meantime, you get your ass on a plane and go see the Strega.”
“It’s a business deal,” I said. “Nothing more.”
Uncle Carlo shrugged. “Either way, she’ll be good for you. Help get your mind straight and keep you on your game. And you can leave with no worries about Jack. Between me and Jimmy, we got him covered at every base.”
I leaned over and kissed my uncle on the cheek and started to walk out of the room. “You know how she got that name?” I asked, turning back to face him, hand on the doorknob.
“She made sure everyone heard,” Uncle Carlo said. “Invited half a dozen rival crime bosses over for a sit-down. She had a feast prepared, from baked clams to pasta with artichokes to steak pizziaola. And they ate it up like they were just let out of the state pen, every one of them.”
“And they all died, right there at that table,” I said, shaking my head, still amazed by the story. “Rat poison. Angela sitting at the head, sipping red wine, watching them drop one at a time. Overnight, with one meal, she helped her father take over the streets of Naples.”
Uncle Carlo smiled. “Do yourself a favor when you’re over there, would you?” he asked.
“What?”
“Eat alone,” Uncle Carlo said. “You’ll live longer.”
Chapter 14
Paris, France
Raza and Vladimir sat with their backs to a setting sun, each holding a bottle of mineral water. They ignored the noise of the early evening traffic, the blared horns, the shouts from frustrated drivers.
“This should be the only time you and I meet,” the Russian said. “It’s how I conduct business.”
“You’ve never done business with me,” Raza said, his voice cool. “I like to know who my partners are before I complete a mission.”
Vladimir gazed at Raza. He was impressed by the young man’s confidence and manner but put off by his disrespect. Someone like Raza lacked the skill needed to reach the heights of the Russian syndicate. He might be a rising young power in terrorist circles, but in the bare-knuckle world of international organized crime he would be a low-end operator at best, a hired hand and nothing more.
Vladimir had gone over Raza’s background with care, paying close attention to how he planned and
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