She opens it and her eyes grow wide as she looks through it. I’m worried she’s going to throw up her dinner.
“He does . . . this?”
“That, and more. I refuse to take part in human trafficking. He started that years ago, but we didn’t want the heat. We were sharing the docks at the time. It ended up nasty, with each side killing a son of the don at the time.”
“Your dad?”
“His brother, my uncle.”
“And one of my dad’s brothers?”
“Yes.”
She sets the file aside.
“So, this thing with me is to even the score?”
“Somewhat, but more importantly, I’m trying to get use of the docks. I need them as our most productive port was taken out by last year’s earthquake. So, we went over your family history, looking for a weakness to exploit. Your dad has a thing for young women and a history of being unfaithful. I knew there had to be illegitimate kids somewhere.”
“Me.”
“Yes, maybe others, I don’t know, but you have to understand he is a real psycho and he’s not above killing his own kids if he needs to. In our world, family makes one weak, which is why I’ll never marry, never have a girlfriend.”
“Weak?” she sounds confused.
“Yes. It’s not like the old days when family members were off-limits. This world is rough. You’d never fit in.”
“My mother? Where is she?”
“She disappeared. Her name was Isabella Gambini, and she was a member of a rival mafia family back then that has all but disappeared these days. There’s no trace of her. But that’s the name we were given that led us to you.”
“Then, why didn’t my dad look for me?”
“Maybe he tried. He’s been married over thirty years, but he has a new mistress every week. Just, please promise me you’ll never trust anything that comes out of his mouth.”
“Okay.” But I can tell they’re just words. A young woman like her, with so little real-world experience, can’t possibly know what it’s like to deal with men like him.
“You say that, but you need to keep telling yourself that you can’t trust him. Everything out of his mouth is a lie, all of his business partners end up either dead, or in prison, or broke.”
“Then why do you want to do business with him?”
“It’s not the same thing. We run our shit through the same port, so we’re like two ships crossing in the night. That’s how it used to be, and these days, we Italians have to stick together as there are so many new factions and upstart gangs out there. It’s in our best interests that we not go after each other.”
“Hmm.” Her demure face is sullen. Suddenly, she looks up.
“Do you think he’d hurt me?”
“Yes,” I reply promptly, and the answer makes her jump off the desk.
“He would?”
“Oh, of course, that’s what I’m saying, he’s not to be trusted. Look out.”
“What about you? What if he knew about us?”
“Let’s just say it wouldn’t be good. So, behave, Juliet.” His deep voice serves as a warning.
“You screwed me over for your own gains,” she accuses me flatly.