“Of course.” He leaned forward and opened the door and motioned for me to climb in. “You have a good evening, and please get that taillight taken care of.”
“Will do, officer.” The driver rolled up his window and got back on the road, all the while muttering about how these young officers were on a power trip.
I used the towel Oscar had pulled from the trunk and dried my wet hair. We’d been pulled over before, but this time it definitely felt odd. It had to be more than just the broken taillight. Maybe they were looking for someone, and they were just pulling over random people. Either way, I wasn’t impressed that I was now dripping wet on my way to dinner.
“At the end of the day, gentlemen,” I looked up at their serious expressions, “the Coppolas and the Capris are after the same three things. Money, land, and oil. Label me what you want, but I am the best move you’ve got right now.”
“We’re impressed.” Pippo, the oldest of the three, nodded at his two brothers with satisfaction. They all sat in chairs on a little platform in front of me. Apparently, this room was where they conducted most of their business. “You’re a quick study, Alessia.” I bit my tongue as I wanted to correct him on my name, but I knew better.
“Thank you.”
“I have one last question.” Lotto, the youngest, waved a hand to get my attention. “Why, after all these years, would you want to be in the seat of power after you’ve expressed your disgust with the Capri family?”
I took a moment to answer him. “The Capri family rules with compassion and reserve, and while that seems to work for them, I don’t think it gets the best results. I believe fear is the best way to rule an empire. If you show weakness, it can be used against you. The Capris’ weakness was right at the core of their foundation. Proof of that would be letting me live right in their midst.” I paused, letting the drama of what I’d said linger in the air. “Without even knowing who I was, I was able to come into their home, their very lives. I was able to learn their ways, how they think, even overhear what moves they plan to make. I’ve seen their books, I know how much money they have, and who plays what roles. Like it or not, I was partly raised as a Capri since I was child. Well, perhaps I didn’t actually live there, but I spent a lot of time there.”
The men all were nodding, but no one attempted to speak, so I continued.
“I had my own protector, you see, and he just so happened to be their ownconsigliere. I’m still trying to understand how or why I was taken from this life, from my own family, but I’m back, and I come bearing the gift of knowledge of your enemy.”
I leaned back and straightened my shoulders. Still, not one of them spoke, so I tried another tactic. “I understand why you’d hesitate to trust me, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to show my loyalty to my father.” I looked up at the ceiling when, in reality, I should be looking down at hell. “If you give me a chance, I want to prove my loyalty to the family, to the people, and most of all to you.”
That was the longest monologue I’d ever had to remember.
“Willing to do whatever it takes?” Betto, who had remained silent until this point, lifted a skeptical eyebrow at me.
“I understand that having a female Donna isn’t something you’re ready for, and I respect that.” I wanted to roll my eyes at the three sexist old men in front of me. “All I ask is that you let me marry someone of my own choosing and let us run the seat as equals. But I’d need a little time to get to know them first. I mean, I think we can all agree arranged marriages haven’t boded well for this family.” I watched their faces and decided to add, “I will not have my son taken away from me the way I was taken from my father.”
A blanket of silence fell over the room, then they huddled their gray heads together and began to whisper in hoarse voices. I was sure they were thinking ‘just get her to marry, and we can push her into the background and let the man rule.’ Normally, that would have made me fight harder, but since I knew this was one big lie anyway, I pushed that thought away. After a bit, I wasn’t sure what to do as their whispered conversation continued, so I entwined my fingers in front of me and waited patiently. I wouldn’t back down on this, and they needed to see that.
“I think that’s a fair offer.” Pippo nodded his approval. “Brothers?” Betto and Lotto both nodded their agreement, and I fought the urge to smile with pride. I knew I needed to win these three over, and with Nonna Rosa out dealing with Stefano, this was my time to make my move with them. It was the reason I had stayed holed up in my room all the previous day while Ugo taught me everything he could about the Coppola way so I could have this meeting.
“So, do I have your support to work with Stefano?”
“Yes.” Pippo nodded.
“Then in that case,” I took a step forward, “I hope by my standing here today and agreeing to do everything you ask, I have gained a little of your respect?” I looked at the three of them, one by one, starting with the youngest brother, Lotto.
“What are you getting at?” Betto seemed the most curious.
Here we go…
“I know Stefano stepped in when my uncle passed, and I’m sorry I never had the pleasure to know him either. But I’d like to think the Coppolas would never make a deal trafficking Libyan girls while keeping the Qawi family in the dark. I understand we’ve had a rather rocky relationship with them after what happened last year. Isn’t it a bit soon to be playing with fire?”
“Explain where this is coming from.” Pippo’s bark nearly made me jump out of my skin, but I didn’t react.
“You asked me to educate myself on the family’s connections, and when I did, this stood out the most. Qawi is one of our biggest allies in the southeast. I can’t imagine they’d be okay with hearing that Stefano has our men grabbing girls off their streets, then planting them in Capri’s export containers to framethemfor trafficking.”
“What the Qawi’s don’t know won’t hurt them.” Lotto waved me off. I got the feeling he didn’t believe me.
“This is the first I’ve heard of this.” Pippo held up a hand to Lotto. “Little brother, we can’t risk another falling out with them. They already threatened to cut us out last year and deal directly with our American connections.” He then looked at me. “Stefano made this move?”
“Yes, sir.” I spoke clear and crisp. “They may not find out what happened, but from what I understand, a girl they kidnapped has gone missing. It would only take her making one deal with the police, and Qawi will look tousfor answers.”
“They’d be too scared to flip.”
“Are you sure about that?” I held Pippo’s piercing gaze as he tried to call my bluff.
“Here’s the thing, my uncles. I want to learn the family business from the inside out, so when I marry, my husband and I will work together to protect and grow the family name, income, and land. If we have any chance of taking down the Capris, then I need to have the best teacher there is. Is Stefano the best person to teach me, or is there someone else?”