Salvatore Dalla

I had already decided that I would kill Carlota, but now it wouldn’t just be her end; it would be the end of her entire family. Every member of the Carbone family would be wiped out—none would remain to tell the tale.
"Did you find him?" I ask Fabrizio as I descend the stairs, joining him, Rico, and Amadeu, who is growling orders to his men on the phone.
"We didn’t need to look; he contacted us himself."
"What? Who does he think he is?" I shout angrily. "Where is he? Let’s go to him."
"Boss?" Fabrizio calls my attention.
"Speak, damn it. I need to get her back as soon as possible."
"He took her to one of the warehouses. He contacted the other capos and demanded a meeting with everyone present. He claims Amapola attacked Carlota unprovoked, and you know la famiglia protects its own; he wants her head. Death to traitors," he explains.
"Of course I know, Fabrizio. I know all the rules of our organization; you know better than anyone that I could recite them backward," I growl in his direction. "But mia moglie is also family, and we owe her protection as well," I conclude, exasperated.
"Yes, but you never claimed her." He throws the words back at me, and I know it’s true. "To everyone, she’s nothing more than your secretary; they’ll all side with him. We need a plan," he explains.
"The plan is: I will kill Carbone and his entire family, along with anyone who stands against me," I warn. "Rico, gather all the footage; if we have a traitor among us, it’s Carlota. She’s the one who came to my office and drugged me." I conclude my reasoning, and everyone follows me outside.
"Salvatore." I hear Angela’s voice calling me, and I turn to her. "Bring her back safely," she asks, clutching a rosary between her fingers, and I nod, confirming that I will bring her back or I won’t be called Salvatore Dalla Costa.


***



I see a line of cars in front of the warehouse where Carbone brought Amapola. My heart is racing, but I keep my eyes focused and glazed over; no one should know what I feel, and I’m good at hiding it.
Calmly, I buttoned my suit jacket and put on my sunglasses as I walked into the room, followed by my brothers and our soldiers. We were prepared for any situation, but I knew it wouldn’t come to that.
The sea of soldiers parted in front of me as I walked, and Amadeu hurried to open the heavy iron gate for me to enter. I scanned the room carefully, noting that all the capos were already present. Carbone had probably contacted them before he called us, perhaps even before he took Amapola.
An enormous table had been set up in the room, and everyone sitting around it stood as I arrived, except for Carbone. His daughter stood beside him, her face purple and swollen, clearly showing the damage Amapola had done.
I continued scanning the room and saw her in a corner, chained with her hands raised above her head. I signaled to Amadeu with a nod, and he headed toward Amapola. Two soldiers positioned themselves in front of her, blocking his way. Two shots later, they were lying on the ground, and Amadeu helped her sit in a chair.
My instinct was to run to her, embrace her, check if she was okay, and apologize, but in front of everyone, I needed to act like the boss I was. I hesitated when her eyes met mine; I noticed her swollen and split lip. They had hurt her, and I would make them pay doubly for it, but the emptiness in her eyes shook me to my core.
I continued walking slowly until I reached the head of the table, with Fabrizio and Rico taking their places beside me. One by one, the capos bowed to me, kissing my hand, and when I permitted it with a gesture, everyone sat down.
The rings we wore on our fingers, bearing the symbols of each of the families represented here, were raised for the oath of loyalty and honor to be recited by all, as was customary before each of our meetings.
"I swear, by the blood spilled on our land and in our initiation, to defend the family above all else with honor and integrity, giving my life if necessary for the good and safety of all," I make the oath first, and everyone follows.
"I swear, by the blood spilled on our land and in our initiation, to defend the family above all else with honor and integrity, giving my life if necessary for the good and safety of all," they chant next.
"So what brings us here?" I ask after a few moments of silence.
"Boss, your secretary," Carbone points to the corner where Amapola is. "Attacked my daughter." Carlota looks not only at me but at all the capos at the table, standing behind her father. "And since the blood of the family must be repaid with blood, I brought her here for justice to be served," she says, and I can see the rage bristling in her eyes.
"And to restore your honor, you needed to kill six of my soldiers?" I ask, the coldness in my voice slicing through the room.
"They didn’t hand over the bitch to me." I want to fly at her throat for calling her a whore, but I control myself.
"And they shouldn’t have; she was under my protection." A murmur begins to ripple around the table.
"How can you protect a nobody?" he says, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Amapola is more than a nobody; I think everyone is aware of the latest news," I state the obvious—"Don't pretend to be innocent."
"I won’t accept you choosing a whore when my daughter is the perfect wife for you. She’s not even part of the mafia." His eyes shoot daggers at me. "In any case, she touched Carlota; I demand her death."
Raised voices can be heard, mostly supporting Carbone's claims. Deep down, they would all prefer that I marry one of their daughters.