and he’d been going back to him and reporting my comings and goings.” I paused, giving them time to absorb what I was saying. “Study the remains. Take a picture. Create a drawing. I don’t give a fuck. Just make sure each one of you understands what will happen to you if you dare betray me or the Benetti name.”
I really wasn’t telling them anything they didn’t already know. This was just an official recap of the rules and expectations. However, I had to add the newest and most important development.
“Also, I’d like to make something clear, gentlemen. And this is something that will be a no-tolerance item. There will be no exceptions. No grace for explanations or excuses.” I stepped forward until I was standing direction over Sensio’s body. “Now, you might think Sensio’s only crime was his personal betrayal of me, but you’re wrong. He was kept alive and tortured for days, not because he broke my confidentiality, but because he placed his greed and ambitions above the safety of my wife.” I glanced around slowly making sure I made eye contact with every man in the room. “Remy Benetti, Francesca Fiore, and Roberta Mancini will be held in the highest regard by every member and associate of the Benetti Organization. One disrespectful word, one narrowing glance, one fucking sneeze their way and what you see at my feet will be the least of your worries. I will skin you alive and make your families watch.” I walked back to the head of the circle, so I could look out at them all. “Am I understood?” I got curt nods all the way around. “Any loyalty or respect you withhold from them, you withhold from us.”
Sal stepped forward and surprised me with an edict of his own. “The same will be said for mine and Leonardo’s wives when the time comes.” It was in these rare moments when I thought maybe Salvatore wasn’t a complete sociopath, but I knew deep down he was.
We went on to discuss business and operations as they were because nothing much was going to change. Titles shifted, but that was about it. I’d been running this shit for years already. No one in this room doubted my abilities. The only thing new was my decree about the girls and Ciro and Phoenix’s new roles meshing with their current ones.
Two hours later, Ciro, Phoenix, and I were back at The Diamond, having a drink and toasting to the new Benetti Reign. I had wanted Sal and Leo here, but we knew, moving forward, me and Sal would have to meet in secret if we couldn’t handle something by phone. Even though Leo had the respect of the entire organization, everyone knew, in order for us to reign supreme, me or Sal needed to be at the helm of the family. I needed to get Remy pregnant sooner, rather than later.
I had every faith that Ciro or Phoenix would stand by Leo if something were to happen to me or Sal, but if our children could marry, that’d be better. And the more I thought about it, the more I needed to talk to Francesca and Robbie and make sure they give us some girls. Ciro and Phoenix’s daughters marrying mine, Sal’s, and Leo’s sons would solve all my problems.
“I still find it hard to believe he blew his brains out,” Phoenix remarked. “He always seemed like too much of a narcissist to pull that off.”
He was wrong. “He was,” I agreed. “What other crime boss would think he could get away with fucking a cop if he wasn’t a narcissist?”
Ciro was at his desk, leaning back in his chair, a tumbler of scotch in his hands. “He knew there’s no way he’d be allowed to live. Who knows what the fuck he’s been telling that woman all these years.”
Phoenix was sitting in one of the audience chairs in front of the desk. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “She’s been taken care of.”
The day after we buried Giovanni, Marjorie Conti was paid a visit by Sal and a couple of his men. It was deemed a suicide because it had been. They spent hours with her, putting mental images into her head of what they would do to her family if she didn’t put a bullet in her brain. It had a sort of poetic symmetry since it was the way Gio went out, but I couldn’t feel bad for the woman. She had been a