Joseph closed his eyes and leaned against his highback leather chair.
The reality of what he had just agreed to hit him hard across the chest.
In essence, he had just consented to clipping his best friend's son should
the young man step out of line which invariably Joseph knew he would. From
the very beginning, that was something that Joseph had desperately tried to
avoid. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how elated his own son
would be by such news. Jason wanted Anthony Malucci irradiated from the
equation for years now, and it appeared that inevitably he would be getting
his wish. Joseph was almost certain there would be no controlling Anthony.
The high hopes for such control that Rocco had placed with Joseph were
misguided at best.
Joseph stood up and made his way across the room in search of a stiff drink. The past forty-eight hours had been filled with far too many factors beyond his control and it all had started so many years before with another man's son who had never been Joseph's to command in the first place. Anthony had been a live wire for as long as Joseph could recall and what he once attributed to the zealous behavior of youth, Joseph knew now to be just plain ignorance. He watched his reflection in the mirror as he downed one drink after another seeking solace in the crystal clear liquid. What irony, Joseph thought as the image sneered back at him. He was doing the very same thing that he had chastised Jason for doing on so many occasions. But again Joseph filled his glass and paced the room no longer wishing to stare at the man taunting him from the mirror. Taunting him with ideas that up until now had never once even entered the realm of possibility.
Joseph let his fingers trace the outline of Jason's face contained in one of the many family photos that adorned the mantle. Joseph questioned all that he once knew about himself. Was he really any different than Elizabeth's father? Hadn't he done the very same thing in putting his own needs and wants above those of his son's? Once AJ had made his intentions clear that he wanted nothing to do with the life his father offered him, Joseph headed full throttle toward the remaining heir of the Morgan family and never looked back. He had plunged Jason headlong into every aspect of the business. At first he began by training him in the legitimate ends of their organization. Jason was quick with figures and knew just how to turn a profit for Morgan Enterprises. He still did to this very day. Once satisfied that Jason could hold his own in the board room, Joseph decided it was then time to introduce Jason to all the remaining players on the other side of their very private game. The rest had fallen into place just as Joseph imagined that it would, but now he had his doubts – doubts that were fueled by Jason's angry words.
"I have nothing except for an engineered life. One that was engineered without so much as a thought of what I might want or not want."
The words 'engineered life' stuck in Joseph's head. Had he really done that? Had he 'engineered' Jason's life without even realizing that he was doing it? Joseph's eyes wandered to the wedding photo of AJ and Courtney as his mind drifted to the child she was carrying. Another Morgan heir would soon arrive. Joseph smiled at that thought but Jason's angered voice again infiltrated his joy.
"You, brother, were offered a life that included a wife, children, a joyful existence. This life wasn't good enough for you but it was fine for me! What about a wife and children – how will I ever be able to have those things?"
Suddenly Joseph found himself questioning everything about his life. The notion that Jason felt unable to have all the things he wanted left Joseph breathless. His intention wasn't to wall Jason off from love. He had never intended for his son to feel that love wasn't a part of the world in which they lived.
"How can I in good conscience bring anyone into this impending war?"
Impending war – Joseph mulled over that term. In his life he had seen many turf wars. However, if it hadn't been for Cassandra and her way of grounding him when he needed it most, Joseph wouldn't be where he was today. That thought alone had Joseph baffled as to why Jason believed that love and family weren't part of the package. All his life Jason had been able to watch a mother and father who loved one another and their children. Never once had the tainted world of the Mafia ever touched the walls of their house in such a way that would have led Jason to believe that such and existence wasn't possible.
Joseph swallowed the last traces of the vodka that lay in the bottom of his glass. The voices just beyond the door caught his attention. Leaving the empty glass on his desk Joseph crossed the room and made his way to the open space of the foyer. There stood Elizabeth Malucci. She was indeed beautiful. It was easy for Joseph to see why Jason found her so attractive yet deep within him Joseph knew there was more to the attraction. For Rocco Malucci to care enough about her welfare that he would offer up his own son in exchange for Elizabeth's safety, she had to be more than just a pretty face. Joseph also couldn't deny that Elizabeth brought a sparkle to Jason's eye, a sparkle that his father had never seen before.
It had been an hour since his conversation with Joseph had ended; yet Rocco hadn't been able to remove his hand from the phone. It was as if not letting go of the object would somehow make the conversation not entirely over. Rocco knew very well that he had just given the Morgan family the final nail they needed in sealing Anthony's coffin. The mere idea of that caused Rocco to shudder. How had he gotten to this place? A place where he would turn on his own son in such a way that would end his life. Yet Rocco knew the answer all too well. He had seen it done time and time again. He had been party to many an execution, hits ordered by one family member against another. When he was a part of it, it had all made perfect sense to him but now Rocco questioned a rule he had always thought that he had understood. Family or not, that didn't guarantee any member a free ride. Those who got sloppy or in one way or another brought danger to the organization as a whole – they needed to be dealt with – either by mock execution or silenced. Rocco was certain that the second one of the two would be the only way to deal with his son. Anthony was far too full of himself for a mere whipping to scare him into following the rules. Rocco heard the door in the front hall close. He braced himself for another run in with Anthony but to his surprise Elizabeth came into the room.
"Rocco?" she questioned taking notice of the pained expression on his face.
"Yes?"
"Are you all right? You look pale. Are you in pain? Do you need your medication?" Elizabeth fired off the questions so fast that Rocco didn't even have time to form the words to answer her.
"I'm fine. You needn't worry about me." Rocco gently stroked her outstretched hand. "So, how did your meeting go? Did you and Emily iron out most of the details for the benefit?"
"Yes we did. The last thing to be done is booking the band that will play for the after party."
"A band?" Rocco arched his brow.
"Yes a band," Elizabeth countered playfully.
"Sounds to me like you and Emily plan to shake things up a bit."
"You could say that. She had a great idea to do a Mardi Gras theme. I think that it will be much better than all of the stuffy benefits that we have attended over the years."
"Very true," Rocco concurred. "I'm glad to see that you have embraced this event. It's nice to see you smiling again."
"It's nice to have something to smile about," Elizabeth said. There was double meaning to her statement. "I'm going to grab a quick shower before dinner. You are sure you don't need anything?" she questioned him.
"No – no I am fine. Actually it would appear we will be alone for dinner this evening. Would you mind escorting a doddering old man to dinner at the country club?"
"Doddering old man, my foot! I would be proud to be escorted by such a gentleman." Elizabeth leaned in and kissed Rocco gently on the cheek before making her swift exit.
He looked on until she was merely an image in his mind and finally came to understand that as distasteful as his conversation with Joseph had been, the event was necessary. The only way to ensure that Elizabeth was to continue smiling was to make sure that Anthony was no longer part of the picture. He pulled a gold watch, which had been his father's, from his pocket. He opened the shiny object to reveal a picture of a much younger version of himself and his sister Anna. "I am sorry," he said speaking to Anna's face. "I couldn't – didn't help you then but I can help Elizabeth now. One day I hope that you can forgive me, so maybe I can forgive myself," Rocco whispered as he closed the watch slowly.
Anthony looked down at his wrist again his anger building with each second that ticked off on the watch's face. Waiting around in some seedy dockside bar hadn't been his idea; it had been Reggie's. Anthony pushed his empty beer bottle to the front of the bar to indicate that he required another. He took a long swig of the icy cold liquid and rested his eyes on the swinging door.
"Do you think we could sit somewhere other than the bar?" Reggie asked when he finally made his appearance. The man's eyes darted to the many patrons that were far too close within ear shot for Reggie's liking.
"What the fuck do you want?!" Anthony barked when the pair had come to sit at a table in the far rear of the room.
"I don't know about this assignment," Reggie stuttered. "We're talking about the Morgan family here."
"Excuse me?!?" Anthony brought his hand to his ear and leaned closer to his associate who was noticeably trembling. "I didn't catch that....."
"Another beer?" A waitress' voice interrupted them as she reached for Anthony's half empty bottle that rested on the dirty table.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!" Anthony's voice cut through the noise that filled the bar.
"I just thought...." the young woman began. "Ooowww," she squealed as Anthony's grip on her arm tightened.
"What? You don't understand fucking English – or has too much bleached fried your freakin' brain? GET OUTTA HERE!!"
Reggie watched the petite blonde's face wrench in pain as Anthony further twisted her arm behind her back. "Tony," Reggie started as the young waitress pleaded for help with her eyes.
"YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!" Anthony narrowed his eyes when he turned to stare at the other man at his table.
"Okay mister I get the hint. You don't want another beer. I get it." The young woman took the opportunity to wiggle out of Anthony's grasp as he turned his attention to his friend. She wasted no time in making her way back to the bar, in fact you practically ran. If he hadn't been so pissed Anthony might have even laughed at the fear he had brought to the girl's face, but the only think that he could focus on at the moment was the idea that Reggie was looking for a way to back out of his deal.
Reggie eyed Anthony carefully weighing what he should say next or if he should say nothing at all. The little scene he had just watched added to the sick feeling he had had in the pit of his stomach ever since the day he had accepted the leather satchel full of money.
"DON'T YOU EVER FUCKIN' MOUTH OFF TO ME IN PUBLIC AGAIN!!!" Anthony bellowed as he tossed a half-empty bowl of nuts in Reggie's direction.
"You were breakin' her freakin' arm Tony," Reggie said before he could stop the words from falling out of his mouth.
"WHAT!?!?" Reggie's obvious lack of respect for the power sitting before him fueled Anthony's anger. "YOU WANTIN' TO MESS WITH ME OVER SOME FUCKIN' BLONDE BIMBO!?!? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"
"No, "Reggie answered as he stopped himself from countering with 'but do you?'
"Good answer!"
Reggie looked on as he polished off the remnants of his beer and wondered what had Anthony wound tighter than a top. He knew it was only a barmaid, but she was a woman. While Reggie wasn't a "made man" yet, he knew the rules. There were always boundaries regarding women and children. That fact added to the papers Reggie had neatly tucked into his leather jacket had him wondering if Anthony wasn't a few shy of a full deck.
"So what's the problem with your little assignment?" Anthony asked. "If you don't go and screw it up, it will be the biggest hit the Morgan family has ever felt." A sadistic smile filled Anthony's face as a clear vision of each one of his plans for the Morgans took center stage in his mind.
"EXACTLY!" Reggie countered exasperated by how Anthony did not grasp the concept of all out Mafia war.
"What's you fucking problem? You took the god-damned money! Just do the freakin' job! It's a cake walk – easiest 200 G's you'll ever make."
"What if something goes wrong? What if it's not such a 'cake walk'?!?" Reggie mocked. "It'll be me they come looking for, not you!"
"With 200 G's I think you should be able to disappear nicely." Anthony sneered.
"Disappear huh?" Reggie countered as he could almost see the wheels in Anthony's head turn.
"Yeah, to some nice tropical island where your only worry will be which naked girl to fuck next!" Anthony cackled.
Reggie joined Anthony in his laugh, but he wasn't so sure that he'd be sitting on some beach. More than likely, he'd be in a body bag courtesy of Joseph and Jason Morgan. "You sure there's no way that anything can go wrong? We are talking about messing with women here. I'm as good as dead if....."
"AND IF YOU DON'T DO IT YOU'RE DEAD!! Anthony clenched his jaw as his breath came out in long hard bursts. "So don't go thinking you can switch sides or anything – cause there won't be a damn place you could hide from me that I couldn't find you and when I did you would have wished that the Morgans had killed you!"
Reggie swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "I ain't switching sides, Tony!"
"You damn well better not. GET OUTTA HERE!! Don't you have work to do?"
"Yeah – yeah I do."
Anthony raised his hand in the air summonsing another bottle of beer as he watched Reggie exited the bar. Up until now Reggie had always been a loyal soldier, but Anthony couldn't take the chance that Reggie's fear of the Morgan family wouldn't convert him into a turncoat. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed up a little insurance. "Ralphie – I have a job for you. Grab Albert and keep a close eye – I mean a very close eye on our dear friend Reggie. I don't care about the fucking trucks....," Anthony said angered that another one of his men had decided to question him that evening. "You just make sure that Reggie remembers whose team he plays for. Got it?!?"
"Got it boss." Anthony heard Ralphie answer him. Anthony tipped his beer to his lips again and thought about how everything would all be his soon enough.
Joseph stood up and made his way across the room in search of a stiff drink. The past forty-eight hours had been filled with far too many factors beyond his control and it all had started so many years before with another man's son who had never been Joseph's to command in the first place. Anthony had been a live wire for as long as Joseph could recall and what he once attributed to the zealous behavior of youth, Joseph knew now to be just plain ignorance. He watched his reflection in the mirror as he downed one drink after another seeking solace in the crystal clear liquid. What irony, Joseph thought as the image sneered back at him. He was doing the very same thing that he had chastised Jason for doing on so many occasions. But again Joseph filled his glass and paced the room no longer wishing to stare at the man taunting him from the mirror. Taunting him with ideas that up until now had never once even entered the realm of possibility.
Joseph let his fingers trace the outline of Jason's face contained in one of the many family photos that adorned the mantle. Joseph questioned all that he once knew about himself. Was he really any different than Elizabeth's father? Hadn't he done the very same thing in putting his own needs and wants above those of his son's? Once AJ had made his intentions clear that he wanted nothing to do with the life his father offered him, Joseph headed full throttle toward the remaining heir of the Morgan family and never looked back. He had plunged Jason headlong into every aspect of the business. At first he began by training him in the legitimate ends of their organization. Jason was quick with figures and knew just how to turn a profit for Morgan Enterprises. He still did to this very day. Once satisfied that Jason could hold his own in the board room, Joseph decided it was then time to introduce Jason to all the remaining players on the other side of their very private game. The rest had fallen into place just as Joseph imagined that it would, but now he had his doubts – doubts that were fueled by Jason's angry words.
"I have nothing except for an engineered life. One that was engineered without so much as a thought of what I might want or not want."
The words 'engineered life' stuck in Joseph's head. Had he really done that? Had he 'engineered' Jason's life without even realizing that he was doing it? Joseph's eyes wandered to the wedding photo of AJ and Courtney as his mind drifted to the child she was carrying. Another Morgan heir would soon arrive. Joseph smiled at that thought but Jason's angered voice again infiltrated his joy.
"You, brother, were offered a life that included a wife, children, a joyful existence. This life wasn't good enough for you but it was fine for me! What about a wife and children – how will I ever be able to have those things?"
Suddenly Joseph found himself questioning everything about his life. The notion that Jason felt unable to have all the things he wanted left Joseph breathless. His intention wasn't to wall Jason off from love. He had never intended for his son to feel that love wasn't a part of the world in which they lived.
"How can I in good conscience bring anyone into this impending war?"
Impending war – Joseph mulled over that term. In his life he had seen many turf wars. However, if it hadn't been for Cassandra and her way of grounding him when he needed it most, Joseph wouldn't be where he was today. That thought alone had Joseph baffled as to why Jason believed that love and family weren't part of the package. All his life Jason had been able to watch a mother and father who loved one another and their children. Never once had the tainted world of the Mafia ever touched the walls of their house in such a way that would have led Jason to believe that such and existence wasn't possible.
Joseph swallowed the last traces of the vodka that lay in the bottom of his glass. The voices just beyond the door caught his attention. Leaving the empty glass on his desk Joseph crossed the room and made his way to the open space of the foyer. There stood Elizabeth Malucci. She was indeed beautiful. It was easy for Joseph to see why Jason found her so attractive yet deep within him Joseph knew there was more to the attraction. For Rocco Malucci to care enough about her welfare that he would offer up his own son in exchange for Elizabeth's safety, she had to be more than just a pretty face. Joseph also couldn't deny that Elizabeth brought a sparkle to Jason's eye, a sparkle that his father had never seen before.
It had been an hour since his conversation with Joseph had ended; yet Rocco hadn't been able to remove his hand from the phone. It was as if not letting go of the object would somehow make the conversation not entirely over. Rocco knew very well that he had just given the Morgan family the final nail they needed in sealing Anthony's coffin. The mere idea of that caused Rocco to shudder. How had he gotten to this place? A place where he would turn on his own son in such a way that would end his life. Yet Rocco knew the answer all too well. He had seen it done time and time again. He had been party to many an execution, hits ordered by one family member against another. When he was a part of it, it had all made perfect sense to him but now Rocco questioned a rule he had always thought that he had understood. Family or not, that didn't guarantee any member a free ride. Those who got sloppy or in one way or another brought danger to the organization as a whole – they needed to be dealt with – either by mock execution or silenced. Rocco was certain that the second one of the two would be the only way to deal with his son. Anthony was far too full of himself for a mere whipping to scare him into following the rules. Rocco heard the door in the front hall close. He braced himself for another run in with Anthony but to his surprise Elizabeth came into the room.
"Rocco?" she questioned taking notice of the pained expression on his face.
"Yes?"
"Are you all right? You look pale. Are you in pain? Do you need your medication?" Elizabeth fired off the questions so fast that Rocco didn't even have time to form the words to answer her.
"I'm fine. You needn't worry about me." Rocco gently stroked her outstretched hand. "So, how did your meeting go? Did you and Emily iron out most of the details for the benefit?"
"Yes we did. The last thing to be done is booking the band that will play for the after party."
"A band?" Rocco arched his brow.
"Yes a band," Elizabeth countered playfully.
"Sounds to me like you and Emily plan to shake things up a bit."
"You could say that. She had a great idea to do a Mardi Gras theme. I think that it will be much better than all of the stuffy benefits that we have attended over the years."
"Very true," Rocco concurred. "I'm glad to see that you have embraced this event. It's nice to see you smiling again."
"It's nice to have something to smile about," Elizabeth said. There was double meaning to her statement. "I'm going to grab a quick shower before dinner. You are sure you don't need anything?" she questioned him.
"No – no I am fine. Actually it would appear we will be alone for dinner this evening. Would you mind escorting a doddering old man to dinner at the country club?"
"Doddering old man, my foot! I would be proud to be escorted by such a gentleman." Elizabeth leaned in and kissed Rocco gently on the cheek before making her swift exit.
He looked on until she was merely an image in his mind and finally came to understand that as distasteful as his conversation with Joseph had been, the event was necessary. The only way to ensure that Elizabeth was to continue smiling was to make sure that Anthony was no longer part of the picture. He pulled a gold watch, which had been his father's, from his pocket. He opened the shiny object to reveal a picture of a much younger version of himself and his sister Anna. "I am sorry," he said speaking to Anna's face. "I couldn't – didn't help you then but I can help Elizabeth now. One day I hope that you can forgive me, so maybe I can forgive myself," Rocco whispered as he closed the watch slowly.
Anthony looked down at his wrist again his anger building with each second that ticked off on the watch's face. Waiting around in some seedy dockside bar hadn't been his idea; it had been Reggie's. Anthony pushed his empty beer bottle to the front of the bar to indicate that he required another. He took a long swig of the icy cold liquid and rested his eyes on the swinging door.
"Do you think we could sit somewhere other than the bar?" Reggie asked when he finally made his appearance. The man's eyes darted to the many patrons that were far too close within ear shot for Reggie's liking.
"What the fuck do you want?!" Anthony barked when the pair had come to sit at a table in the far rear of the room.
"I don't know about this assignment," Reggie stuttered. "We're talking about the Morgan family here."
"Excuse me?!?" Anthony brought his hand to his ear and leaned closer to his associate who was noticeably trembling. "I didn't catch that....."
"Another beer?" A waitress' voice interrupted them as she reached for Anthony's half empty bottle that rested on the dirty table.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!" Anthony's voice cut through the noise that filled the bar.
"I just thought...." the young woman began. "Ooowww," she squealed as Anthony's grip on her arm tightened.
"What? You don't understand fucking English – or has too much bleached fried your freakin' brain? GET OUTTA HERE!!"
Reggie watched the petite blonde's face wrench in pain as Anthony further twisted her arm behind her back. "Tony," Reggie started as the young waitress pleaded for help with her eyes.
"YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!" Anthony narrowed his eyes when he turned to stare at the other man at his table.
"Okay mister I get the hint. You don't want another beer. I get it." The young woman took the opportunity to wiggle out of Anthony's grasp as he turned his attention to his friend. She wasted no time in making her way back to the bar, in fact you practically ran. If he hadn't been so pissed Anthony might have even laughed at the fear he had brought to the girl's face, but the only think that he could focus on at the moment was the idea that Reggie was looking for a way to back out of his deal.
Reggie eyed Anthony carefully weighing what he should say next or if he should say nothing at all. The little scene he had just watched added to the sick feeling he had had in the pit of his stomach ever since the day he had accepted the leather satchel full of money.
"DON'T YOU EVER FUCKIN' MOUTH OFF TO ME IN PUBLIC AGAIN!!!" Anthony bellowed as he tossed a half-empty bowl of nuts in Reggie's direction.
"You were breakin' her freakin' arm Tony," Reggie said before he could stop the words from falling out of his mouth.
"WHAT!?!?" Reggie's obvious lack of respect for the power sitting before him fueled Anthony's anger. "YOU WANTIN' TO MESS WITH ME OVER SOME FUCKIN' BLONDE BIMBO!?!? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"
"No, "Reggie answered as he stopped himself from countering with 'but do you?'
"Good answer!"
Reggie looked on as he polished off the remnants of his beer and wondered what had Anthony wound tighter than a top. He knew it was only a barmaid, but she was a woman. While Reggie wasn't a "made man" yet, he knew the rules. There were always boundaries regarding women and children. That fact added to the papers Reggie had neatly tucked into his leather jacket had him wondering if Anthony wasn't a few shy of a full deck.
"So what's the problem with your little assignment?" Anthony asked. "If you don't go and screw it up, it will be the biggest hit the Morgan family has ever felt." A sadistic smile filled Anthony's face as a clear vision of each one of his plans for the Morgans took center stage in his mind.
"EXACTLY!" Reggie countered exasperated by how Anthony did not grasp the concept of all out Mafia war.
"What's you fucking problem? You took the god-damned money! Just do the freakin' job! It's a cake walk – easiest 200 G's you'll ever make."
"What if something goes wrong? What if it's not such a 'cake walk'?!?" Reggie mocked. "It'll be me they come looking for, not you!"
"With 200 G's I think you should be able to disappear nicely." Anthony sneered.
"Disappear huh?" Reggie countered as he could almost see the wheels in Anthony's head turn.
"Yeah, to some nice tropical island where your only worry will be which naked girl to fuck next!" Anthony cackled.
Reggie joined Anthony in his laugh, but he wasn't so sure that he'd be sitting on some beach. More than likely, he'd be in a body bag courtesy of Joseph and Jason Morgan. "You sure there's no way that anything can go wrong? We are talking about messing with women here. I'm as good as dead if....."
"AND IF YOU DON'T DO IT YOU'RE DEAD!! Anthony clenched his jaw as his breath came out in long hard bursts. "So don't go thinking you can switch sides or anything – cause there won't be a damn place you could hide from me that I couldn't find you and when I did you would have wished that the Morgans had killed you!"
Reggie swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "I ain't switching sides, Tony!"
"You damn well better not. GET OUTTA HERE!! Don't you have work to do?"
"Yeah – yeah I do."
Anthony raised his hand in the air summonsing another bottle of beer as he watched Reggie exited the bar. Up until now Reggie had always been a loyal soldier, but Anthony couldn't take the chance that Reggie's fear of the Morgan family wouldn't convert him into a turncoat. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed up a little insurance. "Ralphie – I have a job for you. Grab Albert and keep a close eye – I mean a very close eye on our dear friend Reggie. I don't care about the fucking trucks....," Anthony said angered that another one of his men had decided to question him that evening. "You just make sure that Reggie remembers whose team he plays for. Got it?!?"
"Got it boss." Anthony heard Ralphie answer him. Anthony tipped his beer to his lips again and thought about how everything would all be his soon enough.