and he couldn’t even remember spending any time with Gio here, it did feel familiar.
Somehow
“It’s a part of that two and half years,” Calisto said vaguely, offering little else.
Gio seemed to understand. “All right. Can we chat a bit of business first?”
Now, Calisto was a little shocked to hear that come out of his old friend’s mouth. Very rarely over the years did Calisto and Gio talk la famiglia when they spent time together. It was like an off-limits zone that they didn’t even have to acknowledge, but was simply just there.
“What kind of business?” Calisto asked.
Gio rapped his fingers to his side, leaning against the cage. “Dante is getting irritated about the mess your uncle caused with the Irish. It’s spilled over into our territory, and the Calabrese.”
Dante Marcello could be a difficult man to handle when he was in a mood. It was one of the things Calisto liked best about the fact he wasn’t the boss. When shit happened between families, Affonso was the one who needed to deal with it, not Calisto.
“It’s been ongoing for a few months,” Gio added when Calisto stayed quiet.
“Since my accident, I know.”
The O’Neil family had been the cause of his accident, apparently. Calisto only knew what he was told, but he’d had a meeting with the Irish boss earlier that day, and it must have not ended well given the fact someone came after him, intent on ending his life.
“No,” Gio drawled, his brow furrowing, “it was happening even before that, but it’s gotten worse since then.”
Calisto rubbed a hand down his face, blowing out a heavy breath. “I don’t—”
“Remember. Yeah, I get that, man.”
“Affonso is determined to cull the Irish. That’s really all I can say. Given what they did, it’s his right.”
Gio didn’t look pleased with that answer. “But it’s affecting other families now. Mine, the Calabrese. Even the Russians have had some run ins, and I don’t like that shit at all, since I have territory down in Brighton that mingles with theirs. I’m the only man between the Three Families that doesn’t feud with the Russians, and I would really like to keep it that way.”
Calisto tossed his hands up in the air. “What do you want me to do? It’s not like I think killing the fucking Irish is going to magically make shit better. I’m not the one out doing it, I’m just doing what the Don wants me to do, Gio.”
“Dante wants a sit-down. The Marcello, Calabrese, and the Donati families. He wants a solution figured out now before this gets any worse.”
Fuck.
Wonderful.
“And that’s why you called me over here today, because he figured you could get a response out of me faster than Affonso?”
Gio shrugged, but he didn’t deny it.
“That’s a dirty way to play,” Calisto said when his friend stayed quiet.
“We Marcellos do what we have to do when things need to be done,” Gio replied, unfazed.
Well, that much was true.
Calisto also had a healthy dose of respect for all of the Marcello family, not just Gio. They were the dominating family in New York for a reason and had been for several decades. The three major Cosa Nostra families in New York had long since learned to get along, but there was no denying that the Marcellos held more power than the Calabrese and Donati families, and as such, they bent to the demands of the Marcello boss when he wanted something.
Clearly, Dante wanted something.
“I’ll get it arranged,” Calisto said. “Tonight, even. I have some papers for my restaurant at my place to grab, but on the way to the restaurant, I’ll stop by Affonso’s home and sit down with him. It’s the best I can do.”
“It’s appreciated.”
Calisto smacked his hands together. “Enough talk. Are we going to spar a bit or what?”
“Still not sure you should.”
Laughing, Calisto brushed it off. “If anything, you might knock some memories back into me.”
Gio scoffed. “Right. With the way you constantly
Somehow
“It’s a part of that two and half years,” Calisto said vaguely, offering little else.
Gio seemed to understand. “All right. Can we chat a bit of business first?”
Now, Calisto was a little shocked to hear that come out of his old friend’s mouth. Very rarely over the years did Calisto and Gio talk la famiglia when they spent time together. It was like an off-limits zone that they didn’t even have to acknowledge, but was simply just there.
“What kind of business?” Calisto asked.
Gio rapped his fingers to his side, leaning against the cage. “Dante is getting irritated about the mess your uncle caused with the Irish. It’s spilled over into our territory, and the Calabrese.”
Dante Marcello could be a difficult man to handle when he was in a mood. It was one of the things Calisto liked best about the fact he wasn’t the boss. When shit happened between families, Affonso was the one who needed to deal with it, not Calisto.
“It’s been ongoing for a few months,” Gio added when Calisto stayed quiet.
“Since my accident, I know.”
The O’Neil family had been the cause of his accident, apparently. Calisto only knew what he was told, but he’d had a meeting with the Irish boss earlier that day, and it must have not ended well given the fact someone came after him, intent on ending his life.
“No,” Gio drawled, his brow furrowing, “it was happening even before that, but it’s gotten worse since then.”
Calisto rubbed a hand down his face, blowing out a heavy breath. “I don’t—”
“Remember. Yeah, I get that, man.”
“Affonso is determined to cull the Irish. That’s really all I can say. Given what they did, it’s his right.”
Gio didn’t look pleased with that answer. “But it’s affecting other families now. Mine, the Calabrese. Even the Russians have had some run ins, and I don’t like that shit at all, since I have territory down in Brighton that mingles with theirs. I’m the only man between the Three Families that doesn’t feud with the Russians, and I would really like to keep it that way.”
Calisto tossed his hands up in the air. “What do you want me to do? It’s not like I think killing the fucking Irish is going to magically make shit better. I’m not the one out doing it, I’m just doing what the Don wants me to do, Gio.”
“Dante wants a sit-down. The Marcello, Calabrese, and the Donati families. He wants a solution figured out now before this gets any worse.”
Fuck.
Wonderful.
“And that’s why you called me over here today, because he figured you could get a response out of me faster than Affonso?”
Gio shrugged, but he didn’t deny it.
“That’s a dirty way to play,” Calisto said when his friend stayed quiet.
“We Marcellos do what we have to do when things need to be done,” Gio replied, unfazed.
Well, that much was true.
Calisto also had a healthy dose of respect for all of the Marcello family, not just Gio. They were the dominating family in New York for a reason and had been for several decades. The three major Cosa Nostra families in New York had long since learned to get along, but there was no denying that the Marcellos held more power than the Calabrese and Donati families, and as such, they bent to the demands of the Marcello boss when he wanted something.
Clearly, Dante wanted something.
“I’ll get it arranged,” Calisto said. “Tonight, even. I have some papers for my restaurant at my place to grab, but on the way to the restaurant, I’ll stop by Affonso’s home and sit down with him. It’s the best I can do.”
“It’s appreciated.”
Calisto smacked his hands together. “Enough talk. Are we going to spar a bit or what?”
“Still not sure you should.”
Laughing, Calisto brushed it off. “If anything, you might knock some memories back into me.”
Gio scoffed. “Right. With the way you constantly
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