Page 43 of Wild Card
Giovanni
Freddie DeBaggis lives up on Federal Hill, not far at all from my building, but in a much nicer neighborhood. Federal Hill is where the money and the power is, and Freddie has the most of both.
His house is huge—what they used to call McMansions back in the day. He has a state-of-the-art security system, but the real security is his reputation, and of course the round the clock soldiers he has working the perimeter.
He’s not someone you should drop in on, but I don’t have a lot of options. Lorenzo driving his fist into Catriona’s stomach keeps running through my mind. How many times have I told her I’d keep her safe, and how many times have I failed to do so?
My parents would be so disappointed.
It took a force of will I didn’t know I had to keep from breaking Lorenzo’s neck then and there. And now I have to go to the man that dethroned my grandfather, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Catriona and Nonna safe. Papa would understand.
It killed me to leave Catriona like that, hurt and crying on the floor of that place that terrifies her so much, but I can’t let her stay somewhere that Lorenzo could access so easily when I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. I hope opening that skylight gave her a little relief without compromising the integrity of the space too much.
I see Freddie’s man, Sal, talking to a contractor, inspecting a side door that leads into the basement when I head up the walk.
I know that contractor. He does shit work. That door will be far less sound once he’s done “fixing” it.
I call out to Sal, knowing he’s armed. Best not to surprise anyone here.
“Giovanni,” he says cordially. “I’m sorry but we already have someone here making repairs.”
He gives me a wry smile.
Everyone knows everyone here.
“I apologize for coming unannounced, but I was wondering if Freddie had a few minutes to talk?”
He looks over at the contractor.
“You okay here?”
The contractor nods.
“I’ll ask, Gio. Follow me.”
Sal takes me to a formal waiting room. I’m too big for the chair but standing while I wait seems aggressive. I squeeze into it and can’t imagine Freddie could do the same. He’s not as tall as I am, but he’s much wider.
I haven’t been in this house in a very long time. When Freddie toppled my grandfather’s hold on the local organized crime scene a few years after our move to Providence, he’d invited me and Lorenzo over. I’d wanted nothing to do with him, but Lorenzo insisted I pay my respects.
It’s the smart thing to do, kid, even if you hate his guts. Don’t let him see you as a rival.
I was only a young teenager, but as much as I hate to admit it, Lorenzo had been right about that.
I hadn’t expected my uncle to take up his offer for work, though. I still don’t understand how he could betray his father like that, but it’s fair that he doesn’t really have other marketable skills. He’d grown up in the life and didn’t know how to exist outside of it.
But now I wonder if it’s less about options, and more about the kind of work Lorenzo enjoys and the proximity to power he craves.
When I’d started working in contracting, I’d invited him to join, but he turned me down.
I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes when a fat, long haired calico cat peers at me from the doorway. She’s got intelligent bright green eyes, like Catriona. I’ve always liked cats. Lorenzo would make fun of me and say cats are women’s pets. And maybe that’s true, but I still find their clever, spirited antics compelling. I call the cat over, and she winds around my legs, purring loudly as I pat her.
Freddie lumbers into the room then, and I stand up to greet him. He shakes my hand, and then shoves the poor cat aside with his foot.
“Fuck off, cat.”
The animal scurries away.
Christ.
