To Be an Honest Man: Dedizione All'Amore: Chapter 2 – Unwanted Guests

Chapter 2 – Unwanted Guests

Cesare and I meet with Vito D’Accordo, one of the five primary dons of our family, who lives in a simple house much like Russell and Angelo. Next door to his house is his lucrative olive oil business, deli, and sandwich restaurant that sells meals personally passed down from his family. He welcomes my brother and me into his house and offers us something to eat.

“Thank you, but after what we found out, I don’t think I’ll eat anything until breakfast tomorrow morning,” Cesare says.

“It must be important for you to be here so late in the day. Tell me. What did you find out?” Vito says as we sit in his office that has dimmed and shuttered windows.

“The foreigners are using the Church and homes for the poor as shelters for themselves, to have meetings, and to produce their propaganda,” I explain.

“Of all the places to hide, they choose to hide behind the poor and needy. It should’ve been obvious since manipulating the poor and middle class is how they obtained power in their own countries, but I guess we were being too charitable to think that they wouldn’t stoop so low.”

“I ought to shoot every priest, nun, and charity worker who’s been letting this happen under our noses,” Cesare says.

“Those who feign being virtuous indeed deserve worse fates than obvious villains, but we can’t be too hasty in sending them to Hell. Where are your wives?”

“They’re questioning Bishop Rodrigo, our contact in the Church, to see if he’s aware of what’s going on,” I say.

“Good. For my part, I’ll have my people at the airports and docks redouble their efforts, especially searching the ships and planes that have the refugees from countries under the control of the Mediterranean Empire and Zeitloses Imperium. Security and vetting will be improved overnight. You have my word.”

“Thank you.”

“Is there something else you wanted to discuss? I can see it on your face, Vincenzo. You’re a man whose always looking to thoroughly deal with a problem so that it doesn’t become a problem in the future.”

“This is a long shot, but is there a way you can help us find a way to prevent the Vorfahren from coming over to this country? If we don’t, we’ll be perpetually in a cold war against them as they keep sending people loyal to their heinous ideology over here or trying to corrupt our own people.”

“I can pull some strings to see what I can find, though it won’t be a permanent solution. I hear that our deal with the government could provide that.”

“Yeah, and having a president on our side could also start another Great War.”

“If there needs to be another war so soon, then let there be war. It’s only a good and necessary thing when all other options are exhausted, and at this rate, with how the Vorfahren keep pushing their way into other countries, it looks to be the best choice. Knowing the current government, they might just send us overseas to deal with the problem ourselves.”

“That’s not really a bad thing if we have the right resources.”

“You’re right. We could probably even handle it better. Anyways, I appreciate the news and advice, Campione brothers. Do God’s work as always.”

“We will,” my brother and I say.

Cesare and I leave Vito’s house and head back home. There, our parents and wives are already waiting for us with dinner on the table, despite the late hour. We eat together and talk about routine, normal things like politics, upcoming birthdays, neighborhood events, drama with family, and the like. After we say good night and head into our separate rooms, I talk to Marin about what she learned. It turns out that the good bishop is a good bishop and had no idea that the people under him were hiding and helping the Vorfahren and profiting off them.

“Bishop Rodrigo will help us expunge the wolves from the sheep in due time. He’s already in the process of doing so right now and won’t get an ounce of sleep tonight,” Marin says further as she lies down next to me.

“I’m sure Vito will do much of the same. Even though it isn’t his fault so many of our enemies slipped under his nose, he takes personal responsibility for this failure and won’t rest until the problem is rectified,” I say.

“What about our problem?”

“We have a problem? Oh, the kids. As I said, we’ll have kids once this problem with the Vorfahren is under control.”

“Okazaki and Cesare aren’t letting that stop them. They already had a baby boy, and I hear that Okazaki is trying to get pregnant again.”

“Poor Cesare.”

“You should be more concerned about poor you. What about poor me?”

I look at Marin, consider it, and give her what she’s asking for. The next morning, Okazaki and Cesare ask what took us so long, and I ask, “What happened to privacy between a husband and wife?”

“Oh, we didn’t see much. We shut the door after making sure what we heard was actually happening. Forgive us,” Okazaki says with a sly smile.

“How many are you planning on having?” Cesare asks.

“Let’s start with one and go from there,” I say. Marin’s face gives off a mad in the morning sort of vibe, so I assume I said the wrong thing. “Two, three, or four, maybe. I don’t know.”

Looking back at Marin, she seems satisfied with my answer. Thank God. Of course, my parents are the most glad that Marin and I decided to finally start having kids, and they hit me upside the head for waiting months to do so. After breakfast, the four of us go out to do our daily jobs. My brother and I go to the car mechanic shop, and our wives go to work at the office of the archdiocese. We need a legitimate job to make ends meet, support our family, and support the family after all.

Our coworkers at the mechanic’s shop and the neighbors we pass by ask us if we’re handling the Vorfahren threat, and we say that we are, while leaving out the fact that the problem isn’t wholly contained, so as not to disappoint them. While at work, Cesare isn’t as chatty as he usually is with his coworkers. His mind is probably on the Vorfahren just as much as my mind is. We don’t have to wait long to hear back from our contacts, as one of Vito’s men comes to us after work to tell us that he, the chief of police, Umberto Destro, Bishop Rodrigo, and James Sovrano, are meeting with us in the basement of our parish church. We immediately head to the basement to see James already in a pious rage.

“Who the hell do these people think they are? The new Holy Roman Empire, or something?” James asks.

“Yes, they actually do,” Bishop Rodrigo says matter-of-factly.

“It was a rhetorical question, bishop. I ought to kick their asses all the way back to the world myself for bringing their shit here. Excuse my language.”

“Let’s get this meeting started so you won’t have to wait long to kick their asses,” Marin says as we sit at the round meeting table.

We are served bread and charcuterie boards of various kinds of lunchmeat on them from Vito’s deli and wine from James Sovrano’s vineyards across the river in his Garden State.

“I want it to be on our private record that I had no clue what the poor houses were doing. All of my most loyal contacts were caught unaware as well,” Bishop Rodrigo says.

“Yes, yes, bishop, we know. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that your charities got nice paychecks from the Vatican and the government for all the people you were caring for,” James points out.

“James. Please,” Umberto says. “Let’s get down to business.”

“Fine. You want business? I got business for the Vorfahren. My people and I are ready to raid every poor house in this city and my state, and give them all the business end of our guns, hot lead all for the low cost of their lives.”

“As much as it would save my side of things paperwork and the trouble of processing them as prisoners, the country and theirs won’t deal well with the deaths of so many people, even if we classify them as subversives.”

“What do you suggest that we do then, chief?”

“Smoke them out like we are right now. Just tell me where you all are going, and we’ll coordinate our forces to take them all down at once.”

“Bishop?”

“I have to agree with Chief Umberto. It would be the most moral solution. Let them prove themselves to be criminals so that they can be arrested and deported.”

“Vito?”

“I can’t disagree with the bishop in most cases, and this is one of them.”

“Come on, there has to be some kind of compromise between us.”

“I’m more on James’ side,” Cesare says.

“I am as well,” Okazaki says. “We can deal with the rubble in the shadows, and the cops can come to clean up the mess and chalk it up to being two groups of criminals fighting one another.”

“There we go! I knew I could count on you two.”

“Then the cops will have to crack down on the criminals, even if they are helping the government,” I say.

“With the way things are now, the Vorfahren only know that groups of vigilantes and concerned citizens are fighting against them with aid from the cops. We need them to keep thinking that way so that they think that any retaliatory strikes mean war between their empires and our country,” Marin adds. “If they think that a singular group of criminals is after them, then they won’t hesitate to fight back.”

“What if they had to fight more than one gang?” I ask.

“What are you going to suggest?” Umberto asks.

“There’s the Israeli mafia. The Vorfahren, especially those from Adler, have an issue with the Israelis since they control many of the banks in Adler and were the reason many were in inescapable debt. Since both groups already hate each other, it shouldn’t be too hard to convince the Israelis to help us.”

“You want those people helping us? I don’t hate them as the Vorfahren do, but I don’t exactly trust those Christ killers either,” Cesare says.

“We don’t need to trust them with anything other than what we already know they want to do. All we need to give them is the assurance that the cops will look the other way while they clean up the trash. If this gets public, all it’ll look like is the Israelis defending themselves against a foreign threat. We may even gain traction in our cause against the same threat as well.”

“Okay,” Umberto says as he digs in his pocket and gives me his badge. “Okay, Vincenzo. Take my badge if they don’t believe you. That’s a really good idea. The Israelis have been doing everything to get at the Vorfahren and trying to force authorities to do more to get them out of the country, so this should satisfy them and get them off our backs. You can’t promise them that they’ll get anything out of this other than the chance to hit back at the people who hate them, alright?”

“Yes, sir. Bishop? Any disagreements?”

“Self-defense isn’t a sin, so I don’t,” Bishop Rodrigo says.

“Then it’s settled,” James says.

“Wait for Vincenzo and Cesare to get back to us about the Israeli mafia’s cooperation first before we say it’s settled,” Vito says. “Sit and enjoy yourselves. I have my own business with you, I want to discuss.”

Marin and Okazaki stay in the parish basement with the big bosses while Cesare and I go out to arrange a meeting with the Israeli mafia. It doesn’t take long to find someone who’s connected to them in the Israeli part of the city, since they come to us first and bring us to the basement of an office building. Inside the basement, people are already here in expensive suits with guns, maps, and cash on various tables, as if this were a military command center.

“Take a seat, Campione brothers,” the oldest man says. “I have a feeling that we’re both about to bring up a subject we’re both interested in, but I want to hear you speak about it.”

“Sir, would you like to help us get rid of a common foe? You’ll have the backing of the government so that you don’t need to worry too much about getting away with it,” I say.

“So, it is true that the government is backing your family in getting rid of the Vorfahren from the city. We saw it happen, but didn’t know if you were getting away with it because you had those certain cops on your side or had the wider government on your side. Now, why would they need our help? Why should we give it? The government is being infiltrated by the Vorfahren, and they haven’t been doing a good job of protecting my people from them here or on the other side of the world.”

“Like I said. It’s to fight a common enemy. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this.”

I calmly take Umberto’s badge out so none of the people in the room think I’m pulling out a gun, and put the badge on the table.

“I believe you. What I have a hard time believing is why we should work together. People say we worship the same God, but we don’t. The Israeli Church doesn’t worship the man our ancestors helped crucify that you Catholics of the Patiens Ecclesia worship. Also, the Vatican and many in your Church are in the pocket of or sympathetic to the Vorfahren cause, so as far as I know, we may have a common enemy, but no common reason to work together because we don’t know if you’ll stab us in the back afterward.”

Cesare looks a little concerned at me, but I keep my composure.

“We don’t need to worship the same God to work together. That’s what being part of the United Chimaera State is about. We work for the common good of us all. As for the Vatican and the Church, every Catholic is instructed to do as instructed, but not to do as they do. I’m sure you’ve heard of the sudden death of the new pope, right? The same one who was said to be working with the Vorfahren?”

The old man’s eyes narrow.

“You people wouldn’t dare.”

“Why wouldn’t we? We still have friends and family in our home country of Lupa. Why can’t it be possible?” The old man smiles, and the rest of the men in the room either laugh or start whispering to one another. “Remember the arrests the police made at the Catholic poor home? Ask any of your contacts in law enforcement, and they’ll tell you we helped get the Vorfahren arrested.”

“Ah, you didn’t need to convince me further past your first point. You’re wise for your age. I’m sure you’re going to go to big places when you get older. You have our help.”

My brother and I thank the Israeli mafia and lead them back to our parish basement to get our plans together. While both leaders are coordinating which targets they’re picking and what time they’ll be acting, and everyone else is eating, Cesare pulls me aside where no one will hear us.

“Is what you said about the pope true? Were you told something I wasn’t?” Cesare asks.

“I don’t know. It’s a rumor I heard. It could be true, it could also not be,” I say.

Cesare laughs and says, “Are you still thinking about going into politics?”

“Possibly.”

“Well, I think you have a good chance at getting in if you keep talking like that to people.”

After the plans are finalized, the cops, our family, and the Israeli mafia strike the Vorfahren hideouts in the night. Most of the purging that’s done is quiet, and what doesn’t happen quietly is spoken on the news as the Israeli people fighting against their bullies.

One Israeli interviewed on the news says on TV, “They want to come here to take over our country and kill us and everyone else whom they hate! Why shouldn’t we fight back?”

The same thing is said by the Mediterranean people in our neighborhood, saying that just because they are the same race as one of the major empires doesn’t mean that they share the same way of thinking. Together, the Mediterranean people and Israelis let their hatred of the Vorfahren ideology be known and protest against it the same day and the next, just as we plan. The bosses of our family and the Israeli mafia watch it, celebrating together, sharing each other’s food, and talking with one another as if we’re all estranged family members making up for lost time. It’s nice to see, but it’s not the end. Not even close. This city may be secure, but others aren’t, and there’s much work that’s left to be done. I tell Cesare and Okazaki this when they tell me that I look worried.

I smile and say, “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

“We both do,” Marin adds, smiling at me, knowing what the plan is.