Chapter 10

The mailing address for the property over on Morton Street is somewhere in Sicily, Italy , Annie texted back.

Carlita's brows furrowed. "Sicily. I don't know anyone in Sicily."

"Maybe Pops did, or it's this Danny Lombardo," Tony said. "Something tells me Vinnie will be able to fill in the blanks once he gets here."

Carlita thanked Annie and eased out of the chair. "It's getting late. Go home. Have dinner with Shelby. If you want, Pete and I can pick Vinnie up at the airport."

"You sure? I was the one who offered," Tony said.

"Positive."

"If you don't mind. The baby likes to keep her up at night and she's been kinda tired lately." Tony and wife Shelby's baby was due in a few months and Carlita couldn't be more thrilled.

The only person more excited was soon-to-be big sister, Violet. To Carlita, the only foreseeable concern on the horizon was the family outgrowing their apartment, which was above Ravello's. While more spacious than Carlita's other units, she suspected they would soon run out of room.

When she brought the subject up, Tony said the couple had already discussed it. He hinted at perhaps expanding the size by turning the storage area she'd used for last Halloween's haunted house into usable living space.

The issue would be coming up with the money for the renovations, something Carlita planned to offer. But now, with Vinnie's debt looming over her head and paying out a sizeable chunk to get the debtor off her back, it might not be possible. Hence, another concern lingering in the back of her mind.

"Don't worry about it. You take care of your family. Vinnie, Mercedes, Pete and I will figure it out."

"I have a better idea. How about we all meet at your place later? I'll bring Violet with me to give Shelby a break."

"It's a deal. I'll text both of you when we're on our way back from the airport."

Carlita and her son parted ways in the alley. Dusk had settled in and she picked up the pace, making a fast trek back home. Pete was already there, waiting for word.

Thinking a quick meal of sandwiches and soup would be easiest, she brought him up to speed while they ate. "Vinnie's on his way. I'm pretty sure what he found and what we've discovered means we're dealing with new mafia, a new family."

"It would be difficult running their business from across the ocean," Pete pointed out.

"I don't think they are." Carlita absentmindedly stirred her soup. "My gut tells me they're just getting started and, lucky us, the Garlucci family is on their radar."

After finishing, Pete took a closer look at the loan papers Enzo and Costanza had given her. "Vinnie should never have agreed to these terms. Every single line favors the lender."

"Most loan agreements favor the lender," Carlita said. "I don't know this for certain, but maybe even in the most above-board agreements, the debt could be tied to the estate."

"But the lender doesn't show up on your doorstep with veiled threats and unreasonable terms." Pete held up a sheet of paper. "If the debt is in default, the lender will provide acceptable terms for repayment, including, but not limited to, immediate payment or payment amounts set forth by the lender."

Carlita pursed her lips. "We were basically told to come up with the money, all of it, or Lombardo wants 50% of our profits until the debt is paid in full, plus interest."

"I think you mentioned signing over the property. The lender isn't interested?"

She gave him a thumbs down. "And after looking at it, I don't blame him. It needs to be bulldozed."

"We'll figure this out, one way or another," Pete vowed. "I see a copy of the deed on the last page."

"With Vinnie's name, my name and someone else, I'm guessing the original lender, before the debt was passed on to Lombardo, which is on another page. He must have had some inkling the property was in a serious state of disrepair," Carlita said.

After eating, the couple took Rambo for a long, leisurely walk. By the time they returned, Vinnie called, letting them know his plane had landed.

It was a quick drive to the nearby Savannah airport. They pulled into the pickup area and found him waiting on the curb. Carlita hopped out of the car and hugged her son. "Thank you for coming down here."

"No problem, Ma. We'll figure this out."

"I hope so."

"Hello, Vinnie." Pete shook his hand and reached for his bag. "It's good to see you again. I only wish it was under better circumstances."

"Me too. Although I have to say we Garluccis manage to find ourselves in a few messes. I guess we can thank Pops for this one."

"Yes, we can."

Back home, Mercedes, Tony, and Violet arrived within the hour.

"There's my Violet." Carlita gave her granddaughter a big hug.

Rambo trotted over and wiggled his way between them, his tail wagging ninety miles an hour.

Violet wrapped her arms around the pup's neck. "I've missed you so much, Rambo."

Tony ruffled her hair. "Did you bring your stuff?"

"Yep." Violet promptly plopped down on the floor. She unzipped her backpack, reached inside and removed a plastic zippered bag. Inside was a packet of Rambo's favorite treats and a small stack of paper muffin cups. "We're going to play the muffin cup game. Now, you can't watch."

Carlita grabbed her pup and led him behind the kitchen's center island while Violet hid treats beneath the muffin cups. "Let us know when you're ready."

"I will Nana." The young girl hummed under her breath, carefully arranging the cups. "I'm ready."

As soon as Carlita released her grip, Rambo skittered around the bar. He tromped on top of a muffin cup and gobbled up the treat hidden beneath it.

Violet covered her mouth and giggled. "You're supposed to find them." She patiently nudged him back. "Now, pick one," she told him.

The pup gently tapped the top of one cup. Violet snatched the paper cup off the floor.

Rambo lunged forward, gobbling up the goody. They played the game until Violet ran out of treats. "Can we go outside?"

"Sure," Carlita said. "Leave the slider door open and stay away from the railing."

"I will." Violet skipped out of the kitchen with a rambunctious Rambo by her side.

"She loves that dog," Tony said.

"And he loves her just as much," Carlita said.

Pete, Carlita and her children gathered at the kitchen bar, going over everything they had. She grabbed a notepad and began taking notes.

- Marshland Investment Group. Property at 8807 Morton Street, Savannah, GA.

- Danny Lombardo, Sicily, Italy. Lender.

- Amount owed: $500k plus taxes paid.

- Pay full amount in less than 24 hours or cough up ⒈／⒉ the restaurant, pawn shop and apartment rental profits.

- Enzo and Costanza returning the following day.

- Per bank manager, cannot get the money in time for the meeting.

Carlita tapped the tip of her pen on top of the notepad. "I'm able to get the money, but it won't be by tomorrow morning."

"Maybe when we meet with them, we can explain the situation and ask for more time," Mercedes said.

"They're not gonna agree to a delay," Vinnie said. "I would bet my life on it."

"You were working on getting more information about them," Tony reminded him.

"They're from Sicily, expanding operations here on the East Coast. From what I'm hearing, Danny Lombardo was feeling the squeeze from some Sicilian associates and decided to move his ‘family' to the States."

"He's not a part of the Castellini family?" Pete asked.

"Nope. My guess is he got here and figured it was time to collect Pops' debt. I'm sure he and / or his thugs have already been by the Morton Street property."

"Based on their suggestion we go take a look at it as well as their comments, I'm certain they have," Mercedes said. "Lombardo must've done some digging around. He found out about Ma and her businesses and figures he's hit the jackpot."

Vinnie spread the papers out on the counter and began going over them. "Talk about a one-sided agreement. You either pay up or start paying big time."

"Principal, interest, taxes," Carlita rattled off.

"This right here." Vinnie jabbed the paper. "Half of net profit for loan repayment and for property protection. This is a shakedown if I ever saw one. There's no end in sight. You're gonna pay on this for the rest of your life."

"And if I don't?"

"I saw the picture you sent me. How rough is the rest of the Morton Street property?"

"It's a teardown," Mercedes said. "It looks like someone tossed a bomb in the front door and blew the place up."

"And set what was left of it on fire," Carlita added.

"My guess is this is what will happen to the restaurant, the pawn shop, the apartments, if you don't agree," Vinnie said.

"So even if I came up with the cash to pay off the debt, Lombardo isn't interested."

"I can't say for certain, at least not yet. We need a little inside intel. Where's Luigi?"

"How can Luigi help?"

"He's from Sicily. He speaks their language. In fact, he might even know Lombardo."

"Good point. Why didn't I think of that?" Tony removed his cell phone from his pocket. "I'll give him a call."

Thankfully, Luigi picked up right away. Their conversation was brief and to the point. Luigi, a former mobster and man Carlita and her children now considered a part of the family, offered to swing by.

He arrived within minutes. Taking turns, they brought him up to speed on their current situation.

"I'm worried this mob guy and his goons are going to become a permanent fixture around Walton Square," Carlita summarized. "We need to figure out what we're up against."

"What are the associates' names?" Luigi asked.

"Costanza and Enzo."

"Yeah. I've heard of them. I also know Danny Lombardo. Let me rephrase that—I know of him. So, he finally decided to come to the States. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Luigi said even before he left the business, he'd heard rumblings of discord inside the Sicilian family. "You want me to hit the streets and see what's up?"

"Yes, and no. I don't want you putting yourself in danger over this."

Luigi shrugged. "It'll be like old times. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few places they could be hanging out, mostly on the same side of town. What do they look like?"

Carlita described them to the best of her ability. "We haven't met Lombardo. I have no idea what he looks like."

"I'll go with Luigi." Vinnie dropped a pack of cigarettes in his front pocket and grabbed his cell phone.

"Let's make it the three amigos," Tony said.

Vinnie immediately shot down the suggestion. "They already met you, which means they won't be inclined to talk."

"We'll be back within a couple of hours," Luigi said.

"In the meantime, I'm gonna see if I can find anything out about the Morton Street property," Mercedes said.

Vinnie held up his hand and gave his sister a high five. "Sounds like a plan."

A knot formed in the pit of Carlita's stomach as she watched her son and tenant head out. Would they find answers…or would they find more trouble?

Vinnie's words rang in her ears. She was gonna pay for her deceased husband's past debt for the rest of her life.