He crossed his hands over his stomach, a gesture I'd come to know well. He was thinking, and his mind, which was stronger than any muscle any of his men may have had, was working. "You know, Tomasso, coming back is not like you just stepped out for a bit while going to school locally. The boys, the Family—they kind of knew you were unsure about this life. Now you're saying you want back in. How would I justify this to men like your friend, Jake, who only left because I told him to go into the military for a few years? How would that even look to his father?"
I nodded, thinking. "I know. It's one reason why I want to earn my way up. The boys, the Family—they won't respect me if I just came in acting like some sort of heir-apparent. I don't want to be some pampered prince, nor do I think that is what you would want of me. So let me start near the bottom, where you think I can learn and show what I can offer.”
Dad's eyes twinkled, and a small smile broke out on his face. "Is that so? You realize if I do that, I must place you under someone besides myself. I can't be the one to mentor you. That would damage the exact thing you are trying to establish."
"I know," I said, thinking. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "You know, Jake Marconi was the guy who picked me up at the airport. I take it that you have him in the office to learn from you?"
Dad chuckled and took a sip of his water. "Jake is a good boy, but he is not cut out for the rough part of life. I kept tabs on him in the military through our connections, and while he's trustworthy and a good worker, he's not as sure on the trigger as I need him at this time. He's too sure of his words and his ability to use his charm. Useful tools, but more useful on the legitimate side of our business than the other side. Why?"
"Well, why not place me under his father, Pietro? He's your most trusted lieutenant. He's one of the best men you've ever worked with, and if anyone can teach me what I need to know, he can do it. Also, let's face it—he's not an easy man to work for. How many men have come to you asking to be taken off his watch?"
Dad laughed, raising his hands in the universal gesture of who knows? "But know this, Tomasso. If I do that, Pietro is going to be your boss, not your father's lieutenant. Can you handle that?"
"Give me a day to get unpacked and get my mind right, and we can talk to Pietro tomorrow," I said, taking a drink. "Would that be okay?"
"Let's talk with him Sunday," Dad replied. "You should take a few more days and get your feet underneath you in Seattle again."
Chapter 2
Luisa
Looking down from ten thousand feet in the United Airlines Boeing, I wished the plane weren’t circling Seattle. While it was summertime in the United States and the weather was reasonably warm, I missed my native land. July in Brazil was beautiful, and in my hometown of Porto Alegre, the midwinter weather was perfect. Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere, so July is actually winter. Not too warm, the rainy season wasn't too bad, and the mid-summer cattle were coming in from the Pampas. Keep your wagyu, your Angus, and your Aussie. I'll take fresh Brazilian beef from the Pampas any day.
Still, as part of my father's businesses, this trip was necessary. The Porto Alege Mendosa family is powerful, but only within our little section of Brazil. Compared to some of the families in Sao Paulo, Brasilia, or especially Rio de Janeiro, we were nothing but backwoods hicks, rednecks with a little bit of money and a lot of cojones. In order to stay strong, we often had to mix our legal and illegal businesses. Then again, many families in Brazil needed to mix their legal and, technically, illegal businesses. Some of the best of them became politicians.
So I had to come to Seattle. There was a trade show being held over the next two weeks at the Civic Center, and of all the Mendosas, I was the one that not only had the best English, but also had the cleanest record. My father was known as a person of interest by Interpol, and while some of my brothers were not as well-known, they barely spoke any English, preferring to leave the boring, nerdy side of education to me and my sisters. Not that it was all I learned, of course.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we just got final clearance for landing at Seattle's SeaTac airport. For all of us in the flight crew, I'd like to thank you for flying with us today. Y'all have a great time, and see us again," the American pilot said over the intercom in his annoyingly Texas twang. At least my accent does not add syllables to words or just make them up entirely.
I sighed and made sure my seat was fully up and my things ready. I looked around at the collection of Americans next to me, and I had to shake my head. None of them knew how to dress. Still, I had to admit that after being in various airplanes for going on eighteen hours with layovers and other delays, I could have switched places with one of them and enjoyed a t-shirt and yoga pants. But I had places to go when I got off the plane in Seattle and social calls I had to make.