Married to the Mob (closed for Hell's Fury)

[Tio_Narratore]

“You didn’t invite us here just for a barbeque. What’s up, Boss?”

It was Johnny Bono, Mattya Siracusa’s lieutenant.

“Some business to discuss. We won’t be heard here,” Mattya responded as he flipped the coils of cervellata on the grill.

Johnny wondered why Vinny Cefalu was the only other guy there, after all he was just a soldier.

“So what is it?” Johnny asked.

“It’s O’Hallan, the lawyer.”

“Yeah? He’s been a good mouthpiece for us, Boss. What’s the problem?”

“He is good. Very good.”

“That’s right,” Vinny chimed in. “He got me off on that first degree charge. Maybe it really was self-defence.”

“It could have been,” Mattya declared. “O’Hallan’s honest. That’s one of the things that makes him good.”

“What else, Boss?” Vinny asked.

“He’s smart. Real smart,” Johnny offered.

“And he knows a lot,” added the Boss.

Before Vinny could say anything else, Mattya added, “that, and him being honest could be a problem.”

“You want I should off him, Boss?” Vinny inquired.

“No,” replied Mattya, sounding both emphatic and exasperated. “He’s too good to lose. We need to make him one of us.”

“But he’s honest,” protested Vinny. “He’ll never be a made man!”

“Right” said Johnny, “what did you have in mind, Boss?”

“He’s single. Let’s get him married into the family.”

“Good idea, but to who?”

“How about Joey Gelato’s girl? She’s hot,” Vinny suggested.

Mattya glared at him. “We need to get him a wife, not some bimbo whore. Giuseppina’s been a cumslut since . . .” He trailed off.

“Well, Boss, maybe should ask the women. Our wives are inside. They’ll have an idea, Johnny proposed.

“I asked my Maria about it last night. She says we need a good-looking girl, sexy, but not a slut, and smart, too. He wouldn’t go near an airhead except for a one-nighter. Maria says.”

“Did she have any one in mind,” asked Vinny.

“Yeah.” Mattya responded. “Natalia.”

Vinny’s face turned red.

“My Natalia? No way. She’s still my little girl. He’s old enough to be her father!”

Ah! Johnny thought, now understanding why Vinny was here. “She ain’t little, Vinny.” he said. “She’s going on twenty-one. And she good-looking. And smart. There ain’t no other girl in the family who’s finishing a college degree.”

“No, not my little Natalia,” Vinny repeated. “Her mother would never agree to it anyway.”

“Remember, Vinny,” Johnny chided, “he saved you from a heavy sentence. And you owe it to the Boss. To the family.”

Mattya looked over to the back porch. The women were just coming out. Maria smiled and nodded to him.

“Guess what,” he challenged Vinny, “her Mom thinks it’s a good idea.”

Vinny looked over at Caterina. She smiled and nodded to him.

“You and Caterina tell Natalia, and then get started on how to make it happen. Now let’s eat.”

Mattya piled the cervellata on a platter and headed towards the picnic table.

 

[hells_fury]

Natalia Cefalu sat in her room, working on one of her many papers for school. She had a lot of work to get done, especially before the holidays. She needed to finish up the research paper and then go and get ready for dinner with her parents Vinny and Caterina along with her siblings. Though she had been permitted to attend college and get a degree it had not been easy. Her degree was focused in Criminal Justice. Everything she did had to in some way serve the La Famiglia, and physically going to a college had been forbidden. Her father was not a high ranking member of the man was merely a soldier which met she wouldn’t have protection, she wouldn’t the guards he would have wanted her too. So she had to agree to do online school and remain in their home.

Most of it had not bothered her all that much, she was used to this life and in truth, it wasn’t a terrible life. She didn’t want for most things, she usually had whatever she needed and most of what she wanted. Finally she had wrapped up her paper and began getting ready for dinner. They were meeting other members of the famiglia while they were out. After showering she began getting ready. Once she had finished drying off she slipped on her robe and would attempt to get ready that was until a knock had sounded at her door.

Walking over she would open the door seeing her father and mother there she’d furrow her brows in mild confusion.

“We need to talk.” Her Father Vinny would say then as he was followed in by her mother.

The set off a few red flags for Natalia but the woman remained silent and would nod to them. She remembered hearing those words when her father had told her she would be attending an all girls Catholic school, and when they forbade her from dating any outsiders, that list had gone on and on, and though the woman was rather innocent for someone her age, she was very aware of the things she had never experienced.

Her mother would offer her a reassuring smile then. “Natalia we have something we need to tell you.” She would stop then.

Natalia would nod and take a seat. “Alright.”

Her father was first to speak then. “It has been ordered that are to marry… O’Hallan.” He would stop waiting for her reaction.

Natalia knew better that to allow her emotions to dictate anything especially when it wasn’t a request but an order. She sat there taking a breath trying to let her thoughts catch up to what was happening.

“The boss wants the engagement announcement made in six months time.. Tonight however we will be meeting O'Hallan and the boss for dinner, with your major you will make a request to intern under O'Hallan that is your way in, as the boss put it. So look nice and alluring tonight, but still professional.”

Her heart sank. She hated what was happening sure she had watched the man and sure she had a crush on him, but this was crashing down all around her. What did it mean for her family? Would her father make Consigliere. Would he finally have the title the man had been working for? She took in a breath tears threatening to escape her then.

“Ok.” Natalia would breathe then, though a war began waging within her in that moment. Her mother would merely smile to her daughter then.

“This will be good for you, he will be good to you, he will be family after all.” Her mother gave her a knowing and promising smile but Natalia’s entire world began to crumble. She had thought that with the ability to attend college that perhaps eventually she would have been allowed to date. She had been kept hidden from most of the family, had been kept stashed away, and tonight it seemed she would be making her appearance to the world.

Nerves wrecked her as her parents left the room, silence filled her until her Fathers stern voice surrounded her. “You will dress to impress the man as a proper woman would. Make sure to not look like a whore.”

The words were harsh and she knew by how he acted that her father wasn’t pleased, her only question was, was it due to her, or due to the fact that he was having to marry her off for the La Famiglia.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

“There’s a message from Mr. Siracusa for you, Mr. O’Hallan. He’d like you to join him and his wife and the Cefalus for dinner tomorrow at eight. It’ll be at Il Fornetto Siciliano.”

“Thank you Megan. Call back and tell him I’ll be there.”

Megan was the new receptionist. Soon enough she’d know that any request from Siracusa would be honored without question.

O’Hallan wondered about the invitation, though. It was quite unusual for his wife. Let alone another family, to join him and Siracusa for any kind of a meeting. And the Cefalus! He hadn’t seen them in over two years, not since they had him over for dinner after Vinny’s trial.

Vinny had been charged with first-degree murder when he shot Fat Tony from the Lambroso gang. The DA thought he had Cefalu dead to rights on that one; everyone knew that Siracusa had put a price on Tony’s head, and when Vinny shot him, it seemed to have all the earmarks of a mob eecution.

O’Hallan didn’t much care about what the mobs did to each other, but he did care about justice and fairness. Mattya Siracusa had often called on him to get the best he could for members of the famiglia. The big retaine Siracusa paid him enabled him to do pro bono work for the poor who were treated unjustly.

There was no question in this case about the contract on Fat Tony, but there were some questions about what had actually happened. Vinny said he hadn’t even expected to see Tony that day, and that Tony pulled out a gun before Vinny drew his. There was no mention made in the disclosure report of the dead man having a gun, so O’Hallan dug a bit deeper. And he found it. Not the gun, but a passer-by’s picture of the crime scene showed a pistol in Tony’s hand.

O’Hallan would have liked it to go public, but the city didn’t want it known that the police had tampered with evidence, so he settled for having the charges dropped against Vinny. He pleaded guilty to a firearms violation and served one month less a day.

The lawyer remembered Vinny’s family very well. His wife and daughter would wait outside the courtroom for him after every hearing. His daughter, Natalia, came right from school, in her grey pinafore and starched white blouse, and would run to give her papa a big hug as soon as he came out. She had graduated by the time the trial ended, and sat inside for the verdict. Her face lit up when she heard the charges were dropped.

He was invited to their house for dinner, then, a little, but meaningful, act of thanks. O’hallan enjoyed their company. Caterina, Vinny’s wife, was bubbly and outgoing, with, like so many of the Italian women O’Hallan had met, a smouldering sensuousness just beneath their public persona. Natalia was a few months past eighteen then, quiet and reserved, quite unlike her mother. But as far as that underlying passion went, she was clearly her mother’s daughter.

Natalia had just been accepted to an accredited on-line college then, and O’Hallan was very pleased to hear that. Now he looked forward to seeing them again, to see what lovely young Natalia had been studying, but he was still up in the air about the reason for the meeting.

 

[hells_fury]

Natalia had finally finished getting ready, looking herself once over in the mirror her chest heaved as she took in a slow breath. The black pencil skirt hugged her hips but wasn’t overly revealing, she wore a white stylish silk button up top that hugged all of her curves enough to accentuate her God given gifts, but not enough to make her look as if she had been trying overly hard. Palms ran down her sides as she took another slow breath. A simple pair of black pumps had been paired with the outfit, with a pair of sheer tights. A lady always wore tights her mother had taught her.

She wore simplistic makeup, only enough to accentuate features but not enough to cause her to look like a whole different person. Her hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders. Gaze would shift over to the door as she sighed. Sure she had, had a school girl crush on the man, but now she had to make him want to marry her, for failure to do so would mean only one thing. Grabbing a glass of water from her night stand she took a drink before setting it down and heading out of her room.

Her night had been riddled with concern and worry and she hadn’t even spoken to her parents. Her father had sent her mother to make sure she was up with enough time to finish things for school and get ready for dinner. Now it was time to face the music. Her heels would click against the floorboards of her home with each step she took. Siracusa and his wife were already there and they all seemed to have gathered in the living room waiting on her. Natalia was met with several glances and appraising looks before it had been time to go.

Slipping on her peacoat she grabbed her clutch and walked out. She knew conversations had been happening around her, but her mind had been elsewhere. They were on their way to the restaurant and she had a job to do. She needed to manage to get a job with O’Hallan and manage to get close to the man. Pulling up outside of the restaurant she would attempt to head in with everyone else, until Siracusa stopped her. “You will wait here Natalia, I will call the driver when it is time for you to enter, you will make an entrance, something regarding school kept you, but you will enter once O’Hallan has already arrived, and you will be certain that he notice your entrance.” The words from anyone else could have sounded kind, however from the boss, from Siracusa kindness was not something the man was known for.

Sitting in the back of the car she waited, her heart racing. There was a part of her that wanted to run and disappear, but she couldn’t, she knew what that would mean for her family, she knew she had no choice in the. Finally that call would come through and she felt like she was going to be sick from all her nerves but there was no time for that. The driver had opened up her door for her and she made her way into the restaurant.

Her back straight with confidence a soft smile curving her lips as she walked. Hips would say gently back and forth and the italian woman could feel the people watching her. Her raven black hair swaying as those piercing emerald eyes would catch a few glances. That beautiful olive skin, bare of any blemishes. Finally Natalia had made her way to the table. “I am so sorry for my late arrival, I had a few things I needed to wrap up with my final.” She would offer that innocent smile, that smile that could make her own father want to wage a war to everyone at the table. “Please forgive me.” She would say then lacing her words with that thick Italian accent.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Liam O’Hallan arrived at the appointed time, knowing, as was usual with la famiglia, the others would already be there. He knew Il Fornetto Siciliano well, too; it was Siracusa’s favorite meeting place to discuss business.

“We’ve been expecting you, Mr. O’Hallan,” declared the hostess as she gave him a big smile.

“Thank you, Gina,” he said, adding with a little laugh, “Yes, I’ll follow you.”

They both knew where he was going, but protocol still called for her to lead him there. It gave Leo, at the cash, a chance to check that a guest wasn’t being followed.

The lawyer was surprised when he entered the private dining room at the back of the restaurant. The table was set for six, but two chairs were empty. Mattya and Maria were there, as was Vinny and Caterina, but Natalia was absent.

He was a bit concerned; after all, he was hoping to see the young woman again. She was lovely to look at, and he did want to hear how her studies were going. He knew not to ask after her, though, and so he exchanged greetings with the others and took his seat.

O’Hallan knew the ritual, too. Small talk over the antipasto. The topic would be introduced just before the pasta was served. More small talk, and then, between the pasta and the main course, the question would be put. Small talk again during the main dish, along with reflection on the question, then an answer before coffee.

Maria was chatting with him about the weather when Natalia arrived. And it certainly was an entrance.

He remembered how pretty she was, but she was striking beyond his memory. ‘Understated beauty,’ he thought to himself as she made her excuses for being late. So perfectly dressed, so subtly made-up, such a melodious voice, too, her accent ringing out each word. O’Hallan quickly stood up to greet her.

“Take your seat, Natalia,” Vinny said somewhat brusquely, apparently annoyed over his daughter’s late arrival.

Her seat was opposite the lawyer’s, and he sat back down as she pulled her seat in to the table.

The antipasto arrived, and the small talk continued. O’Hallan wanted to talk to Natalia, perhaps only to her. She definitely had his attention, but he knew he shouldn’t show it. Definitely not in front of her father, so his attention was more to the other men. His few words to the young woman, though, were a pleasure to him; she exuded that interior sensuality that he loved so much in Italian women.

As they were finishing the antipasto, he got around to asking her what he really wanted to know.

“So, Natalia, when last we spoke you were on your way to college. How has it gone? What have you been studying?”

O’Hallan thought it a relatively innocuous question, but before Natalia could respond, Siracusa intervened.

“Yes, Signore O’Hallan, Natalia has been a good girl, studying hard and not fooling around like other college kids. She’ll tell you all about it.”

O’Hallan was a bit confused. It seemed like Natalia’s education was going to be the topic of the meeting, but he had no idea why. Time now just to listen to the girl. After the pasta, Siracusa would make it all clear.

He looked back to Natalia, eager to hear about what the lovely young lady was doing.

 

[hells_fury]

Natalia had taken the orders given to her by Mattya and had followed them to perfection. She made an entrance and made certain when she had entered the restaurant that everyone paused to look at her. There had been a reason her father Vinny kept her tucked away at home, she wasn’t allowed to date, and if she did manage to go out with friends then it would only be when her older cousin Dom could attend with her, which was possibly one of the most frustrating things she had experienced. Due to that fact she tended to remain home more often than not. However the woman knew how to make an entrance.

Her gaze had fallen upon O’Hallan as the man had stood to greet her. A slow seductive smile had curved those delicate lips before she had demurely bowed her head to him. However before she had managed to say anything else her father was instructing her to sit, which had earned the man a glance from Mattya, one she knew full well what it met. Sure it looked friendly and polite, but they were here for a purpose, and like hell would anyone including her own father stand in the way of Mattya’s goals.

Her annoyance with her father had risen in that moment and now she seemed to find a whole new reason to upset her own Father. She wasn’t a child and he was using her like cattle and she was well aware of that fact, and now he had chosen to speak to her like an insolent child. That small smile still bowed her lips as she moved gracefully over to the coat rack allowing her hips to once again sway. Pulling the jacket she had worn off she hung it up on to the rack. Delicate fingers ran through those raven locks, allowing her hair to cascade down her supple back. Before turning back to the table. Her little show seemed to have earn her points with Mattya.

Going back to the table she would gracefully take her seat before pulling her seat into the table. Those emerald eyes would glance around to everyone briefly before falling to O’Hallan. The conversation had begun to form as she sat there quietly. Her gaze remaining curiously on the man she was here for. Little did he know. Those her features were calm and her body relaxed her nerves seemed to wage a war within her. She would pause every now and again offering a nod before taking a sip of her water.

Then the antipasto had arrived and she was grateful, she sat there struggling to find anything to discuss. How was she supposed to have a normal conversation when she was here as a piece of cattle, she was here to get this man to notice her, to the point of wanting to marry her. She knew she had time, but this was not how she envisioned her life. That was when the lawyer seemed to take the opportunity to speak directly to Natalia.

Before she had been able to speak however Mattya had spoken up and she smiled and nodded. Taking another sip of the water then she would dab her lips with her napkin before allowing it to rest once again on her lap. “Ah yes thank you Mr. Siracusa.” She would bow her head to Mattya before that emerald gaze returned then to O’Hallan. “College has been wonderful and I seem to have the best grades in my class, my parents have made sure of that. I have been studying law,with a focus in Criminal Justice.” She would pause then licking her lips slowly. “Tonight was finals, which is why I arrived late.” She would smile to the man taking another breath. “I do apologize once again for that.” She would sigh shaking her head. “Soon I will be needing to intern..” She paused then that gaze shifting around the table before going back to O’hallan. She had had a crush on the man for years, and she still very much liked looking at the man, but how was she supposed to get his attention. Tilting her head to the side she would smile innocently to him her gaze remaining with him. “How have you been Signore O’Hallan?” She said her accent lacing every word she spoke to him. That velvet tongue would flick out once more running along her lips, it could be seen as a flirt, however it was innocent enough she could have merely been wetting her dry lips.

Her Father and Mother had fallen silent, seeming to have taken the warning from Mattya. Mattya had watched making sure that Natalia had not been interrupted or dissuaded from the task at hand, and in truth the man would probably be offering to get them alone somehow that evening or the next morning. Mattya wasn’t a patient man and he wanted to make certain that his plan would work. For now though he would settle for the little pleasant conversation.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

O’Hallan was pleased to hear Natalia was still serious about her studies; he had expected her parents would have forbid her becoming a college student, far from what a decent girl should be doing according to their view of life. And he was pleased as well to hear that Vinny and Caterina were encouraging her to do well. And even more pleased to see her as she spoke. A sparkle in her eyes, a lilt in her voice, a tilt of her head, a sensuous smile on her lips all told him she really loved her studies. But his skills as a criminal trial lawyer told him as well that there was a stress behind it all.

Maybe she liked studying; she was clearly bright enough to study anything. Maybe she didn’t like Criminal Justice. Maybe her family, the family, was forcing her in to that area. Then, maybe it was just the internship. Maybe that’s what the meeting was about, and maybe Natalia felt uncomfortable about asking. But that was a bit confusing. If it were the topic, Siracusa should have brought it up first, not the girl. Was she uncomfortable because she brought up without telling her parents that she would?

“Yeah,” said Mattya, “an internship. That’s like an apprentice, right?”

“Yes, Mattya,” O’Hallan responded. “Very much like an apprenticeship, but with school learning attached.”

That cleared it up, anyway; the meeting was about an internship for Natalia.

“I think that’s a good idea, Liam,” Mattya said. “Kids should get their hands dirty before they start real work.”

“And Natalia, here, would be good at it. She’s a good girl. She’s always does what she’s told. She knows it’s for the good of her family. And, as they say, father knows best.”

“I don’t know about that, Mattya. Take a look at Romeo and Juliet: did their fathers know best?”

“Maybe not,” Siracusa retorted, “but if they listened to their fathers they wouldn’t have ended up dead.”

“Right,” granted the lawyer, “but they would have lived unhappy lives.”

“It’s better to listen to your father and be unhappy,” the Boss declared.

“And that’s where we differ, friend,” O’Hallan countered. “I think it’s important that one’s children be happy. And that means allowing them a good deal of freedom.”

Siracusa’s comments left the lawyer more concerned that Natalia was being pushed into Criminal Justice for la famiglia. He could never approve of that.

“What do you think about it, Signora?” he asked Caterina. “Do you think a daughter should do everything her father orders?” He deliberately asked the question of the girl’s mother; he knew what her father would say.

Caterina looked at her daughter, then her husband.

“I think a girl should always obey her father,” she began, and Vinny smiled smugly.

Caterina paused and then continued. “But a good father would never tell his daughter to do something that wasn’t good for her.”

Maria laughed in approval, exclaiming “Esattamente, Caterina! Exactly! That’s a good father.”

Everyone agreed with her, though Vinny’s was a bit reluctant.

The pasta dishes were cleared away, and Siracusa turned towards O’Hallan, signalling his serious intent.

“We’ve all discussed this, and we think it would be good if Natalia could intern with some we know, someone who’s a master of the trade, someone her mother could trust. We’d like you to take her as an intern.”

He looked towards the Cefalus; Vinny and Caterina both voiced their agreement.

It was time for the main course, time to speak about the request, time to ponder it. The decision would come with the coffee.