The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 56

- Violet -

---ONE WEEK LATER --

Violet walked down the stairs with a skip in her step. Today was a Sunday, the official day of rest. It was early in the morning and the weather was getting warmer. Spring was definitely in the air. She couldn't wait to get her coffee and start the day. Damon had been working nonstop the past week, so she figured she could have him to herself today. Oh, all the things I'd do with Damon if I have him to myself...

It was fun to imagine this, but it was more fun not having to imagine anything. Damon left very little to the imagination last week when they had a rendezvous at the playroom. It had been a while since they were in there last and Violet missed it. She forgot how exhilarating it was to be in there with him. Her hands tied. Her skin pink and raw. And her body writhing in need.

After that night, Damon awakened the sleeping beast inside Violet. Every day since then, all she could think about was the playroom and the things they'd do together. Even when Damon was away and Violet was with her family, she'd still be thinking about him. She found herself clenching her knees together at lunch, and her thoughts always drift to his body. Maybe it was the hormones, or maybe it was him, but Violet was a woman obsessed. She couldn't wait until they could go back to that room, be all tied up and lost under Damon's touch. Or maybe, she could be the one tying him up and return the favor this time.

Hmmm. And that day may be today...

Wearing a naughty smile on her face, Violet reached the first floor of the house and she headed for the kitchen. She heard Damon's voice talking, and her smile grew wider with each step.

"... Why the hell are you bringing them all at once? I thought we were gonna talk to them one on one?" Damon said in frustration.

Violet stopped her tracks just before she entered the kitchen. She peeked over the doorway and saw Damon standing next to Dylan.

"We don't have the time," Dylan replied. "Besides, this will make it look more serious,"

"But if one of them bails, everyone else will too,"

"And if one of them is in, everyone might be too,"

* DING DONG! *

Before Violet could understand what was happening, suddenly the bell of the front door rang. Liam and Beau were quick to go to the door like they had been expecting company. They were also dressed neatly in black suits, which was not normal for a typical Sunday morning.

"Welcome, everyone," Liam greeted the guests. Violet peeked over and saw several men standing outside the door. They all looked different, wearing colorful clothes instead of the typical black suits, but they had a similar vibe about them. "Please follow us to the study. Mr. Van Zandt will join you shortly," Beau added, gesturing for everyone to follow him upstairs.

When the guests came in and walked up with Liam and Beau, Violet got a better look at them. There were several white guys wearing brown suits and hats, then there was a group of Asian guys in red shirts, then there were some Hispanic guys, black guys, and more. They all looked different, but the one thing they had in common was that they were armed. Violet narrowed her eyes and she could see the guns in their back pockets. Suddenly, the air in the room grew tense. Violet looked on suspiciously as Damon and Dylan came out of the kitchen. They didn't look surprised by this at all. Violet shot a look at them, waiting for an explanation.

"Guys, what's going on here?" she hissed. "Who are all these people?"

All the guests had gone upstairs with Liam and Beau. Dylan, who was also wearing a black suit and tie, was now fixing his hair.

"There's nothing to worry about, Vi," he said. "Damon and I are just working on a project together,"

"A what?" Violet gaped.

"If Celina's building an army, then so can we,"

"Wait a second, you two are working together?"

"We have a meeting to go to," Damon replied simply, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "I'll see you in the playroom at sundown,"

"But-"

Before Violet could get another word out, Damon and Dylan already walked towards the stairs. She was speechless. She could only watch as the two men dressed in sleek black suits went up the stairs together.

Dylan and Damon are working together?! What on earth is going on here?

- Damon -

"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for making the time today," Dylan said as he stood in the middle of the room. Meanwhile, every corner of Damon's study was filled with bosses from these different families. The air in the room was tense and suffocating. Everyone had their guards up, glaring at each other while trying to maintain composure.

This was definitely an odd situation. These people were mob bosses and enemies to each other. Yet, they were gathered here on a Sunday morning, talking to the almost extinct Italian mob boss of the East Coast. Everyone already knew that Damon was leaving his post. Soon, he would be nothing but a name forgotten. However, Dylan assured the bosses that this meeting would be worthwhile. None of them believed it, though. Mostly, they only came out of respect. They just wanted to hear what Damon's last words were. "If you all don't already know each other, I'll briefly introduce everyone. Over here we have the O'Brien family representing the Irish," Dylan said as he gestured to his left. "Then we have the Lee family representing Chinatown," he said as he gestured to the Chinese. "Then we have the Guerrero family, of course," he pointed to the Mexicans on the other corner. "The Iverson family," he nodded to the guys in the far back. "And last but not least, The Goldbergs," he turned to the Jewish family sitting on his right. "Yes, I think we can skip the introduction and get right to the point," Moshe Goldberg, the boss of the biggest Jewish family in New Jersey, said.

"I agree," Mr. Lee added. "I don't know about you, but I feel uncomfortable being in the same room with everyone for far too long,"

Everyone was glancing around the room, keeping their eyes on one another. Their hands were close to their pockets, ready to reach for the gun at any moment.

"Okay, then," Dylan said as he cleared his throat. "We hope you know that we've selected all of you to come today because we have a business proposition that might be beneficial for all of you,"

Dylan's words piqued everyone's interest. Suddenly, they weren't looking at each other anymore. They were looking to the middle, right at Dylan.

"As you might have heard, the Van Zandt family is leaving their post as the Italian's representative of the East Coast. We are supporting a peaceful transition of power to whoever becomes the next leader. Unfortunately, this peaceful transition is being disrupted by Hugo Desantis's daughter and former enemy, the Benzino family of Sicily. They are bringing two hundred men with them to New Jersey, preparing for a war..."

As Dylan was talking, Damon stayed in the background with Liam and Beau. The bosses from the other families would glance at him from time to time, but Damon only kept to himself. His face was unreadable.

"... The Van Zandt family still has over a hundred men. And if we wanted to, we could've asked our former allies for help, but we didn't. Instead, we're inviting all of you to join hands with us,"

"Yeah, right," Michael Iverson, the Iverson family's boss, laughed. "You only invited us because your former allies ain't got your back anymore!"

"That's right," Pablo Guerrero added. "You're done with the world. They don't owe you anything!"

"But who says we're done?" Dylan retorted back.

At this time, the laughter died down. Everyone turned to look at Damon.

"Gentlemen, I can assure you that we are far from done," Dylan spoke again, pulling everyone's attention. "I'm sure all of you have heard or seen Damon's work. At such a young age, he took over the almost extinct Luciano family and in less than a decade, he turned it into the strongest Italian family on the East Coast. He has done it before and he will do it again. If we have your support, this war can be over in a week's time, and you all will be handsomely rewarded," Everyone was now looking at each other, whispering and murmuring with their advisors. Damon looked up for the first time and locked eyes with Dylan. He had to hand it to him. Dylan really knows how to work a room.

"Okay, so it's a war that we can win for sure. But so what?" Mr. Lee spoke up. "Why do we need to get our hands dirty fighting the Italians when we don't have to?"

"Yeah. What's in it for us?" Moshe Goldberg added.

Dylan turned to them with a smirk on his face. The plan was working. We got their attention.

"Have you ever heard of the term 'keep your friends close and enemies closer'?"

"Of course," Moshe replied.

"Then let me ask you, who are your biggest enemies?

The bosses turned to look at each other before nodding their heads knowingly.

"The U.S.government," they said in unison.

"Exactly!" Dylan agreed. "Now what if I tell you, you can have a friend on the inside? Someone who you can rely on. Someone who can make the rules work for you,"

The bosses looked intrigued. They leaned closer and narrowed their eyes.

"Who?" Michael Iverson asked.

"You?" Pablo Guerrero scoffed.

"Not me, of course," Dylan laughed and turned to Damon. "Him,"

Everyone's eyes were on Damon instantly. Damon could feel the tension in the air rising.

"Him?" they gaped.

"Damon's records are squeaky clean and he's turning all of his businesses legitimate," Dylan explained. "Damon still has great connections with the cops and government officials. And with all of our support, it wouldn't be hard to put him in a chair. I don't know, say, the mayor of Jersey City?"

Silence hushed over the room for a split second, and then everyone erupted in whispers and murmurs. This was quite an unexpected offer. So much so that it caused Harrold O'Brien to speak up.

"Is this true?" he said as he stood up, staring at Damon. "You're going to run for office?"

Everyone else looked to Damon too, waiting for a response. Damon didn't say a word, but he nodded his head firmly. People erupted in more whispers and murmurs.

"This is a great plan and all, but let's hear you talk, Damon. You haven't said one word to us since we got here," Moshe said as he stood up.

"Yeah, no offense, Dylan, but why are you doing all the talking?" Michael Iversoon stood up too. And then Mr. Lee and Pablo joined in.

Dylan opened his mouth as he was about to speak, but Damon held his hand up. Dylan went quiet and everyone turned their heads to Damon again. Damon took a step forward, passing Liam and Beau, and he stood next to Dylan in the middle of the room. "I'm sorry I haven't properly introduced you all to my new consigliere," Damon said as he put a hand on Dylan's shoulder. "Everyone, meet Dylan Carvey, he will be taking over Adrian's post,"

Dylan was smiling while Liam and Beau kept a straight face. Meanwhile, the bosses turned to each other in confusion. First, they had a non-Italian man as the head of an Italian family, and now this guy as a consigliere? Has Damon gone mad?

"As for everything he just said to you, the answer is yes. It's true. I will be running for office," Damon continued talking, giving them no room for questions. "So, if you will get behind me on this, I will make sure you'll go further and faster in this world. That is a promise. And you know Damon Van Zandt always keeps his promise,"

Everyone in the room froze in silence. They were speechless. Damon turned to look at all the bosses' faces one by one. His eyes were unrelentingly serious.

"I will take your silence as an agreement," he said finally, and no one said anything still. Damon then went to the wet bar and picked up the most expensive bottle he had. "So on that note, fellas, shall we have a drink?"