Five Families (3): Dragon Hill Hotel
The interior of Dragon Hill Hotel was surprisingly ordinary compared to its excessively flashy exterior. The place carried the faded air of the Marinelli Family in its prime, and the sight put a sour look on Dragovich’s face. After all, he too had been defeated by the wolves. Creak. No matter how much oil he used, he could never grow accustomed to the horrible metallic screech that came from his prosthetic arm.
Vito Marinelli had called himself an “eternal loser” during his conversation with the little wolf, but the statement was wrong. The eternal losers were not one, but many.
“Mr. Dragovich.”
“Manfredi.”
The moment news arrived that one of the five family bosses had shown himself, a man came running. Vito Marinelli’s eldest son, Manfredi Marinelli. Dragovich greeted his friend’s son warmly and stated the reason for his personal visit.
“I’ve come to see an old friend.”
“…As you already know, his condition is poor.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Had it been anyone else, Manfredi would have thrown them out on the spot. There was nothing to gain by letting the act—that the boss had become a ruined addict of Blue Eyes—be exposed. But Vito Marinelli and Mikhail Dragovich were the closest of friends. Some dismissed the concept of loyalty in the underworld as irregular and fluid, but Dragovich was not one of them.
Even at the recent meeting of the five families, he had worried about his friend’s well-being before any of the other bosses present, paying no mind to allies or enemies.
“This way.”
“Mm.”
The two large men rode the elevator up to the floor where the family boss resided.
“…Is his condition still the same?”
“Yes. It’s Blue Eyes, after all.”
“….”
Dragovich had only learned of Rita Carmen’s atrocity after joining hands with her. Of course, he had already known the man had become a drug addict long before that. Had it not been for Eddie Sanchez’s terrifying momentum, he never would have cooperated with Carmen or her family.
While the wolf-man’s face sank deeper into solitary thought, the elevator came to a stop. The instant they stepped out, Manfredi said he would go check on his father first. It looked perfectly natural, but it was actually meant to buy his father a little time.
After a short wait, the two bosses were finally alone.
“….”
Marinelli’s condition remained poor. He was surrounded by luxurious art and opulent furnishings, yet his eyes had lost their old sharpness. Still, compared to the previous meeting, his outward appearance was at least presentable. The neatly groomed hair and beard were clearly the work of someone else.
“Manfredi, I’d like to speak with him alone. Would you step out?”
“That won’t do.”
Who knows what might happen? Manfredi’s entire body seemed to radiate the warning.
“It’s fine. Your father isn’t actually incapacitated, is he?”
“….”
The two Marinellis were visibly startled by the wolf-man’s words.
“So he really is fine.”
“Damn it all.”
Dragovich didn’t miss the fleeting change in their expressions. The instant Marinelli realized his secret was out, he spat a curse.
“Manfredi, you may leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once Marinelli had sent his son away, Dragovich sat down wherever he pleased.
“Friend, your acting isn’t half bad.”
“You knew all along.”
“Carmen probably knows as well.”
“….”
The moment that name left Dragovich’s lips, Marinelli’s eyes sharpened like blades.
“So you’re going to run and tell that bitch about my condition?”
“No. I don’t share that level of loyalty with her.”
Dragovich answered his friend’s question with surprising ease. To him, it was obvious.
“Then why the hell are you here?”
“You’re asking the obvious. It’s time for revenge. If you and I join forces, snatching two young wolves who’ve lost their parents and are still wandering lost would be child’s play.”
“….”
“What’s with that reaction?”
Hearing those words from the wolf-man’s mouth nearly made him laugh, but Marinelli couldn’t even force a smile.
“Revenge, huh…”
“Don’t tell me you’re no longer interested. This is revenge against the wolf who turned all of us into this.”
“I’m… not so sure anymore.”
Dragovich sensed something was off. The man who had once burned for revenge against the wolves more fiercely than anyone at his side… had become this powerless.
“That drug must have broken you.”
“Perhaps. But I no longer care about revenge.”
“Hah. To hear such words from your mouth. Is it true? Or have you found something more important than revenge?”
“Yes. I have.”
Dragovich waited for his friend to continue. He couldn’t understand it, but if a man had abandoned the goal he had pursued his entire life, it had to hold that much value.
“The wolf is already dead. At this point, my children matter far more to me than any petty revenge.”
“…I don’t understand. Can’t you simply have more children?”
Marinelli looked at Dragovich as if the man were a fool. The values of wolf-men were truly difficult to comprehend.
“Then I’ll explain it so even a thick-headed bastard like you can understand. Though I lost to the wolf, I will not allow my children to become losers.”
“I see. Understood.”
Marinelli thought the dense fool had finally grasped it. But Dragovich’s next words were absurd.
“Your head must have been pickled by that drug. Something’s clearly gone wrong up there.”
“What?!”
“There’s one more thing I should tell you, friend.”
Dragovich added that he had heard it directly from Rita Carmen. Though Marinelli loathed her, curiosity still sparked in his eyes.
“The reason that woman got you addicted to the drug. She did it because she saw you as a potential threat to the wolf.”
“….”
It wasn’t difficult to believe. Vito Marinelli had been one of the bosses most obsessed with revenge against the wolf, right alongside Dragovich. A woman who arbitrarily claimed to be the wolf’s woman was more than capable of such a thing.
“She probably wanted to dilute your rage with the drug. Seeing you now, it clearly worked.”
When Dragovich first learned the truth, he had found it bitterly ironic. The move she made for the wolf’s sake had returned to her later like a boomerang.
Rita Carmen had offered Marinelli cooperation to eliminate the wolf, only to be soundly rejected. After suppressing his anger with drugs, she had tried to borrow his hand at the last moment. It was doomed to fail.
“Hmph. That changes nothing.”
“I see…”
Dragovich rose abruptly. He had no further business with the man before him. He had intended to ignite his friend’s rage once more by revealing that his decision was merely the outcome someone else had orchestrated, but even that failed. Even if the choice had been forced upon him by others, if this was truly his will, there was no longer any room for negotiation.
“I’ll keep silent about your little performance.”
“….”
Marinelli watched his old friend leave with suspicious eyes, but Dragovich was sincere. They were close enough to respect each other’s wishes, yet not so close that he would benefit his ally’s enemies. Nothing in the underworld was more futile than loyalty. Precisely because of that, it was worth protecting. At least, that was what Dragovich believed.
The brief meeting between the two bosses came to an end. Meanwhile, at the Rufus Carlton Hotel in eastern Hevilly, an important discussion was underway within the Fellini Family.
The meeting where the bosses of the five families had gathered in one place. I, Elena, and Felicia intended to take full advantage of the chaos that had erupted between them.
Carso and the wolves under his command immediately headed for the western district of the city. Since the area had essentially become a battlefield, they went heavily armed.
“….”
“Elena, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just… thinking.”
It seemed Elena was worried that something might go wrong. She had always been more of a worrier than she appeared.
Carso was to deliver our message to Sanchez. If they refused to hand over Rita Carmen—the woman who had killed the godfather—there would be no peace between the five families and the Fellini Family. This was also a matter that had clearly been discussed during their meeting.
The bosses of the five families would surely suspect that someone had leaked the contents of the meeting to us.
“Felicia, are you all right with this?”
This would place an even greater burden on her father. Nevertheless, Felicia agreed without hesitation. From the beginning, the five families had been split—Sanchez and Russo on one side, Carmen and Dragovich on the other, all of them growling at each other. In a situation like this, increasing mutual suspicion would leave them no room to single out the Marinelli Family.
“And there’s one more thing I need to tell both of you.”
“What is it?”
“….”
Elena was already on full alert, bracing herself for whatever Felicia might say next. Felicia gave a small smile at my question and answered.
“I gave you the information this time as a courtesy, but continuously leaking the contents of their meetings puts a heavy burden on us.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
I readily acknowledged her point. She was taking on considerable risk, after all.
“In exchange for giving you the details of the next meeting, I’ll be spending this Sunday with Luke.”
“…What?!”
“Felicia, maybe we could negotiate another—”
“No. There is no other option.”
The moment Elena asked in disbelief, I stepped forward. Felicia was smart. She had to know there was plenty to gain from this opportunity. She simply wanted to claim me for herself.
Elena protested fiercely, but there was nothing she could do.
“…That’s underhanded.”
“My, you’re the one who started this game first.”
She was right. It had been Elena who first offered a day with me as a condition for business between the two families.
“….”
“Can’t be helped.”
“Luke.”
“Elena, it’s only this once.”
Of course, Felicia made sure to mention again that it concerned the outcome of the next meeting. It meant she could demand something else when it came to the meeting after that. If she asked for the same thing then, Elena probably wouldn’t stay quiet. Felicia likely understood that as well.
In any case, Elena kept hugging me tightly, refusing to yield to Felicia’s grasp. But after my persistent persuasion, she reluctantly agreed to give up this Sunday to Felicia. It was less an agreement and more coercion, but I used the same method on her that I had used before.
Caught in One's Own Trap
As expected, the status window never missed a chance like this. The phrase that appeared was one I knew very well. It was only natural—it was a proverb from the country and world I once lived in.
“I can’t wait for Sunday to come.”
“Felicia, stop teasing Elena.”
Watching her savor her victory, tail swaying like a rattlesnake, was admittedly cute. But right now, soothing Elena’s feelings was more important.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—an important phone call arrived at just the right moment. At the loud ringing, I quickly picked up the receiver. It was our family’s Consigliere, Anthony Salmo.
“Mr. Luke, there’s a request from the Hagen side.”
“A request?”
A request from J. P. Hagen, and one that came after he had sponsored a massive amount of funds. Whatever it was, it felt unpleasant. But when I actually heard the details from Salmo, it turned out to be far milder than I had imagined.
“Understood.”
When I quickly set the receiver down, both Elena and Felicia looked at me with curiosity.
“Hagen made a request.”
“…Hagen?”
“Yeah. His nephew attends the Academy, and he wants to make sure our drugs don’t affect the boy or his friends at all.”
It was a perfectly reasonable request. The fact that he was willing to ask us directly meant he wanted firm measures taken.
“It seems he sent Salmo the list of names—his nephew and the boy’s friends.”
“…Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Elena left the matter to me. After all, the Academy was my territory.