“Dario never wanted to be head of his own territory. Val forced it on him,” Stefano said. “I think he’s come to understand it’s best that he stays in that position. Dario’s asked two men he’s known since his childhood to join him. They’ll act as his personal protectors. Valentino knows them, but no one else does, including my investigators.”
“That’s impossible.” Ricco frowned. “They were born somewhere. They have to have paperwork. If they have any kind of paperwork, there’s a trail and our people can follow them.”
“You would think,” Stefano said.
The plane leveled out as they all sat in stunned silence.
“The paperwork is that good?” Giovanni ventured.
“It is,” Stefano said. “At least, that’s what Romano told me. He said no doubt it was forged for the two of them, but it was the best he’d ever seen, other than Dario’s. They’re supposedly from a small village in Sicily, but came here some years ago and have US citizenship. If any of this crap is to be believed, they received their citizenship at the same time, nine years ago. They travel a lot, back and forth between here and Europe.”
“You talked to Val about them?” Elie asked. “Because neither of them said anything to me about these men.”
“They arrived just before we boarded the plane. Taviano sent a text to Franco along with photographs. Anyone new in Emme’s world, we like to vet for her.” Stefano indicated their phones as they started lighting up. “These are the men. As you can see, they are extremely intimidating. They aren’t even trying to hide what they are.”
Again, there was a short silence while they studied the faces of the two men Dario had brought into his organization. He had proclaimed to Elie he didn’t trust anyone other than Valentino. But had he said that? What was it he said exactly? Who were these men to Dario? They had the same cold, killer eyes. The same detached, emotionless, stone expressions. Elie didn’t want them around Brielle.
Knowing Brielle, the moment she realized the paperwork on the newcomers was forged, she would try to track their true identities with her keyboard. She wouldn’t be able to resist. That was what Stefano had been talking about.
“Dario needs men he can trust in his organization. Val’s spread too thin trying to protect both of them. Emme can’t be in two places at one time. When I’m not taking a rotation for you, Stefano, I’ve been covering Dario. He insists the guards all cover Valentino and that leaves him completely vulnerable.” Elie stayed concealed in the shadows most of the time. He wasn’t about to leave Dario vulnerable during the day when so many of Miceli’s old followers were still hidden within the organization just waiting for an opportunity to kill the new don.
“I just wish we knew more about them,” Stefano said. “Dario knows us. He should have talked to us before he brought them on board.”
Elie felt compelled to defend Dario. “He hasn’t been around our family that long, Stefano. He’s only known and trusted Valentino. He let Emmanuelle in recently. Through her, we became his family and that’s been a reluctant acceptance. But he’s learning, just as I had to learn. It’s a slow process. Give him a little time.”
“I’ve got to agree with Elie, Stefano.” Ricco unexpectedly backed him up. “We don’t know Dario’s past, but we know it had to be horrific and it didn’t include much in the way of family or relationships.”
The lines in Stefano’s face deepened visibly, giving Elie insight into what it must be like to have the weight of not only an entire family on his shoulders, but the Chicago rider community. No outsiders had been allowed to know about shadow riders until Emmanuelle had married Valentino. She had never told her husband, never given him any information on her family, but he’d figured it out by watching her closely, and the Saldis had their own version of a shadow legacy. By Dario bringing in unknown men, men he hadn’t discussed in advance with Stefano, he had inadvertently threatened the family and the community of shadow riders because those men would be with Dario at all times.
“Elie, I’m going to put this on you. You have a couple of days to straighten this out. Talk to him. Make certain he understands he needs to bring these sorts of decisions to me before he makes them. Any man that accompanies him around us needs to be vetted. Hopefully, Emmanuelle or Valentino has already explained to him the reasons and he understands.”
Elie wasn’t so certain Dario would understand. The Saldis operated an empire. They had for hundreds of years. Dario was part of that and he’d grown up with that legacy. They didn’t bring outsiders in any more than the shadow riders did. The Saldis’ criminal organization had been run on fear, intimidation and secrecy successfully. They stayed away from civilians for the most part, keeping their dealings with those in their world, building up their coffers with the sales of guns and drugs in the various countries where they held power. They had their hands in most deals, from laundering money to betting on just about anything.