Val detested putting Severu on the spot, but there was no one else. If he didn’t take the position, there was only Dario whom Valentino trusted to that extent, and he had plans for Dario. Dario wouldn’t like those plans and would fight him all the way on them, but would eventually see it was the only solution to the problem that would be cropping up hopefully very soon if all went the way Valentino planned.
“I would be honored to serve you and our family,” Severu said without hesitation. He kissed Val’s ring, and they embraced. He took the chair at Val’s right that Parisi had been forced to vacate.
Val knew many of the capos would consider Severu too young to be underboss, as many of them had been in the outfit years longer and had more experience, but they were his father’s men, not his. That meant that over the years they had also been around Miceli. Miceli had charm when he wanted and he could be persuasive. Every chance he got, he brought up his belief that trafficking was the new way to make the most money. Others were doing it, and the Saldi famiglia should as well, otherwise they would fall behind.
The dead body was removed and all signs of his demise with him before the servers were called in to bring the food. All talk ceased until they were gone.
The rest of the meeting was spent with capos mainly reintroducing themselves to Valentino, swearing their fidelity and letting Severu know their businesses and when they turned their profits over to the bookkeeper. What they owed, and if they were behind. Three were behind, one seriously.
Valentino sat at the head of the table as each capo came to him and laid out their information in a succinct way. Caj Lastra was in his thirties, with dark hair and even darker eyes. He was a good-looking man but for the strain in the lines showing on his face. He swore his fidelity, renewing his oath, and seemed sincere, but again, Val caught the tension in his jaw and around his mouth. He was one of the men Val and Dario had brought to Giuseppi’s attention and had helped guide to his current position. They had counted on him to be loyal to them.
“There is a problem with your bookkeeping,” Val stated, not giving the man a chance to make any mistakes by trying to lie his way out.
“Yes, Mr. Saldi, there is a problem, and it is becoming more of a problem. I haven’t been able to find the leak. It’s been going on for the last seven months. It started small and has continued every week, someone siphoning the profits. If it came from one business, I would be able to pinpoint the thief, but it doesn’t.”
Bernado confirmed that Caj was telling the truth. He had been going over his books thoroughly and said the thief was hacking in from outside and transferring money out of the accounts. Each transfer was for different amounts, and each was taken at different times, seemingly random. Caj had paid what was due to Giuseppi in full up until three months ago, all the while paying his men without taking his own cut. But the money disappearing was becoming substantial to the point he couldn’t pay both Giuseppi and his men. His soldiers needed the money to live on, so he paid his men, giving Giuseppi less and less.
“Why didn’t you come to my father and tell him this was a problem?”
“I went to Parisi after the fourth month, when I could see it was an outside source. I told him the problem, and he assured me he would talk to your father and they would help me. I didn’t hear from anyone after that.”
Valentino was afraid he would hear that often from the men owing money. The capos would have gone to the underboss and laid out their troubles after first trying to fix them. Parisi had been betraying Giuseppi as far back as two years earlier, nearly three. Maybe longer. Most likely, Parisi was setting up the capos for Miceli, making them ripe for his money.
“We will give you help with this problem, Caj,” Valentino said. “We have someone who will speak to you alone and ask you questions. Severu will introduce you to him over an encrypted line. You will give him full access to your books and answer any question freely, as if you were speaking to me.”
Caj nodded his head. “I appreciate any help you can give me.”
“Until it is fixed, we will suspend the profit sharing as there are no profits. Come to Severu if you need help with your soldiers. You can’t look weak to them, and you want to take care of them. Has Miceli contacted you directly? Or his sons?”