Leo’s gaze shifted to Davide. Davide wasn’t married in, but then he’d been in already. Papi had started the family with a few friends who weren’t related, and Davide was the grandson of one of those friends. Same with Vinny. But ever since then they’d been strict about who they allowed to join. A blood relation of one of the original members, or married to one of their women. There was no other way in, and Papi wasn’t wrong. It had made their organization harder to penetrate and kept most of them out of the system. And when they did go away, it was always for something relatively small.

Carmine took a sip of his drink and continued. “I wanted a tight ship, not all this fighting. It was the idea that eventually we’d get out when there were better opportunities, but even with what we do, we’re no more corrupt than most of the corporations of the world. Aren’t we doing the same things? Bribing the government to operate how we like? They call it lobbying. But we’re all using the same playbook. You think there isn’t crime and death in most large corporations? What about the pharmaceutical companies? You’re in medicine, Leo, tell me that’s not corrupt as hell. Tell me thousands or hundreds of thousands of people aren’t dying each year because of drugs rushed through the FDA that aren’t safe. Your Grammie almost died from one of them last spring.”

“I can’t argue with you, Papi,” Leo said.

“Damn right, you can’t. Their hands are stained with blood, yet it’s respectable, but what we do isn’t? And don’t get me started on the government. The government is mafia. Big corporations are mafia. They all screw the little guy, intimidate, threaten, and harm. They’re all out for money and power. The only difference is public tolerance. I want us to go honest to get out from under the law, but what does going honest mean? Everyone with power and money is mafioso. Every single person.”

“Even Leo?” Angelo piped up.

“Leo’s a part of this family whether or not he chooses to be involved with everything we do. I can’t speak to the honesty of his business. I’m sure there are exceptions.”

“Of course. He’s the golden child. We all take huge risks for this family, and Leo gets a free pass. He forgets those stock scams that financed his honest business.”

“That’s enough, Angelo,” Papi said.

Angelo sank into a chair with his cigar and brandy and pouted like he was twelve.

It could be argued that Papi was an old man talking nonsense, or that in his old age he sought justification for his life of crime, but there was an eerie level of truth in his words.

“Things used to be so much better,” Sal said. “This all used to mean something. And now we’ve got this shit with Faith. How much can we trust her? Women aren’t like us. They’ll talk sooner if they feel threatened or scared. They can’t keep the omerta like we will.”