9 The Five Families

Nico walked back to his car with complicated emotions. He had just left the house of the Rossetti Family's underboss, Angelo Rossetti. And the conversation they'd just had had put him in a sour mood, to say the least.

David's cold, ruthless actions in the fight with the Buccanti crew a few months back had caught the attention of the Rosetti family's higher-ups. And ever since then, Angelo had tasked Nico with keeping an eye on David to see if the boy would grow into a good made man.

Naturally, Nico had diligently carried out his duty.

After a long period of observation, Angelo had now ordered him to introduce David to the five crime families of New York City as well as their leader. After the fight with the Buccantis, David was trusted enough to learn some things that weren't already common knowledge.

However, Angelo had instructed Nico to disclose only superficial information. After all, David was already involved in the fight between the two families, so he might as well learn a few things about the five families.

He got in his car and called David. A few moments later, the call went through and he said, "Meet me at the Mulligan in five." He hung up the phone and looked out the car window, lost in thought.

…

David, who was having a nice chat with his date at a cafe, put his phone away and cursed, "Fuck me! Can't even let me enjoy in peace." He looked at the young blonde girl sitting across from him and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, duty calls."

With that, he got up from his chair and left the cafe without waiting for his date's response. Of course, he made sure to pay the bill before leaving. The blonde girl looked at his departing back and muttered incredulously, "Did he just…"

Although David was frustrated, he didn't dare to disobey his boss. One reason was the strict discipline that was enforced in the crew; the other was that he respected and admired Nico. He didn't wish to disappoint him.

Over the past few months, he had come to know Nico on a more personal level. He had seen the way that he handled business and couldn't help but look up to him. If it weren't for Nico giving him a chance to work for the family, he might have become homeless with no money on him.

Although most of the money that he made went to Nico—because of the debt his father had racked up—David still felt it was worth it. He believed that he would have been in a much worse situation if he wasn't working under Nico.

Even though he had a system, it was dormant. And even though he could have made a name for himself in underground fighting arenas with the system's boost to his physique, David didn't want that. He never wanted fame and had always had a low-key personality, to begin with.

Thus, in some ways, he was grateful to Nico and didn't want to let him down. He jogged toward the Mulligan, which was only two blocks away from his location. After he reached the bar, he patiently stood at the entrance and waited for his boss to arrive.

In a few moments, Nico's car arrived and stopped right in front of the bar. The window of the back passenger seat rolled down and Nico looked at him and said, "Get in."

"Yes, boss." David nodded and got inside the car. The car then drove off and headed toward Pier 84. A few minutes later, the two got out of the car and strolled along the Hudson River.

Nico looked at David, who was nervously fidgeting with his fingers and couldn't help but chuckle. He patted his shoulder and said, "No need to be nervous, kid."

David breathed deeply and nodded. "What's the matter, boss?"

"Kid, what do you know about the criminal underworld in New York?" Nico asked him as he stared into the distance.

David thought for a long time and replied, "Only what I've seen in the news and talking with the people under you as well as the guys from other crews."

Nico nodded as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. "As you already know, there are five families and you might have also heard the names of some of the bigshots. Although we have businesses all over the states, we're most active in New York."

He took a long drag of his cigarette, then looked at David and grinned. "They call us the mafia."

David inquired, "And we're one of those five families?"

"Yes," Nico nodded, "Rossetti, Buccanti, Colombi, Genovisi, and finally Luciani. Those are the five families that evolved from the Sicilian mafia and are now based in this country."

"I see… all their names indeed do sound Italian." David rubbed his chin in realization, then looked at Nico and asked, "Boss, are the five families equal in standing?"

"Haha, how can that be?" Nico laughed. "The Luciani Family is the absolute leader of the five families, as well as the entire criminal underworld of New York City. They're also the only neutral party among the families."

The two stopped at a secluded spot on the pier as they faced the Hudson River. David curiously asked, "If the Lucianis are neutral and we're at war with the Buccantis, what about the other two families?"

Nico chucked his cigarette butt into the river, lit up another one, and patiently explained, "The Colombis are allied with us. And as for the Genovisis, they're in cahoots with the Buccantis."

David carefully mulled over the information given by Nico. However, there was one thing that was irking him, and that was why Nico was even bothering to divulge all this. He had a general idea, but he still asked, "Boss, why tell me all this?"

Nico inhaled the smoke from the cigarette, looked at David, and solemnly said, "Kid, you're already involved in the war with the Buccantis, so this is the least you should know. Besides, there's another reason for this lesson."

"What is it?" David asked as he involuntarily clenched his fists; he was beginning to think that Nico would off him after disclosing so much information.

After all, he'd overheard rumors from other crews that if the family wants you dead, they'll send your best friend to make you sleep with the fish.

"After what you did to those bastards from the Buccantis, the higher-ups in the family noticed you. The underboss specifically told me that if you perform well, you'll be 'made' very soon," Nico replied.

"Eh?" David's eyebrows twitched. That was completely different from what he had been expecting. He had even been prepared to jump in the river and swim away if things went south.

Seeing David's expression, Nico thought that he didn't understand the importance of the situation, so he emphasized, "Mostly, only associates of Italian descent can be promoted to made men. The fact that the underboss is even thinking of making you one is a big fuckin' deal."

David snapped out of his thoughts and solemnly replied, "Don't worry, boss. I won't let you down."

Nico nodded and took yet another puff of his cigarette. "Good, you can leave."

"Later, boss." With that, David turned and left. Nico intently stared at his departing back, his thoughts a mystery.

[Countdown: 602 days…]