Tenacious Engagements

Chapter 2: “And the cartel princess and mafia prince lived happily ever after. Not.”

Noelle

​My father is a drug dealer. He is in the drug cartel. No wonder my mother left him. Living in a border town next to Mexico, we hear all about the drug cartels and how dangerous they are. I had to know. “Are you in a drug cartel?”

“Technically, yes. We have been very discreet and have never made the news. I will make sure we never will.” He continues as if this was a normal conversation to have with fourteen years old. “I was pretty certain that Sabrina wouldn’t have spoken to you girls about the true reason she left. My lifestyle is not for everybody. However, this is my life, and I will make no apologies for it. She knew what I did for a living before she agreed to marry me. Sabrina believed that she could change me. Once you girls came along, she finally understood that I would never stop. I had dedicated my life to my business before Sabrina came into the picture. Because of my dedication and hard work, my business has flourished.” Why couldn’t he have that sense of responsibility when it came to his daughters? “Unfortunately, one drawback—or benefit, depending on how you want to view it- about this business involves family. Unwilling or willingly, family interaction is required.” He speaks casually again.

“Which brings me to my visit here. My business partner and I have been working with a particular business distributor for many years and have been very successful. There are many competitors on both ends. To help solidify our business relationship, we have decided that a joining was in order—a marital unification.

My partner has two sons. The eldest son will wed their only daughter from their family. In return, a female from our side will marry one of their sons. Usually, one marriage transaction will suffice. However, the stakes are pretty high, hence the double wedding. As I mentioned, the other party only has one daughter and three sons. So, it falls upon me to supply a wife to solidify the contact. One of my daughters will be the bride.” ​

This conversation is not one I was expecting to have in my entire life. I am shocked. I can’t seem to grasp his words. Does he expect my sister or me to marry a complete stranger? Are we supposed to be like child brides or some sick s**t like that? I say the first thing that pops to my head, “No. I’m only fourteen years old.” I’m panicking right now. There is no way this is going to happen. I will not be married, and no way will I let my sisters get married. ​No emotions show on Victor’s face. Jesus, is he a psychopath?

“Noelle, when you turn twenty, you will leave Texas and get married. Everybody wanted to wait until you were eighteen, but I think eighteen is rather young to get married. You’re welcome, by the way.” He says it with arrogance as if he is doing me a favor. ​

“No. I will not be sold or ‘married,’ as you like to call it. Not happening, Daddy Dearest.” I answer calmly, surprising myself.

“You don’t have a choice in the matter.” I am ready to retort when he cuts me off. “If you decide not to follow through with the marriage, I will punish you and your sisters. I will begin by killing Sabrina first,” he says matter-of-factly. My mother is not perfect, but she is my mother. I love her and my sisters. I will do anything to keep them safe.

Oh my god, am I genuinely considering this? I imagine my mother. She can be challenging to live with. Can we live without her? No, I can’t think like that. I shake my head and make myself remember all the good things she has done for us. She works hard to support us. That’s one point for team Mom. She cooks for us, well she used to until I turned ten. Then it became Belen’s and my responsibility. Okay, never mind that, she makes sure we have a clean home and clothes. Well, we do that now as well. Okay, got it, she doesn’t do drugs or beat us. Point for a team, Mom. Well, she spanks us whenever we do something wrong, and she feels we genuinely deserve it. Like when Belen tried on her lipstick. Mom slapped her so hard for looking like a w***e she gave her a bruise. Belen was only eight at the time, though.

Cheese nits, okay, never mind that. I know she loves us in her way. She could have dropped out of our life like the man sitting across from me right now—thousands and thousands of points for team Mom.

Victor must have been waiting for me to come to my conclusion, judging by the minuscule smirk ever known to man. Well, what can you do except? You used to live with her before too, I want to say but don’t.

“You will be married in a white dress. You will make sure that you stay a virgin for your wedding night.” Gross, did my biological father just talked about s*x in front of me? Eww! “If you make my business partner and me look like fools on your wedding day, I will kill Sabrina. Trust me, that won’t be a hardship on my part. I mean, honestly, what kind of mother doesn’t even leave one photo of her children’s father?” he says in an insulted tone. Hmm, he is a narcissist and a psychopath.

“If that is not enough motivation, I’ll kill Sabrina’s family one by one. I am not a man to be messed with, Noelle. When the time comes closer, I will contact you. As for now, continue living your life. I suggest not telling Sabrina anything until the time comes. If Sabrina is anything like how she used to be, she will make your life a living nightmare. In the end, you will still have to marry.” ​

I am dumbfounded. “I have so many questions. How long do I have to stay married? What if he is mean and hurts me? Who is he? How old is he? Why involve us at all?” My voice sounds panicked, reflecting the way I feel. Am I considering this?

​Victor raises his hand to stop my reasonable questions. “Both families are Catholic and traditional. You will stay married until death. Sabrina and I are still married despite living apart,” he says as if it were a great example. “If in time your husband could decide to have the same arrangement of living apart like Sabrina and I have, but I doubt it. No matter what happens, you will always remain married. He is a few years older than you. I will not give you his name or any more information on him for now. As far as he is mean, you have to build tougher skin. Living with your mother has and will continue to toughen you up. As the old saying goes, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.”

◆◆◆

Maximiliano ​

“They are getting more powerful each year. If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before you are challenged and possibly overthrown.”

The Russos have been part of the Moretti’s Cosa Nostra since it began. They have been loyal and have never given the Boss any trouble. Their drug business has become very successful in the last couple of years, thanks to their Texas connection. Good business from them means good business for us. Money is money, and the Cosa Nostra takes a fair share of the Russos’ earnings. ​

“How long do we have before the scale tilts to their favor?” The Boss asks me as he takes a sip of his cognac.

“If everything stays the same, including their investments and the growth, I would estimate sixteen years before the Russo’s monetary worth supersedes yours.” More money means more power. The Russos will become more powerful than our Boss.

“If the marriage between Matteo Russo and Noelle Costa happens, will the timeline stay the same?”

“If the marriage is successful and they stay married for at least three years, the scale will tilt in their favor in exactly ten years.”

“What if the marriage is not successful? What if they lose the Costa contract?” He means killing the bride.

“If they lose the Costa contract, not only will they lose money, but the De Lucas by association. All this, in turn, will affect all of us.” Nope, no killing on today’s menu. The De Lucas is one of the most powerful mafia families in the south. They need to stay an ally or neutral party.

“We can’t lose the De Lucas’. Who knew they would become so powerful in such a short amount of time?” I did, but in your arrogance, you ignored my advice.

The Boss looks right at me as if reading my mind. “Shut the f**k up.” I raise my eyebrow but do not respond. “Is it too late to replace Maria with my Luciana?”

“The Russos will never retract their offer to marry Maria off. If Maria were not available to marry”—because she is dead—“and your daughter stepped in, that would only solve forty percent of your problems. The bigger issue would be the deal with Costa. The biggest threat is that union.”

“I need you to keep an eye on Matteo Junior. If he's anything like his old man, his need to repopulate will surely end the marriage before it even starts.” This is true. Russo Senior knocked up his fiancé’s best friend only months before the wedding. The wedding still took place; it was just a different bride.

“Fair point. I will keep an eye on all parties. There is a high probability that the Russos will self-sabotage.”