the Made Men

CHAPTER 13

Her first time as Right Hand started off with a bang. Judy made it to the hotel in Toronto and had big plans. She knew the hotel would be nice but it was more beautiful than she imagined. The Right Hands from what she could tell were meeting in luxury. It was also her first time in Canada.

She took a moment to take it all in. Judy figured this was a step in the right direction for her position and power in the Family. She thought about how soon she would be invited to the CFC and eventually be Boss. The way the guys looked and talked to her, she also had a feeling that she was the first female to ever attend a meet. But she didn't want to be a sex symbol, she wanted to be respected.

Seated around her at the table were Irv, Pierre, Paul, and Vincent. Irv and Pierre were old enough to be her father and they talked to her as such. Judy knew that the only way to get men to respect women was to put the fear of God in them. She had plans and ideas of how she could make that happen. Vincent and Paul would be a piece of cake but it was Irv and Pierre that she was worried about.

Paul and Vincent were closer to her age. And they looked at Judy like she was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. She thought about how Leo would be right with them. Judy always thought the Trio had a twisted fantasy or ongoing bet to see who could get the made woman to fall for them first. Hoping they could be a made power couple.

Her being there was conversation enough. It was no secret about the Francis debt and what that meant. But Judy attending the hotel meeting was the icing on the cake. The Right Hands assumed this meant that the fate of Francis was set. But to Judy's surprise, the room was split.

Vincent deeply sighed. "I didn't know the gambling was that bad."

"I told him." Pierre shook his head. "That gambling shit is no good."

"What happens now?" asked Irv.

Judy didn't say anything. Instead, she folded her hands on the table and let out a subtle sigh.

Paul knew what that meant. Everyone heard the story of Dino's father. "Jesus. You all aren't really gonna have Francis whacked?"

"We don't kill our own anymore," Vincent added. "It's bad luck."

"Agreed." Paul nodded.

Judy shook her head. "No one said anything about killing anyone."

Pierre shrugged. "At least not without a vote."

"A vote if needed will be done in-house." Judy tried to put the topic to bed. The first day as Right Hand she didn't want to stir the pot. "But thank you gentlemen for your comments and concerns. Now can we move on?"

The room went silent. It was clear that everyone was thinking long and hard. "If no one's gonna say it. I will." Vincent folded his arms. "Where's the loyalty? Are we really gonna give the okay? Because of gambling? Unbelievable."

"Be lucky it ain't you, kid," Pierre responded.

Irv answered. "A debt is a debt. How it's always been. Francis knew that coming into this."

"If we are voting, I vote, no." Paul rubbed his chin.

"Without rules, we're nothing but savages. C'mon, kid read a book." Irv answered. "If I had to vote--"

"--we aren't voting," Judy responded. She tried to change the narrative once again. "Does anyone have anything they'd like to share with the group? And I mean anything."

Instead, Paul looked at Irv and said, "You see your generation. That was the problem. That's why everyone flipped. You gave them no choice."

"The mouth on this one. Completely uncalled for," said Pierre. "Show some respect."

"Shut up, Pierre," answered Vincent.

"You don't tell me to shut up. Learn your place, jerkoff."

"Yeah?" Irv looked at Paul. "Flippin'? That something you'd do?" He showed his gun. "Cause we can put a bullet in ya right now. Make it easier on the Family down the road. If you're a dog that needs to be put down just say that."

"That shit might've worked back in your day, old man," At the same time Paul showed his gun too. "But it's our time now. You need to fall in line."

"Fall in line?" Irv laughed. "The stones. If you're feeling froggy, my friend, jump."

Irv and Paul gave each other a death stare then Judy interrupted. She put her gun on the table and then asked. "Are we done here?"

Without a word, Paul immediately got up from the table and then left the suite.

"Great talk. Same time next week?" Vincent followed the same notion and then left.

"Real tough guys. No respect. No honor." Pierre couldn't help but laugh. "Anyways, why not do an intervention or something, hun? For Francis."

Soon after, Pierre went to the balcony to take a phone call. Following the abrupt ending left two. Judy confronted Irv. Though she meant well she may have added fuel to the fire. "Chicago too good for ya?"

"Nothing like that." Irv cleared his throat. "I'll be honest I didn't spend too much time in Chi-town before I got benched." He looked around the room. He still admired the suite. "A lot has changed. Take you for example. Twenty-plus years ago there weren't women Bosses."

"I'm not Boss, I'm acting Right Hand."

"It's the principle. Your being here tells me everything I need to know about you and Dino. You're a made woman. Dino trusts you and the Family trusts Dino so I trust you. If any of these tough guys give you a hard time, give me a call. I'll set 'em straight."

"I appreciate that. You're truly as clever as they claim."

"I live and breathe this Family. Because of that, I want to mend the distance between Boston and Chicago."

Judy had a good sense of people. Irv was exactly what everyone claimed. He was a genuine old-school made man. He lived by a code of honor. "Better watch yourself. Some might want you to take Leo's place...permanently."