Made In Basalt

Test #1

"Don Vitale. I appreciate you meeting with us."

Vinny stared at the man who had spoken the words. He was more like a boy, the closer Vinny looked. He couldn't be older than twenty or twenty-one. Flicking his gaze to the other one, a man his thirties, Vinny noticed how he hung back slightly, letting the younger man take the lead.

"I'm Agent Jeffrey Isbell," the kid said, holding up a badge. "This is Agent Nikki Sixx..." he motioned to the older man. "We're here because I think we can be of help to each other."

Vinny squinted at them. "You left your guns out front, like I said?"

Isbell inclined his head. "Your guards wouldn't let us in otherwise."

Your guards. The kid made it sound like Vinny was in his own private fortress and these were his men. A clever, subtle choice of words. He let his face harden, leaning forward to peer intently at Isbell, and Isbell's only reaction was to give a little hint of a smile, dark eyes bright and knowing. They stayed like that for a moment.

"You trying to butter me up, kid?" Vinny said softly.

"No," Isbell replied, just as softly. "Just stating facts. One of the duties of correctional officers is to protect the people in here, and a man of your stature requires more attention than most, if not all, the others."

Vinny smiled. "A man of my stature?"

Isbell smiled back. Neither of their smiles were very wide. "I'm given to understand you're one of the most powerful Mafia bosses out of the five families. You dropped out of school at 14 and started a job as a delivery boy, making $7 per week. By the 1920s, you'd become the leader of the Five Points gang. You were grossing over $12 million a year from the sale of illicit alcohol, and you had the largest bootlegging operation in New York, with a territory that extended as far as Philadephia."

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"You worked your way up the Mafia food chain. You survived three assassination attempts, the third by striking first and wiping out your boss, Luca Gianni, otherwise known as the Boss of Bosses. You took his place and began moving into more rackets, expanding your power, almost overnight. You strengthened your outreach in areas of bootlegging, prostitution, gambling, loan-sharking, narcotics, and labor rackets. You made the family so much money they had trouble laundering it, and had to resort to burying it in barrels in the Sicilian countryside."

Vinny kept his face blank, but it was an effort to stop his smile from widening. Isbell took a breath, and his next sentence was quieter.

"And I have it on good authority, Don Vitale, that you're still very much in control of the syndicate from in here."

Vinny didn't say a word, but he raised both eyebrows slightly and finally allowed himself to smile fully, spreading his hands. Isbell didn't smile back, but he leaned back in his seat and nodded slightly.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Vinny said, looking from Sixx to Isbell, but he focused on the latter.

"I need you to use your Sicilian connections to help the war effort, Don Vitale," Isbell said.

Vinny watched him as he explained. He maintained eye contact, but not too much so that it came across as unnatural or as attempted intimidation. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and there was an undertone of excitement, of confidence in what he was saying, and his speech was just the right length - brief, but detailed. The other agent, Sixx, sat silently in the background, hands folded in his lap, following the conversation closely but not participating. When Isbell had finished, Vinny let a beat of silence linger.