“You can?” I sez, slippin’ a bit in my surprise.
“Sure,” my cousin insists, lookin’ at me hard like he does when I’m supposed to be ready to provide him with an alibi.
“All right, Nunzio,” Don Bruce sez, settlin’ back against the bar, “start talking.”
“Well, you see, Don Bruce,” Nunzio sez, “the Boss is unhappy with the agreement you referenced regarding the Mob’s relationship with Possiltum.”
“Oh he is, is he?” the Don snarls, but Nunzio holds up a hand and continues.
“The way it is.” he sez, “is the Boss figures that circumstances have arisen which neither of you took into account in the original negotiation … specifically, the new expansion policy that’s pushing the borders out.”
“Go on,” Don Bruce sez, but he’s nodding now.
“The spirit of your agreement was that the Mob wouldn’t infringe on the kingdom’s territory, but the way if s going, the kingdom is pushing into the Mob’s territory. What’s more, the letter of your agreement is keeping the Mob from protecting what’s ours.”
“So I noticed,” the Don sez, sarcastic-Iike.
“Now, the Boss doesn’t think this is right. What’s more, he feels personally responsible since it was his sloppy negotiating for the kingdom that has placed you in this predicament. The problem is that as he is now working for the Mob and not for the kingdom, he is not in a position to renegotiate the terms to make things right again.”
“Yeah,” Don Bruce sez thoughtful-like, “I can see that.”
“Now, you may not know it, Don Bruce,” Nunzio continues, “but the Boss thinks the world of you and would never do anything to hurt you or your reputation. Because of this, and because he feels responsible for your current difficulties, he has taken it upon himself to correct the situation by mounting a covert operation to halt the kingdom’s expansion. In fact, the reason he has been keeping this secret from you is for a little extra insurance. This way, if anything goes wrong, you can swear under oath that you knew nothing about it, and certainly never took a hand or gave an order against Possiltum. What he’s doing, Don Bruce, is setting himself up to be a scapegoat … all to take the pressure off you!”