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boss.”
    Kate whistled. “A hundred and fifty
bosses?”
    “So you see the problem.”
    “These are the men you have to watch out
for?”
    “Yes.” Apparently seeing the alarm on her
face, he hastened to add, “Do not worry. You are probably not in
any danger. They typically kidnap only the very wealthy. And they
usually do not kill the people they kidnap. There is no money in
that. They are, fortunately, a practical people.”
    “Then why all the guards? It doesn’t sound so
bad.”
    “Their victims often do not go home in one
piece.” He wiggled his fingers.
    Kate felt faint. Oh God . “They cut off
fingers?” What if Vince had done that ?
    “Proof of life. Or a threat of its opposite.
It tends to motivate payment.”
    “But wouldn’t they get paid anyway?”
    “If the family can afford it. The ransom
demands are often… exorbitant.” He smiled ruefully. “Millions of
euros, usually.”
    “I had no idea it was so lawless here.”
    “Lawless? No. But certainly this is not
America.” He paused and looked at her closely for a moment. “You
did not ask me here to talk about my troubles.”
    “It’s interesting though.” Kate wanted to
keep him talking; she wasn’t quite ready to ask her question. “I
want to learn more about Italy, and certainly the Mafia is a big
part of this country.”
    “Yes and no. The Mafia organizations are more
pervasive in the south. In some towns in Calabria, every man is a
member of the ‘Ndrangheta. That is hardly true here in the north.
Still, they do have influence.”
    “Only to the extent that criminals everywhere
have influence.”
    “That is where you are wrong. The Mafia
controls much of the Italian state as well, from the Prime Minister
down to the local chief of police.” He paused. “Even now, the
Italian government is rewriting laws to avoid having to prosecute
our Prime Minister, Italo Baldassare, on various Mafia-related
charges.”
    “Why don’t the people fight it? Why don’t
they try to stop the Mafia?”
    “The situation is complicated. Cosa Nostra
and the ‘Ndrangheta date back over a hundred years. Originally,
they protected villagers from bandits, and later they helped defeat
the French. The Bourbons did not care about the Italian people.
They just saw us as a source of revenue.” His smile was wry. “The
Mafia had noble origins, noble intentions. And they still do in
some cases. They help people who cannot find justice any other way.
And they do help the less fortunate.”
    Kate snorted. “You make it sound rather
romantic. They kill people, Enrico. They would kidnap you and cut
off your fingers if they could.”
    “I do not disagree. But one cannot be Italian
and not understand why they exist, what purpose they serve.”
    “You can’t be noble and terrorize people at
the same time.”
    “You do not understand Italians, do you?”
Enrico smiled at her.
    “They’re just like other people.”
    Shaking his head, he leaned forward. “Every
Italian male thinks he is a prince. One must be a bigger, badder
prince to get him to obey. Intimidation is all most Italian men
understand.”
    Kate smiled with her lips pursed. “You’re
kidding me.”
    “I am not.” He shook his head again,
laughing.
    “So what did you do to impress the men who
work for you? What did you do to stop your competitors?”
    Enrico’s smile faded and he sat up straight.
“I did what I had to do. I put on a big, swaggering show. I dressed
better, I thought better, and I was ruthless in my business
dealings. I crushed some other companies. It was necessary.”
    “Did you ever have business with the
‘Ndrangheta? Did they do your dirty work?”
    He held her eyes. “Why are you asking me
this?”
    Her heartbeat accelerated. “That’s a yes,
then.”
    “Answer my question, and I will answer
yours.”
    She broke their eye contact and cleared her
throat. “I suspect….” She stopped and started over. “You were
married to Carlo’s daughter. So you know him