Crossing the Lines

FOUR

Hannah's POV

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"Mind if I come in?" Sarah asks. 

"Sure." I nod, opening the door more for her. We walk over to the couch and both sit down. She looks around my room in awe.

"Wow, your room looks so much better than mine did when I first moved in. Mine had a ton of yellow." 

"Wait, so you're American?" I ask, completely ignoring her comment on my room. She looks at me sympathetically and nods.

"I am. I'm originally from Atlanta, but I was homeless and they found me and let me join."

"So, are we the only Americans? I mean it's an Italian mafia."

"True, but no. They're are a few other Americans, but also some people from the UK, Australia, Germany, and a bunch of other places. The majority is Italians, but the mafia has expanded a lot from its original families." I nod, taking it all in.

"Any more questions?"

"What the fuck is a Capo? Or Don?" Those were two titles I've heard since I've been here and didn't have any clue what they meant. Sarah turns more towards me and sits criss cross.

"Okay, so it can be confusing at first, but you'll learn it the more you're here. Ace's father, Alfrigo, is the boss and the head of the mafia. He's slowly started stepping back for the heir to take over, so he mainly works with forming alliances or starting war with other mafias. Ace is the underboss and heir to the  Sicilian mafia. He mainly decides what we trade and with who, along with other stuff like leading missions or wars. Both of them, essentially, are bosses so they have the title 'don'. Ace is referred to as the don unless Alfrigo is here, then we just call him Ace or boss. 

"Cosimo, who you will see frequently around Ace, is Alfrigo's concierge. He is kind of like an advisor and knows just as much as the boss. He also goes between Ace and his father delivering messages or information they may need to know. 

"Next are the Capos, or captains. There are three at this compound and they each lead two floors, which is equivalent to about twenty people. Benevello, or Ben, is our Capo. He is in charge of everyone on our floor and the seventh floor. Antony is the Capo for floors two and three, and Vicente, or Vinnie, is the Capo for floors four and five. The first floor is the training area and the basement is where the cells, meeting rooms, and other stuff is. The Capos stay on the eighth floor and Ace stays on the ninth. There are three captains per compound and there are compounds all over the world. Ace is in charge of them and travels back and fourth, but he mainly resides here.

"Next are the soldiers, like me. We are basically the man power for the mafia. We make the trade deals, do the fighting if there is war, and anything else that may be needed of us. There are sixty of us here, but like I said, there are compounds everywhere. You haven't done anything yet, but starting tomorrow you will be closely watched over the next week or two. If they decide you're fit to be a soldier, you'll take the oath of silence, get a trademark, and become an official soldier of the Sicilian mafia.

"Lastly, there are the associates. They aren't really apart of the mafia, but they are kind of like small gangs that have our protection. They deal on the streets and do other stuff under the radar for us, which makes us a profit." Sarah lets out a deep breath as she finally finished.

"Wow." Was all I could say. When Ace told me this was a mafia, I expected more of things like the associates, not a whole ass organization. "What happens if they don't think I'm fit to be a soldier?" She gives me a cautious look.

"All I'm gonna say is, make sure they think you'll be good."

"Shit..." I breath out as I run my hands through my hair, stressed out. I thought I already made the choice to live, but now I'm told that it isn't up to me.