Page 76 of Damon

"Not if we negotiate properly."

"Explain."

"Joint custody of any children between the families. Shared business interests. The child inherits from both grandfathers, unites both territories. We don't get absorbed, we become partners."

"Partners with people who've been our enemies for decades."

"No, partners with people who have the same interests we do. Money, power, territory, respect. The only difference is instead of fighting over it, we'd be sharing it."

Uncle Sal looks skeptical. "You really think this would work?"

"I think it's worth trying. The alternative is a war that benefits nobody."

My father turns from the window. "There's one problem with your plan."

"What's that?"

"It assumes Roberto wants an alliance. What if he wants revenge?"

"Then we give him something he wants more than revenge."

"Such as?"

"A grandson who'll inherit everything. A legacy that's bigger than his hatred for us."

"And if the child is a girl?"

"Then we try again. And keep trying until we have a boy."

"And if there's no child at all?"

I meet his eyes steadily. "Then we deal with that when it happens."

My father returns to his seat, drumming his fingers on the table. "You're asking me to bet the entire family's future on the possibility that Roberto's daughter is carrying your child. Or will be."

Uncle Sal leans forward. "What makes you think she'd even want this? Marriage to you, children with you, a life in our world? She’s a child herself with a whole life to live."

"Because she's already chosen it. She chose me over her family's expectations."

"That was when it was forbidden and exciting," my father points out. "Marriage and children and domestic life, that's different."

"She'll choose me either way."

"You sound very confident for a man about to get a bullet in the head."

"I am confident."

My father picks up the photographs again, studying them like he's trying to see into our souls. "If we do this, if we approach Roberto with this proposal, there's no going back. Either it works, or it destroys both families."

"Both families are already at risk. This gives us a chance to build something better."

"And you think Roberto will see it that way?" Uncle Sal asks.

"Roberto loves his daughter enough to want her to be happy. And I think he's smart enough to recognize an opportunity when he sees one."

"What about your feelings for the girl? Can you separate business from personal?"

"I don't want to separate them. That's the point. This only works if it's real. I’m suggesting a real marriage, not an arranged marriage."