Re: Chapter 2.3: Night at the Foundation [01/31/1925]
It wasn't the first time Moretti had been thankful for the dark. In this case, it served to conceal some of the surprise that had overtaken his expression, ruining the well controlled demeanor that had seen him through so many negotiations and card games. He was momentarily speechless, uncertain of how to answer her. In his mind, it was akin to Masseria abruptly treating him as an equal, instead of an underling, and it left him without a frame of reference.
"You don't...you don't have to apologize, Rosalie," he said slowly, "You were upset, in shock. And my actions, they made you angry. You were just expressing your displeasure. It's something you're entitled to do."
"I shouldn't have spoken to you harshly. That was wrong of me. Inexcusable, really. I know you understand who I work for and what I do for them And I believe that you hold me in some regard in spite of it. But...I think if you had followed me around over the last few years, your opinion might be different."
Finding himself suddenly unable to look at her, he turned his attention to the window, watching Cotton as he made his calls. "I've justified what I've done, because of my mother and my sister. When Papa passed, the only thing I cared about was taking care of them." He looked down at his hands. "I've kept the code. Omerta. Honored it since I was seventeen. Last year, right around this time, in the deep of winter, Joe Masseria told me that because of my service to the family, I'd earned the care of my mother and Emily for life. No matter what becomes of me, they'll be watched after and protected."
He looked back at, giving a small smile and a shrug. "So, I'm finished. I did what I set out to do. Whatever's left is just finding an ending. Maybe trying to wipe away a few of the black marks I've collected. When I learned about Jackson, I knew that trying to find justice for him was the right thing." He swallowed, his throat thick. "He always treated me with kindness. Like a brother. I wanted to put a stop to the people that hurt him and, grace permitting, earn a little redemption along the way."
"But Rosalie...I'm not like Stanley, or Bo, or Tommy who's more than earned a place at your family's table. Were I to show up at your uncle's home on a holiday, in a suit and tie, looking all respectable, it would be just appearance. An act. Because deep down, I am corrupt. A criminal, just one of several dozens in Italian Harlem. And I'm well beyond saving."
"I'm honored to do this. To help avenge Jackson. To stop the evil he discovered. But I don't belong among the Elias family, no matter how much I wish that I did. I don't...I don't deserve it."