Lower East Side, New York – Second week of May, 1919
In the damp alleys between Avenue D and Bowery, the city whispered. The echo of the shot that killed Alfredo Scucciari had not yet faded. South Street Seaport was once again Moretti territory, but consequences were starting to boil beneath the surface.
Blood calls for blood, but the city... was a chessboard.Chapter 5 – Five Families, Five Fires
And Giovanni Moretti was only just learning to move his pieces.
The Map of Lower ManhattanThe Lower East Side did not belong to a single family. Control was divided among five forces—each dangerous, each watchful.
The Moretti Family – Under Salvatore Moretti. They ruled the area between Delancey Street, Allen Street, and the Seaport. Strong in smuggling, extortion, and clandestine ports.
The Camorra of Grand Street – Of Neapolitan roots, led by Don Cataldo Sabino. They controlled Grand Street up to Forsyth. Experts in forgery, illegal gambling, and immigration scams.
The Norfolk Gang – Organized Romanies, known as the Czár. They controlled Norfolk, Rivington, and Suffolk, running prostitution rings, betting, and human trafficking.
The Sassi di Broome – A family of violent Calabrians, former miners and hitmen. They ruled Broome to Chrystie Street, focusing on violent collections and settling scores.
The Bravos of East Broadway – A mixed gang of young Italians and Irish. Their zone: East Broadway to Canal Street. Very unpredictable, with weak ties to any traditional code.
The balance was fragile. Wars didn't start with a death. They began with pride.
The Czár's ResponseTwo days later, a body appeared: a twelve-year-old boy, son of one of the Italian dockworkers. Throat slit, fingers cut off.
In his mouth, a note:
"Your blood runs through streets you don't control."
Lucca, the senior caporegime, wanted to strike immediately.
—"We can't let them kill children," he said, gripping his pistol tightly.
—"And what? Shoot up Rivington until no one's left? And what do we do when the Bravos or the Calabrians take advantage to move into our avenues?"
It was Giovanni who spoke. Silence fell.
—"We're not seeking revenge," he continued. "We seek order."
And so he proposed a risky solution: meet with the other four gangs. Not to ask for help, but to show strength without firing a shot.
The Table of CalmThe meeting was arranged in secret, in a basement under a fake bakery on East Broadway—neutral ground.
There were:
Giovanni Moretti, representing his father.Rocco Sabino, son of the Neapolitan Don.Iosif Czár, cold, dressed in a long coat and silver rings.Pasquale Lupo, lieutenant of the Sassi di Broome.Ewan Callahan, leader of the Bravos, a young Irishman with cynical eyes.
The air was tense. Everyone knew that one wrong word could unleash knives.
—"We're not here to cry over the dead," Giovanni began. "We're here to prevent our territories from burning."
—"You started this," Iosif snapped.
—"I cleaned out a traitor who sold our routes. If what worries you is losing money... we can renegotiate routes. But children are not part of the game."
—"Your rules aren't ours."
—"Then make some that work for you. But keep your people out of the Seaport. Because if a single Czár sets foot there, I'll send him back in bags."
The threat wasn't shouted. It was stated like announcing the weather.
Iosif looked at him for a long second. Then, he smiled with chilling calm.
—"For now, we'll keep the distance. But the Norfolk routes... will stay open to everyone."
The tension lessened, without resolving.
It wasn't peace.
It was a truce.
The Costs of LeadershipBack at the Rivington club, Giovanni was met with silence by several soldiers. Some looked at him with respect. Others, with fear. But one—Rino, a young member loyal to Lucca—dared to speak.
—"Do you really think you can talk with that scum?"
Giovanni looked at him.
—"I think you have to know when to fight... and when to build a wall so the fire doesn't reach you."
—"That's not what your father would do."
Giovanni stepped closer and grabbed him by the neck, gently.
—"You're not my father. You obey me. If you can't do that, you leave. And not as a soldier. As pig fodder."
Rino stepped back. And understood.
Giovanni was ceasing to be the "son of the Don."
He was beginning to be his own shadow.
Division of Moretti TerritoryAfter the incident, Salvatore summoned his caporegimes: Lucca Moretti and Donato Greco. Together with their ten executives, they reorganized the map:
Lucca would control Delancey and Bowery up to Broome, with 5 executives and 40 soldiers.
Donato would handle the Seaport and southern Grand Street, with 5 executives and 30 soldiers.
Giovanni, still without an official rank, would be a special observer of both zones, acting as inspector and direct representative of the Godfather.
Giovanni didn't miss the gesture.
They were giving him power.
But also a noose.