After My Four Childhood Friends Abandoned Me, I Inherited a Mafia Empire

"People had called me slow ever since I was little.

On my first trip to Europe for family business, the four mafia heirs I grew up with acted like they wanted to tie me to their belts.

Each of them spoke Italian, French, Spanish, and Russian fluently. In New York's underworld, they were the kind of young men people lowered their voices to talk about.

Even when my best friend, Nora Valenti, hit someone while driving without a license, they refused to let me get out of the car.

""We've got it,"" they said.