La Sposa (33 page)

“
Something wrong?” Giovanni asked,
his voice tight with concern.

Mira reached and touched his hand. She took it
in hers. “No. Nothing is wrong with me or our baby. I just want to
lay here and relax. I feel like we’ve been going at full-speed for
days now. Last night was beautiful, but you really wore a girl
out.”

The alarm in his eyes softened to desire. He
moistened his lips and leaned in to speak into her ear. “Tonight,
we go even further.”

“
Oh lord!” Mira laughed. “There is
no further.”

He bit her earlobe “Oh yes, there
is.”

Mira hit him playfully.

“
You need your rest. I want you to
relax.” He reached for Eve who shouted something in her own baby
language that sounded like a protest. He brought her fully into his
arms. “Respect Papa,” he pleaded.

Mira watched him walk out, holding their
wailing daughter. She rolled over under the covers, yanking them up
above her head. Her lids sagged and her body slowly unwound pangs
of tension, distressing her limbs. She felt like she’d run a
marathon. Her legs, thighs, and lower back ached mercilessly. She
also had soreness on her collarbone and breasts from his love
bites. Why the man insisted on marking her during sex confused her.
It would be hard to cover up the hickeys with the dress she
selected to wear for him today. Mira smiled. Who cared? It was
their world, their paradise. She gave into exhaustion, thinking of
their growing family. If she had known love would be so gratifying,
she’d have trusted it years ago.

New York –

“
So where do we go first? Do we
visit her office? How far is lower Manhattan from here? What time
is it? Four? Five? Is that too late in the afternoon to meet with
them?”

Dominic hung up the phone. “You have your
first meeting tomorrow. Aren’t you tired from the
flight?”

“
No! Not particularly. We’re in New
York City, Domi! Oh, gosh, there is so much I want to
do!”

“
Shower, Catalina, relax, order
some food. I won’t be long.”

“
Huh? Where are you going?” She
walked up behind him. He stopped and smiled at her.

“
A meeting. Trust me. I won’t be
long. Order whatever you like. Tomorrow is your big day. I hear the
hotel has a spa too. I know you love them.” He kissed her and then
walked out the door.

Standing there in the middle of a suite fit
for an emperor, she frowned. The flight had been exhausting, but
she was too charged with excitement to just sit in her room and do
nothing. Catalina walked over to the window and stared down at the
traffic- congested streets. Many people packed tightly on the
sidewalks, and yellow cabs blew horns as they raced through the
light. She hugged herself, smiling. For a while, this would be
home. And soon it dawned on her what she faced tomorrow. There was
plenty to do. She needed to finish reading the documents and
instructions Mira gave her.

Catalina found her bag and removed the folder.
The papers were a crash course on fashion; and the ins and outs of
Mirabella’s. She sat at the reading desk before the window, trying
not to be distracted by the tall buildings and bustling sounds of
afternoon life beyond the glass. She needed to focus.

The phone rang.

Surprised, she whirled around in her chair.
Had Dominic forgotten something? Was he calling from downstairs to
ask her to come and join him? She rose and walked over to the bed.
Plopping down on the edge, she picked up on the third ring.
“
Pronto
… uh, hello?”

“
Catalina? Catalina
Battaglia?”

“
Yes. This is me.”

“
Well, good to speak with you. I’m
Theodore Tate. Mira’s attorney and friend.”

“
Oh? Yes! She told me about you.
Nice to speak with you too. How did you know we’ve
arrived?”

Theodore gave a deep throaty laugh. “I made it
a point to know when you and Dominic arrived. Are you settled in?
Plans for dinner?”

“
No. I mean, yes we’re settled in.”
Catalina tried to calm the nervous flutters in her stomach.
“Dominic isn’t here. He has business. It’s just me.”

“
Oh? Would you like to join me for
a drink? I can take you to dinner and introduce you to the city.
Catch you up on the business matters Mira and I have
discussed.”

“
I’m sorry. I can’t go anywhere
without Dominic.
Grazie
.”

There was a pause. Catalina realized how
juvenile her response sounded. A professional woman wouldn’t
dismiss a polite offer this way, would she? Chewing on her nail,
she looked around. There was no way to contact Dominic, and to
leave without permission simply wasn’t allowed.

“
No problem.” He eventually
answered. “I understand. We’ll see you tomorrow at
eight?”

“
Yes! Yes. I can’t wait to meet
you, uh, everyone. Thank you for calling, Theodore.”

“
Call me Teddy. Enjoy your
evening.”

“
Ciao, Teddy
.” Catalina said
and hung up. She sat there staring at the phone, with a bubbling
excitement overtaking her. It would have been nice to meet him and
see the city. Have a fancy drink and discuss fashion and all the
new things she’d do and see. Catalina wished Dominic was there. She
was near exploding with excitement. Next time, she’d ask Dominic
for permission to do these things before he left her. She rose
smiling and returned to her studying.

Dominic strolled off the elevator. He wasn’t
fond of America, the noise, the rushing to and fro, the sour
looking faces bumping him as they passed. It made him anxious and a
bit distrustful of the simplest gesture. He checked his watch. As
soon as he passed out of the rotating doors, he saw a black Lincoln
parked and waiting. The driver made eye contact. He opened the back
door and Dominic eased inside. Waiting for him in the backseat was
Stefano Zimmatore, looking like a Neanderthal stuffed in a suit and
tie. He had a large face, with wide nostrils, fat jaws, and a thick
neck with a protruding gut and reclining hairline. Another burly
younger version of Stefano sat in the passenger seat. He had to be
the son, Gino. Once the driver got back behind the wheel, they sped
away.

“
Buena sera!”
Stefano said.
He leaned in as far as his fat belly would permit and kissed
Dominic on both cheeks. “How is Giovanni?”

“
He sends his thanks and hello. He
and his new bride are vacationing.”

Stefano gave a nod of respect. “Seen her in
the press. Interesting, that they would marry.”

“
She’s a gem.” Dominic answered
flatly. He wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to Giovanni’s choice in
a wife. He knew what the men in his world thought of; a man of
Giovanni’s position taking an American black woman for a bride.
Hell, Dominic feared, Tomosino had sat up in his crypt when the
vows were spoken.

“
Of course. Shall we get to
business? Gino, hand it over!” Stefano ordered. His son passed back
a folder to Dominic from the front seat. He accepted it. “It would
help if we had more details on the mother,” Stefano
said.

“
We gave you the name, where she
was born, when she died. What more did you need?” Dominic answered.
He opened the folder that referenced Mira’s family history. The
first thing that greeted him was the death certificate for Melissa
Ellison. She died young.

“
You do realize she was a runaway
at sixteen. She never had a job. Never filed a W2 or paid taxes.
Here in America, that is pretty uncommon. The only thing we could
get was the hospital stay in Philadelphia.”

“
Hospital?” Dominic frowned, moving
on from the death certificate to the other documents.
“For?”

“
She gave birth to twins.” Stefano
said.

Dominic paused. He looked up from the folder
to the old man.

“
It’s in there. She gave birth to
twin girls.”

“
I don’t see the birth
certificates? Where are they?” he said through a rushed
breath.

“
They were pulled. Can’t find them.
The babies weren’t named at the hospital, and no father listed.
Only thing we could find was the birth record under Melissa
Ellison’s name. My contact says it could have been a private
adoption of some sort.”

“
Twins.” Dominic frowned. “Twin
girls?”

He flipped the other pages and brought up the
arrest record of James Walker. The first and most recent detail,
was his detention at Riker’s Island. Dominic read through the
documents, trying to understand the complicated life of James
Walker. Years ago, he was convicted for armed robbery of a night
club. The place was burned to the ground and the owner died. The
arrest was four years before Mira and her twin sister were born. He
compared the dates. “He’s not the father.”

Stefano nodded. “He’s got another murder rap.
In fact, he’s killed six men since he’s been in prison. A really
mean motherfucker. They have him locked down in Riker’s awaiting
trial for a murder of a correctional officer.”

“
Did you talk to him?”

“
Fuck no. He’s a nigger. Killing
and stealing is what they do. Why do you even bother?” Gino
answered.

“
Shut the fuck up!” Stefano shouted
back at Gino. The son mumbled but didn’t turn around.

“
Forgive my son. He forgets his
place. We haven’t talked to him. But we suspected you might want to
have that conversation. I’m working on a visit. It might take a
while.”

“
How long?”

“
A few weeks. It’ll require the
assistance of some very important associates. Could be
costly.”

Dominic understood. What he thought was a
simple mystery had now turned into a full blown Greek tragedy.
Twins separated at birth? A convicted felon pinned as the father.
And a young woman dying at the young age of twenty-two from a drug
overdose? Giovanni needed to know this. “I need it to happen
sooner. Spare no expense.”

Gino threw his hand up but didn’t utter a word
of objection.

Dominic rode in the backseat, digesting the
news. He returned his attention to Stefano. “There is something
else. His name is Kei Hyogo.”

“
We know him. Everyone knows he
sent an assassin to the
Campania
after Giovanni.”

“
Then you know we have unfinished
business with him. I hear he’s being extradited back to
China.”

Stefano smiled. “You haven’t heard. Santo
requested we have the boys in Riker’s check in on him. We’ve sent
Gio a special wedding gift.”

“
Is he still alive?”

“
Sort of.” Stefano
shrugged.

“
Giovanni requested that I pay him
a visit while I’m here.”

Stefano frowned. “Son, that isn’t within my
power. He’s under protective custody after the prison riot. Nothing
more I can do.”

“
Giovanni wishes it.” Dominic said
firmly. “When you arrange the meeting with James Walker, I want to
see Kei Hyogo. I have a message for him before he’s sent back to
China. It has to be delivered personally.”

Stefano shrugged. “I’ll see what I can
do.”

*****

“
Boss? You called?” Leo
asked.

“
Where the hell is Rosetta?”
Giovanni shouted as he tried to force a slice of fruit on Eve. His
daughter swatted it out of her face and screamed her frustration
through tears. She fought him at every turn to be free. In fact,
nothing he had done calmed her since she discovered her mother was
awake. Even the beautiful scenic view from the third story terrace
pissed her off. Mira needed her rest, but dammit they both needed
Mira. Babysitting was bullshit and woman’s work.

“
Rosetta left a minute ago. She’s
headed to the beach,” Leo said.

Giovanni frowned. “What the hell for? Get her
ass back here now! I brought her here to work dammit!” He seethed.
“Do it!” he shouted at Leo when he didn’t move faster.

Leo nodded and hurried out. Giovanni turned
Eve around to face him. “
Lucciola? Lucciola!
Listen to Papa.
Stop the crying.”

Eve yelled louder. She arched her back with
her arms stretched trying to break free of him. He struggled to
embrace her, shake her, pat her back as he’d seen Mira do. Nothing
worked.

“
Ninny! Ninny!” she
wailed.

It dawned on him the source of her rage, the
fucking pacifier. He’d forgotten it. Rising, he stormed back into
the villa, down the stairs and to the room. Mira stirred in her
sleep but didn’t fully wake. Thankfully, the stupid thing was on
the bed where they left it. The moment he passed it to his daughter
she popped it in her mouth and silenced. But they were both
exhausted and a bit weary of each other. Giovanni released a deep
breath. How the fuck did he forget the pacifier? He shook his head.
Her mother would have to do something about the damn
thing.

*****

“
Are we flying back to Milan?”
Marietta asked, easing her sunglasses on.