La Sposa (7 page)

Lorenzo overlooked him. He wasn’t there for a
social call. Carmine informed him that Cheno delivered the envelope
to
Melanzana
. A young hood that was only good for odds and
ends because his quick temper almost always got him into fistfights
and knifings. Carlo had a thing for hotheads and considered Cheno,
Carmine, and a few others worthy of his mentoring. If the night was
filled with card games and gambling, Cheno had to be there to prove
himself to the other bosses. Among the men gathered, Cheno was
absent.

Laughter exploded from the table as a player
swept the cards up with a winning hand. Lorenzo frowned.
Where
the fuck was the kid?
He scanned the faces of the others once
more. As if delivered by the devil, Cheno suddenly appeared from
the hall. He started walking toward him, running his zipper up
after leaving the toilet. Lorenzo strolled up to him.

“
Salve.”
Cheno stopped and
greeted him. Before he could say more, Lorenzo shoved the kid back
into the hall.

“
We need to speak,” Lorenzo said.
He withdrew his gun. Cheno’s eyes lowered to the weapon. The mix of
confusion and fear made him pale and stiffen.

“
What have I done?” Cheno
asked.

“
In private we’ll discuss the
matter. Go,” Lorenzo ordered.

The young man, who mouthed off at nearly any
and everyone, stammered his agreement. He had no choice but to turn
and head to the back room. Lorenzo glanced back over his shoulder.
Carlo exhaled two streams of smoke from his nostrils, observing
him. No reaction registered on his friend’s face to Lorenzo with a
gun. Maybe he could end the night without shedding
blood.

*****

The massage concluded when she drifted to
sleep. He didn’t mind. His job was done, and performed well. He
cleaned her up and put away the soiled towels. Together they
rested. He woke and ran his hand down her back and kissed her
forehead. The warmth of her body and heavy blankets made the bed so
comfortable, he nearly slipped back to sleep, when he heard a
child’s whimper. Before his mind could register the source, his
darling Eve let out a scream. His head lifted and so did
Mira’s.

“
She’s not been feeling well,
Giovanni. I’ll get her.” Mira rolled out of their embrace and
reached for her robe.

“
No, Bella, let me. She needs to
know Papa’s home.”

Mira nodded and dropped back on her side. He
kissed her forehead and left the bed. Finding his robe and pajama
pants, he put them on, and went into his daughter’s room. Eve sat
in her crib crying. The moment he stood over her, she wiped at her
tears and sucked down her sobs. “It’s Papa,
lucciola
.”

Eve picked up her pacifier and stuck it in her
mouth. He lifted her from the crib and her arms immediately went
around his neck.

“
Did you miss me?”

Her small head lifted. She looked into his
eyes with round beautiful ones that mirrored his own. Eve bumped
her forehead against his. Giovanni laughed. He eased the pacifier
out of her mouth. She frowned and stared at it in his
hand.

“
Answer Papa. Did you miss
me?”

Eve blinked up at him and studied him for a
moment. He had heard her speak when she played, but the damn
pacifier always silenced her little voice. He’d loved to hear it
tonight.

“
Did you miss me?” he pressed
again.

“
Papa,” she said, and
smiled.

Giovanni laughed. He put her pacifier back in
her mouth and she dropped her head on his shoulder. He held her to
him, enjoying the welcome. Together they returned to bed. Mira had
risen and put on her robe to cover her nudity. She had pulled back
the blanket for them both. Giovanni eased in with his daughter,
slipping fast to sleep against his chest. Mira scooted in closer.
Eve dropped her hand over on to her mother’s cheek and patted it.
His and Mira’s eyes met. Giovanni winked. She turned and reached to
click off the night lamp and they returned to sleep.

*****

“
Che cazzo dici?
What the
hell did I do?” Cheno asked as he continued to step back. His eyes
never lifted from the weapon in Lorenzo’s hand.

Lorenzo tapped the gun against his leg as he
paced himself through the questioning. “When did the envelope
arrive at
Melanzana
?”

Cheno frowned.

“
Answer me!” he shouted.

“
I… it, ah, yesterday. It came
yesterday.”

“
By who?”

“
A mail truck. It came with all the
mail. I did what I do. I took your mail to your room and delivered
the rest to
Villa Rosso
. I swear. That is all.”

Lorenzo stepped closer. He stood a foot taller
than the boy. He could smell the stench of booze and cigarettes on
the breath he exhaled. What he didn’t smell was a lie. The kid
didn’t know shit. It was stupid to think the punk would give him
any fucking answers. He grabbed the boy by the throat. When Cheno
gasped, he shoved the gun in his mouth so hard, the kid convulsed
and nearly vomited. How he kept it under control, he didn’t know or
care. Pressed against the wall, Cheno’s eyes were as large as his
gaping mouth.

“
Any deliveries for me, you hold on
to them. You see me directly. Understood.”

The young man nodded his obedience.

A door opened and closed. He knew they were no
longer alone. He pulled the gun out of Cheno’s mouth and wiped the
slob on the boy’s shirt. Cheno coughed and hacked down deep breaths
of air.

“
Vai via!”
Lorenzo ordered.
And his command was obeyed. Cheno scrambled out of the room as fast
as his feet could carry him. Lorenzo glanced back over his shoulder
and locked eyes with Carlo. “Nasty business. No need to worry over
it.”

“
You come in here and pistol whip
one of my men? That gives me pause.”

“
I barely touched the
kid.”

Carlo eyed him with a hard, unwavering, lethal
stare. Lorenzo waited.

“
You’re keeping something from me,”
Carlo said.

“
Fatti cazzi tuoi!
I can
handle my own shit. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“
I never worry about you. I worry
about
us
when you fuck up. And this smells like a fuck up.
So I’ll ask you only once. What are you keeping from
me?”

Lorenzo swallowed his anger. He didn’t want to
disrespect Carlo. He’d already done so by not greeting him when he
arrived. Though Lorenzo outranked Carlo, they shared a mutual
respect that was always honored between them. He wiped his hand
across his mouth. Damn, he needed his friend. But how could he ever
explain the deals he made with Giuseppe, or the role he had in
Tomosino’s death? Carlo was loyal, but he took his vow to the
Camorra
seriously. He’d either turn Lorenzo in to Giovanni,
or kill him himself. So there could never be any truth between them
on this sin. He’d have to figure this shit out alone.

“
I can handle it. I always
do.”

Carlo looked him over once more. Then gave a
single nod. “See to it then,” Carlo said.

Lorenzo took that as his invitation to stay or
leave. He chose to leave. He now only had to wait to see who was
after him. And when he did find the fucker, he’d make him
pay.

*****

Dreams, all of them violent, tormented him
through the night. He woke to the sound of laughter, and relief
filled him to know that he’d survived the nightmares. Giovanni
squinted and waited for the dull ache in his skull to pass. There
was tightness in his groin and his hand naturally moved under the
covers to stroke his erection. Every morning he had one. He wished
Mira had given him some relief last night. Though he felt hung over
from exhaustion, he spread his other hand out across the sheet to
reach for her. She wasn’t there.

“
Slow down, sweetie,” Mira
chuckled.

He glanced at Mira. She had breakfast brought
up to the room. She sat on the chaise with Eve propped on her lap.
Eve drank fast from her baby cup. Mira removed the cup of juice
from their daughter’s lips and gave her the remainder of a half
eaten croissant.

“
Morning,” Mira chirped.

“
Morning.”

“
She’s feeling better today. Has an
appetite. Don’t you sweetie?” Mira chuckled.

“
Yes!” Eve exclaimed. She fell back
on Mira, grinning. Giovanni eased up on the pillows, watching his
girls. Mira was a good mother. She took the time with their
daughter that often reminded him of his mother’s care with
him.

“
What time do you plan to start
your meetings?” Mira asked without looking at him. She fed Eve from
her fork.

“
I’ll shower and go to
Villa
Rosso
. I have some mail and calls to make before I meet with
the family. I’ll come in for lunch, be at the table for dinner. I’m
home, Bella, so don’t worry.”

“
I’d like to be the
first.”

“
First? For what?”

Mira stood. “For a meeting.” She heaved Eve up
in her arms. Had their daughter grown? She looked taller and a bit
heavier. He tensed to see Mira balancing her weight on her hip,
especially in her condition. But he held his tongue from the
criticism. “I’ll bathe Eve and then get changed. Can you be sure to
give me time?”

“
I don’t understand. We can discuss
whatever you want now…”

Without a backwards glance, Mira walked out of
the room. Was she pissed at him? No. They had a sweet reunion last
night, and he slept well with her and Eve. There wasn’t tension.
Still the request seemed a bit off to him. Giovanni yawned. He had
a very busy day. What time did he have to ponder the shifting moods
of a woman? He tossed the sheet aside and left the bed. A fresh cup
of cappuccino with cinnamon sticks waited for him on the tray. He
picked up the paper and reclined on the chaise to read
it.

Later –

Giovanni had all but forgotten the request
from Mira. After he showered and met with a few men on the staff,
he went to
Villa Rosso
and began to comb through the
Capriccio business documents left for him by his attorney. It
wasn’t until her soft knock rapped at the door, and his gaze lifted
to her entering his office, did he remember she intended to meet
with him. He paused at her attire. Mira wore cream-colored long
wide-leg slacks with a royal blue silk blouse. Her golden
accessories on her neck and wrist made her all the more elegant.
She’d curled her hair and applied enough smoky dark tones of eye
makeup and lip-gloss to complete the look. Mira appeared before him
like the woman he met two years ago. Poised and composed. And in
her hand, was a yellow folder.

He rocked back in his chair and stared at her
curiously.

Mira fixed him with a serious look. “I told
the others they can meet with you after we conclude our
business.”

“
Business?”

“
Yes,” she smiled sweetly.
“Mirabella’s. Our business.”

She walked over to his desk and put the folder
before him. She took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.
“When you were gone, I had Teddy fax over the past two years of
financial reports.”

“
Who the fuck is Teddy?”

“
I’ve told you who he is. These
documents prove my company has had a fifteen percent revenue loss
under three different head designers since Fabiana and I have been
gone. However, there is good news. Get this. In the past few days,
my sales have spiked about four percent. Typically, the chaos of a
resurrection like mine would have affected the bottom line. But I
think my return from the dead excited the market. Morbid, I know,
but there it is in black and white. I was shocked when I read
it.”

“
Complimenti,
Bella
.”

She gave him the most beautiful smile. He
hadn’t seen a smile like the one she wore for him now since he
returned home. And he’d been looking for it.

“
There’s some bad news too,
Giovanni. We currently have a head designer who is weakening my
brand. I disliked her when we were peers in the industry, and I’m
really pissed that Kei hired the witch. Apparently, he took plenty
of liberties he shouldn’t have. I was too afraid of my own shadow
to question him. I can’t blame him. I threw the company at him.
That’s on me. Now I’m ready to correct that mistake.”

Giovanni scanned the numbers she put before
him and found that she was right. The company itself was worth a
solid eight million. Impressive, since it was worth twelve million
when she and Fabiana first arrived in Italy, and had probably been
poorly managed by the China man. The few occasions he thought of
Kei Hyogo, he cursed himself for letting the fucker
live.

“
I’m thinking that the first thing
we need to do is reclaim the company. With Kei under investigation
in America, this may be a bit messy. Teddy already has my proxy.
You can send Dominic. He can meet with him, and together, they can
handle all the court matters.”