The Scorpion's Tale (26 page)

She turned toward the ocean, pulled along by
Giorgio, who was almost running, his eyes nervously darting to and
fro. They continued across the beach until Giovanna no longer could
bear the silence. She pulled against his hand and dug her feet into
the sand to stop him from walking further.

“What’s going on? What are you doing here and
how do you know Nick?’

Giorgio sullenly looked down at his feet as
he kicked at the powdery sand. He had come to grips with the fact
that he no longer had any chance of a life with Giovanna, but he
had to save her from Nick.

“Nick Manzione arranged for you family’s
murder,” he blurted out, as if he’d been holding his breath under
water for a minute too long.

Giovanna’s eyes flashed angrily. “Is your
jealously so unbearable that you need to lie to me? Tell me how you
even know Nick! Tell me!” she shouted, making him glance
apprehensively toward the hotel.

He turned to face his ex-lover. “Your brother
and I were working closely with Sal and Joey in New York. They told
us Manzione was trying to move in on their business.”

“You’re a liar!”

Giorgio remained unfazed by her fury. “Sal
told your brother they didn’t want to do business with Nick and
that if Nick contacted us, we were to report immediately to
Sal.”

“I don’t believe you. You’re jealous because
I’m with Nick!”

“The Brazilians told us that we were being
double-crossed by Tony and his partners. A few days later Tony and
his partners were dead.”

“That has nothing to do with Nick!”

Giorgio shook his head. “Just before Sal and
Joey were killed, I got a call from the Brazilians. They told me
your brother had been working with Tony to screw them. I told them
they were wrong about Roberto. They refused to listen. They told me
if I wanted to live, I was to do exactly as they said. I had no
choice, Giovanna.”

“I don’t understand. What are you telling me,
Giorgio?”

“I tried to stop them. They were going to
kill Roberto. I had no idea they would kill your parents. There was
nothing I could do! You must believe me! It was Nick who turned the
Brazilians against Roberto. Nick wanted to wipe out everyone to
take over the business himself. He left me alive just to use me. He
needed me to keep running the business in San Remo until he could
do it himself.”

Giovanna stepped back from Giorgio with an
expression of horror on her face. “You didn’t warn Roberto?”

“I couldn’t. They would have killed me,
too.”

“Coward! Traitor!” She screamed, as she
pounded his chest with her fists. Her screams were drowned out by
the waves crashing against the shore. Giorgio grabbed her wrists.
She lashed out at him. “You bargained away the lives of my family
to spare your own pathetic life! I hate you!”

Giorgio grabbed her by the shoulders and
shook her. “Look at me, Giovanna! Look at what I’ve become! I can’t
live with myself! I betrayed my best friend and it
is
killing me!”

Giovanna pushed him away and retreated. “Get
away from me! You make me sick.”

Giorgio moved toward her and grasped her
hand. He fell down on his knees and looked up at her, tears
streaming down his face. “Forgive me, Giovanna. I beg your
forgiveness before I die. I love you, Giovanna, and I will always
love you. You must understand. I have nobody. Please don’t abandon
me.”

Her heart was stone cold. “There is nothing I
can do for you, Judas. You will answer to God for your murderous
acts.”

“All I ask is
your
forgiveness,”
Giorgio cried. “That will be enough for me.”

“You are nothing to me. You’re alone, just
like me!”

“No, Gia, you’re not alone. You’re with the
animal that murdered your family. He is the devil. The reason he
came to Rio was to kill the Brazilians so there would be no
witnesses to his treachery.”

“The Brazilians just killed his friend
Jerry!” she screamed. “That’s why he came, you liar! If what you
said was true, he would have left for Rio before I met him! He
showed me documents that prove you’re a liar!”

“Nick set up everything including the murder
of his own man.”

“A man who took a bullet meant for him?
You’re a pathetic liar!”

“Don’t be naïve, Gia. One day, when he no
longer has any use for you, he’ll kill you, too.”

“No, you’re wrong,” she said defiantly. “I
know what’s in Nick’s heart. I see the good man he is. He is
protective, like my father.”

“He’s nothing like your father!” Giorgio
bellowed. “Your father was a saint. Nick is Satan! You must leave
him Gia. You must save yourself!”

Giovanna stared indignantly at the wretched,
crumpled mass at her feet. Giorgio held her ankles and tried to
kiss her feet. “Should I do as you have done and save myself? Look
at you. Have you really been saved?” Giovanna stepped back and
looked at the clouds floating over the sea. “Go home, if you have
one. I cannot save you and you can no longer save me.” She turned
her back on him and ran toward the hotel.

Giorgio watched her disappear. He knew he
would never see her again, but hopefully, he had planted a seed of
doubt in her heart about Manzione.

-------------------

Giovanna returned to the room and found Nick
reading the paper. He glanced up and smiled at her.

“Where have you been? I’ve been very lonely
here without you.”

Giovanna forced a smile. “I got up early for
a swim in the pool.”

Nick frowned. “Didn’t you go to the
beach?”

Giovanna was taken aback, wondering whether
Nick had been spying on her during her meeting with Giorgio. “How
did you know I went to the beach?”

Nick pointed at her legs. “Could it be
because you’re covered in sand?” he said sarcastically.

She smiled, relieved Nick was merely stating
the obvious.

“Did you meet anyone interesting?”

Again, Giovanna wondered whether Nick was
toying with her. “Not really. There weren’t many people
around.”

Giovanna avoided eye contact with Nick. She
was still thinking about what Giorgio had said.

Nick folded the paper and placed it on the
table. He stood and stretched his arms behind his back. “How would
you like a nice breakfast followed by a little rest and relaxation
at the pool?”

Giovanna looked suspiciously at him. “Nick,
you told me that you hate sitting in the sun. You can’t sit still
for more than a few minutes.”

“I know Giovanna, but I also know how much
you love the sun, and I want to do what makes you happy.”

Giovanna’s face lit up. “I’d really like
that.”

“Why don’t you get dressed for breakfast and
we’ll go down in fifteen minutes. Sound good?”

“That’s perfect. I need to take a quick
shower. She kissed him gently on the lips and went into the
bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Nick waited until he heard the shower running
and walked over to the door connecting Louie and Pete’s suite. Nick
knocked and Pete opened the door.

“How long did she meet with him?”

“I’m guessing ten minutes.”

“You didn’t hear any of the
conversation?”

“We were too far away. We were watching
through binoculars from a vantage point where they couldn’t see
us.”

“What were they doing?”

“If I had to guess, I would say he was
begging her for something. He was actually down on his knees
grabbing her ankles.”

“Jesus!” Nick snapped, clenching his jaw.
“Did you get a better look at her face as she returned to the
hotel? Did she look upset?”

“She was definitely crying but she washed her
face down at the pool before coming up. She’s pretty shrewd.”

Nick pounded the wall. “Shit, now I have to
wonder what that little bastard told her. Were the boys able to
follow him? Do we know where to find him?”

“Yeah, I don’t think he knew he was being
tailed. He’s living in a dump.”

“Good. That stupid asshole just couldn’t
leave well enough alone. His guilty conscience with Gia will be his
death sentence,” Nick mused. He heard Giovanna turn off the shower.
“Have Braulio keep an eye on Giorgio and let me know if he goes
anywhere.”

Nick returned to his room and sat on the
balcony. He lit a cigarette and wondered what Giorgio had discussed
with Giovanna. He had to assume the worst. Giovanna had been
crying; that was certainly not a good sign. He was going to have to
extract a confession from his San Remo associate sooner than he had
anticipated. Now he just had to decide whom to kill first–Giorgio
or Renaldo. Either way, the thought made him smile.

-------------------

Nick paced back and forth at the pool. He had
to wait for Giorgio to finalize the plans and was pissed that he
was not in control of that insignificant Dago. He couldn’t kill
Giorgio until after the meeting with the Brazilians. Nick was
beginning to second-guess the wisdom of coming to Rio. He had
foolishly relied upon Giorgio and had not thought out the
consequences of a misguided allegiance. Giorgio was his only
connection to these people and Nick’s instincts warned him Giorgio
was playing both sides. Giorgio had managed to stay out of Nick’s
grasp, which was infuriating, but Nick needed Giorgio to continue
believing that Nick did not know where to find him. He sat down
across the pool from his entourage and dialed Alberto.

“Nick, how’s Rio?” Alberto said in an
unexpectedly boisterous tone.

“Not so great, Uncle. I’m sitting here with
my thumb up my ass waiting for this meeting to be arranged.”

“It shouldn’t take this long. Something else
is going on.”

Nick nodded as if Alberto was seated next to
him. “I know. Something’s wrong.”

Alberto waited a few seconds to see whether
Nick was going to elaborate. He didn’t.

“Nick, let me be frank. You’ve left me out of
this mess and I haven’t asked you a lot of questions. I figured
you’re a big boy and know what you’re doing. If I don’t know what’s
going on, I can’t give you any meaningful advice.” Alberto sensed
Nick’s conflict. “If you need my help, all you have to do is ask
me.”

“Uncle, things have become complicated.”

“I’m listening.”

“The only guy who can set up this meeting is
some nobody named Giorgio. He was a partner of Giovanna’s brother,
Roberto Milani, and he knows these Brazilians.”

“Go on.”

“Giorgio can’t stand the Brazilians. He
thinks they’re crazy cokeheads and he wants them dead, too.”

“How much do you know about this Giorgio?”
Alberto asked.

“Not as much as I thought,” Nick admitted. “I
thought this would be a slam dunk. Giorgio would arrange a meeting
for me and it would be over.”

Alberto considered this new information.
“Giorgio is double-crossing you. He’s cutting a separate deal with
them and the meeting is a hit on you. You need to come home
immediately.”

Nick was relieved. “That’s what I was hoping
you’d say.”

Alberto sensed Nick’s dejection. “Don’t beat
yourself up, just get back here. You can fill me in with more
details when you return and we’ll take care of this together.”

“All right. I’ll see if we can get out of
here tomorrow.”

“What about tonight?” Alberto asked, urgency
in his voice. “Get on a plane as soon as possible!”

“I don’t think one more day will kill me,”
Nick said.

Alberto didn’t want to get into an argument.
“Don’t go to any meetings. Do you hear me? I want you back here as
soon as possible, and not in a coffin. Understand?”

“I understand.”

Alberto hung up the phone and shook his head.
He wasn’t impressed with Nick’s candor. Alberto dialed another
number. A male voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Don Gregorio, it’s Alberto. I just spoke
with Nick. What have you learned?”

Alberto’s Sicilian counterpart answered
without hesitation. “This guy Giorgio was Roberto Milani’s business
partner.”

“I know that.”

“Did you also know that Giorgio was Roberto’s
cousin? Which makes him Giovanna’s cousin, too?”

There was silence. “I didn’t have that
information,” Alberto admitted. “What else?”

“Giorgio and Giovanna were lovers.”

“What the hell! You just said they were
cousins!”

“The morality of today’s youth does not abide
the past,” the Don replied.

“Does Nick know?”

“Unless she’s confessed to him, I highly
doubt it.”

“And Giorgio is the same guy who is setting
up this meeting for Nick?”

“Correct. So we know where that will lead. A
jealous man will set the whole house on fire. Giorgio was no
innocent bystander in the deal with Roberto Milani. Giorgio was
being paid by the Brazilians to keep an eye on Milani and report
back to them, based on losses that I am trying to determine.”

“The Brazilians were paying Giorgio?”

“That’s what I’ve been informed through
interrogating the collateral players here.”

“What a scumbag!” Alberto mumbled. “But this
is interesting. What else?”

“The Brazilians were just fronting for the
Columbians, who paid for the hits in New York and on the Milani
family.”

“How certain are you?” Alberto asked.

“Very certain. I just don’t know what the
deal was. Unlike you, I was not a victim of treachery when it came
to my tribute. If the Columbians paid for the hits, you understand
what that means?”

“Yes, something rather disturbing,” Alberto
admitted. “The Columbians never had any connections with the
Scorpion. They always use their own assassins. They set up the hits
only with the help of someone in New York who was maneuvering
behind the scenes.” Alberto hesitated. “Do you think it was Nick?”
he asked, tentatively.

“I’m not certain, but it’s logical. Nick was
in charge of collecting for you, while my captain was in charge of
collecting my ten percent. Yet, I was getting close to a million a
month from the Italian operation while you were only getting a
small pittance. Tony would not screw you and pay me, knowing
eventually we would compare notes. The money leak had to be from
Nick on your end.”