Amore (17 page)

“
Grazie.
You did well. This is perfect,” she said.

“Wait a damn minute. Where did Shae go?” Marietta glanced back to the door. Zia stepped inside. She paused and then smiled at the room. “Did you see Shae, Zia?”

“She asked to use the toilet,” Zia dismissed the concern.

“Everybody, it’s time for Mirabella to open her presents!” Catalina exclaimed. The announcement took Mirabella by surprise. She looked over to the table Catalina pointed out. There were several wrapped packages. She initially thought they were for the kids.

“Who sent me gifts?” she asked.

“Are you kidding? Everybody! The entire fashion world is on the brink of hysteria because my sister has returned.” Marietta joked. Catalina pointed to a large bright red leather chair for Mirabella to sit in. She had no choice but to comply.

“Let’s see. We got Chanel, Lagerfeld, Versace, Gucci, House of Fendi… and wait, who is this from?” Marietta held up a beautifully wrapped red silk box. “There’s no card here.”

Catalina walked over and inspected the package. “Hmm… I had Mateo bring the gifts over. The card must have fallen off.”

“Hand it here. Let me open it,” Mirabella said.

Marietta brought the package over and Mirabella inspected the rectangular gift box. The wrapping was extremely elegant. “Well they got the color right. Everything we do at Fabiana’s is scarlet red,” Mirabella chuckled.

She carefully lifted the seams and peeled the paper away. The box was red beneath. She lifted the top of the box. Inside was black tissue paper. She parted it and found a card against silk. She handed the black card over to Marietta and carefully lifted the garment.

“It says: Congratulations, I have missed you,” Marietta said.

“Who from?” Catalina asked.

“No name, just this symbol of a dragon.” Marietta frowned.

“Let me see that,” Catalina took the card from her.

Mirabella shook out the long black kimono. Hand stitched on the back was a beautiful Chinese dragon with many legs like that of a centipede, and interwoven with red and gold stitching, there were colorful beads woven throughout. “It’s adorable,” Mirabella grinned.

“Who the hell is the Dragon? A new designer?” Marietta asked.

“It doesn’t sound familiar,” Catalina said.

Mirabella stood and held out the kimono. She eased it on. She loved beautiful garments, but it was rare that she received one that captivated her like this. “I haven’t worn pretty kimonos since Kei—” she paused. She glanced up to see if anyone heard her say his name. Marietta and Catalina seemed fixated on the card. And Cecilia and Zia were with the children. Mirabella shrugged off the robe and held it out in front of her once more. She knew Kei was sent to prison in China, but that was all she knew. A robe like this reminded her of the intimate gifts she would receive from him before every big event in her life. It was too damn similar. He even insisted that she wore them with nothing underneath so he could make love to her in it.

The black tide of dread she used to carry when she thought the mafia was hunting her surfaced. She folded the garment and tucked it back in the box. She suppressed the urge to throw it in the trash.

“We’ll find out who the sender is, trust me,” Marietta said.

“Yeah, let’s forget it. Trust me we will get plenty of gifts from up and coming talent looking to impress us,” Mirabella forced a grin. “What other goodies do we have? Help me open them,” Mirabella said. The girls were eager to assist. She glanced once more to the kimono and frowned. She’d have to show it to Giovanni. Was she overreacting?

**

Shae washed her hands. She found a towel and dried them. The Battaglias were interesting. Marietta was much more grounded with them. Shae used to get a kick out of her black girlfriend who could speak Italian fluently. Now she wished she had learned from Marietta when she tried to teach her. It would have given her a bit of independence on this visit.

And then there were the kids. She and Marietta hated the little ankle biters. Shae was shocked at how patient and nurturing Marietta seemed with Eve when they got saddled with the kid. Marietta was totally taken with her. She sang along with her in the car, and played hand games with her. The wild parties and hook ups she had heard so much about in Italy weren’t going to happen if they spent too much time babysitting.

She walked out of the bathroom and headed back out into the hall with her purse on her shoulder. She had a client who said he would be in Lake Como during the time of her visit. She intended to find a phone and call him. Then she heard the voices of two men approaching. Curious, Shae followed their voices and saw the men just as they went through the door to the outside.

The one named Renaldo was speaking with another. The man’s head turned and she could see his profile clearly. She found out his name, it was Carlo.

Earlier –

“Where are we going?” Shae asked.

“To the villa,” Marietta answered. “I told you. We are staying in Milano and then Bellagio.” She continued to point to a letter on a page and the little blue eyed, brown girl with a head full of curls pronounced it perfectly. Shae cut her gaze up to the driver. Marietta’s husband Lorenzo rode in the passenger side, and another man drove. But it wasn’t the man she’d seen earlier. This man wasn’t as handsome as the others.

Shae leaned over to whisper so the men up front who talked and ignored them would not hear her. “Hey?”

Marietta glanced up.

“What’s with that guy?” Shae asked.

“What guy? Renaldo?” Marietta frowned.

“Shhh!” Shae said.

Marietta frowned. “I told you he has a girlfriend. You’ll meet her soon.”

“No, the other guy. His name is Nico, or Carlo.”

Marietta doubled blinked as if surprised. “What are you talking about?”

“Damn it, Mae. The tall guy, not the big muscular one. What was his name?” Shae asked.

“Carlo.”

“Yes. Carlo. Is he married?”

“Did he say something to you?” Marietta asked.

“Huh? No. When could he? I’ve been with you. I was just curious. I didn’t see him on the plane.”

“He was there. Ignore him. He’s trouble.” Marietta turned the page for Eve and started asking her to say her colors.

“Shit who isn’t? I’m trouble,” Shae chuckled.

“I’m serious, Shae. I told you not to flirt with these men. I’ll take you out, I promise, as soon as we help my sister get everything off the ground with her fashion event. There will be so many celebrities and cuties coming at you, you won’t be able to keep up. Trust me.”

“Okay, I can’t wait. Girl, you know I’m restless. So far I’m bored to death.” Shae pouted.

Shae stepped out further to be sure the man speaking was the man she thought he was. The men started to walk off toward the grass. “Shit!” she mumbled.

“Hey?” Shae whirled around. Marietta stood there smiling. “What are you doing peeping around corners?”

“Oh, I was just seeing if, ah, I was lost.”

“Girl, come on. I’ll show you to your room. I think later we’ll go in to Milan for dinner. We have a meeting with Mirabella and her team. Go over the plans for the meetings we got scheduled tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah, let’s do it,” Shae said. Her opportunity was missed. But she was almost certain it was Carlo she saw. If it was she’d make sure she got another chance at him.

**

Giovanni lifted Gino to his knee. His son turned and scooted up his chest so he could stand on his lap and face the men. Even now Gino surprised him. He had to chuckle. Lorenzo dropped his mud caked boot on the coffee table. A clunk of dirt broke off.

“Where the hell is Domi?” Lorenzo grunted. He checked his watch for the third time.

“I’m here,” Dominic replied. He walked in with both hands shoved down into the pockets of his slacks. “How did the meeting with Santo go?”

“Let’s keep an eye on him for now. I’ll meet with the other clan bosses and see what is left to be divided. I’m feeling generous.”

Dominic nodded. He looked from Lorenzo to Giovanni, then back to Lorenzo again. “I’ve arranged for you to see Carlo’s brother train tonight, in Bergamo. The fight is in two days.”

“What time? Bella has her show in two days,” Giovanni said.

“It’s in the evening. You could slip away and see the match, or wait until next month and see him fight in Roma. Up to you.”

Giovanni lifted Gino and held him up above his head. His son grinned and kicked his feet. Each day his boys looked more and more like their mother. But Giovanni felt that way about all of his children. They were his Bella, through and through. “I’ll go tonight.” Gio said. “I won’t see the fight. I can’t miss Bella’s big day. Any of it.”

Lorenzo didn’t speak. He stared straight ahead as if Dominic wasn’t in the room. Dominic stepped in closer.

“I have an announcement. Something I want to clear with you both before we share it with the family,” Dominic began. Giovanni set Gino down and the toddler walked over to a chair next to his father and tried to climb it.

The door opened and everyone paused. Rocco entered. Giovanni hadn’t thought to see the old man so soon, but he knew he would be traveling to join the family.

“Welcome, old man!” Giovanni said. Rocco gave Dominic a hug and then walked over to give one to Giovanni.

“I just arrived. Have I interrupted?” Rocco asked.

Lorenzo didn’t stand to greet his uncle. He just nodded a hello from his chair.

“No, Zio. You are right on time. Sit. I have an announcement and I want you to hear it from me.” Dominic continued. “You all know I’ve asked Catalina to marry me, and Gio has given our wedding his blessing.”

This time Lorenzo’s gaze did switch from the window watching to Dominic. And little Gino was on the chair jumping up and down. The toddler got down from the chair and pushed it over to the desk that was at least four feet tall. Giovanni observed his son climb the chair and then scale up to the top of his desk. He smiled at his son’s ingenuity. Little Gino grinned and stomped his feet in triumph. He clapped his hands while rocking his little hips side to side.

“Ah yes, the wedding missing a real wedding date,” Lorenzo chuckled.

Giovanni nodded for Dominic to continue. Dominic found his breath and did so. “We have set a date. It will be July 1
st
. We’re going to do it.”

“Are you sure? Seems like you two have had a hard time agreeing on the event?” Lorenzo asked.

Dominic nodded. “We’re sure.”

“Congratulations, Dominic. I think it’s about time you and our sister settled down.” Dominic didn’t react to the comparison. After all these years Giovanni still couldn’t help but see them as brother and sister. Although he’d given up on trying to break them apart. Marriage was a hard journey. Maybe this would be the final test to put some hair on Dominic’s balls. He also liked the idea of Catalina being a wife, instead of the jetsetter she was becoming working in Bella’s company.

Before Rocco could offer his congratulations Gino jumped from the desk with his arms stretched out as if he expected to fly. The men were all too startled to act. The baby landed on his side with his arm pinned behind his back. Gino immediately howled through his tears of pain.

“
Basta!”
Giovanni shouted. He stood to go for his son but at some point Nico had joined them, he wasn’t sure when. Nico reached Gino first.

“Is he hurt?” Dominic asked.

“I don’t know,” Nico said.

Giovanni took the weeping boy into his arms. Gino stopped crying as soon as he held him. But when he touched his little wrist Gino screamed. “Call the doctor. Have him come.”

Dominic went to the phone and called a physician that they used in Milano. They were never keen on hospital visits unless absolutely necessary. Giovanni checked Gino’s hands and knees. There was no visible scar. Still the fall wasn’t something he could easily dismiss. Giovanni kissed Gino’s face and tried to rock him as he had seen his wife and zias do to comfort babies.

“Where’s his mother?” Giovanni said.

“I came to see to him. I’ll take him to her and tell her the doctor has been called.” Nico reached for Gino but lowered his hands when Giovanni glared at him. He looked Gino over once more. The boy’s face was wet with tears but he stopped crying. The panic tightening Giovanni’s lungs loosened. “Are you okay
piccoletto
?” he asked.

Gino blinked at him and then dropped his head on his shoulder. When Gino was a little baby he was small. It took more time for him to put on weight. He never cried like Gianni. Never seemed to fuss when he needed a bottle or changing. Bella and he took Gino back to the doctor to see if something was wrong with him. The doctor assured him Gino was fine. There was something inherently strong about his son. He rubbed his back and soothed him.

He glanced to Nico who stood there waiting. Reluctant at first but not wanting to come off too panicky in front of his men, he passed Gino over to Nico. “Take him straight to Bella. Call me when the doctor arrives.”