Amore (76 page)

“Yes. I don’t know if I should be calling you with this after the way things went down. It’s just I thought you would want to know.”

“What is it? Is it Carlo? Is he okay?” Shae’s heart began to race. She put a hand to her chest. “Mae? What is it?”

“Ciro is dead. Something happened at the fight. The boxer killed him. Carlo saw it happen and he killed the boxer. He’s in jail, Shae.”

“Dead? Jail? Mae, that makes no sense!” Shae said.

“I know. Look there is a lot going on with my family now. My husband is in jail too. Long story. We’re trying to get it all worked out.”

“How the fuck did this happen? They were so excited about the fight. How did it happen?”

“Shae, I’m calling because… Well you were right. No one is ever looking out for Carlo. I know you care about him. He needs someone. If you could come back and help him. Be there for him.”

“I can’t,” Shae put a hand to her brow. “I got so much going on right now. My girls… jobs… I can’t.” Shae swallowed down the emotion in her voice. “It’s over between me and Carlo.”

“I understand. I just had to call. Stay in touch okay?”

“Yeah, you too. And Mae?”

“Yes?” Marietta answered.

“Tell him… I hope you can help him,” she said.

“I’ll keep you posted,” Marietta said. “Goodbye.”

“Bye,” Shae said. She hung up the phone. She put her hands to the side of her face and stared at the phone. None of it made any sense. How many times had she lay in bed with Carlo while he talked of his dreams of building a legitimate life for him and his brother? His plans to come to America and put Ciro in the boxing ring with Mike Tyson. He loved Ciro. Marietta was right. Without the kid Carlo had no one.

“Shae? The girls are taking a break. Wanna go get something to eat?” Tanisha said.

Shae wiped at her tears. “Ah, give me a second.”

“Hey? What is it? What’s wrong?” Tanisha asked. She came inside.

“Nothing, just some bad news. Let’s go get something to eat. We need to wrap up early so we can all pack for L.A.” Shae pushed up from the desk. She glanced at the phone once more. Her heart hurt. But she vowed after crying her heart out on her eleven-hour flight back to the States, to not look back. Carlo wasn’t an option. He was in love with Marietta. She should just forget him.

“Shae? You coming?”

Shae sighed. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

Lipari, Sicilia—

The branches scratched and clawed at Mirabella’s bare arms and legs. Several hit her in the face. She lost her shoes trying to fight her way through the brush. “God help me. Please, God, save me,” she prayed. The harder she ran through the dark forest the more confused she became. She should have reached the beach by now. Mirabella stopped. She looked up at the stars in the sky. She listened for the ocean. She heard animal noises but not the rhythm of the sea. “Damn it!” she said. Her heart beat so fast in her chest she had a hard time breathing. She kept running. Her foot hit a stump or log. Mirabella went sailing forward and fell on her hands and knees. She cried out in pain. Her body then rolled down an embankment. She landed hard at the leafy bottom. Dazed and hurt she couldn’t move. Her ankle felt funny. She forced herself to sit upright. She forced herself to not cry. She lay there looking up at the stars with her vision clouded by tears. She thought of her children. She thought of Giovanni and willed herself to be stronger And then she heard it. The crash of waves breaking over the shore was a soft whisper in her ear. Mirabella pulled herself up. She listened. She turned her head up and focused on the direction. She scrambled up the embankment. Her fingers sank into dirt and dug up clunks of moist soil. She winced when she tried to stand. She dropped to her knees again. She crawled. Her ankle was broken. Or at the very least it was a bad sprain. She couldn’t run. When she made it past the trees she saw him. He was at the boat, sitting on it. He looked up. Mirabella tried to run to him but fell. She struggled in the sand.

“
Signora! Signora!
I help you! I help!” he said. He lifted her up and put her arm over his neck. With his help she managed to limp along. And they moved fast.

“We have to hurry. Please. Let’s go. Please!” she begged him.

They were in the water now. It was knee deep. He nearly dropped her in the shallow waves when they reached his little boat. He lifted her and helped her inside. Mirabella wept with relief. “Thank you! Oh God, thank you!”

The man smiled. He removed a gun from the pocket of his pants and pointed it at her.

“What are you doing?” Mirabella asked.

“I’m sorry,
signora
,” he said.

“No!” Mirabella threw up her hands in defense. A gunshot blasted off like a cannon. Mirabella screamed as the man’s blood and fragments of his skull exploded all over her.

Confused she looked around in the dark. And then Kei and his men came across the sand. Mirabella tried to start the motor on the boat but there was no switch. She hopped from the boat. She fell to her knees. She was taken under by a very large wave. She swallowed seawater and sand. Dazed and panicked, she tried to swim out through the shallow waves. She was in too much pain, and trapped by her own fears after seeing a man murdered.

Men grabbed her. She screamed and fought them but she was dragged through the water to the shore. She was thrown on the beach not far from the dead fisherman.

Mirabella caught her breath. She looked up to Kei who stood right before her. He grabbed her by her hair and forced her to her knees. She swung at him but her reach wasn’t long enough. Kei struck her. For the first time since they met he struck her. She landed on her side and nearly lost consciousness from the blow.

“So, my trying to appeal to the woman I thought you were doesn’t work. Now it’s time for me to teach the woman you are a lesson in obedience.”

She blinked and forced her mind to stay awake.

Kei yelled something in Chinese. His brother was pushed, shoved, and forced to walk in the sand. One of the men hit Bao Zei to the back of his head, and he dropped to his knees. He looked up at Mirabella. In his eyes she saw nothing but raw hatred. She realized Bao Zei had set her up. He wasn’t going to help her escape. He simply wanted her dead, shot and her body dropped out in the sea. Kei stepped over to his brother.

“We were born only months apart. Did he tell you that?” Kei asked.

Mira spit up seawater. She was able to sit upright on her knees.

“I love him.” Kei pulled out a gun and shot his brother in the head. “But I love you more,” he smirked. He turned and started to walk off. One of his men came over to her and picked her up. She hit the man and scratched his face. She was thrown over the man’s shoulder. She screamed through her tears. When she lifted her head she saw the dead body of Bao Zei and closed her eyes. The nightmare continued.

A Tale of Two Dons

It didn’t take long, but the wait was killing him. It was a physical pain. His chest was so tight with anxiety he had gone upstairs to the bathroom and located a pill bottle to take three painkillers. Nothing worked. The Benicias failed. The Tacchis and Racchinis were in prison. He had the
Mafiosi
at his door. Giovanni glanced up to the bottle of Scotch. It sat on the counter like a beacon of hope. He could dull the pain and clear his head if he took a sip. Just one.

He closed his eyes and swallowed his own saliva. The dry mouth and heart palpitations had him sweating across his brow and under his arms. He reached for the cool pitcher of lemonade brought to him by his sister, and poured another glass. He drank it down clean.

Father Nicosia entered his office. The priest carried himself with the same smug superiority he always did. Armando followed him in.

“Padre, join me,” Giovanni said. He set down the glass and walked around the desk. The priest walked over and gave Giovanni a proper greeting. He kissed both his cheeks before taking a seat. Giovanni’s gaze lifted to Armando, who stood by the door.

“Don Mancini tells me there is family trouble. I am shocked by what happened to young Ciro.”

“Something to drink?” Giovanni asked.

“Scotch is looking good,” The father answered.

Giovanni went to the bar and poured a drink.

“How can I help, Giovanni? I told Armando I know nothing about the madness. I wasn’t part of the negotiations with Chao Lee.”

Giovanni handed him the drink. He sat. Armando occupied the other seat. The priest gave a confident smile, but Giovanni noticed how his hand shook when he held the glass. He glanced to Armando who seemed to have seen the same thing.

“Before I agreed to sponsor Carlo’s brother, you were working with him,” Giovanni said.

“I have a popular gym. I work with all the talent that comes through the doors.”

Giovanni nodded. “Yea, yea, I’m aware. But here’s the thing, Nicosia. Carlo needed Ciro to raise his rank, to have the IBF notice him, and then Santo shows up with the sweet offer of being the middleman for a boxer who belongs to the Triad. Neither my money, nor my reputation could move a fight to Napoli. I’m not God.”

“Neither am I, son,” the priest smiled.

“But you have a direct line to him. Don’t you?”

The priest chuckled. “I’m out of the church. I have friends, yes. But I’m not that powerful, Gio.”

“Hmmm” Giovanni slumped back. “Then maybe it isn’t the church alone that you have influence with. Maybe my enemies?”

“Gio…”

“Shut up,” Giovanni warned. “Don’t deny your ties to Bonaduce and the
Ndrangheta.”

“I will not deny it. I never have, Gio. I am a strong supporter of peace between all of you. You know the man I am.”

“I think you are a man who can walk away from the papacy, thumb his nose at the covenants of the church, and still dine with cardinals. A man who can sit between the
Mafiosi
and
Camorra
and still have respect. And a man who could make anything happen if he put his mind to it.” Giovanni removed his gun from the back of his pants. He set it on his knee. “My wife was taken by the Triad. They can’t move me into position to be so vulnerable. It would take an act of faith. Or maybe a fallen priest with a relationship to my enemies and a thirst for money. What did the Bonaduces offer you?”

“Gio… be reasonable, son.”

He picked up his gun. “Armando, would you mind closing the blinds?”

The priest leapt to his feet. “Wait. Wait a second. Son, my sons, listen to me.”

Giovanni pointed the gun. “Sit your ass down.”

The priest sat. He looked to Armando who was closing the blinds.

“What was the offer?” Giovanni asked.

“Bonaduce wanted revenge. He lives for revenge against you, Giovanni. His son was murdered because of you. So he thinks. He and the
Ndrangheta
needed to weaken you. They can’t move in to the
Campania
unless you are out. They handle the drugs in the triangle, and that has stopped since you started buying real estate and working with the officials. Now everyone has to go through you.”

“What were you offered?” Giovanni asked.

“Territory in Rome. I can be of use to you, Giovanni. There’s a woman. She’s working with us. She is the reason your wife is gone. Her name is—”

“Too late.” Giovanni pulled the trigger. The priest was hit in the chest and blown back several feet. He landed flat on his back. Blood pooled from beneath him. Armando dropped his drink. Giovanni stood. He walked past a confused Armando. He opened the door and Umberto walked in. “Get the boys to wrap this up and take a ride as far into Bonaduce territory as they can. Drop the body there.”

“Yes, boss,” Umberto said.

“Gio? Father Nicosia has friends in the church! He’s connected!” Armando said.

“Not your problem. It’s mine. Isn’t it?” Giovanni said.

“I brought him here! This is blasphemous!” Armando shouted.

“I DON’T GIVE A FUCK! THEY CAME FOR MY WIFE. I WILL WALK INTO HELL TO GET HER BACK!”

“You will have to now!” Armando panted. He paced. He was visibly shaken. Two days ago Giovanni would have never done what he did. Even if he found out that the priest was conspiring against him, he would not have done so. He’d have sought revenge another way. All of his actions would need atonement. But not today.