ASCENSION (46 page)

BOOK: ASCENSION

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***

Alfonzo walked slowly
as
Giuseppe
hobbled down the brick stairs. A cast encased his entire leg hindering his mobility and he fought with the crutches constantly repositioning them beneath his armpits mumbling obscenities in Italian. The
funeral service for Carlo
was
one
worthy of a statesman. Politicians, many celebrities and friends
w
ere among the
mourners.
The head of the Roman-Catholic Diocese
in
Palermo
gave the eulogy
and he
laid to rest
in the family mausoleum not far from the ancient Capuchin Cemetery
where an
Italian prince
and the Giacanti clan were interred
.

Giuseppe hopped down the final stair then used the crutches to balance himself
then they traveled to the courtyard of the house where a limo sat amongst many elegant cars.

Giuseppe stopped and held himself
upright aided by the aluminum supports, “My father loved you
cugino
. We are family.” He looked over at the
polished black limo idling.
“We will talk again
.
It is time for you to go home to your wife
cugino
.
Caio
!”

They exchanged a brotherly embrace then Giuseppe limped away to return to the house where his family and others gathered in solemnity.

Alfonzo’s swift gait brought him to the limo and he slid in the backseat beside Alberti. “
Good to see you young Luzo,
“ Alberti
said.

“You were
n’t
at the funeral. Why?”

“I was
there,
I did not sit amongst the family. That is all. I grieve in solitude.” What he failed to tell the youth was he lost two people he loved.
His brother and the man who raised him.
The man he knew as father.

Alberti’s eyes were sad. The death
s
affected him
.
Alfonzo had to ask, “
Did y
ou sen
d
the clean-up crew
and compensate the families
?”

“Of course.
We must always leave our house tidy after a mess.”

“
Good.
”

The
physician labeled Carlo’s death a heart attack and the immediate burial was to prevent any connection to the tragic fire which claimed the lives of several of Italy’s most well-respected citizens. “
Shortly you must meet with the other families and assert your ascension as Capo
Crimini
.”

“
Humph, it seems
your
more suited for this than I am.” Alfonzo said then removed an envelope from his pocket, “This is for you. Do not open it until I
’m
gone.”

Alberti took it and placed it in the inside pocket of his fine Italian suit.
“Certainly.”

“Nico and Vincent.
How are they?”

“The way one expects when you have lost a father you love dearly. They grieve
.
”

A sigh escaped the young man’s lips. Alberti saw his weariness. It was time to take
Alfonzo
to the airport. He wanted to tell the youth of their relation but changed his mind,
perhaps another time.
He tapped the
seat
and the vehicle rolled around the circular driveway, past the marble fountain and merged onto the empty street.
They sat in silence
until they reached the tarmac where Alfonzo’s private jet sat guarded by large bulky men brandishing high power weapons.

“
M
any years ago
you told me life
is full of risks, there are no rules,” Alfonzo
said
sitting forward.

Alberti lit a cigar and inhaled the rich aroma.
“I did.”

“You’re wrong there are rules and when broken the consequences are grave.”

“And this is to say?”

Alfonzo removed the jeweled ring and sat it on the seat between them, “I cannot risk my family. Good-bye.”

He
reached for the door handle then
stepped out into the fresh air feeling whole again. He was going home to be with his family. They would start over.
He
had
a reputable company
built with
his own sweat and blood. He did not
n
eed any of his father’s inheritance because he possessed the spiritual wealth of a man reborn.

Alberti watched the
sharply dressed
man hurr
iedly
climb the
stairs
to
the plane. He picked up the ring, twirling it thoughtfully in his hands.
He could not accept the gift given freely. As Consigliere his esteemed position was to advise the family
. It was an
importan
t role
.
With the American hot-head and Giuseppe’s carousing, they would need much counseling.
He would hold
the ring until Alfonzo was ready to accept his status of Capo
Crimini
.

His fingers closed over
it.
Alfonzo will
come to
realize
simply wanting out was
not the same as being out. Eventually,
he’d see the truth of it but
until then Giuseppe as Capo Bastone must
assuage the families. W
ax and Cane were to shadow the young
ill-tempered young
man. Dominick’
s ascension brought new possibilities and also potential danger
s
. Alberti was not a fool. Dominick was
an
ambitious man
and one
such as he can easily turn
under the
seductive intoxication
of
power.
He
watched
the
aircraft
taxi down the runway.
The Serano’s required time to properly grieve, as did he!

CHAPTER FORTY

T
hirty
million dollars and spending
the rest of
her life with her children’s father
was
not a difficult choice. Ariana
resigned.
It’d been three months
and
not
a
word from Nico.
S
he’d told the boys they were moving and going on a world adventure with
their dad,
yet as each day passed
,
she began to wonder if
she spoke too soon. Perhaps, he wasn’t coming.

S
he tidied
the
messy kitchen then dried the dishes
, putting them quic
kly into the cabinet one by one trying to hold down tears at her foolish mistake. Then she heard him, no felt his presence,
smelled
his cologne and she spun around. “You’re late.”

“Sorry, I had to bury my father.”

Her eyes softened, “Oh God
, honey what happened?”

“Heart attack.”
He
folded
her in his arms, rubbing her hair, touching her cheeks, making certain she was real. Happy to know he had someone to love. He kissed her firmly and in it spoke what he wanted until footsteps and an, “Um-hum,” interrupted their embrace.

“Oh by the way Ariana, this is my brother Vincent. He’ll be staying with us for a
while
.”

“Finally, I get to meet you.”
Ariana smiled, “Twins, well that explains it.”

Vincent laughed, “
I’ll go meet my nephews while you two um horny birds get back to
…
you know.”

Nico
pointed in the direction of the
boy’s
bedroom and waited until h
is brother
was out of earshot.
“
Let’s go to bed. My leg hurts
.”

A smile came, “Sure it does.”

He frowned. The gunshot wound actually did
hurt
,
right now it ached
like Hell!

***

Alfonzo watched h
is wife
from the doorway. She sat in a chair with her legs tucked against her chest staring out the window. The nurse allowed him in to visit although it was four in the morning. He’d been away for
less than a week but it
felt
like
an eternity without her. She was beautiful and deserved a beautiful life.
He planned to teach Sal how to play chess. There were many promises and
oaths yet to keep.
He
turned the doorknob and entered the private suite. Selange
was awake, waiting. The moment she saw him she
jumped to her feet and ran to him. He crushed h
is wife in his arms,
speaking rapidly in Spanish,
expressing
how much he missed her
and
unable to articulate the ache in his heart.
Her lips covered his, hungry and desolate no more
to silence what she already saw in his eyes
.
Alfonzo
breathed in her essence
, sucked at her tongue
and
felt
a r
ejuvenat
ion
to
his downtrodden spirit. The cold dissipated from his heart and
it flamed
in
to
an inferno
.
They communicated
through touch and the synchronous beating of their
hearts. He was home
. W
herever they were together
is
home
!