La Sposa (52 page)

“
He’ll live,” Lorenzo
said.

The doctor shook his head. He reached in his
bag and removed two pill bottles. “I figured this would be needed.
I stitched him up, but once he’s sober he’ll be in a lot of pain.
Have him take these, and these to help with his breathing. At this
point, he needs rest and no alcohol.”

“
Grazie, dottore.”

The doctor looked towards the kitchen.
Marietta was in there singing with the radio. She found a station
that played American rap songs. The doctor glanced to Lorenzo for
an explanation of the black woman in his company. Lorenzo glared
and the doctor thought better of asking. He returned to the room.
Carlo was awake—sort of. He stared blankly at nothing. The past
three days had wrecked him. His left eye was completely swollen
shut and the right was bloodshot red from possibly a popped blood
vessel. The bruising to his face was peppered with red, purple, and
yellowish swelling. According to the doctor, the tight wrapping
around his chest was all he could do. Lorenzo hoped it was
enough.

“
Should we talk about it?” Lorenzo
asked.

“
Thought you were going to send me
to hell?” Carlo answered, in a thick voice.

Lorenzo chuckled. “And leave me here to face
Giovanni alone. I don’t think so.”

“
Does he know about Carmine?”
Carlo’s gaze connected with Lorenzo’s.

“
He knows Capriccio is dead, and so
is Carmine. It’s all he knows. He’s pissed we haven’t been to see
him. I couldn’t deal with Gio until I found you.”

Carlo nodded. It was the closest Lorenzo would
get as a thank you. “Where is he?”

“
Your brother?” Lorenzo
asked.

Carlo cut Lorenzo a hate- layered glare.
“Don’t call him that. I’m not worthy.”

“
Fuck man. I’m sorry the kid died.
If I could have prevented it, you know I would have.”

Carlo nodded that he believed him.

“
But we got to get this right. Now,
I’m thinking we need to stick to the same story.”

“
Story?” Carlo frowned.

“
About Carmine. How Capriccio
killed him.”

“
He did kill him.”

“
Yes, but Gio will want to know why
Carmine was with David Capriccio in the first place.”

Carlo’s eyes narrowed. “I want to know the
same thing.”

Lorenzo shrugged his big shoulders. He cast
his gaze around the room and delayed telling the story. He’d
thought long and hard on how to play this out. But Carlo and Gio
had a knack for seeing through his bullshit. He needed to make sure
his story was plausible. His best bet was to stay as close to the
truth as possible without telling the truth. “The woman with me,
she’s David’s sister. Several days ago, David tried to convince me
she stole from Giovanni. He wanted me to kill her. Turns out she’s
not really David’s sister, but someone else. Her history is
complicated. I wanted to settle things with David for the
deception, for her. Carmine was to sit on him. A simple job. We
give it to the
cugines
always. But David was trying to steal
from Gio and thought he was trapped. So he attacked Carmine. That’s
the entire truth. Giovanni would be pissed. My mixing my feelings
for Marietta with business.”

“
Yeah, doesn’t sound like you,”
Carlo said, with a look of distrust.

“
Doesn’t it? I’ve done it before.
Haven’t I? Fabiana.”

“
Right. Fabiana. Giovanni would
need to be told something. What do you propose?”

“
The truth, parts of it. We tell
him we thought David was holding back. We put Carmine on him to be
sure, and Carmine paged us that night, said David was trying to
dump documents. We got there too late. There was a gun fight and
bam, Carmine’s dead. And… here’s the important part, Carlo. You
have to tell Gio that Carmine was your brother.”

“
What the fuck for?”

“
To explain this shit!” Lorenzo
gestured to his state. “He is going to hear about the bloodfight we
were in. The three men you killed in the ring are tied to him now.
He’s going to be pissed but it will lessen the punishment if he
understands why.”

“
Fuck it! I’ll take my licks. I’m
not going to serve my brother up as an excuse.”

“
Why the fuck not? You did as an
excuse to punish yourself. And I need you strong. Santo is riding
next to Gio, closer and closer. If we aren’t careful it could cost
us. A lot.”

“
Where. Is. He?” Carlo asked, and
he knew he was asking about his brother.

“
Andello has him on ice. For you to
decide what to do with him.”

“
Call my sister. She’ll collect him
and bury him.”

“
You don’t want to go
to…”

“
Just do it!” Carlo
shouted.

Lorenzo rose, satisfied that his plan would
work. He paused and looked to Carlo again. “Marietta is my woman.
You show her respect, always. None of your bullshit with her,
Carlo. I… I care about her.”

Carlo’s smile was void of humility. “Aren’t I
always tender with the ladies?”

Lorenzo shook his head and walked out. “Don’t
fuck with her, Carlo. I mean it.” He tossed back. Marietta walked
out of the kitchen, smiling.

“
Dinner is ready. I fixed your
plate. You serve your friend. I’m not your slave.” She shot him a
sexy smile and he smiled in return, following her into the
kitchen.

Chapter Fourteen

The First Mafia War

Giovanni decided to take his private jet to
Florence. With Dominic at his side, he intended to get to the
bottom of Mira’s connection to Mancini. After they landed, the
drive to Chianti was a silent one at first. He spent most of the
time thinking of Mira and how they met. And soon, his thoughts
drifted to his cousin.

“
Have you heard the news of
Carmine?” Giovanni asked Dominic.

“
No. What news?”

“
He’s dead. Some business with
David Capriccio that Lorenzo is responsible for. Santo tells me
that his people believe the two are connected.”

“
What does Lorenzo say?” Dominic
asked.

Giovanni’s jaw clenched tight. “Lorenzo
doesn’t say shit.”

“
Come again?”

“
I haven’t heard from him since I
had to take care of Mira. No phone call. No explanation.
Nothing.”

“
Let me handle it, Gio.”

Giovanni scratched his brow. “When the fuck
were you going to tell me that you left my sister in the States?”
His gaze slipped over to Dominic to gauge his reaction.

“
She and I will be married soon.
When you say it’s appropriate, Gio, I plan to officially
propose.”

“
Is that right?” Giovanni
asked.

Dominic gripped the steering wheel tightly.
“What I’m saying is, she’s my woman, Gio. I make the decisions on
what’s best for her. I respect you. But I won’t answer to you about
Catalina. Ever.”

“
Now you’re giving me orders?”
Giovanni chuckled.

“
No. I’m just being the man you
raised me to be,” Dominic answered.

“
Bullshit.” Giovanni gave a snort.
He couldn’t help it. He looked over to Dominic and smiled. He did
raise the kid. Since he was dropped off in his room when he was six
by
Patri,
he’d had to take care of him, always.

“
I will hold my tongue. I trust you
with her. I may never understand why you chose your sister to fall
in love with. It makes you weak, Domi.”

“
Aren’t we all weak for the women
we love?” Dominic asked.

Giovanni cut him a lethal silencing glare.
“Understand me, if anything ever happens to her, anything, I’ll cut
your throat myself. No more forgiveness, Domi. One shot at this and
that’s all.”

“
She’s worth it,” he
said.

They continued to ride in silence. The sun
began to descend behind the mountains and the roads were covered in
shadows. When they reached the farm, it was near night. Giovanni
and Dominic defied Rocco’s rules and drove through the gates of the
vineyard, up to the door of the cottage. He’d placed a call before
they left to tell Rocco they were coming. The lights to the front
of the farmhouse were on.

Silently, they left the car and went inside.
They found Rocco in his favorite chair smoking a pipe, something
strictly forbidden by Zia. He rocked slowly. His gaze flickered up
at their arrival and then shifted away. “What is the trouble that
brings you here?”

“
You don’t seem happy to see us?”
Dominic answered.

“
I knew you’d come.”

The men exchanged looks. Without being asked,
they both sat. “What do you know, Rocco?” asked Dominic.

“
That Lorenzo made a big mistake by
fucking with Mancini and bringing that woman here. Once some doors
are opened, they can’t be closed again.
É tutto
.”

“
Woman?” Giovanni asked with a
touch of irritation. “What woman?”

“
You saw her, he brought her to the
wedding.”

Dialing back in his memory, Giovanni recalled
the black woman with Lorenzo. For some reason, he couldn’t remember
why Lorenzo said she had accompanied him, only that her presence
irked him. “What of her?”

“
She belongs to Mancini, that’s
what!”

“
His
puttana
?” Dominic
asked.

Rocco chuckled. “Not even close.”

Giovanni frowned. “Why did he bring her to the
vineyard?”

“
Why does he do any of the things
he does? He wants to cause trouble. I called you and warned you
about this!”

“
Stop with the hysterics old man.”
A momentary disgust seized Giovanni. “What the fuck do I care about
some woman Lorenzo keeps? How is this trouble for me?”

Rocco cast his gaze away.

Dominic interjected. “Rocco, we aren’t here
about Lorenzo. We came to ask you a few questions about
Mancini.”

“
Why?” Rocco asked. His gaze
volleyed between Dominic and Giovanni. “The truce has upheld
between our family and the Mancinis, even after Tomosino’s death.
Why now?” Rocco’s gaze switched to Giovanni and a frown deepened
the wrinkles in his face. “I don’t understand.”

“
This is about Bella.” Giovanni
reached in the front pocket of his shirt. He removed the baby
bracelet. Rocco picked up his reading glasses from the lamp table
next to his chair and put them on. Giovanni handed it over. Rocco
stared at the bracelet, and his eyes slowly lifted above the rim of
his glasses to Giovanni.

“
Is this some kind of joke?” Rocco
demanded.

“
That bracelet belongs to my Mira.
Her birth name is Mirabella, and it was given to her when she was a
baby. I’m told that her mother gave it to her, but do you see the
Del Stavio insignia on the back? This was given to her by her
father.”

“
It can’t be true,” Rocco
said.

“
It is true. Mira is connected to
one of the Five Dons of Sicily. Dominic returned from America with
more news. He learned that the man who knew Mira’s mother was
called Manny Cigars, and he is Mancini. I need to know what you
know about Mancini’s time in America. Everything you
know.”

“
It can’t be Mira,” Rocco shook his
head. “It’s not possible.”

The icy clutch of annoyance gripped Giovanni’s
chest, making his anger relevant when he spoke. “What is it that
I’m missing here old man? What do you know about my
Bella?”

Rocco removed his glasses. “Is Mira an only
child?”

Giovanni and Dominic exchanged a
look.

“
She thinks she is.” Dominic
answered. “In America, I learned that two daughters were born to
Mira’s mother. But we can’t confirm who the other child is, and if
she lives.” Dominic said. “We know that Mira’s mother died, when
she was barely two. That her mother’s boyfriend worked for Mancini
and he is not the father.”

“
Then this is Mancini’s work,”
Rocco sighed. “He did this. He brought them both here,” Rocco said.
He stared at Giovanni. “He brought them here and gave them to you
and Lorenzo.”

“
You aren’t making any fucking
sense!” Giovanni seethed. “Both? What both are you talking
about?”

Rocco handed Giovanni the bracelet back. “I am
sorry, son. The story I have to tell isn’t mine. It’s your
father’s.”

“
What does
Patri
have to do
with my Bella?”

“
Unfortunately, too
much.”

“
Not an answer. How are either of
them connected to my Bella!” Giovanni shouted.

“
Gio, wait.” Dominic sat
forward.

“
Answer me!” Giovanni stood.
“Now!”

Rocco nodded that he would. Not out of fear.
What he saw on Rocco’s face was shame, deeply painful shame.
Giovanni felt his heart seizing in his chest. He tried to remain
calm but he couldn’t. This was his wife they were talking about.
And Rocco was holding back on him. In their world, that could be
costly. “Start talking,” Giovanni paced.
“Dica!”