Ti Amo (35 page)

The reporters again roared with questions. They were so loud it was almost deafening, but Mira continued to speak and they settled down to hear her. “Over a month ago I decided to step out into the world and reclaim my life. The first step was claiming the love that I found in this wonderful country, and with this wonderful man. I am also happy to announce that he will soon be my husband. I appreciate your concern and interest in my wellbeing but I’d like you all to know that my life is just as it should be. Please respect my family's privacy. Thank you and
Buon Natale,
Merry Christmas.”

Mira turned to Giovanni and pulled his face down to hers. She kissed him in front of the flashing camera bulbs. The reporter’s excitement exploded like fireworks on the 4
th
of July. Excited banter spread, and everyone demanded more answers to their questions. Giovanni put his arm around her shoulders leading her back up to the house.

Carmine stepped up to the gate. “Okay motherfuckers it’s time for you to go! The show is over.”

“That speech you gave, I liked it.” Giovanni said, draping his arm around her shoulders.

“It was from my heart, and it was the truth.” He kissed the top of her head. They continued up the slanted drive to the villa. “What happens now?”

“We do exactly what you said. We get married and have a Merry Christmas.” Giovanni smiled. Mira hugged his waist. She couldn’t wait.

Chapter Fifteen

Christmas Eve didn’t start off pleasant. Mira was woken by Giovanni early and spent four hours with police officials and two representatives from the American embassy. Though she believed Giovanni about Kei’s betrayal, to blame him for her seclusion was hard. He did manipulate her, but he also protected her and Eve from the Calderone’s. After the house was cleared, more of the Battaglia’s arrived. Cousins, aunts, and close friends came over as they traditionally did to have brunch. Mira knew most had arrived to see her. Many stared at her and Eve like they were from another planet. She forced a smile and pretended not to notice. Eve shied away from the parade of strangers and clung to her father.

“You okay?” Zia asked.

Mira realized she had stopped kneading the dough. Her fingers had dug so deep they were nearly buried inside. Two other ladies in the kitchen cut her questioning looks.

“Yes, I’m fine.” She pulled her hands away and wiped them on her apron. “Has anyone seen Catalina? She should be here helping.”

“She’s in her room.” Zia said. “Why don’t you go and check on her?”

The reprieve was welcomed. Mira removed her apron and handed it to Zia before she left the kitchen. She passed the parlor and saw Giovanni seated with twenty or so men in the family and Eve in his lap. She smiled at him. He smiled at her. Mira continued on and finally knocked on Catalina’s door. “Catalina?”

“Come in.”

Inside Catalina stood at the window in her nightdress. She turned with tissue balled up in her hand and tears streaking her cheeks. Mira closed the door. “Why aren’t you dressed? You missed the morning prayer, and your family is here. Your cousin Aurora keeps asking for you.”

“Oh please!” Catalina waved it off. “She only wants to be nosey about Franco. We can’t stand each other.” Mira gave a bitter laugh. “I’m supposed to be in mourning. I can’t face the family. If they see me downstairs smiling what would they think?”

Releasing a deep exhale for patience, Mira nodded. Catalina would have to stop the pity party. Everyone was trying to hold strong. Dominic had to face everyone with bruises on his face and neck. She had to face the questioning looks of others because of who she was and would become now that Giovanni wanted her to be his wife. Catalina was selfish. But Mira cared about her and tried another approach. “True. But I get the feeling there’s more troubling you. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yes. There’s more.” Catalina dropped her head. “Giovanni doesn’t talk to me. He doesn’t look at me. And Dominic is so busy kissing his ass he barely sees me either. What’s the point?”

“It’s going to take time, Catalina. For all of us.” Mira walked over and stood at her side by the window.

“How are you? Now that everyone knows you’re alive.” Catalina touched her arm. “How bad is it?”

“They took a statement from me. I was told that Kei was picked up in America. They think he had something to do with Angelo Calderone’s murder and a lot of other things. I don’t know what to think.”

Catalina nodded toward the window. “The press is still out there by the gates.”

The truth was Mira’s life would never be the same. Part of her liked the world not knowing about her and Eve. It gave her a sense of security. Now she only found security behind these walls. What had her life become? Who was she becoming?

It was Christmas, and the holiday used to mean so much to her. She had less than a day to find that magic again for her daughter. “I’ll be fine.” She smiled. “It’s Christmas after all. Get dressed and join the family. I want us all together.”

“I can’t. Giovanni expects me to take the test.” Catalina’s gaze turned to the dresser and the brown paper bag sitting on it. She then looked back out of the window. “I’ve taken one test already. No point in taking the other two.”

Mira approached the nightstand and reached inside the bag. She removed the two pregnancy boxes. She was a few days late on her cycle. Her cycle had been unpredictable since she gave birth to Eve. Still she couldn’t deny that she made love to Giovanni nightly with no protection.

“Mira, are you okay?” Catalina frowned.

“Oh, yes. So you’re not pregnant?” Mira asked.

“No. Gio will be furious over the lie. Why do I keep doing these things? I lied, but I had hope. Domi and I slept together, and for the last couple of months Franco hadn’t touched me.”

“Catalina, I promise you Giovanni isn’t going to make any decisions about you and Dominic today. Let’s go and join the family. We can deal with everything else later.”

Catalina released a burdened sigh. “That’s just it. I don’t want to deal with this. Domi will never be mine. Gio will never forgive me. I can never wash the sin of what I did to Franco off my soul. I have nothing now.”

“Not true.” Mira put her hand on Catalina’s shoulder. She turned to her and they embraced. Mira held her tight then stroked the back of her head. “I’ll talk to Giovanni. We’ll figure this out. But first you have to stop this self-pity. Get showered, put on some makeup.”

“I’m sorry. You’re going through a lot too.” Catalina let her go.

“I can handle it. We both can. Can’t we?”

Catalina wiped at her tears and nodded.
“Grazie.”

“Go on and get dressed.”

Catalina headed to the bathroom. Mira’s gaze shifted to the bag of unopened pregnancy tests. She reached inside the bag, took a box, and slipped out of Catalina’s room hurrying to her own. Not long after she entered her bathroom Giovanni entered as well. “Where’s Ma-ma!” he yelled.

Mira scrambled to hide the pregnancy test and left the bathroom closing the door. Giovanni set Eve down on her feet. “There she is.”

“Hi baby.” Mira said kneeling for her daughter to rush into her arms. She kissed her gently on the cheek. Eve loved the attention. Mira rose smiling. “It’s Christmas Eve.”

“Let’s have some fun.”

“How?” she asked.

“The gardens. The cold has moved on. Today the sun is out and it’s nice. Perfect for a stroll.” He kissed her. Mira smiled. She hadn’t seen Giovanni this happy since the news of Catalina and Dominic. She glanced to the bathroom. What would he think of another baby?

****

“I want to see my attorney. I have nothing to say.” Kei slumped back into his chair and glared directly at Special Agent Muntz. He had been kept for over a day in a holding cell with no access to a phone or his lawyers. The FBI would have to let him go eventually. He knew his fucking rights.

“Tell us about Angelique Roberts and Eduardo Glenn.” The agent asked again.

“I told you. They worked for Mira Ellison. That’s all I know. This conversation is redundant.”

“No Mr. Hyogo, your answers are redundant.” The agent said. “We’ve already interviewed the parents of Angelique Roberts. They claim their daughter who has been missing since 1989 has been on an assignment outside of the country?”

Kei shrugged.

“So we pulled their bank statements. Looks like you’ve made some generous deposits in their accounts quarterly. How much did it cost you to convince them to ignore the death of their daughter? I’m curious what parents sell their children for these days.”

Kei smirked. He didn’t answer.

The agent openly fumed. He continued with his anger barely contained. “We’ve received Mira Ellison’s statement. She said you staged the deaths of both Angelique and Eduardo. And she gave us information on your property in Switzerland where she was kept. Why don’t you tell us how this all connects with the Triad and a man being detained in Italy by the name of Cheung Bojing? A relative right?”

Kei closed his eyes and sighed. “I won’t say another word until I have an attorney present.”

The agent chuckled. “Then that’s quite unfortunate. Trust me this is your one and only time to negotiate with me.”

Kei smirked. “Get my fucking lawyer.”

****

Poggioreale,
Napoli Italy.

Dominic and Lorenzo walked through the narrow hall. A single light above and what naturally poured in from the sparse windows was all they had to lead the way. The guard nodded and led them the rest of the way. They went though several locked doors past the dorms to the private holding cells. Dominic hadn’t said much on the drive over. His thoughts kept returning to Catalina. After Christmas he would lose her forever. How the hell could he accept it enough to be sure to follow his Don’s orders?

The calm resolution between him and Giovanni felt so final. Once he left for America he would never see any of them again. Already he’d been cut out of all family meetings. Lorenzo was now at Giovanni’s side in closed door discussions, and Dominic was regulated to this shit on Christmas Eve, no less.

“I can do this job alone.” Dominic grumbled. They waited for the guard to unlock the cell door. The man fumbled with his keys trying to find the right one. The holding cell was separate from the rest of the prison, and the isolation would be perfect for the mission.

Lorenzo cast Dominic an amused grin over his shoulder. “Giovanni doesn’t think you can do much on your own lately. He wants to know who leaked the truth about Mira to the press.”

“Who the fuck knows? She and Catalina left
Melanzana
for a shopping trip. Any number of people could have seen her. That wasn’t my fault.”

“Maybe. But sticking your cock in our little princess is your fault, and trust me Gio won’t easily forget or forgive your
faults
again.”

The steel door opened noisily. Dominic held his breath against the wave of stench from feces, sweat, and vomit smeared on the floors and walls. Lorenzo strolled ahead of him. Dominic felt a bit light-headed and then his senses stabilized enough for him to follow. He entered behind him. The man they came to see sat on a soiled cot. He wore only a pair of pants. His body was peppered with bruises.

“Do you know who we are?” Lorenzo asked.

The man didn’t lift his head.

“Doesn’t matter.” Lorenzo chuckled. “When we’re done with this meeting you’ll know all you need to, and you will give Don Battaglia what he wants.”

Dominic eased his gloves out of his pockets. He didn’t want blood or whatever filth that covered this bastard on him. But thanks to the putrid conditions the inmate was kept in he figured he and Lorenzo wouldn’t be able to wash away the stink for many weeks to come.

“Look at me motherfucker!” Lorenzo barked.

The man lifted his head. They got a good look at the Asian. He sneered up at them and cursed in his foreign tongue.

“Does he speak Italian?” Dominic asked. They had to ensure that Cheung Bojing fingered Kei Hyogo as the man who sent him to Italy to kill Giovanni. If he didn’t speak Italian, then how the fuck would they manage it?

“Doesn’t matter.” Lorenzo looked him over with a dark sinister smile. “When I’m done with him he’ll speak any way I want.”

****

Eve ran in circles under the bright sunshine. The east gardens away from the estate were plush with green grass and flowers the colors of the rainbow. Mira shook her head and chuckled. Though the temperature dropped in the evenings, it was Christmas and you could barely see nature acknowledge the holiday. Instead of the snowy hills and cliffs, the place felt like a beautiful day in Spring. “The girl loves being outdoors.”

Giovanni’s arm slid around her waist. “She’s beautiful. Like her mama.”

Mira and he followed Eve who hurried on her little legs in the grass chasing something neither of them could see. Mira hoped it was just an imaginary thing or butterfly. She didn’t want her daughter fixated on some bug or critter in the grass. “I told Catalina to come downstairs and join the family. I couldn’t help but notice Domi and Lorenzo aren’t here.”

“They had some business to take care of. They’ll be back.”