by J. L. Drake
“Lose your job?” He reached for his bag and pulled out his laptop. “As far as Georgio is concerned, you’re still working.” He pointed to my name under his on the last article he submitted.
“Really?” I beamed and felt a little weight leave my shoulders. “You did that for me? Thank you! But if this is how it’s going to be, I want—no,” I stopped myself, “need to do something. I’ll take over writing the articles while you do all the fun stuff.”
“Well, I mean, if you insist!” He leaned over and hugged me, and I wiggled to snuggle in. “I’ve missed you.”
“You have no idea how much I needed this.”
The night was warm as Oscar filled me in about Sienna. He told me one of Elio’s men had come and gathered up her belongings. I only hoped our chat had been enough and that she was going to pull away from him.
“What, exactly, did you gain by telling her about those photos?” Ugo took a seat on the patio railing while I watched a family unload their suitcase from their minivan.
“Everything.” I tapped my lips as I slipped into a memory.
Mama handed me two bags then collected the rest from the store counter. Papa paid the bill, and we headed out to the sidewalk to discuss our weekend plans.
“I’m thinking a barbeque with sweet potatoes and corn smothered in Papa’s special honey sauce,” I said as I rubbed my grumbling stomach at the idea of a homecooked meal.
“I think that can be arranged, but I will need to stop in at the office to make some calls first.”
“Papa, you know when you get to work, you—”
He stopped walking as he remembered something. “Darn it, I forgot my wallet in the store.”
“Of course, you did.” Mama laughed and motioned for me to wait. I turned and walked a few steps as I heard my name called.
“Elenora?” Francesco had rounded the corner and stopped short as he saw my parents, and his eyes widened. It took a hair of a second to understand why.
“Oh.” I nearly jumped as Piero Capri came up behind him. I’d never met him before, but I knew who he was and knew enough to be polite. I glanced over my shoulder to see my parents’ backs were turned as Papa patted his pockets.
“E,” Francesco used my nickname, I was sure to keep a little distance between his personal life and work life, “this is Piero Capri. Piero, this is E, a friend of mine.”
“Nice to meet you.” He extended a hand, and I took it feeling a little ill. He was powerful looking in his expensive black and white suit. Even his cufflinks had an engraved C in the center. He seemed preoccupied and held back a moment as one of his men whispered something in his ear. Then he turned with a smile and made an effort to be nice. “How are you enjoying your day?”
“Fine, thanks. I was just,” I scrambled for something to say, “taking pictures.”
“She’s got an eye for photography.” Francesco beamed at me. “She’s making a book about the people in the town and all the beautiful places here.”
“Is that so?” Piero held up a finger to the man behind him then took the grocery bag from my arms and handed it to him. The other men who surrounded us looked like they were on edge. It made me anxious and unsure of my surroundings. “Well, then, let’s not let an opportunity such as this be wasted on only a pleasant conversation. It is obvious to me that my Francesco has a good eye for a beautiful woman. Let’s see what your camera can capture.” He snapped his fingers at one of his men, who took my beloved camera from my arm then waved at me to stand next to Francesco. Then he joined us in the shot, the underboss of one of the scariest syndicates there was. I couldn’t help but notice his men created a protective horseshoe around us as the cars went by. “Smile.” I swallowed but played my part well. I knew Francesco would never let anything happen to me. The shutter went off a few times, and then my bag was handed back to me and so was my camera. “It was lovely meeting you, E.” Piero smiled absently then stepped a few feet back as his man once again was in his ear. I could tell his mind was already in another place.
Francesco’s eyes widened as they moved over my shoulder, and I knew what was about to happen.
No, please not now.
“Sweetheart, what is going on?” My mama glared at Piero as she and my father approached. Thank goodness he didn’t seem to notice her expression as his bodyguard was still whispering in his ear about something.
“Papa.” I paused, curbing my nervousness. This was not how I wanted them to meet Francesco. “Mama, this is Francesco, my boyfriend.” I lowered my voice at the last part.
Both of their faces dropped, and Mama became pale as she soaked up Francesco’s appearance and clear connection to Piero. It didn’t help that Francesco’s gun was visible under his open jacket.
“Nice to meet you both.” He tried to smile, but it fizzled out quickly. We both knew there was nothing in the moment to smile about.
“No.” Papa’s stern voice left no argument, and I flushed. “No way. This is over right now. I forbid it.”
I didn’t get to say anything before I was yanked by my parents down the street, leaving the rest of them behind.
My mind came back to the present for a moment, and I thought about Francesco and me and our lives after that. We had managed to date in secret after that awful meeting—for a while, anyway—but I wouldn’t see Piero Capri until many years later. Once again, I slipped away into a memory of the other photo and how it came to be.
Francesco hadn’t returned my calls, and I was going crazy wondering if something happened to him. I hadn’t had an update on Sienna for nearly two months, and I needed to know they were both all right.
“Ms. Elenora?” Oscar held up an invitation to a party that was being held in the city for a visiting artist. “I checked the guest list as you asked, and he’ll be there.”
“Excellent, then I will go after all.” I plucked the card from his hand and headed to my room to get ready. I knew I should stay hidden. After all, I had spotted Mikey at the art exhibit when I went to spy on my father. I was still unsure if Mikey knew it was me or not. I pushed that thought out of my head with a bigger agenda in mind. The party theme was Midsummer Night, so I made sure I dressed accordingly, using lots of white powder and sparkle to create a stunning eye mask.
When we arrived, Oscar escorted me inside. He was dressed to play his part as well. To the average person, we looked like a couple that was anticipating a night of expensive champagne and rubbing elbows with the artsy crowd.
“Right corner,” he whispered in my ear, and I scanned the crowd until I spotted Francesco next to Piero, who had his arm around a stunning woman. Slowly, I made my way over and did a double take at a boy that looked to be Piero’s twin. It must be his son.
I softly cleared my throat as I stepped up to the table and turned to look at Francesco straight in the eyes. His face blanched as he took me in, and his mouth dropped like he’d seen a ghost.
“So, you can attend a party, but not return my phone calls?”
“You can’t be here.” He glanced around nervously.
“You think I wanted to risk everything by coming here with these snakes?” I hissed. “You promised me you’d check in about Sienna, and you didn’t.”
“I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes. “There’s just been so much going on. There have been threats to the family, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of them. We are only here to see who we can flush out.”
“It takes two seconds to pick up the phone and leave a message.”
“You’re right.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I assure you, she’s fine, and I’m fine, and you have my word that I will call you tomorrow and fill you in on everything.”
That was all I wanted.
“All right.” I took a breath and let myself calm down a little.
His gaze raked down my dress, and he let out a long breath.
“God, you’re still as gorgeous as the last time I saw you.”
I smiled, falling for his charm. I was hopeless
ly in love with a man I could never have because he chose to be with my enemy.
“Francesco.” Piero was suddenly next to us, and I stood straight, feeling the hate smother my soul. “Oh, hello, excuse me.” He smiled. Clearly, he didn’t recognize me, but why would he? It had been at least eighteen years since we’d met, and I was wearing a heap of makeup.
“Hello, I’m Violetta.” I used my fake name before Francesco could introduce us. “Nice to meet you.” My tongue burned at the words.
“You as well.” A photographer came up and held up his camera. “Photo?”
I wanted to protest, I wanted to smash my champagne flute and ram the jagged glass into his cold, black heart for killing my little brother, but instead I waited for him, his wife, and his son to gather around while a fake photo of happiness was snapped. I glanced at Oscar, who stepped in behind the photographer and snapped a photo for me. Who knew, I might just need it someday.
I pointed my camera at the dome of the church and snapped a few photos as we walked around the outside of it.
“It’s nice.” Ugo followed me.
“The temple took twenty-seven years to build, finishing up in 1545.” I motioned for him to follow me inside the Tempio di San Biagio.
“That’s a long time.”
“It was built by Antonio da Sangallo.” I snapped some more photos of the artwork on the wall, careful not to use a flash. “They say that two maidservants, Antilia and Camilla, and a peasant named Toto were passing in front of a fresco that depicted the Madonna and Child, and St. Francis saw the Virgin open and close her eyes.” I waited for a woman to leave, then I leaned way back to admire a particularly beautiful painting on the ceiling. “Lord bless the world, give health to bodies and comfort to hearts. Do not leave us at the mercy of the storm.”
“I know that…” He trailed off while he thought.
“It’s Pope Francis’s prayer.”
“How do you know this stuff?”
“It’s part of my job to dig, and I retain a lot of stuff, plus I find it fascinating.”
“Our ideas of fascinating are very different.” He laughed, and I forced a smile. “So, did you drag me here to look at this church or to escape what’s happening back at the house?” I lowered my camera and looked at the floor, hating that he could see right through me. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been waiting to spend some time with you for a while now. I feel a kind of sadness about you. You want to talk about it, maybe? You’ll feel better.”
“Doubtful.” I turned and snapped some more photos, needing something to do. Something caught my eye, and I zoomed in on the photo I had just taken.
What the hell!
When I locked eyes with him, he motioned for me to meet him outside. I pulled out my phone and held it up to Ugo.
“I need to take this. I’m going to step out for a moment.”
“Okay, I’ll be here.” He shrugged.
I tucked my camera back in its bag as I made my way outside. I looked about and spotted him. He had his back to me.
“Why does it feel like you’re following me?” The Finder turned, and by the way his face twisted, I knew I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“Because I needed to talk to you.”
“Well, here I am.”
“I heard your mother found you.” My mouth suddenly went dry. How in the world would he know that? “It’s my job to know these things.”
“No,” I shook my head at this sudden invasion of privacy, “it’s not.”
“Look,” he stepped closer, “I know you don’t know me, and I want to keep it that way, but the truth is you are caught up in a very dangerous game of tug of war. You can’t see the wolves that are circling you, pawing at the sidelines, waiting in the mist for their turn to pounce.” The skin around his eyes deepened. “You need to be very careful, Sienna. Your mother is a very dangerous woman, and the secrets she carries are not in your best interest.”
“Rather dramatically stated, don’t you think?” I was rattled by what he said but didn’t want to show it. “And how do you know all of this?” I tried to speak matter-of-factly, even as I felt a chill spread to my fingertips.
“Because it’s what I do.”
“Anything else?” I lifted my chin, trying to look confident while I absorbed what he was telling me.
“Yes.” He paused when Ugo called out my name. “You need to be careful with the Santoro brother.”
“Which one?”
“Sienna!” Ugo drew my attention to him, and he was suddenly at my side and tugging on my arm. I looked at him, then when I went to turn back to The Finder, he was gone. “Who were you talking to?”
“No one.” I searched the few faces on the property, but it was as if he had evaporated into thin air. Ugo looked at me but didn’t push it.
“Come on. We should leave.”
I didn’t protest because I needed to be alone with my thoughts. Once again life had tossed a fork in the road and left me with a missing puzzle piece to try to solve.
By the time he dropped me off, my stomach was a ball of nerves. Why couldn’t I go one day where life was normal, light, and free? Ugo wanted me to return to the hotel to see my mother, but I couldn’t do it. I needed to think first. I could see her later. The fact The Finder went out of his way to hunt me down to warn me only made things much more confusing.
“Hey, Sienna,” Donte greeted me as I eased down on the bar stool. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind.” I laughed darkly. “Anything you wish to share?”
“You’re not the first person to ask me that today, and although I appreciate the offer, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Fair enough. Just know the offer stands.” I smiled and dropped my head into my hands, feeling lost inside.
“There you are.” I lifted my heavy head to see Aunt Noemi coming into the kitchen with a warm smile. She placed a riding helmet on the island. “I hate to seem needy, but I could really use some girl time. Are you up for a ride at my place? I grabbed this from Andrea. I think it will fit you.”
Fresh air, speed, and a wide-open space sounded divine.
“That actually sounds perfect right now.”
“Great. Get changed out of those heels, and we can head out.”
Forty minutes later, I had my legs around the second strongest male in my life. I smirked at that thought as Elio’s face popped up in my head. I hated that at the same time a ping of confusion and hurt mingled with the joy of the ride.
“I love riding.” Noemi came up next to me as we followed a trail through the woods. The shade provided cool spots from the sun, and the sound of the birds helped soothe my aching head. “There’s something freeing about knowing you can disappear into the woods whenever you want for as long as you want. Especially when you can feel the strength and spirit of these animals along with it.”
“I agree, it’s wonderful. Does your husband Bosco ride with you at all?”
“No,” she laughed, “that would require him to stop working for five minutes. Now, if I was to suggest going to a football match, that would be different. Anything can be stopped for that sport.”
I knew I shouldn’t tug at the thread, but I couldn’t help myself. We were a few miles from the house, and I figured it was now or never. “What about Nonna Greta? Has she ever gone riding with you?”
“No,” she let out a long breath, “she doesn’t leave the house, and I’m pretty sure it’s God’s way of punishing me.” I let a chuckle go but tried to hide it. She smiled and gave me a worn-out expression. “I knew what I was getting into when I met Bosco, but Lord, no one could prepare me for that tough-as-nails old bat.” She laughed loudly. “Wow, that felt amazing to say out loud.” I laughed along with her and felt a little better that I wasn’t the only one who saw psycho Nonna for who she really was.
“I don’t think she’s too fond of me either.”
“She doesn’t like anyone who might come between her and her grandsons.” S
he rolled her eyes. “I love my sons more than anything, but she tries to control their lives to a point where she suffocates them. I’ve tried to step in a few times, but it only makes things worse.” She paused for a moment then looked over at me. “I take it by now you know about the family business.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, “thanks to Mariano.”
“You need to watch out for him. He’s nothing but trouble.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“If I can give you any advice about being a woman in the Capri family, it’s this.” She ducked as we rode under some weeping trees. “Stay off Greta’s radar. That woman is old school mafia and, though Piero is the boss, it’s Greta who holds much of the power and influence over him. She’s looked at as the most experienced in the family, and since her husband died, they all have her on a pedestal.”
“And if you’re already on her radar?” Panic washed over me.
“You might as well dig your own grave now.” She gave me a weary smile.
“Must be scary living with someone like that.” I tried to push back the haunting feeling in my bones.
“It was at first, but now I just dodge her at all costs. It’s the perk of living in such a big house, plus her stones on her rosary beads click together and give a warning when she’s nearby. My ear is trained to hear them a mile away.” She laughed as I shivered, remembering the sound of them. “All right, enough of this. Let’s have some fun.” She tapped her horse and shot off into an open field, and I happily let loose behind her and let the wind clear my mind for the next few hours.
When we returned to the barn, Noemi handed me a bottle of water from the barn fridge. “That was a long ride. Thanks for coming.” She walked her horse over to the side of the stall, and I followed, leading mine.
“I had a great time. Thanks for the invitation.”
“Anytime.” She smiled over her shoulder. “Would you like to stay for a drink?”
“Sure. Nothing like a good ride to make you crave a prosecco.”
Her hand dropped away from the reins like I reminded her of something, and she slowly turned to look at me.
