by Sienna Mynx
“No. I… he told me about having to do it as a child once. But I didn’t know how to swim when I met him. He taught me to swim, and we have a pool. But other than Mondello I never go to the beaches. Not with the kids... or him.”
“We’ve known each other a long time. Once when we were drunk and angry after.... well forget what happened before. We were held up in Navagio Beach it’s in Greece. They call it shipwreck beach or smugglers cove. The water is so clear and the sand is so white below it looks like something out of a fairytale. We had to wait there for our men to return. And Gio... he was anxious. It’s when he told me about the cliffs. How in Sicily he practiced jumping to test his strength as a boy. Dared me to do it. I wouldn’t. I was too drunk. But not Gio. He stripped to his underwear and just went over the side. Had to be a fifty- foot drop. I knew he was dead. I wasn’t sure the waters were deep enough for him along the shore for such a dive. But he made it. He took risks Mirabella. Always. He took the hardest path. It’s why so many of us respect him. Why so many of envy him.”
Mirabella smiled. “He is different.”
“When we learned about his obsession for you none of us understood it. Our life, our culture, it’s very contained. We don’t allow in strangers. Italian and Sicilian is as far as it goes. But a black American woman. None of us knew what to make of it. That was until your wedding.”
“You and your wife were at my wedding. I remember.”
“We were. I saw them throwing blue roses at you. I saw how beautiful you were when you lifted your veil. How you walked into his life with a little girl with blue eyes. My wife cried. She said you were the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.”
Mirabella looked up at him. “She did?”
Tacchini nodded. “She was right. And Giovanni was different. From that moment forward I’ve never seen him jump off a cliff, or even speak about it. A woman, a good woman, can do that for a man like him and me.” He touched her face and rubbed away her tears from her cheek. He cupped the side of her face. Again, the temptation to kiss her overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes to resist.”
“Piero? Are you okay?”
The urge subsided when he heard the vulnerability in her voice. He was a bastard. He was corrupt. But he could not willfully hurt her. And if he pulled her in, really pulled her into his web he’d do just that. Damn himself and her.
“Piero?”
“Giovanni is not going to let you go, no matter how long it takes to recover. He’ll wake up.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“We fight for who we love. To the bitter end.”
“But you lost your wife in the end. And you fought for her.”
“True. What do you want me to believe Donna Nera? That your husband will die and I will one day know what it is like to love a woman like you?”
She pulled away from him. “No. No, I don’t.” she said and wiped her tears. “You’re sweet. Thank you for lunch, for everything. I do feel better now.”
“Can I give you more advice?”
“I still love my husband, Piero. I would never betray him.”
He chuckled. “It’s not about Giovanni.”
“Oh? I thought...”
“Listen,” He took her hand again and she allowed him to hold it. He kissed the inside of her palm and then the back of her hand. “You put too much stress on yourself and you shouldn’t. Dominic is worthy of your trust. Lean on him more, not Rocco.”
“Dominic isn’t ready. He’s dealing with a lot. And wait... why not Rocco?”
“Dominic’s strong, Mirabella. Strong in ways you need him to be. Trust him like Giovanni does.”
She pulled her hand away. “I thought you were encouraging me to do this on my own?”
“I was. I am. But I have to protect you and my interests.”
“So you think Dominic will protect you. You’re a fool. He wants you dead for even having this meeting with me.”
“I think Dominic will protect you. That’s my point. I’m a big bad boy, Mirabella. I can protect myself. Even from your husband.”
“From Gio?”
“The day he wakes, and looks into my eyes he will see it.”
“See what?”
“I’ve fallen in love with you.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Oh please?”
“How long did it take for Giovanni to say the same thing? How long did it take for the China man to say the same thing? It is possible to fall for Mirabella, quickly.”
Don Tacchini stood. “That being said, you need a consigliere to keep your business solid. I can’t be your confidant, not much longer.”
“Piero?” she asked and heard a note of disappointment in her voice. “I like our talks.”
“I told you why, Mirabella. This will be the last time I resist these feelings I have for you. You’re a beautiful woman and I’m a lonely man. That doesn’t mix well.”
“Oh, okay,” she said.
“Dominic was Giovanni’s consigliere because he trusted him. There’s a reason Rocco was not.”
“What is the reason?” she asked.
“I don’t know it. I just know that Giovanni never brought Rocco in. Never fully trusted him. And that was clear to everyone in the Camorristi.”
“Why?” Mirabella asked.
“Some thing his father said to him before he died. You need to find out what is really beneath the surface of that family secret to understand why. It’ll make you stronger.”
Mirabella shook her head. “I don’t think it will. Every time I uncover a secret it makes me sick.”
He chuckled. She stared up at him for a moment, and then it passed. “The flowers. The roses, I mean. Seeing them today just made me feel alive again. Thank you, Piero. I agree. This should be our final meeting. And if I’m not pregnant, then it means my sickness is back. If I am pregnant, it could mean something bad for my baby. Either way, I have to focus on what is important.”
“And making a friend like me can’t be a priority,” he said.
“I’ll never tell Giovanni about... this friendship. And you should never speak of it either. For both our sakes.”
She stood. He reached to help her, but she knocked his hand away. “I’m fine. I am. It’s time I leave. Thank you for everything today, Piero.”
“Prego,” he said. “I’ll set up the meeting with Arielle. She might be able to offer you some insight into Giovanni. Help you.” The Don fell in step behind her as she went toward the front of his villa. She wore her tank-top and jeans. He saw more of her than he ever had in that top. A vision that would probably haunt him for many nights.
Mirabella sat beside Tacchini in silence. Umberto and Leo both rode the stolen vespas close behind them. She’d forgotten her shirt in her haste to leave the blue roses behind. But she didn’t care. The nauseous sick feeling she had now recovered from kept her paralyzed with worry. Her hands weren’t trembling though.
They arrived at her car. Tacchini wasn’t given the opportunity to say goodbye. Umberto and Leo dropped the bikes and went to the car and helped her out. She glanced back at him, and his sly smile and the dark sunglasses gave him a look of ease. A look she’d remember for some time. Deep down she knew if it weren’t Giovanni it would be a man like Piero. It would always be a dangerous powerful man. Maybe that was her mothers curse. It was in her blood. In Marietta’s blood. They were born to be loved by men like them. The Don gave her a final nod of appreciation and then sped away to his mountain.
“Donna? Are you well?” Leo asked.
Mirabella realized her disheveled state of undress was also of concern to them.
“Take me home,” is all she could say. Umberto and Leo said nothing on the drive. She was grateful. They brought her home. The moment she was in the house she made a point to steer past her waiting family. There was much commotion with the Marietta incident. And she couldn’t deal with it. Once upstairs she decided to visit her husband. And to her relief she found the doctor with him.
“Any change?” she pleaded.
“No, I’m afraid not. We agreed if it came to this point you would consider some of the alternative suggestions I’ve recommended. We are nearing two months. Physically he has healed from his gunshots. It’s his mind now.”
“No.”
“Signora...”
“We will not send him away to some hospital. He’s going to wake up! Do you hear me? No matter how long it takes, he’s going to wake up.”
“Sì, Signora. It is your decision.”
Mirabella put a hand to her head. The doctor looked at her with concern. She felt his stare. She lowered her hand and looked at it. The trembles were back. Her fingers had an arthritic shake neither of them could ignore. “I need to have some tests run. On me. I want to keep it from the family. Just you and I. Understood?”
“Sì, Signora,” he said.
“Can we start the tests tonight? Blood work.”
“What is the problem?” he asked.
Mirabella bit down on her bottom lip, and she shook her head and looked at her husband. “I don’t know what it is now. I’ve suffered physical problems in the past. I’ll explain to you later. Can you give me a minute with him? I’ll join you in your office and you can run whatever tests you wish.”
The doctor opened his mouth to object. She knew his objection. As much as she worked to secure her home, this was no hospital. And whatever was wrong with her would probably take more tests than he could perform there. But he left and spared her the conversation. She kissed Giovanni on the lips. She kissed his brow. She made sure he was comfortable. The doctors had explained the dangers of a prolonged coma state. Pneumonia and infection were at the top of the list. She’d lose control of his care if either set in.
“Wake up, Gio. Wake up, please.” She kissed him one more time. She thought of the roses. She thought of what Tacchini had shared with her. Giovanni took risks, but his love for her had made him more cautious. She needed her warrior to return.
“Giovanni is not going to let you go, no matter how long it takes to recover he’ll wake up.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“We fight for who we love. To the bitter end.”
She ran her hand over her husband’s stubble. His beard was growing in nicely. She liked the way it made him look. In the past, she always wanted him to shave. He only grew it in when he was distressed. She smiled. What if he woke and she could tell him that she was pregnant? It would be wonderful. She kissed his lips. Without knowing it, or maybe intentionally, Tacchini had given her hope again.
“I love you, baby, with all my heart,” Mirabella said. She pressed a final kiss to Giovanni’s brow and left. She did so before she saw his hand move. His fingers twitched and his lids fluttered. If she had stayed just a minute longer it would have changed everything.
Minnie had not adjusted to the time change and the Italian diet of sauce and pasta. That meant Belinda spent her evening running to and from their room to fetch her mother things like soda water and different things for her tea. She was exhausted. This was supposed to be about fun. The best time she had thus far was with Kyra. But Minnie caught on to that and shut her down. She was not to get in the way of the people here. She was to mind her own business. She was to either help with the kids or stay in the room and read a book. She could have stayed home and had a better adventure.
Minnie glanced over to her mother. She was turned over to her side but that didn’t mean she was asleep. “Ma? Mama?”
Minnie wasn’t prone to snoring, even though she was over weight in the middle. Belinda leaned over and peeked at her mother. “Ma you awake?”
There was no response.
Belinda eased the cover off of her. She carefully slipped from the bed. She wore a red and white silk scarf on her head to keep her braids tamed and flowing down her back. She’d chosen a cut off sorority shirt with the big block letters to the front in pink and green to wear with a pair of shorts. She pulled them on quietly. One glance to the clock near the bed and she saw it was after three in the morning. Belinda slipped on a robe to cover herself. It feared it was getting too late to wake Mirabella. She knew her mother would kill her if she learned of her plan. But she couldn’t take it any longer and she probably would have no other chance to get close to Mirabella during the day.
After she found her mother’s slippers and put them on she crept from the room. The mansion was darkest at night. No lights in the halls, and most doors closed. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust. Thankfully they did and Belinda made it from their hall to the stairs without seeing a single person. She climbed the long stairs and wondered why a place with three levels didn’t have an elevator inside. It sure as hell was big enough.
Belinda hurried up the last steps determined to not turn back.
Leo heard a sound from his left. He was up and alert. Though he had other men standing guard outside of the Donna’s door, tonight felt different. No matter how tired he was, he would not leave the Donna’s side.
His stretched his eyes. A young woman approached and it took a minute for him to remember who she was. She wore her robe open and her shorts that were so small they looked like underwear beneath a cutoff shirt that was raised by her medium sized breasts. She looked surprised at first to see him. She stopped in the hall and stared. Leo’s eyes scaled down her slender curves and then climbed back up to her face. He thought she was pretty before but now he was convinced. He walked toward and her and she took a step back. Before he could speak to her she turned and fled. Leo didn’t call out to her. The house was sleep. But he did go after her. By the time he reached the stairs she was running down them. Was she scared of him? Of course she was. Who would want to face him in a dark hall at night?
“Wait,” he said in a loud whisper. She looked back at him. She shouldn’t have. She missed the step and went tumbling down the last four. She landed on her knees. From his view of her ass squeezed in her tiny shorts it was a position he’d have forever in his mind. She turned over and grabbed her knee wincing. Leo hurried down the stairs to her.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” she groaned.
“Tutto bene,” he said when he reached her.
“What?” she frowned.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Let me…”
“Don’t touch me!” she said and knocked his hand away in disgust.
“You’re bleeding.”
“You scared me!” she said.
The accusation hit him hard. It reminded him of the many times he was told the very same thing growing up. His English was good enough to translate. As a boy his scars were ghastly, as a man he had hoped they improved and tried to tame his disfigurement through tattoos, still few women appreciated the effort.
“Can I help?” he asked.
She looked around and then back to him.
“Your knee, let me see,” he asked.
She nodded. He touched her knee. The scrape had marred the beauty of her longer slender leg. He especially liked her thighs, they looked soft. But he forced himself to stare at her knee. “I can... eh, something, bring something to help?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m sorry. I just, I thought everyone was sleep.”
Leo smiled. “I no sleep. Here, let me help.”
She took his hand and he helped her stand. She winced but she managed to stand on her foot for him. Her toes were yellow. He stared at the painted tiny toenails and liked the contrast.
“Why were you in the hall? Do you have a room up there?” she asked.
“Work.”
“Huh? You work in the hall?”
Leo smiled. “Yes.”
“Is she up there? Mirabella?”
Leo nodded.
He could see the conflict in her eyes. She needed something. And he wanted to make a better impression on her. “I take message to her, for you?”
Again, she regarded him with suspicion. But he wasn’t sure if it was his accent and broken English or him period that made her less trusting. He took a step
back to stay out of her personal space. That seem to help. She smiled for him.
“Could you tell her that I... I really want to do some sightseeing. That she offered and I... well my Mama is... she’s not good with the idea.”
He nodded. “I tell the Donna.”
“How do you say thank you in Italian?”
“Grazie,” he said.
“Grazie, good night.”
He could do nothing but nod at her. She turned to leave and he caught himself. “Wait. Name?” He couldn’t remember if she had ever told him.
“Belinda. Call me Bee.”
“I’m Leo.”
She gave him a half smile and then limped away into the darkness. Leo stood there until he was sure she was gone. He could return upstairs and stand by his boss’s’ door, but if he did that meant he’d get an even later start to the day. And he had a reason to want to be up early. He wanted to tell the boss that Belinda was bored. He smiled and walked off to his room.
Chapter Thirty
Things Change
Castelmola, Sicilia
She expected to travel by car. But once they arrived at the foothills of Castelmola, the cars stopped. Catalina glanced to Armando for an explanation.
“Are you ready for your surprise?” he asked.
“I’m ready.”
They left the car together. One of his men handed her a pair of night goggles with a helmet. It was something she thought only given to military pilots. Armando put his on, and then helped her with hers. He flipped a switch on the helmet. The night opened up to her. In the mountains, on a cloudy starless evening, it could be unmercifully dark. Especially in the smaller village towns where electricity was conserved.
With the help of the night goggles on the helmet she could see everything clearly under a haze of green luminance. Armando’s hand found hers. He walked her over to a motorbike. He got on first and lifted the kickstand. She climbed on behind him. Because she wore her skirt more of her thighs and rump was shown than she wished. Catalina wrapped her arms around his waist and Armando started the engine. Together they took to the darkness like bandits. He was an expert along the curvy and rough terrain. Mt. Etna loomed impressively over the landscape they traveled and blocked out the moon, but the goggles gave them all the clarity they needed, and she gained a new appreciation for her homeland. Castelmola remained a beautiful medieval village untouched by time. They had to go up to reach the village, and then down to the villa nestled among the cliffs. When they stopped at last, she couldn’t capture her breath from the altitude. She was worried over the seclusion. There was dense forest on every side. He helped her off the bike.
