by Emma Nichols
“Excellent.”
“Very good wine, Donna Maria. Very good indeed.”
“I’ll have a small selection sent to your house this evening.”
Rocca shook her head and raised the palm of her hand to Maria. She lacked conviction.
“I couldn’t possibly accept such a gift, Donna Maria.”
Maria smiled and rested her hands palm down on the table. “Think nothing of it.”
Rocca picked up her glass and finished the wine in one swallow. She looked at Maria and smiled. “How are you sleeping?” she asked quietly.
Maria looked away. “I’m managing.”
Rocca lowered her head. “You know where I am, should your needs change.”
Maria sighed. The last thing on her mind was sex. “Thank you.” She reached across the table and put her hand on Rocca’s arm. “I need to focus on the business.”
Rocca swallowed hard, seemingly thrown by the unexpected contact. “I…I am always here to help, Donna Maria.”
Maria let go of her arm and leaned back in the seat. Rocca’s apparent discomfort was new. There was vulnerability there and such a weakness could be exploited if necessary. She smiled. “How did you enjoy the opera yesterday?”
*
As Patrina entered Café Tassimo, Simone stopped cleaning the bar and started to make Patrina her usual coffee. Simone noted her purposeful stride as she crossed the room to join Alessandro and Beto at the oval table.
Patrina’s heels seemed to clip the stone floor with more weight than normal.
She seemed different, and Simone couldn’t put her finger on the change.
Focused, maybe? Determined?
“Auntie, join us.” Alessandro said and waved Patrina to the table.
Simone held back a scowl. He had been sitting on his arse for the past two hours making demands, drinking wine, and bragging to Beto about the deliveries they had been making. His business was doing well, by his account. She was sick of the sound of his voice and the sight of his face, and as she watched Patrina pull him into an embrace, kiss his cheeks, and look at him with apparent tenderness, her stomach churned.
Patrina smiled at him. “We got the planning, Alessandro. We got it.”
She kissed him again, and he clung to her like a child in need of approval and comfort.
Simone shuddered at the thought of close physical contact with Alessandro. She placed the coffee and a dish of olives on the tray and took it to the table.
“Thank you, Simone,” Patrina said and smiled at her.
This is new. Patrina was never overly polite. She nodded and went back to the bar.
Alessandro beamed his cosmetic smile at Patrina. “Sit. Let’s celebrate.”
Patrina sat, and Beto poured Alessandro another glass of wine, who clicked his fingers at Simone.
She looked at him and smiled. “What can I get you, Alessandro?”
She hoped her flat tone held sufficient respect even though she had none for him. He didn’t seem to notice, though Patrina stared at her oddly for a moment.
“Three steaks and a bottle of champagne, now.”
“Of course, Alessandro.” Simone flashed a look at Patrina as if appealing to her as one woman to another to teach her nephew some manners. She went into the kitchen and placed the food order and returned to the bar to collect the champagne.
Alessandro was looking at Patrina, his chin up and his head leaning back on a tilt. Patrina was frowning and had a tight-lipped appearance.
“What is it, Auntie?”
Patrina leaned towards him and stroked his face. “It’s nothing, Alessandro, nothing. There’s just some personal business I need to sort out.
I have a lot on my mind, that’s all. You have to take care of things here.
How are the wine sales going?”
Simone returned to the table with a bottle in an ice bucket and three champagne glasses. She went to uncork the wine, and Alessandro snatched the bottle from her and proceeded to rip the top from the neck. She made a fast retreat back to the bar.
Alessandro laughed and nudged Beto. Another private joke, undoubtedly offensive towards her. Simone rolled her eyes.
The image of Maria’s business card came to her, and she was thankful she’d left it in her clutch bag at home. If the Amatos found the card in her possession, they would ask questions she couldn’t answer. And the last thing she needed was to make a real enemy of Patrina or worse still, Alessandro. Her special night at the opera had turned out to be more than she could have imagined.
She had become aware of the two powerful women sitting in the box enjoying the opera together just before the interval. She had noticed Maria watching her, and her dress had become overbearingly hot. Then, Maria had entered the bathroom. Her eyes had been dark and conveyed such tenderness, and the closeness of her hadn’t felt close enough. Simone’s heart had raced, and her mouth had become dry, and she had struggled to hold herself up. She wanted Maria, and the feeling had been so overpowering it had rendered her senseless.
She closed her eyes and inhaled. The desire was still with her. The unique scent of Maria’s handkerchief lingered in her memory.
She hadn’t meant to appear rude and had carried her embarrassment at her clipped and incoherent responses home with her. Maria had made her feel giddy and weak. Maria had thought she was scared. And she was. But
not for the reasons Maria might assume. The Amatos were pretty much who they had always been, as were the Lombardos. She was familiar with their ways.
What was disconcerting, and what had kept her from a deep sleep since the opera, was the dull ache in her chest that wouldn’t abate. Maria’s kindness had slipped under her skin and formed a tingling warmth that had comforted and settled her. For the first time in her life, she felt the absence of something she desired. And it wasn’t a pleasant sensation.
Alessandro’s raucous laughter filled the room. She glanced across to the table to see the three of them laughing and drinking. Had Patrina changed in the time since she had started working for the Amatos, or had she just not noticed how cruel and heartless the woman actually was?
She sighed, wondering whether there would ever be a time when she could leave their employment and feel safe. Their idea of protecting and looking after her family resembled blackmail more than it did support. She had been weak back then and with a younger brother to look after, she had taken the easy option. She hoped she wouldn’t regret that decision for the whole of her life.
Alessandro uncoiled the metal sleeve around the bottle and ripped it off. He shook the bottle and thumbed the cork from its neck making sure that it fired with the crack of a bullet, skywards, and so the foam would spill profusely over the rim. Laughing raucously and moving clumsily, he tumbled the champagne into each glass. Froth plummeted from the rim of the glasses, creating a gush of liquid that pooled on the table. He lifted his glass in a toast.
“To the demise of Lombardo.”
Simone flinched, and her spine turned to ice. She continued to listen to Alessandro bragging about his deliveries to the Riverside and his plans for expansion. His eyes looked wild and frenzied, on account of the cocaine, no doubt. A wave of sickness rose within her, and her chest constricted.
Patrina clinked her glass against Alessandro’s and smiled. “Don Stefano will be very proud of your business acumen.”
Alessandro leaned forward. He waved his hand for Patrina to move towards him. “Auntie?”
Patrina leaned closer. “What is it, Alessandro?”
“I have more good news. The car has been scrapped.”
Patrina’s eyes widened, and then she looked away from Alessandro.
Simone noticed Patrina’s skin pale, and a flash of recognition passed across her eyes. That information had meant something significant to Patrina and landed very uncomfortably. Why?
“That’s very good, Alessandro.” Patrina cupped his cheek and stroked his face. “Well done.”
Simone frowned. Patrina was behaving
very oddly. A car being scrapped meant nothing to Simone, but it sure as hell was of interest to the Amatos. Alessandro looked smug.
Alessandro threw himself back in the seat and broke into a beaming grin. He slapped Beto on the arm. “Business is fucking good, eh?” he said.
Beto laughed loudly, then sipped his drink as his eyes briefly settled on Patrina. He too had a look of mild concern. Patrina smiled at Alessandro, who cupped his hand over the firmness at his crotch and growled.
Pig!
Patrina sipped her drink, watching her nephew. “You’re a good man, Alessandro. Here’s to your success.”
The words sounded hollow.
Alessandro’s upper body shook as he fervently nodded. He took a gulp from his glass. “I have big plans, Auntie.”
Patrina’s smile seemed contrived.
“The wine, the development of the casino, they are just the tip of the iceberg. I have links with the mainland now. Business is growing quickly.
They will supply everything we need.”
The tone of the conversation didn’t sit well with Simone. She went quietly into the kitchen and returned with their food. Silently, she placed it in front of them, avoided eye contact, and returned to the bar.
She had been drying the same glass for some time, rooted to the spot as the droning from Alessandro’s mouth faded in and out of her awareness.
The realisation that the Amatos had a keen interest in the disposal of a vehicle that had been held by the police rattled her thoughts. Surely, this wasn’t the car in which Donna Maria Lombardo’s father had died? Holy Christ. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, opened her eyes, and looked down at her trembling hands. Knowing information of that nature could get her killed. Feigning ignorance was her only defence, and she’d better hope she was believed.
11.
Maria walked the length of the banquet room examining the sumptuous spread and nodded her approval. She plucked a black olive from a dish and ate it. “Excellent, Antonio.” She squeezed his arm. “The guests will be arriving anytime now. Thank you.”
He bowed his head and left her alone with Giovanni.
“Giovanni.”
Giovanni glanced at the food and smiled warmly. “You have done Catena proud.”
“You think she will like it? I don’t know whether she has any cravings or dislikes at the moment, so I went with something of everything, then she can choose.”
“I’m sure she will be delighted.”
Her mother entered carrying a large wrapped gift, closely followed by Catena, Vittorio, and Angelo loaded up with similar sized boxes. Her mother claimed a table for the presents, and they offloaded them before approaching Maria and Giovanni.
“I forgot to get a gift,” Maria whispered to Giovanni.
“Antonio will bring your special gift up shortly.”
She smiled at him then took a pace to greet her mother, who waved her arm in the direction of the expansive spread, the one-hundred soft pink and light blue balloons, and the light display that flooded the dance floor area. The pianist was setting up at the grand piano at the entrance to the room, preparing to kick off the event with a more sophisticated musical recital. Every possible taste was taken care of.
“Bedda, this is so beautiful. You have done your sister a great honour.”
Catena rolled her eyes at Maria and shook her head. Maria went to her and pulled her into a long, rocking hug and whispered into her ear,
“There is a circus act for later.”
Catena eased back. She teased the hair from Maria’s face then kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Maria.”
Maria turned to Vittorio and held out her hand. He took it. She placed the other hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheeks.
“Congratulations, Vittorio.” She squeezed his hand and shoulder firmly. “A new baby will keep you on your toes, eh?” She laughed as his eyes widened and his cheeks lost their colour.
More guests entered the room: Mayor Marino and his wife, the Commissioner and his wife, the Chief Prosecutor and his wife, and Capitano Rocca Massina. Maria glanced towards the dignitaries and excused herself to go and welcome them.
Piano music resonated gently in the background. Quiet conversation, laughter, and a warm embrace greeted every guest as they arrived. The table was soon overflowing with gifts. Antonio entered the room with the special gift Giovanni had bought on her behalf placed under the table. She laughed. A motorised car. The kid wouldn’t be able to use it for three years. As gifts go, it wasn’t the most thoughtful. She shook her head. She should’ve remembered to get something.
Catena looked at the car, shook her head, and laughed. “A black Maserati. Really, sister?”
Maria shrugged. “Could be worse. It could be a Fiat Panda.”
“I agree,” Vittorio said. “Who doesn’t want a Maserati for their birthday?”
“In your dreams,” Catena said, rubbing her belly. “You’ve got schooling to pay for.”
“I’ll have him driving before he gets to school,” Vittorio said.
He was probably right. Maria smiled at her family’s gentle banter.
That Catena wore the trousers in their relationship was no surprise.
Maria moved around the room to welcome everyone personally and encouraged them to eat and drink. Her sister looked happy, talking animatedly with some of the other wives. Her mother was occupied, chatting with the mayor and his wife. Vittorio and Giovanni stood apart from the group in deep discussion. She approached them and raised her glass in a toast.
Vittorio took a pace as if to leave her with Giovanni. She stopped him.
“Vittorio, I need you to do something for me.”
He nodded. “Whatever you need, Donna Maria.”
She smiled. It seemed the orchid was learning the art of pollination .
She scanned the room, making sure no one was close enough to hear their conversation. “The ‘Ndrangheta.”
“They are expanding their reach,” Vittorio said.
He was aware of what was going on. That was good. “Our friends are helping them to grow.”
Vittorio slowly sipped at his drink.
“I need to know who is talking to who and about what. We need our ears to the ground.” She looked at him for a long moment, hoping she was making the right decision to trust him with a job that required some delicacy and subtlety.
Vittorio leaned closer, put his hand on her arm, and kissed her cheeks. “Leave it with me, Donna Maria.”
The darkness and depth she saw in his eyes sent a chill through her veins. Vittorio seemed to derive great pleasure from the kill, as if taking another’s life didn’t touch him. She would never understand that. It wasn’t the Lombardo way. Though if their hand was forced, she would do what was needed.
She watched him go to the group his wife was entertaining and put his arm around her waist. For all his faults, he did seem to dote on Catena, and she was clearly in love with him. He had also managed to keep clean and follow instructions since the incident with Alessandro. Perhaps he could grow up after all.
“He could get killed,” Giovanni said.
“We all could.”
“Alessandro is very busy moving merchandise.”
Maria looked around the room and smiled at guests who acknowledged her as she spoke to Giovanni. “Yes.”
“His clients were happy with the gift we donated.”
Maria smiled. She lifted her glass towards Rocca who was watching them from across the room, and Rocca approached them.
“Want me to do anything?” Giovanni whispered.
“Not yet.” She smiled broadly and held out her hand to receive Rocca. “Bona sira, capitano. I do hope you are enjoying the hospitality this evening.”
Rocca smiled as she squeezed Maria’s hand. “Thank you for inviting me, Donna Maria.” She glanced over her shoulder around the room before continuing. “There have been very long queues at the port this week, Donna Maria.”
Maria raised her ey
ebrows and sighed. “Ah well, the imports business does not always flow easily.”
“The union is not happy,” Rocca said. “There are rumours of potential strike action.”
“That will impact construction across the city. It could be devastating for smaller businesses.”
“Yes, it will have a significant impact.”
“I’m sure it will get sorted in good time.” Maria pointed to the overflowing gift table. “Capitano, did you see the car I got for my sister’s child? They will be driving before they get to school.” She laughed. Maria’s phone buzzed in her pocket. “If you will excuse me, capitano.”
Rocca tilted her head in a slight bow. “Of course, Donna Maria. You have a party to attend to. I will keep you updated with activities at the port.”
Maria walked away, stepped out of the room, and headed to the bathroom. She pulled the phone from her pocket.
I am scared
She didn’t recognise the number, but there was only one person who would send such a message. Maria unlocked the phone and typed: Where are you?
The Cathedral
Stay there. I’m coming. Don’t speak to anyone.
Maria pocketed her phone. She splashed her face with cool water and patted it dry. She studied herself in the mirror to be sure the sensations that gripped her stomach weren’t revealed in her expression. She exited the bathroom and headed through the restaurant, stopping briefly to explain to Antonio that she felt unwell and had to go home. Her family would understand the message for what it was: something urgent had come up that she needed to attend to personally.
She headed straight to the cathedral. After circling the area looking for a parking spot in heavy traffic, she chose to abandon her car at the closest point and hurried across the cobbled plaza. She pulled open the heavy wooden doors and stepped over the threshold, forming a cross at her chest while she hastily scanned the pews. There was a small scattering of people kneeling in silent prayer, and crops of candles flickered along the sidewalls of the church reinforcing the sombre mood in the dimly lit space.
