by Emma Nichols
Maria looked back at Simone and pointed to their left. Simone’s heart fluttered with the sparkle that had returned to Maria’s eyes. She stopped and watched the shoal of knife-shaped silver fish as they moved closer and darted around them. She turned to see them go on their way and
when she turned back, she locked eyes with Maria, and her stomach swirled and sent a quiver to her racing heart. The excitement and desire felt fragile, and the water in which they swam was an ethereal state of physical suspension. Heaven on earth. She could live here forever with Maria. They could be free and together. Safe and together.
The look that she had seen in Maria’s eyes earlier returned. Worry etched in the darkness behind the flicker of lust. The result was a potent cocktail of disquiet and deep longing. She knew it because she felt it too, and she wanted Maria more than she had ever wanted anyone. Though a most exquisite sensation, it was also painful. She felt the essence of it every time she looked at Maria and every time Maria looked at her.
Maria broke eye contact, and the feeling subsided. Simone could breathe more easily though her heart still raced. She followed Maria, spellbound by the beauty in the underworld that moved around them.
Swimming deeper, the water became darker the closer they got to the black rocks of the volcano. Maria pointed to the white sponges and gorgonian residents of the rocky surface. Orange and purple arms danced with Maria as she weaved among them and waved at Simone as she passed.
Maria pointed to their left, to the brown grouper and the damselfish nipping at the coral carpet. Maria indicated to a cave-like structure, and Simone followed her towards it. Maria approached the cave slowly and waved for Simone to come closer and look inside.
Maria turned to reveal the purple-red octopus taking refuge in the darkness of the cave. Simone’s eyes grew wider. Simone froze then the ice shattered and formed snowflakes that tingled as they descended through her.
Oh my God. The small creature’s dark eyes seemed to be assessing her keenly as it slunk closer to Maria. All arms, reaching out and testing the boundaries of its environment, it curled a long tentacle around Maria’s arm, another searching around her waist and dipping into the pocket of the vest beneath her apparatus. Simone watched Maria being caressed, tugged, and played with, and the air from Maria gushed and bubbled towards the surface. She held back the fizzing laughter that rattled in her chest.
Maria reached into her invaded pocket and pulled out a sealed jar.
The octopus claimed it from her with silk-like, pin-point movements. Then it drew the jar closer to it, inspecting the live crabs within. The jar became entwined within its grasp, and its tentacles worked almost as hands and fingers to twist the lid from the jar so the octopus could claim its prize.
Maria held out her hand, and the octopus responded and led Maria into the cave. Watching Maria stroking the creature with tenderness, communicating as close friends would, Simone felt enveloped in tenderness. Her heart expanded and pressed hard against her ribs and sapped her of strength. I love you. Maria looked at home in this beguiling place. This was clearly her sanctum of peace, where she was liberated from the darker world she’d unwittingly inherited. In this natural habitat, surrounded by undisturbed beauty, Maria was transformed. She watched, stunned, finding it hard to think, hard to breathe, and impossible to draw her eyes from the woman she would always love.
Maria climbed onto the boat, pulled Simone up, and removed their equipment. Simone stared at her wide eyed and then shook her head gently.
Her lips parted as if she were going to speak, but she remained dumbfounded. Maria smiled at her, teased the wet hair to the side of her face, then moved closer and claimed Simone’s lips in a tender kiss. Easing away, she looked at Simone with a soft smile.
“You taste of salt.”
Simone shook her head. “That was the most awesome experience I…” She stopped speaking, immobilised by the intensity she saw in Maria’s eyes. The darkness seemed to have lifted and only lust remained. Simone’s breaths came in short shallow gasps, and her chest burned inside. Every sensation she had experienced with Maria as she had watched her beneath the water moved through her in waves of increasing ecstasy. She threw her arms around Maria’s neck and kissed her. She buried her fingers into the firm muscle at Maria’s shoulder, then moved her hands around to Maria’s back and grazed the skin the length of Maria’s spine. Maria’s moans echoed her want, her need, and she kissed Maria harder. Enjoying the taste of her, the softness of her, Simone’s tongue delved and teased, and she slipped her hand beneath Maria’s vest and cupped her breast. Maria groaned into her mouth. She ran her thumb across Maria’s nipple and moaned as it stiffened against her.
Maria groaned again and eased out of the kiss. She cupped her hand to cover Simone’s at her breast and stared into her eyes. Maria’s lips were swollen and inviting. There was want in her eyes, and her breathing was rapid. Simone watched Maria smiling at her, and then the intensity slowly drained from her. Maria’s eyes closed, and a soft moan sent fire down
Simone’s spine. Her heart thundered with her confused thoughts. There was no doubt Maria felt as strongly as she did. She had to. But Maria was also concerned about her family and the business. It was her job to take care of them. Loyalty came first. Simone knew and accepted that. Even though Maria had talked of wanting out of the business, they both had to admit deep down, there was no escaping this life. She stroked Maria’s face willing her to open her eyes, to share her concerns. “What is it?” she asked.
Maria opened her eyes and sighed. “You.”
Her smile was restrained. Simone bit down hard on her lip. She wouldn’t accept rejection, not from Maria, not knowing what they shared…
and not now. There had to be a reason Maria had lived in relative isolation all these years. She was a gorgeous woman who could have anyone and chose no one. Why, Maria? Because loss hurts so much? You’re not going to do that to me.
Maria took Simone’s hand. She raised it to her lips and kissed the palm. “I want to explore every part of you.”
The shudder that vibrated through Simone caught her breath and when she released, heat flooded her. Every cell in her body trembled. Thank God. “I want that too,” she said quietly, her words barely audible though they resounded loudly in her head as she realised how deeply she’d fallen for Maria.
30.
Simone took a seat at the table at the front of Lo Scoglio café overlooking the square and ordered a freshly squeezed lemonade. Thoughts of Maria made the sun warmer and brought a faint smile that settled inside her. She was in love with Maria, and she felt like a giggly, happy child. But then there was a scary and confusing feeling that disturbed her as it had when they were diving and previously in the car in Spain. She was living a double life with Maria. One part of it she loved and never wanted to end, the other part—the unreachable part that existed in the shadows—she resented.
Diving to the reef had been incredible. Fishing with Giovanni, learning to box, and exploring the cove with Maria had been like living in a fairy tale. Making love with Maria was the most exquisite and insanely delectable experience ever. Maria had exposed her deepest vulnerability in her need for Simone, and it was the most frightening responsibility Simone had ever owned.
And yet there was a quietness about Maria. The code of silence, maybe. Maria never talked about anything to do with her work, except Alessandro, and that was quite normal in this business. But Maria didn’t talk about a future either, except the offer she had made for Simone to live in the farmhouse in the Pyrenees…without Maria.
Would life with Maria always be this isolated? She had never lived in seclusion before. Sure, she had never been sociable and had kept herself to herself, but she had always been in control of her choices. She decided what she did and when. Now that option had been removed, the feeling of frustration niggled, and her thoughts raced.
Feeling cocooned, like a baby bouncing around in the womb, was safe and secure. That was a good thing, but it
was also suffocating. As beautiful and remarkable as the villa on the beach was, as wonderful as spending time with Maria was, Simone craved to return to her life outside the confines of the cove. The freedom to come and go and move around was living, as she had lived before all this blew up. Perhaps things would still have escalated without Maria’s involvement. Alessandro made enemies easier than friends. Maria was a mafia boss, and there were requirements
and restrictions that Simone had never been party to before. She didn’t relish talking to Maria about her frustrations, but her feelings of incarceration would drive a divisive wedge between them if she didn’t address it.
Angelo was the perfect example of that restriction, sitting on the wall that bounded the fountain in the middle of the square, facing the café, and leafing through the broadsheet newspaper though his eyes on her. His constant presence did nothing to alleviate the itch that came with living like a caged animal. She had survived perfectly well in the presence of these people, the Amatos, for enough years to know she could fend for herself.
She looked up as the waiter approached and smiled. She studied him as he placed the tall glass on a coaster in front of her. He reminded her of her time at Café Tassimo and the other restaurants she had worked at. He had an easy smile, made whiter by his tanned skin, styled black hair, and eyes as brown as cocoa and as bright as diamonds. In spite of Alessandro’s sickening behaviour towards her, she had felt as liberated back then as this waiter looked now. She sighed and smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“It’s a pleasure.” He bowed his head and looked out over the square.
“It is a glorious day to enjoy.”
She nodded. Yes, it is. She leaned back in the seat and lazily scanned the square, focusing on nothing and everything. The whooshing and running water, footsteps on the cobbles; a repugnant smell that made her nose twitch; wafting cigarette smoke hung in the air, swirling, plumes clinging to the person who exhaled it as they walked past the café, then the smell drifted and merged with the fumes of passing cars. The light breeze cleared the air. The aroma of chargrilled meat, fresh herbs, and salad dressing drew her eyes to the plates of food being delivered to the table next to her. This was Palermo, her city, and she wouldn’t be kept from it.
Her stomach growled, and she picked up the menu and studied the options. At least she could choose what she ate. She lifted her head as the shadow came to rest over her and when she looked up, her breath stalled.
“Hey, sis.” Roberto pulled down on the handle of the scooter as he smiled at Simone from the curb.
Simone squinted and grinned at him. The pizza delivery sack hung around his chest. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I spotted you from over there.” Roberto indicated across the square.
Angelo looked up from his paper, and Simone thought she saw him indicate in their direction. Roberto’s features became sterner and more focused. Had Roberto acknowledged Angelo? He seemed to be looking to the other side of the square and silently communicating with a group of men Simone didn’t recognise. They lifted their chins in response.
She frowned. She could understand he might know of Angelo because Maria was going to keep him safe, and Angelo might have been the one to speak to him. How did he know these other men? Who were they?
He looked up at the café’s sign, and his beaming smile returned.
“You should stick with our pizza, you know.” He winked at her, laughed, and pulled down on the handle again to open the throttle.
Then he glanced out around the square with a seriousness that was out of character for him. Simone dismissed her thoughts. She was becoming paranoid. “Will you be home later?” Why had she asked him that when she wouldn’t even be there?
He smiled at her. “Much later. I’ll have a lot of deliveries today. Our pizza is the best in town. How is it at Maria’s?” His eyes shone as he spoke, and he patted the large bag at his side.
She smiled. “It’s good.”
His focus became distracted. “Good…right. I have to shoot or this will get cold.”
“Sure,” Simone said, but he had already swung the scooter into the road. She sipped her lemonade and looked across at the group of men. They didn’t look back at her. She sighed, then spotted Maria walking towards her and smiled.
“Hi.”
Maria stood with her hands on her hips, and smiled softly then took the seat opposite Simone and glanced around the square. Angelo folded his paper and headed to the group she’d spotted. Simone frowned. Was something going on? And what did her brother have to do with things? She looked at Maria. “You just missed Roberto.”
Maria smiled. “How is he?”
“Seems fine. Busy. Interested in what’s going on in the square.” She watched Maria’s facial expression. It remained constant.
“That’s good. The pizza business is a good business.” Maria leaned closer. Her eyes were shining, and her smile warm. “You look very hot.”
The earthy timbre of Maria’s voice turned Simone inside out and upside down and swept her deliberations from her mind. The longer she looked into Maria’s eyes, the more her skin flared and the more the vibrations fluttered from her core in a constant and increasing flow. A fuse ignited and tingled through to her hands and burned the tips of her ears. She sipped the chilled lemonade. It didn’t help.
Maria’s smile broadened. She picked up the menu. “Are you hungry?”
Simone clung to the tall glass, determined not to put off what she needed to say. She lowered the glass carefully, turned it on the coaster, and then looked into Maria’s eyes. “I need to do some kind of work, Maria.”
Maria leaned back and challenged the fire in her belly with a gracious smile. Simone was curious, and that was both a good quality and a dangerous one. Did Simone suspect Roberto’s involvement? Maria hadn’t expected him to be in the vicinity when she suggested the café for lunch. He was working on Giovanni’s instructions, which must mean they had eyes on Alessandro. Damn it. At least the men had moved on, so they could enjoy lunch. “I know it’s tough, Simone, but things are improving. I have a meeting with Patrina after lunch. I need some reassurances from her, and then maybe you could work at the Riverside. What do you think?” Maria bounced her leg up and down underneath the table. She had sensed Simone’s discomfort at being holed up at the villa and that this time would come, and she didn’t want Simone to feel trapped. They had at least contained the Amato supply of wine, so there shouldn’t be any further activity from Alessandro, especially since his attention was now distracted by the Italian’s demands. She nodded with her thoughts. Simone would be safe working at the Riverside.
“Can I?” Simone reached across the table and squeezed Maria’s hand, then swiftly returned her hand to her glass.
A deep thud pulsed in Maria’s chest. She had seen distress in Simone’s expression. Did you think I would refuse you? She swallowed before speaking. The truth was, she would refuse if she thought Simone’s life depended on it. This is no way to live, and Simone didn’t ask for any of this. She smiled. “Let me speak to Patrina first, please?”
Simone’s eyes sparkled as she grinned.
“I will arrange things with Antonio.”
Simone’s lips parted and then curled up at the edges, slowly at first.
Her eyes flickered, and they looked more alive than Maria had seen before.
The bright sunlight revealed rich shades and soft tones. And when a broad grin caused fine wrinkles to dust Simone’s cheeks, the tingling started in Maria’s neck and swept fiercely down her spine. “Now, shall we eat? I really am starving.”
Simone took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair as she exhaled. Maria cleared her throat, picked up the menu, and pretended to look at it, her eyes peeking over the top of it at Simone. “You still look really hot.”
The waiter came to the table.
“I think I’ll have the skewered lamb.” Maria said, looking to Simone as if nothing had passed between them.
Maria’s cheeks flushed. “And a half-carafe of red wine, please.”
The waiter smiled and excused himself, and Maria smiled at Simone. “Why don’t you take the Romeo? Then you can come and go as you please.” Maria tilted her head from side to side, relieving the tension in her neck.
Simone drew Maria’s eyes to look at her. “I promise to be careful.
You don’t need to babysit me, Maria. I have lived around these people all my life. I can handle myself.”
Maria nodded. The smile on her face was slow to form, and she averted Simone’s pleading eyes. “I will still need to keep an eye on you though. Just for another couple of weeks until the Italian affair is sorted out.”
Simone held her breath and pressed her lips together tightly. “Okay.
And when the Italian thing is done, no more baby-sitting. Deal?”
Maria nodded. “Deal.” She wasn’t convinced. It wasn’t that Maria didn’t think Simone couldn’t look after herself. She probably could under normal circumstances. But the Italians involvement in Sicilian business wasn’t normal and if they stayed, it would lead to bigger problems. They were more dangerous than the Amatos, and when the Lombardos failed to deliver their side of the bargain she had agreed with Chico they, and she, would be the ‘Ndrangheta’s next target. Would the Italian thing ever be done?
31.
Donna Maria stepped over the threshold into the cathedral and made the customary cross at her chest as she scanned the pews for Patrina. The lamb she’d had for lunch had turned to lead cubes in her stomach. If Simone had noticed she’d only eaten half of her meal, she hadn’t commented and for that, Maria had been grateful. The lie she’d told Simone weighed on her mind. She didn’t know whether things were improving.
Watching Simone drive away from the square in the Romeo had brought a wave of relief though. And then she had received a message from Giovanni to say that Alessandro had just walked away from the Italian’s following a meeting on the plaza outside the Grand Hotel. How the man had managed to cut a deal with them she didn’t know, but apparently, he had.
