Cosa Nostra by Emma Nichols) 16656409 (z-lib.org) (1)-compressed

by Неизвестный

  wine. Rocca broke off a crust and took a bite. Maria did the same.

  “The best bread in the city,” Rocca said.

  “The best wine too.”

  “I heard you have a new supplier.”

  Maria shook her head. “You heard incorrectly. We were approached

  with an offer, but the wine wasn’t of the standard we expect.”

  “That’s reassuring to know. Has Antonio had an accident in the

  kitchen?”

  How the hell he would injure his shoulder in the kitchen wasn’t in

  question. “Yes. He fell and landed awkwardly. He is strong. He will heal.”

  “That’s good.”

  Maria watched her dip the bread in her wine.

  Rocca looked up at her and smiled. “You know there are new

  friendships being formed with the mainland.”

  Maria had heard. She picked up the glass, sipped the wine, and

  waited to find out what Rocca knew.

  “The ‘Ndrangheta business is growing, and they are looking to form

  strategic partnerships.”

  Maria inhaled slowly and deeply. Everyone was aware that the

  ‘Ndrangheta were becoming the most powerful crime syndicate in mainland

  Italy. She knew Alessandro was forging relationships with them to help

  secure his transit of merchandise into Sicily. There was no way she would

  involve Lombardo business in anything the ‘Ndrangheta had to offer. That

  would be akin to siding with the Devil himself. Clearly Rocca didn’t know

  everything that was going on. “That isn’t good for our economy.”

  Rocca shook her head. Maria leaned across the table. “I need a

  favour,” she whispered.

  “Whatever you need, Donna Maria.”

  “We need customs controls to scale up. I want them to double the

  number of searches and slow the transit of materials through the port. Can

  you see to this?” She waited until Rocca nodded. “The increase in cost for

  the additional staff will be adequately compensated. I will ensure funds are

  transferred this afternoon.”

  Rocca looked at the bread she was dipping into the wine, turning it

  to absorb as much fluid as she could before lifting it into her mouth and

  chewing slowly. “Everything will be put in place by the morning.”

  “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 c
loseness 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 Vi
ttorio 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.