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

by Неизвестный

  “Alessandro.”

  He snapped his head to Patrina’s raised voice.

  “We have to pay, or they will escalate.” Her tone shifted to concern.

  She needed him to comply and appealing to his inflated ego usually

  worked. “I am worried for you, Alessandro.”

  Alessandro swallowed then snapped his head towards the

  barwoman. “Where’s my coffee?”

  Beto cleared his throat. “This is bad news, Alessandro.”

  Alessandro turned to him with dark eyes and placed his hand on

  Beto’s injured thigh. He squeezed hard as he gritted his teeth, revealing the

  bone structure of his jaw that would otherwise remain buried deeply

  beneath the flesh that concealed his frame. Beto whimpered as he leaned

  into the back of the seat and bit down on his lip.

  Alessandro glared at him. “When I want your opinion, I will ask for

  it.”

  Patrina reached across the table and set a comforting hand on

  Alessandro’s arm, encouraging him to release Beto. She looked at Beto with

  apology. “I have good news,” she said, attracting her nephew’s attention.

  Beto released a whispered moan when Alessandro let him go and

  cowered away like a wounded animal. The barwoman approached and set

  their drinks on the table, looked fleetingly from Patrina to Alessandro, then

  hurried away.

  Alessandro sipped his coffee, dunked a biscuit, and ate it. “Tell me,

  Auntie, what good news is there?”

  “The Spanish.” She smiled warmly when he looked up at her, so as

  not to reveal the lie she was about to tell him. He looked too preoccupied to

  notice her mild disquiet and too eager to hear good news to ask for any

  details. She would just give him the numbers.

  “And?”

  She rubbed her hands together. “We have a deal. The Spanish are

  confident they can access the Lombardo cargo ships. Twenty-million euros,

  Alessandro. Fifty-kilos being shipped out tomorrow and arriving in Palermo

  in ten days. Ten days, Alessandro.” She stared into his eyes and caressed his

  face as she spoke.

  Alessandro looked at her, and a spark of light flashed across his eyes

  as he grinned.

  “I just hope you are alive to see it.”

  His focus became swiftly enveloped by a blank expression, and his

  eyes widened. Patrina knew fear when she saw it. The lightness she felt in

  his suffering lifted her, and she concealed her smile. She frowned. “What

  are you going to do about the Italians, Alessandro?”

  Alessandro glanced at Beto. “You deal with them.”

  Beto pointed to his leg and shook his head slowly back and forth. “I

  can only watch them.”

  Patrina shook her head at Alessandro. She wasn’t going to let Beto

  be dragged into a battle that would certainly end in his execution this time

  around. He, of all the men, respected her and once this problem was sorted,

  she wanted him at her side. “Our two most talented hitmen have just been

  murdered, Alessandro, and there is no doubting the lengths Don Chico will

  go to and the resources he can commission to ensure you pay what you

  owe. Beto will be executed if he tries to do your job again.”

  Alessandro slammed his hand down on the table, then tapped his

  fingers feverishly. He pressed his body back into the seat as if trying to

  escape his own mind, then his eyes moved skittishly, and he looked around

  the room.

  Patrina softened her tone. “Beto is right, Alessandro. If we retaliate,

  Chico will annihilate us all.”

  Alessandro slumped, and his fingers quieted. Beads of sweat

  covered his face, and a trail of water trickled into the creases in his neck. He

  released a long breath.

  “We don’t have the money, Auntie?”

  There was uncharacteristic acquiescence in his tone. Patrina stared

  at him. Good, he’s on the ropes. “No, we don’t. What about your private

  account?”

  Alessandro shook his head as he lowered it.

  She straightened her back and took a deep breath. “You will have to

  go to Chico and ask for more time, Alessandro.” A surge of excitement

  coursed through her.

  Alessandro’s eyes widened, and the remaining colour slipped from

  his cocaine-flushed cheeks. He rubbed the back of his hand across his face,

  glanced at Beto then back to Patrina, and whispered, “He will kill me.”

  Patrina sighed, and her lips thinning as she frowned. “Well, you had

  better hope he wants his money more than he wants your scalp.” She leaned

  towards him and patted his arm. She didn’t give a shit. Alessandro would

  get what was coming to him, one way or another. She couldn’t wait to see

  the horrified look on Don Stefano’s face as she gave him the news of

  Alessandro’s assassination by the ‘Ndrangheta. She felt energised by the

  thought, and her spirits lifted.

  Alessandro looked at her with pleading eyes. “That’s too risky,

  Auntie.”

  She lifted her chin and stared at him. “I hardly think you are in a

  position to negotiate, do you?” Her tone was quiet, leaving no room for him

  to challenge her. She smiled reassuringly. “You have to do this.”

  Alessandro stood, staggered to his feet, and stormed out of the café

  without looking back.

  Patrina turned to Beto, her chin high. “Keep an eye on him. No

  deliveries to Lombardo. We stay off their turf, got it?”

  Beto’s eyes lit up and he bowed his head. “Yes, Lady Patrina.”

  She smiled and spoke softly. “Thank you, Beto. That will be all.”

  He edged to his feet, gathered the crutch at his side, and made his

  way out of the restaurant.

  She smiled at the barwoman. “Martina, would you bring me lunch.

  I’m feeling really rather hungry.”

  “Yes, of course, Lady Patrina.” Martina smiled, and her eyes had the

  same quality of satisfaction in them that Beto’s had had.

  She could guarantee Beto’s support, even Martina’s, though hers

  was insignificant. She took a deep breath and the feeling of satisfaction

  relaxed her. With any luck, Don Chico would resolve the Alessandro

  problem for her and save her the trouble. In any event, she had a plan. I run

  the Amatos.

  29.

  Maria slipped the oxygen tank onto Simone’s back. She tugged the

  belt to fasten it securely around her waist and then tested air was coming

  through the mouthpiece. The look in Simone’s eyes burned her skin as she

  worked. “How does that feel?”

  Simone was staring at Maria and smiling, and Maria had a very

  good idea of what had flashed through Simone’s mind. With slow deliberate

  movements, she placed her hand in Simone’s and inched closer. She ran her

  fingertips along Simone’s thigh, and as she watched the tiny hairs prickle in

  response, her own skin tingled with fiery heat. Simone jerked as Maria

  traced a line across her hip, and her lips quivered and her breath hitched.

  Simone closed her eyes, and Maria kissed her deeply as she trailed her

  fingertips back along the edge of Simone’s hip. Simone jerked, and

  groaned, and then jumped out of the kiss and giggled.

  “You’re a tease.”
<
br />   Maria had never felt more caressed and more loved. “I can’t help it.

  I want you.” She grinned like a child who had just discovered a secret and

  moved her fingers to make Simone writhe again. Simone continued

  giggling and tried, neither hard nor successfully, to get out of her grip.

  The boat rocked under their feet, making it difficult to balance.

  Maria encouraged the boat to sway harder and continued to tickle Simone

  until she squealed and made the boat move as if it were on a stormy sea.

  “Stop, stop.” Simone could barely speak for laughing.

  Maria steadied the boat. She reached up and stroked Simone’s

  cheek, and her lips. “You are too tempting.”

  Simone’s eyes darkened.

  Maria directed her attention back to preparing for the dive. Simone’s

  sensual gaze persisted, making the task of burying the desire that rendered

  her senseless and carefree, impossible. She groaned as she lifted the oxygen

  tank onto her back and secured it into place. She looked into Simone’s eyes

  and swallowed. “Ready then?”

  Simone’s smile lingered. “Always.”

  Maria ignored the surge of electric energy that moved through her

  and instructed Simone to sit on the ledge of the boat. Simone took a deep

  breath and released it slowly then sat. She wriggled the mask and

  mouthpiece into place and gave a thumbs up. Maria smiled and nodded.

  Simone tumbled backwards into the sea.

  Maria fitted her mask and tumbled into Simone’s stream of bubbles

  as they rose to reclaim their place in the air that tossed the surface of the

  water above them. As Maria oriented herself in the water, Simone floated in

  front of her, moving gracefully, her hair flowing freely, soft and coral-like.

  She looked to be enveloped in a vacuum, a saintly aura that shielded and

  protected her. Captivated by the wide, shining eyes behind Simone’s mask

  and the beautiful, loving smile obscured by the breathing apparatus, a jolt in

  Maria’s chest made it hard to breathe. She hoped her eyes conveyed the

  elation she felt. The look in Simone’s eyes softened, and the tingling effect

  lingered reassuringly inside Maria.

  There was something else Maria sensed between them:

  profoundness, the quality of which could drive her insane. She knew it as

  the point at which love and loss merged into an absolute realisation that this

  person in front of her, she was the one, the missing piece of the puzzle of

  her life that would make her world complete. It had been that look in

  Simone’s eyes that had shaken Maria’s world and awoken her to the deepest

  love she had ever known.

  Her heart ached as she looked into Simone’s eyes with deep

  affection. Simone reached out, took Maria’s hand, and squeezed. Fire rose

  up inside Maria like a venomous serpent. Overwhelmed by intense heat, she

  swallowed hard and battled the tears that threatened her vision. She turned

  her attention to the sea and hoped Simone hadn’t noticed her weakness.

  Simone stayed close to Maria as they swam in the direction of the

  reef. Her heart pounded as she focused on the agile movement of Maria’s

  body gliding through the water. The passion she had seen in Maria’s eyes

  had shifted suddenly, and she sensed the feeling of absence she feared could

  come between them. And then Maria had looked at her with such love and

  longing, the pain of it ripped through her heart and stole her breath. She

  would enjoy what she could, for whatever time they shared together, and try

  not think too much about the future.

  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.”