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

by Неизвестный

  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.

  Simone looked directly at the waiter. “Me too, rare please.”

  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.

  She spotted Patrina bowed in prayer and slid into the seat next to

  her. She knelt, clasped her hands, and rested her elbows on the back of the

  pew in front of her. She lowered her head to her hands and whispered across

  the short space that separated them. “Alessandro has more lives than a black

  cat, Patrina.”

  Patrina leaned closer and whispered, “I have a plan that will

  eradicate the problem.”

  Maria squeezed her hands tightly. She didn’t want any involvement

  with a hit on Alessandro, but in the heat of the moment, and for reasons she

  couldn’t fathom, she had agreed to help Patrina. Acid burned in her throat.

  “I need to think about…”

  “We don’t have the luxury of time, Maria.”

  Maria clenched her teeth. “You’re talking about your world, Patrina,

  not mine. The Italian’s are chasing yo
u for money, not me. Remember?”

  She felt the heat from Patrina’s piercing stare and lips that curled into a

  half-smile. Maria had seen that expression a thousand times. It said, I know

  something you don’t. I have power over you. Ice crawled up her spine.

  Patrina stared at Maria. “You haven’t heard?”

  “What?”

  “Roberto was just picked up by the DIA.”

  Maria couldn’t decide whether she saw contempt in Patrina’s eyes.

  What did sincerity look like in a woman scorned by life? Had she been

  stupid to trust Patrina?

  “Honestly, I had nothing to do with it.” Patrina turned to face the

  front of the church and returned her tone to a low whisper that could only

  be heard by Maria. “He was caught carrying a kilo of cocaine.”

  Maria kept her head down, her eyelids slowly bringing the darkness

  that would still the fire behind her eyes and quell her distaste for this world.

  “Alessandro knows Roberto’s running for you.”

  Maria felt the skewered lamb become a single solid mass in her gut.

  She opened her eyes and stared at the stone floor and the small firm cushion

  beneath her knees. What if Simone found out? No, when Simone found out,

  she would be furious. Beyond furious, she would feel betrayed. Shit.

  Patrina breathed out a long sigh, mumbled something that ended in

  amen, and then turned to face Maria. “Simone will find out that you employ

  her brother. I have no control over that. Lovers always find out the truth,

  bedda. That’s just the way it is.” She looked to the front of the church. “You

  know how hard Simone fought against him working in this business? I

  considered training him myself in the early days. He was gullible, hungry,

  and needy. Alessandro didn’t think he had it in him, and I felt a sense of

  duty to Simone after what had happened. You have trained him well,

  bedda.”

  Maria blinked then locked her attention onto the priest at the front of

  the church, feeling small and insignificant. She watched him light a candle

  and pick up a chalice. Patrina’s words echoed in her mind, and Simone’s

  image came to her in the form of her own broken heart, bleeding life from

  her. She continued to stare, reality entombing her in emptiness.

  “You have a shipment arriving in ten days. Alessandro is under the

  impression that it has our property on it. I have told him we need your