by Olivia Deici
His lips touched mine and his hand moved a lock of hair behind my ear.
“I love you, sweet Izzy.”
I was in Heaven. The playlist he had us dancing to were my absolute favorite 80s and 90s love songs. It was like he knew me, really understood who I was.
It was the most romantic night of my life. I laughed as we danced through the fast-paced I Can't Hold Back from Survivor. The Search Is Over played right after. Chicago’s I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love, and After All by Peter Cetera and Cher.
My heart was overflowing with such love and emotion, its pinnacle manifested itself as falling tears from my eyes.
Roman held me close, my head to his chest, and his resting on mine. He held one of my hands close to his heart, and his other hand caressed my back.
Van Halen’s Love Walks In and When It’s Love played around us. What really had the waterworks going was Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes, and Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson’s If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful.
“You ok?”
He pulled back a little.
I looked up at this incredible man thinking about the profound thought that went into planning this night. I thought about the queen he treated me as, and the unconditional love he showered me with.
“The moon and stars are beautiful, are they not?”
I looked from him to the sky as we swayed.
“Absolutely.”
The night was extraordinarily gorgeous with nary a cloud to ruin its clarity.
“Even their beauty pales in comparison to yours.”
I rested my forehead on his chest briefly and moved back to look up at him again.
“You are such a romantic. Everything tonight has been perfect. Thank you.”
His smile was wide and coy.
“Two more.”
More surprises?
“I’m not sure my heart can take it. It's so full of love for you that I'm afraid it will burst in my chest.”
He kissed my lips. “I promise they’re good ones.”
The next song that played was Firehouse’s Love of a Lifetime. His comment about the stars was a set up. He remembered what I'd said in the car about this song that night on the way home from Cielo.
And then I heard him singing the song in my ear, his deep baritone moving me to tears.
He'd listened to me that night.
He'd planned this because of what I’d said.
He'd remembered my childhood dream and carried it out.
My breath caught and I moved back to look up at him again.
Roman continued to sing the song to me as tears trailed along my cheeks.
When the song was over, he kissed me so deeply, he forced all the feelings of this night to move in unison and overwhelm me. I wrapped my arms around him and returned his hungry kiss.
Resting his forehead against mine, he said, “One more surprise.”
Smiling through tears, I nodded.
“Turn around, Izzy. I don't want you to see it until I'm ready.”
I grew suspicious of him but did as he said. He gently turned me around and kissed the crown of my head, telling me not to move. I heard some rustling behind me, but remained steadfastly looking forward despite my urge to turn and see what he was up to.
“Ok, Izzy. Turn around.”
With a wide smile, I turned and didn't see Roman where I expected him to be. My eyes roamed downward and I gasped. He was kneeling next to Dezi with an open ring box in his hand.
“Izabella Luciana Laurenti, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?”
I was dumbfounded. I looked at Dezi who sat there with a wagging tail, and a sign hanging from his mouth saying “Will you marry him? I need a dad.”
The emotion swarmed in me and my knees got weak.
“Will you, Izzy?”
“Oh my God, Roman. Yes. Yes! I'll marry you, my love!”
He rose and rushed towards me. I jumped into his arms and he swung me around. We laughed like teenagers before he set me down and put the ring on my finger.
“Wow.” My breath left me. “So gorgeous.”
I was breathless. He placed on my finger a vintage-looking Tacori style ring. The gallery and band had beautiful pavé diamonds and filigree design. The center diamond was enormous.
“Do you like it?”
My hands were shaking.
“Yes. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.”
“Not for me. You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.”
I looked up at him and the emotion from tonight overtook me. Jumping up into his arms, he hugged me close and devoured my mouth.
We made mad and sweet love on the beach that night, and woke up to the sunrise in the peak hours of the morning.
Chapter 55
Marco
Three Days Grace, Animal I Have Become
Blood was flowing tonight. The floors were red, and the walls looked like abstract art with red speckled paint. I looked around me, exhaling as the bloodlust vibrated through my body.
Fuck. Them.
They had it coming. My wife was gone, and they killed her. They ordered a hit on an innocent woman.
My baby’s mother.
And they were meeting their maker now.
They had been guilty of so many things, so many horrible immoral things, for so many fucking years.
My arms were covered in their blood. I looked over at their leader, who’d screamed like a bitch.
Fucking pussy.
I know Rome wanted me to back down and not trust Tony’s information, but I did what I wanted anyway. Yea, I believed that Tony wasn’t to be trusted. He’d been acting shady for a while. His information, though, gave me a convenient justification to do exactly what I’d wanted to do for so long.
All I could think about was my poor wife and the pain she suffered as they killed her, raped her, and dismembered her, and the horror that my baby went through crying for her dying mother the next room over, for God knows how long before I came home that night.
They fucking spread Jenny’s blood all over Arianna, and for that, I painted this room with theirs.
Breaking Benjamin, I Will Not Bow
Epilogue
Roman
I walked with a lightness to my steps that I'd never before had. I was engaged to the love of my life and she made my life worth living.
I wasn't able to convince her to sell her building. Smirking, I realized that my Izzy was a fucking tough cookie- and I wouldn't have it any other way. Still, the building was under our control now anyways. I worried, though, that it wouldn't be enough to keep the other families away from her.
She was fully recovered from the kidnapping, physically at least. I think she still suffered from the memories of that night. Nightmares and flashbacks haunted her, as well as ones from when she was raped. She’d begun seeing a therapist again to help her cope, and she believed that it would be successful because it had been for her the first time.
Pop’s treatment was going well. Cari was optimistic about his prognosis.
Speaking of Cari, something went down between her and Carlos. She avoided him like superstitious holy-water toting people avoided black cats. Carlos was being persistent though, especially when he caught wind that Marcelo took a liking to Cari. Now they basically tried to piss circles around her like taking ownership would get them the girl.
The bastard Parada was doing time. A neighbor witnessed his fists hitting his wife, and that was that. So I didn't have to worry about him anymore.
Everything was fucking amazing.
Except three phone calls that could forever change our family.
“Marco, what's wrong bro?”
He was breathing heavily. I was stuck at the office doing some late paperwork.
“It's done. The serpent’s head was cut off.”
I stood from my seat. “What the fuck, Marco!”
“It's done.”
The line went dead.
Fuck, what did he d
o?
Not even ten minutes later, Carlos was calling me. I was in the car rushing to Pop’s.
“What!”
“Yo’ fucking chill, Rome. Wrong brother. I didn't do shit, so check the attitude.”
“Carlos, tell me what you called to tell me. I've had a shit night.”
“It's going to get worse. Tony’s missing.”
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel.
“Dead? Or turned?”
“I don't know.”
“Find out. Do you know about Marco?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn't fucking tell me!”
“For what, Rome? He was going to do it anyway, and maybe I agreed with him.”
“Unbelievable.”
“You play things too safe.”
I clenched the phone so hard, I began feeling the integrity of the structure fail.
“It keeps our family safe.”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Rome.”
I growled. “This coming from someone who has the luxury of not knowing about the heavy burden of mopping up after others. We’re not fucking talking investments or entrepreneurial ventures, Los. We're talking real lives in danger, our family’s.”
“Tony said he had a tape.”
“Well fucking Tony isn't here and neither is his tape, so why don't you fucking find Tony.”
I ended the call and sped my way home to Izzy. She was going to have twenty-four seven detail for God only knew how long.
I was worried.
When she said yes to my proposal, I didn’t think she fully understood the extent of my family’s shitstorm.
I raced home, not only out of fear for her safety, but because I just wanted the peace she brought me. Just being in her presence served as a balm to my wounded soul.
Running in, I took her into my arms, and we spent the night making love. She didn’t ask any questions about my strange mood, but instead, loved me and let me love her.
It was three in the morning when I received the third call.
Like I said after I'd offed Juan- night calls were never good.
“Rome?”
I sat up, looking at Izzy. Thankfully she remained unaware and sleeping. I slipped out of the bed.
“Rome?”
Marco’s voice was shaky.
“Yea, bro.”
I heard him take a drag out of a cigarette. He'd stopped smoking when Jenny forced him to before Arianna arrived, but since her murder, he picked up the habit again.
I didn't complain. I was just grateful he was only smoking cigarettes.
“I fucked up.”
Closing my eyes, I ran my hand over my face tired beyond all hell.
“What? How?”
He took a drag.
“It wasn't the Zaitsevs.”
I sat down.
“Rome…?”
I couldn't speak. I kept thinking of my beautiful angelic fiancé in the next room, and my fucking brother who’d acted irrationally and placed her life, and my family’s life, in danger with a possible street war.
“Rome? What are we going to do, Bro?”
For once, I didn't have an answer.
Zambrano Family Tree
Alejandro + Maria Elena
Marco Antonio (Jennifer Garcia, deceased)
Romano Alejandro (Izabella Laurenti)
Carlos Roberto
Gabriela Luna
Diego Marino
Daniela Marina
Glossary of Phrases and Translations
Abre: Spanish; open
Algo está sucediendo: Spanish; something is happening
Amore a prima vista: Italian; love at first sight
Anche in paradiso non è bello essere soli: Italian; even in paradise, it is not good to be alone.
Bella: Spanish; beautiful
Benché la volpe corra, i pallottoli hanno le ale: Italian; though the fox runs, the bullets have wings
Bichos: Spanish; bugs
Buenas noches: Spanish; goodnight
Caballo: Spanish; horse
Chulo: Spanish; cute, good looking; in some dialects, it means pimp
Cinco minutos: Spanish; five minutes
Cojones: Spanish; balls
Como quieres: Spanish; as you wish
Con todo mi corazon: Spanish; with all my heart
Coño: Spanish; damn, damn it
Coño, tremendo cojones tiene está: Spanish; Damn, she has huge balls
Dándole muela: Spanish; literally means to give a molar; idiomatically means schmoozing and sweet-talking
Déjanos: Spanish; leave us
Dios mio/Dio mio: Spanish, Italian; my God
En la familia: Spanish; in the family
Essere uccel di bosco: Italian; being on the run; nowhere to be found; having flown the coop.
Esta gringa loca se metió: Spanish; this crazy gringa pushed in
Esta noche: Spanish; tonight
Familia: Spanish; family
Gattina: Italian; diminutive of gatta(o); little cat, kitten
Gracias: Spanish; thank you
Guayabera: Spanish; a traditional Cuban dress shirt
¿Habla español también?: Spanish; You speak Spanish, too?
Hijo: Spanish; son
Hijo de puta: Spanish; son of a bitch
Idiota: Spanish; Italian; idiot, moron
¿La cosa está sería con ella, no?: Spanish; Things are serious with her, huh?
La rubia: Spanish; the blonde
¿Me entiendes?: Spanish; you understand me?
Mierda: Spanish; shit
Miserabili pezzo di merda: Italian; miserable piece of shit
Necesito un favor, hijo: Spanish; I need a favor, son
No pierdes la razón por cuenta de una mujer: Spanish; don’t lose reason because of a woman
Non mi rompere i coglioni: Italian; don’t bust my balls
Ojos: Spanish; eyes
Pendejo: Spanish; literal meaning is public hair, but used as an insult like asshole, jerk
Perdoname: Spanish; forgive me
Princesa: Spanish; princess
Puta: Spanish; bitch
Puttana: Italian; whore
Que pasa, Papá: Spanish; what’s up/wrong, dad
Raton(es): Spanish; rat(s)
Stronzo: Italian; asshole
Tu tambien: Spanish; you, too
Te veo: Spanish; I’ll see you
Traidor: Spanish; traitor
Troia: Italian; whore; slut
Un deficient: Italian; moron
¿Y quién carajo me va a salvar a mí?: Spanish; Who the hell was going to save me?
