by Sienna Mynx
“Of course, you won’t,” Arielle mumbled.
“I’m going to do for him what my father should have done when he went to prison at fifteen. And it’s what Adara would want.”
“No.”
“Arielle?”
“I won’t do it, Gio! She is not even in the ground yet, you bastard!” She got up from the table and left. Giovanni sat there alone for a moment. He could hear Carlo’s son cry from the other room. From what he knew Carlo hadn’t seen the boy since he returned. And no one had seen Carlo. He picked up his keys from the table and stood. He had no doubt Arielle would do as he instructed, but this ask would be the final one between them. He left without saying goodbye. He left her to her hatred for him. It was a good replacement for the feelings she carried that he’d used against her time and time again. He was ready for it all to end.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
On a Stormy Night
Palermo, Sicily
THE BOOM OF THUNDER crashed through his room. Dominic sat up in bed just as a blinding bright flash of light slashed the darkness. Another thunderous boom followed.
“Che cazzo?”
In his bedroom, when alone in the Mancini palazzo, he wasn’t easily spooked. There were times, however, he felt strangely unsafe. This was not home. The absence of light around him and the storm raging outside made him think of Catalina’s safety. He tossed aside the covers and sat to the edge of his bed to clear his head. He turned on the lamplight and picked up his watch. It was two in the morning.
Lightening flashed again and then came a pop like the uncorking of a bottle. The lamplight to his right blinked out. The lights in the palazzo on both floors went out as well. Darkness was complete.
“Shit!” Dominic didn’t bother to put on his robe. He pulled up his long pajama pants and tied the drawstring tight around his waist. He walked out of his room into the darkness. The house was still. Lightening flashed like a strobe lamp for several seconds and illuminated the darkness. The men who were hired to protect the perimeter were typically in their cars during a storm. The servants were all located on the first floor. The only person who slept above was him and Catalina. She refused to leave Armando Mancini’s room. Even though she was in the final week of her pregnancy.
And she refused to allow him to enter.
That, too, added to his anxiety.
Any day the baby would be born. His relationship with Catalina had not improved. The palazzo was large enough to keep them apart. She avoided him to the point of keeping to her room for her meals and only leaving it twice a day. For the first time since her silent treatment started he felt grateful. Dominic knew the end of Lorenzo’s tyranny and he didn’t want to have to deliver the news to her. He wasn’t sure how. Careful of the dark he walked toward her room before he stopped. The lightning strikes had stopped, and so did the thunder. If he knocked on her door she wouldn’t answer. He turned and decided he’d go downstairs and check the breaker system. There could be a switch he could flip to get the electricity connected again.
“Domi?”
He glanced back. Catalina leaned out of her door. She was half bent at the waist with a hand on the inside of the door to brace herself. “Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s the storm. Go back to bed.”
“I don’t feel well. I think I might be in labor.”
“What?” Dominic froze.
“My water hasn’t broke. But I’m in pain.”
He dashed back to her. She reached for him immediately. He found her to be damp with perspiration. Even her hair was wet. The storm raged and lightening did a double flash. The blast of light revealed her face to him. She looked scared.
“We have to get to the hospital,” she said. He wanted to carry her but he feared her weight and his ability to get her down the stairs.
“Domi?” she said and looked down.
A trickle of a stream came down her leg.
“I think my water just broke. I don’t think we have much time, Domi,” she said, and he could hear the fear in her voice. Dominic swept her in his arms and carried her back into the room. He laid her upon the bed. She started panting as if her breathing had gone short. He adjusted the pillows behind her, so she could be comfortable.
“Domi, it hurts! Is it supposed to hurt this bad?”
“Stay calm,” he whispered and kissed her brow. He picked up the phone. He dialed the emergency line and spoke to the operator asking that a rescue unit be sent immediately to them. The operator informed him that the storm had many trees down, they would get there as soon as they could.
“What is it?” Catalina asked.
“Nothing, they’re coming. How does it feel? I mean... are you okay?”
“No! No! It’s hurting.” She grabbed his arm. He looked down at her swollen belly and couldn’t summon a clear thought. But what he did know was that her pushing meant trouble.
“Let me go downstairs and wake up the staff. The women can help.”
“Don’t leave me!” she wept. “Please, Domi. Don’t go. I’m sorry for the things I said. I do. I do need help. I need you.”
He smoothed her hair from her brow and kissed it. She didn’t flinch or push him away. Maybe it was the fear. Whatever the reason, he didn’t mind.
“How do you feel now?”
“Okay,” she said. “It’s stopped. Maybe it was a false alarm?”
The phone rang inside of her room. Dominic answered. “What is it?”
“Boss, this storm is pretty bad. We had a small fire, because of the lightning. And now the electricity is out.”
Dominic glanced to the bed and saw Catalina wince as another contraction hit her. “Send someone in the house. I think Catalina may be delivering the baby. We might have to do it here.”
“Yes, boss.”
Dominic hung up. He turned, and Catalina had a wide-eyed look of panic on her face. He’d seen that face many times when she was a child and he comforted her. He almost considered downplaying the threat. Instead he practiced his vow to be truthful, always. “The storm is getting worse. We won’t not make it to the hospital.”
“What if something goes wrong? What then? We don’t know anything about delivering a baby.”
“You’re strong enough to do this. Aren’t you?” he asked. “Women have been doing this for centuries.”
“Women have been dying in childbirth for centuries!” she shouted.
Dominic smiled.
Catalina frowned, then she smiled. And then she laughed. They both laughed. It helped. “We are in trouble, aren’t we?” she finally asked shaking her head.
“I think so,” he said and walked over and sat on the bed. He touched her belly.
“I’m sorry,” she groaned.
“For what?” he asked.
“For being such a bitch to you. I was so... angry about all of this.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
She groaned again and adjusted herself. “We both have. I lost one fairytale and started another. But this... this is real life. There are no fairytales. Are there Domi?”
“Let’s not talk about it now.” He got up from the bed.
“Domi? If something happens to me, if I don’t make it—”
“You will.”
“If I don’t, I want you to raise my son. Not Giovanni. I don’t want him to grow up envying his cousins. I want him to be his own person. Promise me. Make him his own man. Promise!”
“We’re family, Catalina.”
“Are we? Look at us now... Where is Lorenzo? Is he still alive? What happened to Marietta and Lorenza? Do I even want to know?” Catalina dropped her head and gripped the sheets. She cried out again in agony. Dominic was powerless to help her. He held her ankle and prayed silently that she didn’t suffer too much. Catalina collapsed from exhaustion after the pain subsided. There was a knock at the door.
“Come in!” he called out. The door opened, and two women and a man entered. One of the ladies went to Catalina and began asking her
questions. The man walked over to Dominic. He was the only one of the three that was soaked from the storm.
“I came to tell you that your men will try the roads to see if we can take her to the hospital. The storm is coming hard but the lightening has stopped.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Delilah’s husband. I was here this evening and, uhm, stayed the night.”
“Tell the men that the rescue unit is trying to get here, so make sure they can.” He looked to the bed. The women were trying to calm Catalina. “Just get a doctor or medic here fast.”
“Will do, signore.” The man agreed. The moment the door closed the women began to undress Catalina.
“What is going on?” Dominic asked.
“The baby, he’s coming. We checked.” One of the servants advised him. “We need to sterilize everything. And I need more towels. I will get them. Can you help?”
“I don’t want to leave her,” he said.
She nodded that she understood. A woman covered Catalina with a blanket to protect her nudity. She had her get on all fours on the mattress.
“Domi!” she cried out.
“I’m right here,” he said to her. He went back to the bed. He got on his knees before her as she faced the foot of the bed. “It’s okay. It will be okay, piccoletta.”
“Why is she on all fours. Shouldn’t she be lying down?”
“Signore Domi, it’s good for the baby. I’ve done this many times before. This way we take pressure off her back and give more air to the baby.”
“I’ve never heard of this before?” he said. “If something happens to her I will cut your fucking throats!”
“Domi!” Catalina yelled. “It helps. It really does. Don’t scare them. We need them.”
“Okay, okay,” he said and got down on his knees again. “Breathe, Catalina. Practice your breathing. I know that’s important.”
“I am. I’m trying,” she said. She sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils and then exhaled a long breath through her mouth. Dominic did the action with her. Together they matched each other’s timing and rhythm until she winced and cried out. The pain hit her hard. Her head dropped, and she breathed in and out of her mouth.
“Help me, Signore Domi. We must get her on her side now.”
“Wait? You said—”
“It’s time, this will help the baby descend now. Please signore,” the woman said. Dominic complied. He could tell Catalina was tired. Though when they turned her and put her on her side she cried out more intensely. And more frequently.
“The pain?” he looked up at the woman. “Is something wrong?”
“No, the baby will come naturally. You’ve done well, Donna. It’s time. I can see the head. Don’t push yet. Please Signore... help me turn her.”
Dominic helped Catalina to her back and then sit up. She was in the birthing position. He put as many pillows to her back as he could. He glanced to the windows. The lightening had started again. Surprisingly, it helped. Without the electricity they were working by candlelight. More women arrived with candles and flashlights. Two women carried in a steamy bucket of water and another troupe carried towels. All they needed was for the little one to make an appearance.
“Armando!” Catalina wept. “Armando. Please, help me. Please God help me!”
His eyes teared to hear her call out Armando’s name. He’d never felt so helpless in his life. He gripped her hand and kissed her face. The women allowed him to be close as they coached her through pushing and relaxing. Ten minutes into the exercise Catalina let go a piercing cry and then it happened. The baby breeched. Dominic couldn’t believe his eyes. The little boy came out covered in grey and pink goo, and there was blood. The women celebrated as Catalina burst into laughter and smiles. They put the baby on her chest.
“He’s beautiful. Oh my God he’s so beautiful.”
Dominic had to agree. He was beautiful.
“Signore?” The woman next to him gave him a pair of steel scissors. He wasn’t sure what to do but he took them and then followed the instruction to cut the cord.
“Look at all of this hair on his head. It’s like Armando,” Catalina said. “He’s beautiful, Domi. Doesn’t he look like Armando? Doesn’t he!”
“Yes, and he looks like you.”
“I wish,” Catalina wept. “I just wish that Armando could have been here. I’m not trying to hurt you Domi. But I love him. I love Armando and I love our son. I’m sorry Domi, but I do.”
“Shhh, don’t be sorry. Don’t ever be sorry my sweet Catalina. Ever.”
Catalina frowned and looked up at him. Her boy was screaming and testing his lungs, as the women tried to pry him from her arms to clean him. And through it all she heard him. He nodded that he meant every word. “I understand Catalina. I do.”
“Thank you Domi,” she said with great relief. And for the first time he felt the tension between them evaporate. He felt something real with her again. And he knew it was because he let go of trying to control her feelings through his love. He had found a way to love her just the way she was.
He looked at the boy he would love with all his heart. “He’s perfect. You both are,” Dominic smiled.
GIOVANNI SAT UP IN bed. Mirabella didn’t move. She lay on her side with Leeza in her arms. He reached the phone and squinted at the time. It was near sunrise.
“Who is it?” he grunted into the phone.
“Catalina had the baby,” came an exhausted reply.
The dazed sleepy state he awoke to cleared. “When?”
“Three hours ago. I’m at the hospital with her. We had some storms here. Had to deliver the baby at Mancini’s.”
“You? You delivered her baby?”
Dominic chuckled.
“Sort of. He’s healthy. And Catalina is fine. No complications. They say she will go home today.”
“Give her my love.”
“I will. Bye, Gio.”
“Giovanni?” Mirabella whispered as he set the phone down. “Was it Catalina?”
“Yes. She had the baby. She’s a mother.”
Mirabella picked up their daughter and put her on her chest. She reached over and touched Giovanni’s hand. “She’s not your piccola any longer, that’s for sure.”
“Nonsense. She will always be piccoletta.” He took her hand and kissed it. “Just as you will always be Bella.”
He didn’t see his wife clearly in the dark but he knew she smiled. He arrived home to chaos. Adara’s death hit them all hard. And the news on Carlo was grave. He had no time to deal with his own grief over what he’d done to Lorenzo. And Mirabella conveniently kept the conversation steered toward the family crisis before them. This was the first time they were alone and able to really speak. Giovanni chewed on his bottom lip and tried to think of the best way to broach the subject.
“What can you tell me about my sister and her baby?” she asked.
“Should we discuss it now or later? There’s so much going on right now. We have to bury Adara today.”
“I only want to know if she is alive and okay?”
He pulled her under his arm and slouched down into the pillows. Mirabella turned and put their daughter on his chest. He held his baby girl who squirmed only a bit during the exchange. The magic worked. The chains on his heart broke and the emotion he carried since the capture of Lorenzo and Marietta was released. His voice was clogged by his feelings. He cleared his throat and tried to speak. His wife kissed his jaw. She pushed her soft curves up against him. The warmth of her love lessened the strain and he found his voice again.
“When we arrived to Port of Triste, she was in distress. Renaldo said it was shock, but I knew it was deeper than that. She was in distress. I had to abandon our plan to send back to America.”
“What?”
“She’s not ready, I don’t know if she will ever be ready,” Giovanni said.
“Did she have Lorenza? To comfort her?”
“She did. I’m told it helped. But she
was broken, Bella. I considered bringing her back home. To deal with her and this here, where I can contain it. But then I got the call on Carlo.”
“What did you do?”
“I changed the plan. I had a car waiting for us. We took the two-hour drive into Verona. I’m told she calmed enough to bond with Lorenza. There I met with my contacts and she and the child were set up in the residential care facility. It’s for refugees and orphaned children. When she is ready we will move forward with our...”
“Ready? It’s Marietta. She thinks Lorenzo is dead. This part of the plan was always risky Gio. She’s dangerous now, to herself and Lorenza. Maybe we call it off. I don’t want you taking the risks you are going to take with this plan of yours. Anything goes wrong, and we lose everything.”
“We can’t keep everything the way it is. Can we?”
Mirabella rested her head on the crook of his arm and shoulder. “Why didn’t you come directly home when you arrived? Leo told me you had to make a few stops. Did you see Carlo?”
“No.”
“Did you... visit Arielle?”
He didn’t respond. She waited. He looked down at his baby girl. She was so small and fragile. Children were too vulnerable for this world. The horrors of it should never touch them. He would be forever haunted by the damage he caused to the young whether direct or indirect. It was not the man he ever wanted to be.
“Gio? I asked you a question.”
“I asked Arielle to call Shae, the American friend of Marietta.”
Mirabella head lifted. “You did what?”
“I had her call the American woman and request she return.”
“Gio! You can’t do that. We haven’t even buried Adara. It’s wrong. Arielle is grieving.”
“Bella, Carlo is at his breaking point. I pushed him there. No matter my reasons I didn’t think it would go this far. I had everything planned. Down to the letter. And then this Armenian runt fucks it all up. How could I have not seen the loose end?”
