by Sienna Mynx
Shae backed away touching her cheek, and then checked her fingers for evidence of blood. She turned and went into the bathroom.
“Go get the Donna. Tell her it’s an emergency. Do not say anything to my brother, Eduardo. This is for the Donna! Do you understand me?”
He nodded and left.
“Let me the fuck go!” Marietta yelled. She bit Ringo on the arm and he howled in pain. He was forced to release her. “I want that bitch out of here now!” Marietta charged for the bathroom door. Catalina stepped in front of her.
“Stop it!” Catalina said. “Calm down.”
“I never slept with Carlo!”
“Che cazzo dici! Shut up. Don’t say another word.” Catalina warned. “I’m serious. Stay silent.”
Marietta pulled at her own hair with both hands as she paced away. It looked as if she did so to calm herself, but it was having no effect. She breathed hard and was flushed with anger. Catalina noticed Ringo held his arm. Marietta had bit him hard enough to draw blood.
“Merda!” Catalina said. “Ringo, go find Zia. Tell her… tell her… tell her I sent you. Tell her she needs to take care of your arm. And listen to me, Ringo. Until the Donna has a chance to deal with this, keep your fucking mouth closed. Domi, none of them need to know about the fight. It’s … it’s women’s business. Okay?”
Ringo was very close to Carlo. He worshipped him. The men knew what an accusation like the one Shae leveled would mean for Carlo. He looked to be relieved to have the orders to not say anything.
“Go!” Catalina pushed him. Ringo walked out holding his bloody arm.
“I didn’t do anything,” Marietta began to cry. “She’s fucking lying.”
“Don’t say anything else. Just wait until Mirabella gets here. Cavoli! I need to think.”
“What the hell is going on in here?” Mirabella walked in. Marietta and Catalina both whirled around. The destruction in the room only then became clear to Catalina. She was still reeling from what she overheard. Everything had either been broken on the floor or smashed. A chair was turned over. The sheets were dragged off the mattress. Mirabella closed the door.
“Marietta? Explain this.” Mirabella demanded.
“Stay there. No more fighting!” Catalina warned Marietta. Mirabella walked over to her sister. She took her in her arms and forced a hug on her. Catalina went to the bathroom door and opened it. Shae was at the sink tending to the long scratch under her eye.
“Come out please,” Catalina said.
Shae glanced up at Catalina in the mirror.
“Nothing will happen to you. I swear it. Just come out,” Catalina said. “Mira wants to talk to you.”
Shae did as she was asked.
“I want her gone!” Marietta shouted. “Out of this house! Now!”
“Not until someone tells me what happened,” Mirabella demanded. She let go of Marietta and smoothed back her hair. Her sister refused to look at her. “Talk to me?”
“I don’t know,” Catalina began. “I was taking a nap when I heard screaming. I came in here and they were fighting. It was crazy. Eduardo and Ringo were the first to arrive. They pulled them apart. And then—”
“She’s a liar!” Marietta shouted.
“I don’t lie! Why the fuck would I need to?” Shae shouted. “It is not a lie! I saw you both kissing! You told me about the birth control pills!”
“Fucking bitch!” Marietta charged at Shae, but Catalina tackled her and brought her down on the bed.
“Stop it!” Mirabella shouted. Catalina and Marietta stopped wrestling with each other. “I mean it. Stop it now, Marietta, or I’ll go get Giovanni and Lorenzo and have them sort it out!”
Marietta’s eyes stretched with fear. She pushed Catalina off her and scooted off the bed. “She’s lying on me.”
“I am not!” Shae insisted.
Mirabella turned on Shae. “You are a guest in my home, and my sister’s home. You will either shut the hell up, or I’ll have someone make you be quiet. Do you understand what that means?”
Shae narrowed her eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
“I don’t make threats. I don’t need to,” Mirabella said.
Shae glanced from Mirabella to Catalina, who stood glaring at her. She threw up her hands. “You’re all fucking crazy. All of you.”
Mirabella arched a brow. Shae became silent. Catalina was grateful because she truly didn’t know what else to do.
Mirabella turned to Marietta. “What happened? Talk fast before one of our husbands show up!”
Marietta began to cry and shook her head. Mirabella turned to Shae. “What did you accuse her of?”
“Oh now you want me to speak?” Shae replied.
“Answer me!” Mirabella demanded. “What did you accuse her of?”
“I saw them,” Shae said.
“Saw who?” Mirabella asked.
“Her and Carlo kissing in the hall. They’re having an affair. And she’s been taking birth control pills so she wouldn’t get caught with a baby with two daddies!” Shae spat.
“That’s not true!” Marietta leapt to her feet.
The accusation knocked the breath out of Mirabella. She turned and looked at her sister with disgust, shock, and outrage. If it was true then Marietta would have put Carlo’s life in danger, and her own.
“I swear it’s not true!” Marietta wept. “Please don’t tell Lorenzo that lie. It’ll cost me my marriage. I swear I didn’t do anything. I swear it.”
“Who heard her, Catalina?” Mirabella asked.
“Eduardo and Ringo. Remember, I told you. Marietta bit Ringo. His arm was bleeding. I sent him to Zia.”
“Shit. Oh shit,” Mirabella said. She put her hands to her head. She felt dizzy. “Oh shit.”
“It’s not true!” Marietta swore to them both.
“It doesn’t fucking matter if it’s true!” Catalina shouted. “She said it in front of the men. The accusation alone will get Carlo killed.”
“Killed?” Shae said. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Sei stupida! You didn’t mean what?” Catalina whirled on her. “To get him killed? Too late, bitch!”
“Fuck you!” Shae shouted through her tears. “This isn’t my fault. Marietta attacked me. Came in here and confronted me for dating the man. She was the one! Not me!”
Marietta tried to swing at Shae again. This time it was Mirabella who blocked her. She shoved her sister so hard Marietta hit the window with a loud smack.
“Are you insane? Are you?” Mirabella asked through her tears.
“I didn’t do it,” Marietta wept. “I… Carlo and I… we kissed. Once. And not in the hall!” she said the latter to Shae. “I was telling him to not sneak around here with Shae, and he kissed my cheek. Not my mouth. Before then... I was drunk and—”
“And what?” Mirabella yelled.
“And nothing, Mira! You were in the hospital. I thought you were dead. He found me and I was drunk. We kissed. That was it. And for two years nothing has happened between us. He and I are friends. That’s all.”
“And the birth control?” Catalina asked.
Marietta sniffed. “I told Shae because I thought she was my friend. I didn’t want to have a baby. But I do now. I stopped taking them. I told her that too!”
Mirabella looked over at Shae. She looked back at Marietta. She didn’t know what to believe. “Catalina, take Shae to your room. And… uh…”
“I’m leaving. I’m going home,” Shae said. “I don’t want to be here.”
“Oh, I agree. You are leaving. But first we need to clear this up. Make sure that no one breathes a word of it to my husband, and yours!” Mirabella pointed at her sister. “Take her to your room, and then find Ringo and Eduardo and have them come to the room.”
“What are you going to do?” Marietta asked.
Mirabella approached her sister. Marietta could barely look her in the eye. She hugged her and whispered in her ear. “I will always protect you. But I swear to God
if you’re lying to me I won’t be able to.”
“I never slept with Carlo. I swear it,” Marietta said.
No matter if it was true or not, Mirabella loved her sister. She wouldn’t let her world be destroyed. “Go to your room and clean yourself up. Then meet us in Catalina’s room.”
She lifted Marietta’s face and held it with both hands. “No more fighting and running your mouth. Don’t say anything. Do you understand?” Marietta looked back at the other two women. “Does everyone understand?”
“Yes,” Catalina said.
“Yes,” Shae said.
“Then go!” she said.
Shae took her suitcases with her. She would change her clothes and fix herself in Catalina’s room. When they were gone Mirabella let Marietta go.
“It’s just me. You have to be honest with me. Did you sleep with Carlo?”
“I swear on our mother I never did,” Marietta repeated.
“Did you want to?” Mirabella asked.
“What kind of question is that?”
“Answer me. Did you want to?”
The look of shock in Marietta’s eyes was all the answer Mirabella needed. “If you ever cross that line it will destroy our family. I can’t control Giovanni, and you can’t control Lorenzo. Not on this. If you care about Carlo, in any way, stop this. Don’t flirt with him. Don’t encourage him. If he’s coming down the hall you go the other way. Do you understand me?”
“I understand. I never will. Never again. I told Carlo I love my Lorenzo. I do love him. I just mess things up sometimes.”
“It’s okay. Lorenzo likes your crazy, remember?” Mirabella smiled. Marietta managed to smile and nod for her. “Don’t cry, sweetie. We’ll fix it. Together. I got an idea. You pray it works.”
Marietta nodded in agreement.
“Go change.”
Marietta left.
Mirabella exhaled. She looked around the room in disbelief. One lie always led to another. What could she really do but be the keeper of this lie?
**
Ringo was the last to arrive. And Mirabella breathed a sigh of relief that Zia didn’t accompany him. She looked to the women. They were all given instructions on what to do. The only person Mirabella couldn’t trust fully was Shae, and her role was the most important.
“Come in, Ringo,” Mirabella said.
He walked in and saw Eduardo waiting. Mirabella nodded for him to take a seat. He did so. There was a last minute change of plans. They had to reconvene in Catalina’s room to keep the situation contained. The kids were in Mirabella’s room sleeping. Catalina sat on the bed next to Shae. Marietta stood at the window looking out. Mirabella cleared her throat.
“You both were our heroes today, dealing with this nonsense.” Mirabella laughed. The men exchanged a look with each other and then glanced to the Donna with a slow nod.
“Marietta?” Mirabella said.
Here sister glanced from the window to Ringo and then Eduardo. She sighed. “I’m sorry, Ringo, for biting your arm.”
“No problema, signora.” Ringo nodded to Marietta.
“Things got out of hand. A misunderstanding between me and my… my friend. I behaved badly. I apologize to you both.”
The men nodded.
“You know the rules.” Mirabella addressed the men. “None of you are to date or mess around with the women in this family. Right?”
The men nodded.
“Shae and Carlo have been dating. And it happened against the wishes of Giovanni and this house. Marietta found out about it. They argued.” Mirabella glanced to Shae. “Can you please explain to them the things you said earlier?”
“I was angry. Marietta was throwing me out of the house. I wanted to upset her. To hurt her. So I said things that weren’t true. She never had an affair with Carlo. I thought she was jealous of my friendship with Carlo and accused her. It wasn’t true. I apologized to the Battaglias for the insult.”
Earlier Mirabella explained the hard truths to Shae. She either cooperated or the man she claimed to care about would be destroyed. It was pretty clear to them all that Shae had to recant everything she said.
“So you can see why I’ve decided this matter is settled,” Mirabella said. “There is no need to upset your bosses about this. It was a petty fight amongst the women. And it’s over. Capice?”
“Sí, Donna. We understand,” they both said.
The men started to the door. Eduardo hesitated. He glanced to Marietta. Mirabella noticed the conflict in his eyes.
“Something wrong, Eduardo?” Mirabella asked
He shook his head no and left. Catalina stood as soon as the door closed.
“Do you think they believe it? That they won’t say anything?” Shae asked.
“They won’t say anything,” Catalina said. “They better not.
**
Ringo and Eduardo started for the stairs. Eduardo grabbed Ringo’s arm and stopped him. “Do you believe the Donna?”
“About Carlo and Marietta?” Ringo answered. “Yes. Carlo would never betray Lorenzo. Never. And I’ve seen him with the woman Shae. It was a stupid fight. Forget about it.”
“But the birth control,” Eduardo said. “The Donna didn’t mention it. None of them did. She isn’t pregnant. It’s been over two years,” he said.
Ringo nodded. “I don’t trust her. She’s not like the Donna. Some of us think she’s not really her sister.”
Eduardo nodded. “The Donna did not forbid us from mentioning the birth control.”
Ringo grabbed Eduardo by the collar. “Don’t mention any of it. It could backfire on you, and then on me. Just forget it happened. Do you understand?”
Eduardo shoved him off. He threw up his hand in an obscene gesture and walked away. Ringo looked back down the hall. Whether the birth control was a lie or not, it wasn’t their business.
**
“Andiamo, Catalina. Let’s leave them to talk.” Mirabella said.
“Are you crazy? They’ll kill each other!” Catalina objected.
“It’s okay. We need to finish this,” Marietta said. “We’ve had worse fights. Trust me.”
Shae nodded in agreement. “We’ll be fine.”
Mirabella took Catalina by the hand and walked her out.
“I’m sorry,” Shae said. “I heard you two in the hall and I thought the worst.”
“No, you saw me kiss him. That was me at my worst.” Marietta sighed. “What you said about Carlo was true. About me. I’ve always teased and pushed men away. I even do with him. I don’t know why. But I do.”
“My psychiatrist said it’s the ‘daddy syndrome’,” Shae smiled. “We both have it. Remember?”
Marietta gave a hollow laugh. “Yea, I got daddy issues alright.” She looked up into Shae’s eyes. “I never cheated on Lorenzo. The kiss was wrong. I regret it. But I never slept with Carlo. I love my husband with everything in me, Shae.”
“Then why even risk anything with Carlo?” Shae asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve been selfish, controlling, meddlesome, jealous. I can’t explain it.”
Shae shook her head. “Carlo’s a good guy, Mae. You’re right, I do sneak around here and listen in on your family. The things they say about him. You wonder why he feels like an outsider? Everyone, even his friends, treat him like he’s a madman. And he is. Do you know why? This place? What they do. It could drive any of them mad. Lorenzo and Giovanni are lucky to have you and your sister. Carlo has no one.”
“You care about him?” Marietta asked. “How much time did you two spend together?”
“Every chance we got. Jamie and Kyra were my cover,” Shae confessed.
Marietta rolled her eyes.
“I could easily fall in love with him,” Shae said.
“You? Love?” Marietta scoffed. “Not likely.”
“Amore!” Shae grinned and threw her hands up as if giving praise. “I learned the word. If I can learn Italian I can learn how to be in love and not fuck it up.”
“Then date him. You don’t have to be here to see him,” Marietta said.
“I can’t,” Shae said.
“Why? I said I don’t care.”
“I think he’s in love with you,” Shae said.
Marietta smoothed her hair from her face. “He’s not.”
“You’re sending him mixed signals. He’s sending you only one. He’s in love with you.”
“Even if he is, nothing will ever happen between us.”
“It’ll get him killed, Mae. He’s knows that. Still he kissed you in a hall where anyone could see. I know what I saw with my own eyes. No man as dangerous as him takes those kind of risks if he can control himself. He’s in love with you,” Shae said. “I don’t play second to anyone. Especially not my best friend.”
“Nothing is ever going to happen between us,” Marietta said.
“Then stop making him think it might.” Shae stood. She crossed her arms. “Can I tell you something?”
Marietta looked up at her.
“I was so jealous of you back in Chicago. So fucking jealous. Mae, you’d get up on that stage and dance, and clear more money than I made hustling in a week. Men would pay to just talk to you. Have you on their arm. It made us all feel cheap. I raised my game because of you.”
Marietta gave her a weak smile. “I didn’t think I was better than any of you. I just didn’t think I mattered.”
“But you do. And your life matters more now than it ever did. Forget what the Leones did to you, look around you at the family you found. You did it, Mae. You got another chance at happiness.”
Marietta smiled. Shae smiled. “That sister of yours is fierce. She loves you, Mae. You don’t need me anymore. She has your back. Trust her.”
“And you? What about you?” Marietta asked.
“It’s funny. I don’t want to be a domesticated wife with a mafia husband.” Shae laughed. “But if Carlo was really an option, I sure as hell would give him a second and third try.”
