La Dolce Vita: Romantic Suspense (Battaglia Mafia Series Book 7)

by Sienna Mynx

  "Allow me to introduce you, Gio. This here is Josef Fenstermacher. The man I told you about."

  "Greetings, Don Giovanni," The German said and extended his hand. Giovanni did not offer his. He stared at the man. He'd been distrustful of this meeting. It was why he chose not to bring in Dominic or Lorenzo. The risk was his for the taking.

  The German lowered his hand. He gave a nervous chuckle. "I thought you said he was eager to meet me?"

  "Don't waste my time," Giovanni said.

  "Of course. I have good news," Josef said.

  Giovanni glanced to Benicia. The German carried over a briefcase. He set it on top of a crate. The man unclipped the locks and opened the case. Several vials of a dark blue serum were slotted in velvet. Giovanni picked up one and held it up to the light. The liquid looked thick and moved slowly in the vial as it was turned sideways.

  "The Chinese call it Zǔzhòu which translates to Damnation. And it's a right word for it. My team has been working on this for weeks to understand its potency."

  "What's in it?" Giovanni asked.

  "It's derived from opium. But the molecular mix is complicated. From what we learned it's a synthetic hallucinogenic drug. We don't know if it's psychologically addictive, but I believe if taken in large quantities it can be. I've only come across it once or twice, and it's been used mostly for military mind-altering experiments. Drugs like this helped to make soldiers forget their inhibitions, in some cases their identity, allow them to transcend into killing machines, be programmed. Not to make them junkies."

  “Mind altering? You can control a person with this? Make them do what you want? Like a robot of some kind?” Giovanni asked.

  “Of course. It allows a person to be programmed. They are more susceptible to be influenced to do your will.”

  "Why did the Triad have this?" Giovanni asked.

  Josef looked to Mateo Benicia and then back to Giovanni. "It's also very useful to them in the sex-trade. Women are given this repeatedly in small doses to be abused with consent. I think the Triad got their hands on it and intended to distribute it as a new type of LSD. They were trying to turn it into a cosmetic date rape drug."

  "Rape?" Giovanni asked.

  "Since the death of the Dragon there's been some change in management," the German said. "The Triad deals in heroine, some of the best China White in the world, not a drug that is so `unstable' and expensive to make like this."

  "Explain to me, what makes it unstable?" Giovanni asked.

  "It's made in a laboratory; it takes money and a lot of talent to produce it. If cheapened or mixed the wrong way, it is instantly fatal. It took us months to locate it in its purest strain. Whatever its original purpose was, besides useful to the military, I don't know. I can't understand who the buyer would be."

  Giovanni's jaw tightened. Kei Hyogo injected this shit into his wife. And for months they have dealt with the side effects. He watched his Bella go through loss of appetite, sleeplessness to sleepiness, tremors, night sweats, fevers, mood swings and crying fits that exhausted him. He kept her ailments from the family. He'd hospitalized her twice. Control continued to slip from his hands and everyone knew it. Though there were days when she was perfectly fine, in his heart he believed the worst was far from over.

  "If a person was injected with this several times, and then tried to get better. Could they?" Giovanni asked.

  The doctor cleared his throat. "Better?"

  "You know what I fucking mean. Is there a cure?" Giovanni demanded.

  The doctor looked down at the vials and then to Giovanni. "Like I said, Don Giovanni, we aren't sure if this is addictive. It wasn't designed to be. But if a person takes it for a prolonged time, years, then like any addiction it would be hard to overcome..."

  "Is there a fucking cure?" Giovanni demanded.

  "I don't know what the Triad did with people who used this. Other than the sex trafficking, I'm not sure. Too much of it will kill a person, eventually. One shot or two, it's possible it could work its way out of your system with little side effects, eventually. I'm not sure. We'll need more time. And test subjects," the doctor smiled.

  Giovanni took a step toward him. He slammed the case shut and flipped down the locking clamps. He lifted the small case with the poisonous vials off the table and held it at his side. "I want the fucking antidote. Do you understand me?"

  The doctor's smile was dissolved. His face turned bright as a peach. He nodded his agreement. "I understand. A cure. Yes, yes, of course. Maybe we can find something to counterattack the synthetic strain's effects on the brain once introduced. I will...we will try. I'll need a place to work, materials." The doctor continued to ramble on. And at that moment Giovanni's heart sank. He knew fear in men. He also knew when a frightened man fed him bullshit. There was no cure. And there was no explanation as to what this would do to his wife long term. Why had Kei Hyogo injected her with this poison? To make her a slave to him? It would be the only way he could separate his Bella's heart from her family. The bastard had done this to her, and he'd been powerless to prevent it. No matter the revenge he took in her name and honor, he'd never abandon the guilt he felt over her kidnapping and torture. And now that he held the poison in his hands he faced another hard truth. He could never tell his sweet Bella that the same toxic shit that dragged her mother to her grave, was now flushing through her veins. Heroin, opium, synthetic mix, all of it was ruthless in how it destroyed people's lives.

  Giovanni decided on another approach. He looked at the doctor and then Mateo. "Twenty million lira to the man, scientist, who the fuck ever comes to me with a cure. And another ten million as a bounty bonus if the person who created this is brought to me." He narrowed his eyes on the scientist. "You take up my offer to find a cure, be prepared to give me proof of the healing. A woman, same age as my wife." He glanced over at the only woman in the room. For the first time, she lowered her gaze when his met hers. He'd sacrifice anyone for the life of his Bella. And everyone in the room knew it.

  A light of interest sparked in the doctor's eyes as he too looked at the woman in the room. The doctor was no longer fueled by fear, but fueled by greed. And that would be the key to saving his wife. It would be the greed of bastards like the one before him. Giovanni turned and walked out. Benicia was on his heels. "Gio, I have other contacts. There is dissension in the Triad after... everything. We might be able to get our hands on the exact source of this. I will do this for you."

  Giovanni's eyes misted over; his heart hurt so bad it felt like it was set ablaze in his chest. But he blinked away the weakness and concealed it behind his sunglasses before it could be seen by anyone. He glanced at the men who were all riled up earlier. Now they stood around one man who was on his knees begging for his life. Benicia stepped to his left side and observed.

  "A thief. Stupid enough to steal from us."

  A gun was put to the man's head. The silencer on the end muffled the blast that blew a hole into his skull. The man dropped dead.

  It's what the Benicia clan did to thieves.

  "I want to hear something from you before the end of the week. Put my offer out there and meet with only me regarding it. Understand?" he asked.

  "Consider it done," Mateo replied.

  Giovanni wiped his jaw and stared at the dead man. He felt the familiar numbness return to cover his heartbreak.

  "Damnation," he said. He shook his head and walked out.

  ***

  "Avanti," The inspector said.

  Adara Costello entered a bit cautious of the welcome. She nodded to the Chief Inspector and the other two men in the room. "I was told you wanted to see me?"

  "This is her, sir, the cadet I was telling you about," another man said, one she did not know. She was not officially a part of the Guardia di Finanza. Women were not allowed into the military or special forces. But an elite secret division for a specially trained undercover unit to combat the Mafia in the southern region of Italy had presented an opportunity for her. She and six ot
her girls were chosen and heavily screened.

  "We want you to listen in on something." The Inspector said. He gestured for her to come closer. She walked over to the large two-way window, and her eyes fell upon the man behind the glass. He sat slumped back in a chair as if bored. He drummed his fingers on the top of the desk as two Polizia officers paced and hurled questions at him.

  "He is one of the top enforcers to the most ruthless clan boss within the Camorra. And if you are ready he will be your prime target for the next few years. We are talking about a deep cover assignment, and it will not be easy to get close to him. If you can, you will be the first and the Guardia di Finanza will consider this proof that women do have a place in the Arma dei Carabinieri."

  "What is his name?" she asked.

  The inspector smiled. "Carlo. We call him The ‘Butcher.' I suggest you study his file. He's a nasty bugger. But he has some weaknesses."

  Carlo had a menacing presence even when seated. She swallowed a nervous spell when his head tilted and it looked to her as if he peered right through the glass at her. "Can he see me? Us?" she asked.

  "He knows we're in here. But no. He won't see you. Not until we want him to."

  "I can do this job, sir. I've had training in Interpol. I'm ready," she assured him.

  The other men exchanged looks.

  "To do whatever it takes?" The inspector asked.

  "Whatever it takes," she nodded. She knew they doubted her. Most men did. That was her power. She was prepared to go the distance. Carlo didn't look all that scary to her.

  Chapter Five

  Big Poppa

  Sant'Agnello - Italy

  Dominic waited. He worked off his excess energy by pacing. The plan as Mirabella explained it, was to deliver Catalina to Sant'Agnello before sunset. If he arrived a minute later, the surprise would be ruined. Catalina had started to get ready over an hour ago. What could be taking her so long?

  "Mannaggia!" Tired of the waiting game he threw up his hands in defeat. He'd go and throw her over his shoulder and put her in the car if he had to. When Dominic turned on his heel, he was stopped by her beauty. Catalina approached with her head down as she fiddled with something in the bottom of her tiny black beaded purse. For the evening his lady had followed his orders and chosen a black dress. But this dress was not something he'd ever seen her in. The mini dress was like a sleeve to her feminine curves and was far shorter than he preferred outside of the bedroom. Her breasts were boosted and jutted up from the bodice that slimmed her waist and dropped agilely to define her curved hips. And her fiery hot red shoes extended her shapely legs and sculpted her calves when she walked. She stopped and looked up at him. Catalina had combed her hair over to the left side of her face and pinned the tresses there under a jeweled black barrette. From her ears, three karat diamond earrings sparkled. And the smoky tint to her makeup around her long-lashed blue eyes bore through him. He melted on the spot.

  "It's the only black dress I have that I haven't worn. I'm twenty-three today, Domi! I feel so old,” she grinned. "Do I look it?"

  "You look..." he dropped his head and shook it in wonder. "Bellisma," he finally said. "Don't age, don't change. Stay exactly as you are."

  "Aww, aren't you sweet," Catalina smiled. She put a hand on her hip and moved her body in the sly sexy way she did when she wanted his attention from across the room. "Can I get a birthday kiss?" She asked and licked her ruby red lips with the tip of her tongue. He walked over to her and took her mouth with savage intensity right then and there. The kiss kindled feelings of fire for him that he felt each time her lips were pressed to his. When she succumbed to his domination, the passion was searing. Catalina dropped her little-beaded purse. She gripped his shoulders and clutched his sleeves as if she needed to hold on to keep standing. Dominic gathered handfuls of her juicy ass in his palms and squeezed both cheeks. He loved this woman, mind, body, and soul. However, there were days when she was so beautiful to him he felt himself crumbling with weakness.

  "Okay! That's enough. Domi, stop." She forced him back and held him away while he tried for more kisses. He had no choice but to obey.

  "Oh my goodness. I'm so excited!" she giggled. She knelt to pick up her purse. Domi smiled and walked around her. The dress was backless as well. He really liked it. Catalina dug inside her purse to remove her tiny pack of tissues. "Lipstick is all over your mouth and chin." She dabbed at his face with his eyes trained on her breasts. He caressed and squeezed her hips. "It's red, Domi. You have to go upstairs and wash this off."

  "I don't care," he pulled her to him. "Buon compleanno."

  Catalina laughed. She licked her thumb and wiped off more traces of lipstick. "You are so bad, Domi."

  "You're so hot!" he said and pinched her.

  She blushed for him. Even now he could make her blush. Dominic was no fool. She was every man's dream, and he was damn lucky to have her.

  "You make me feel so good. I've been so upset. You are the only person to say those words to me today."

  "That you're hot? Come here," he pulled her in.

  "No, silly," she said and dropped her arms around his neck. "To say happy birthday. No one has said a word. Marietta didn't even call. And where is everybody? The kids aren't upstairs in their rooms, and I haven't seen Gio all day."

  "Shhh, it doesn't matter. I'm the only person who matters. This day is for you and me to celebrate."

  She nodded.

  "We have reservations. We'll be late. Let's go."

  "Domi, seriously, I need to clean your face. Give me just a second. I'll grab a rag."

  "Tissue is fine. Lick it off. Let's go."

  Catalina laughed. He slipped his arm around her waist but dropped his hand on her ass. The evening would have been perfect if it were only ten degrees cooler. He stopped to check the time again as his men brought his car around for them.

  "Where are we going, Domi? Can you give me a hint?" she asked.

  "No hints, birthday girl."

  A sleek black Ferrari with black custom rims that had gold inner trimming drove over to a stop. When he was a teenager in Sorrento, Patri would let him race the cars in the family against the sons of other clan bosses. He won a few races. The vintage Ferrari before him was one he took off one of the losers. He kept it polished and only drove it for special occasions. Tonight fit the bill. Dominic opened the car door. On the seat were two black gift boxes, both large and small with a black ribbon wrapped around and tied to them both. The happiness in her squeal delighted him. Catalina gave him another kiss and slipped excitedly inside the car.

  He closed the door and walked around to his side of the car. He had to chuckle to himself to see her tearing into her gifts. His sweetheart was never one to wait for a surprise. She wanted what was hers right away.

  "Santa Maria!" she exclaimed. She opened the smaller box to reveal a diamond three strand necklace he had designed for her. "Domi? For me? It's beautiful. It's heavenly."

  "That's for you. The next gift is for me," he said with a sly smile and pointed to the other box.

  "For you? But it's my birthday," she grinned.

  "It's our birthday," he winked. Dominic pressed down on the gas, and the Ferrari wheels rolled over the driveway smoothly as it sped out of the gates to Melanzana. Catalina dropped down the visor to see herself in the mirror. She fastened the diamond necklace around her neck and then fingered the stones. She turned her face from left to right. The light from the mirror in the visor caused the gems to sparkle. Dominic shifted gears as he rounded the narrow one lane road on their way to Sant'Angnello. He hoped a child on a bike, or a dog didn't wander into the road.

  "I've never seen anything so beautiful. I love it."

  "I love you," he said. He pushed in the CD to the stereo system and music blared inside of his car. Marietta always turned him on to the latest hip-hop music. He loved a rapper named Notorious BIG. He kept the tracks for 'Ready to Die' on constant rotation. His favorite was the song 'Big Poppa'. He cranked up the m
usic, and it boomed through the car system. Catalina began to move to the music

  "I see some ladies tonight who should be having my baby..." Domi sang. "Babaabeeee"

  Catalina laughed. She sang along with him as the Ferrari cut across the road and glided around cars in traffic at increasing speed. Catalina snapped her fingers rocking to the rap lyrics. She threw her hands in the air and waved them from side to side to the song. It had been ages since they had fun. He had a hard time keeping his eyes off her and on the road. The song switched to the next and Catalina opened the large gift box. She moved the black tissue paper and pulled out a very thin pair of panties and a red lace bra from a Fabiana collection. She frowned and checked the sizes. Of course, he knew every inch of her. Beneath the lacy undergarments were a pair of handcuffs and two keys, along with a blindfold.

  "What is this?" she laughed over the music.

  He turned down the volume. "Put on the blindfold."

  "Huh? And mess up my makeup?"

  "You heard me. Put it on," he said.

  "And the handcuffs too?" she chuckled.

  "No. Those are for later. Just the blindfold for now."

  Catalina sighed. She agreed, but before she did as she was told she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I love it, Big Poppa!"

  He turned his face to kiss her and nearly lost control of the Ferrari. He eased up on his speeding so he could get a few feels of her while she tied the blindfold around her eyes. It would be the best birthday she ever had. He'd make sure of it. He had the world. And it was all because of her.

  ***

  The car slowed in speed and Giovanni opened his eyes. He yawned into his fist. They were close. He'd had several meetings left on his schedule before he decided to conclude his day. He barely made it home in time to change. And left in a hurry. La piccoletta was turning twenty-three. His kid sister had bloomed into a beautiful savvy business woman. Soon she would be a wife and mother, and no longer his special girl. He loved Bella for making sure they celebrated her birthday appropriately.