by Sienna Mynx
“You got a son, why am I just hearing that now?”
“Didn’t know about the kid until a few months ago.”
“Wait? I’m confused. You’ve been married to Ally for two years now.”
Henry gave him a sheepish smile. “Ally didn’t push this one out. Let’s just say we were caught off guard by the little bugger. The mother isn’t worth mentioning.”
“How many kids does that make?”
“Thirteen. Not done yet! Trying raise an army."
Giovanni chuckled. Mirabella returned with a glass of water for Henry and another one for Giovanni. He accepted.
“Can you bring that one out there in the grass in when you come inside?” she asked.
He winked. She went back inside the house.
“So. Things in the Campania. You still going through with this plan?” Henry asked.
"It's in motion," Giovanni said.
“And this Tacchini person, you can trust him?”
“As much as I can trust any clan boss. Yes. I trust him.”
“All over revenge? We talked a few years ago about you taking a different path. The guns I understand. But you’re into some heavy shit now brother. Heroine? The Armenian’s, the Triad, the Turks.”
“It’s complicated. I had to do what I could to find her,” Giovani admitted.
“You aren’t a drug dealer. Your father was a piece of shit, but he wasn’t a drug dealer. You have your wife. You could lose her and everything if you stay on this road.”
Giovanni didn’t answer. He sipped his water and swatted at a bug buzzing by his head.
“And the Mafia? Sicily? You’re going after the entire pie. That’s too big of a bite. La Cosa Nostra is here in America. You’re not talking about just Interpol but the American government putting you in their sights. That doesn’t end well for men like you.”
He nodded. “It appears that way now. But I have a plan. A solid one.”
Henry sighed. “What else do you need from me? I’m not dealing with the Westies anymore Gio. Once they started dealing in heroin and not guns we parted ways."
“I know. I know. But what if I were to give them the Armenians and Turks? What if I made them stronger than the Triad by giving the Neapolitan channel? Turn it all over to them? Would they be interested?”
Henry smiled. “You know the answer to that.”
“Henry!” Lorenzo said.
Giovanni looked up to his cousin’s arrival. Henry stood. The two men gave a very brotherly hug. “It’s been too long! Too long!”
“I hear you’re a married man now. Baby on the way?” Henry asked.
“Yeah, wife is inside,” Lorenzo said.
“Congrats.” Henry sat down. There wasn’t a seat for Lorenzo. His cousin went over to the edge of the porch and leaned on the banister. Giovanni could tell by his clenched jaw that Lorenzo was not pleased about Henry’s arrival.
“So, I hear you two had an interesting night.”
“You heard about that?” Lorenzo asked.
Henry smiled. “His name is Dietrich ‘Cutter’ Grayson. Boxing promoter. Turns out he does a lot of business in New York with friends of mine.”
“Irish boys?” Lorenzo tossed out.
Henry smiled but didn’t answer Lorenzo. He turned his gaze to Giovanni. “What is it you want? A scare, more?”
“Meeting, tonight. Can that be arranged?”
"He's back in Norfolk. I can have a friend arrange it. Giovanni, it can't be connected to me. You understand. I'll make the transfer."
“How far of a drive is Norfolk from here?” Lorenzo asked.
“Two hours. Another three hours to Philadelphia.”
“That’s too close Gio. We need to make it happen a little further from home.” Lorenzo said.
“Philadelphia?” Henry said. “We can get him there. That’s about six hours from here. We leave around four. I’ll need to make some calls.” he said and stood. Giovanni nodded that he could use the phone inside the house. Henry left to ask the women for a phone. Lorenzo exhaled loudly.
“Everything cool Gio?”
“Yes. We’ll have a little chat with Cutter and be home before sunrise.” Giovanni said.
“You and Henry stay in touch?”
“He’s family. And family mean everything.” Giovanni pushed up. He walked off the porch and collected the glass his wife dropped. When he returned Lorenzo’s heated gaze followed.
“Gio.”
“Yes?” Giovanni said.
“Forget it.” Lorenzo turned and went inside. Giovanni followed.
Mirabella looked up when the men came inside. Henry was in the kitchen on the phone. She could barely hear anything of his muffled conversation. She and Marietta waited on the sofa chairs. Gianni slept in her arms. On the floor, Eve and Gino played with lego’s and puzzle pieces she retrieved from an old toy chest in her room.
“Everything okay?” Mirabella asked.
Giovanni glanced to Henry. He hung up the phone. “Gio. I know we said we could head out for that business around four, but my contact says we need to leave now. An opportunity just presented itself.”
“Leave?” Mirabella sat forward but held on to her son.
“Bella, I need to speak with you.” Giovanni went to the laundry room. Mirabella followed. She carried Gianni in her arms. He slept against her shoulder.
“He just got here? Where are you going?” she asked.
“It’s business. I’ll need to take the van. I’ll try to come back as soon as I can. Promise.”
“Gio. I was hoping we could spend the evening with kids. Maybe a late picnic. Plus I wanted to finish talking to you about my mother.”
At breakfast with her and her children, she shared the story of her mother and grandfather. Mirabella didn't know how she felt about it all. Giovanni listened and tried to be supportive. He was. It was difficult to learn the frailties of a parent. His wife seem to take hit after hit when it came to her family and her past.
He touched the side of her face. “I promise to come back soon. And then its just and the kids for the rest of the trip. Okay?”
She smiled. "Philadelphia is over six hours away. You won't be back until late, or sometime tomorrow. I don’t know about this. I was hoping you’d... well leave business back home.”
“Bella? Stop worrying. It’s my cousin. I haven’t seen him in a long time. I can handle it.”
Mirabella bit down on her lip. She blinked and looked away.
“Thanks for understanding.”
“Wait, who is this man to you?” Marietta said.
“I told you. He’s Giovanni’s cousin. Irish cousin.” Lorenzo said and checked the clip before he forced it up into the gun.
“Why are you taking that?” Marietta frowned.
“Business. We won’t be long.”
"I didn't hear him invite you. He said, Giovanni. You could stay. I was thinking that we could spend the night together talking. Like we did this morning. I might play my mother's album and we can listen to it."
Lorenzo walked over to her. “What is this about? You never give problems at home.” He lifted her chin. “What is it?”
“We’re in America. This isn’t Italy. You get caught with a gun and they can throw you in jail for a long time. We are supposed to stay low-key. Right?”
“I’m not going out to do a robbery. It’s just a friendly road trip.”
Marietta sighed. “Be careful. No drama. Promise me.”
He kissed her. And then he kissed her stomach. Marietta smiled for him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you miss me.”
***
Eight Hours Later –
“Look out!" Jerome shouted. He grabbed the wheel in a state of panic. Evan hollered in what sounded like a high pitch squeal. It wasn't until the first bullet shattered the windshield did Cutter know why. The slam on brakes and sharp jerky turns of the wheel in the men's hands sent the car into a tailspin. And there were more gunshots.
“Motherfuc
king Gadson brothers have set us up!” Jerome yelled.
The car careened over on two wheels and began to flip into a roll. Evan’s sharp screaming was cut off. Jerome went crashing out the front windshield. Cutter was knocked unconscious.
It was dark. He couldn't tell if it was cloud coverage or just a starless night. They'd waited for two hours on the side of the road. No cars came. The only ones he'd seen were the ones that dropped them. Henry made the introductions. Giovanni had a closed door meeting with a man named Opie. Lorenzo wasn't sure if it was his name or a nickname. He and his brother Ritchie were over an organization known simply as the Gadson brothers. And these men had blood ties to the Irish, called the Westies. For some reason they wanted to meet Giovanni and Lorenzo was kept from the table.
It pissed him off.
There was a whistle in the night. It sounded human. It was his signal. Lorenzo couldn't be sure if the car approaching was Cutter and his men. But there was no time to delay. He stepped from the shadows of the trees out onto the road with his gun raised. He didn’t hesitate. He fired as soon as the headlights drew near. The driver swerved left. A common reaction to shots being fired from the right. If the bastard was smart he'd swerve right and run over the gunman. But no, weak men didn't think when their lives were in peril. Weak men just reacted. And most weak men made the wrong choice.
Lorenzo dove out of the way of the spinning car as to not be hit. There was more gunfire at the car. Lorenzo remained down until the gunshots ceased. And then silence, more deafening then the cannon shots from the guns in the night descended on them. The engine was running on the car. It's wheels spun, but it rested on its roof.
When Lorenzo lifted off the ground a dead man was only a few feet away from him. His head was split and oozing blood from being thrown from the car. However, Lorenzo stood, picked up his gun, and fired a shot into the back of the dead man to be sure.
Giovanni stepped out of the darkness of the trees with several men. Lorenzo glanced back to him and nodded they had gotten the target. His cousin left the men and approached. Giovanni ripped open the driver side door and a man fell out. He began to crawl away. Spitting out his teeth and blood as he went.
"Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuc--" Giovanni put two bullets to the back of the man's head and it split like a melon. He then went to the back passenger door. Lorenzo didn't have to see who was inside. He knew. They had the right car. Giovanni pulled Cutter out and tossed him to the ground.
"Is he dead? That would be a fucking waste of time if he's dead," Lorenzo said.
Giovanni checked. "Not yet."
He dragged Cutter around to the front of the car where the headlights beamed brightly. He dropped him in front of the car and Cutter groaned. Lorenzo checked his watch. It came down to a matter of time. They didn’t have the kind of time they would usually spend to teach a man like Cutter a lesson. They would have to get on the road within the hour to make it home before sunrise.
Whatever Giovanni wanted it had to happen now. He glanced up to see the men who were given to them for the night approaching. They needed to get the dead men off the road. He tucked the gun in the back of his pants and grabbed the first man by his armpits and dragged him away.
“Svegliati--wake up!” Giovanni delivered a hard slap to Cutter’s face.
The man gasped. He spits up blood. "Fuck! What the fuck? Hey man, what the fuck is this?"
Giovanni held him by the collar. Cutter's head was raised from the ground. He wanted Cutter to see him--know it was him. To understand the consequences of his actions. And it only took a matter of seconds for Cutter to see clearly.
"Are you fuckin’ crazy, man? You could've killed me. Fuck! I'm bleeding. What the fuck are you doing here?"
"You always talking, pigliainculo--spineless coward," Giovanni said with a smile. He let Cutter go. The coward tried to move but he apparently had internal injuries so he scooted back. The exertion caused him to cough up blood.
"Man, I'm hurt. Really bad. Look, man, I didn't mean it. I got a family and kids. I don't want no trouble. Mirabella and I happened a long time ago. Please! Please!"
Giovanni pointed his gun at Cutter.
“Please! I’m begging! Please!”
"You never happened. That kid you think you had with my wife? It never happened. She's mine.”
“Okay! Fine! Fuck man she’s yours!”
“And you... you're nothing to her. Say it."
“I’m nothing! I’m nothing to her! I never was!” he shouted through his staggared breathing.
“Puttana!” Giovanni spat.
"No! Hey man don't do this. No! Please! Wait! Wait!"
Giovanni pulled the trigger. And he felt bitterly cheated that Cutter died so quickly. He stood over Cutter and fired again and again. The blood splatter shot up and got on his pants legs. He fired until his gun was empty. It was done. He turned and walked away. He didn’t bother to speak to the men gathered. He’d said his goodbye to Henry hours ago. He made his deals with the Gadsons earlier. It was done. The fact that another man even had the privilege of knowing her wasn't surprising. He accepted his wife had a past. It made her the woman he cherished. But Cutter was different. Cutter had a tie to her that no one other than Giovanni had. That’s why Cutter had to die.
"You say goodbye to ole Cutter?" Lorenzo asked.
"Not a word of what he said in that bar. Ever."
"I wouldn't mention it. Never, Gio. Not even to Marie."
"It's a lie," Giovanni said to restore his wife’s dignity.
"Yeah, I figured it was a lie. That fucker was looking to get a rise out of you. Mirabella wouldn't have an abortion."
Giovanni nodded.
Lorenzo flicked his cigarette. Their van was driven out of the cover of the trees. It stopped running. Giovanni looked over to Lorenzo. He had blood on his clothes from helping get rid of the bodies. Giovanni too had blood on him. They had to make the drive at night and they could not be stopped.
“We will take care of it from here.” A man said. “Take this road out and head south. You should be on the highway and back in Virginia before sunrise.”
Giovanni nodded. He got inside the van. Lorenzo got inside. They backed away from the scene of carnage and then he wheeled the van in the opposite direction and drove away.
They rode in silence. He had gone to God on bended knee to ask him to stop Mirabella's suffering. He thought he was the reason she was being punished. And maybe he was. But this. He couldn't get his head around her going through something so painful as what she did, and keeping it a secret all these years. If she hadn’t he may have never met her, had her as his wife. Does that make Cutter’s loss his blessing? Giovanni thought so.
"Dominic said Mirabella suffers from some kind of stress disorder. From the tragic events in her life."
"Which one? Looks to me like she's had several." Lorenzo said.
"True, her grandfather and mother were only the beginning. Then her best friend died, and she was kidnapped. It ends tonight. Whatever the fuck the future holds, I’m not going to let this life destroy my wife. God and I have that understanding."
"Doesn't work that way Gio. Do you think God will ever forgive what you did to Nicosia? Or forgive me, for all the shit I've done? Doesn't work that way." Lorenzo said.
Giovanni chuckled.
"What's funny?" Lorenzo frowned.
"We're different, me and her. You and Marie. But we're like the same." Giovanni said. "No mother, no father, a past filled with bad choices. The same."
"Yeah," Lorenzo said. "You know, it's been a long time since it was just me and you."
“Again with the Henry shit? He’s my cousin Lo.”
“Not what I mean. I get it. You’re making a move and you want to make it alone. I trust you Gio. I’m not jealous. Just concerned. If you say I don’t need to be...”
“You don’t need to be.”
"Then I'm not anymore," Lorenzo said.
Giovanni slumped back and drove with one arm. He saw th
e sign to take the highway south. He made the turn under the cover of darkness. He kept his eye on the needle. Speed was one thing they could not do in the state they were in.
"Remember when we used to go to Spain?" Gio asked.
Lorenzo laughed. "Yeah, well we're married now. Best not to dwell on those memories."
"Not talking about the women," Giovanni said. "Talking about me and you. Nothing between us. Just brothers, you know, like this. And the trouble we used to get into."
"Like the night you got drunk in Barcelona and wanted to fight a bull?" Lorenzo laughed.
"I had that bull," Giovanni smiled. "If you hadnt shot him I would have won that battle."
"I shot the fucking bull because it was going to kill you!" Lorenzo laughed. "Running around in circles laughing was going to get you killed."
Giovanni smiled. "Death comes for us eventually."
Lorenzo stopped laughing. "Yeah, well hopefully not soon. I want to see my kid grow up."
"Me too," Giovanni mumbled.
Lorenzo glanced over to Giovanni. "We are still brothers. No matter what, Gio."
"We are. No matter what cousin," Giovanni smiled.
Lorenzo winked. "No matter what! We’ve got to get through this shit together. We left a mess back home. Let's go back and clean it up. Together. Deal?"
"Deal!" Giovanni said.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Isabella
Lucca, Italy
At any time of the day, the weather in the city of Lucca was a beautiful mix of warmth and coolness. Many residents soaked up the sun, cycling, and jogging around the tall ramparts that defined Lucca. The walls were erected as a defensive fortification to ward off invaders thousands of years ago. It was only an hour outside of Florence. The Passeggiata delle Mura, which translates to ‘walk on the walls’, is where most gathered during the noonday. It was where Carlo waited for his contact.
The young boy rode a bike in zig-zag formation around townspeople, headed for Lorenzo. He stood, kept the kid in his sights with his sunglasses concealing his eyes. They were in hostile territory. The kid could be his contact or an assassin. Nothing surprised him about the Baldamentis. The boy rode up to him and tossed an envelope. He then kept cycling away. Carlo looked around to see if anyone was watching. He saw no one. He picked up the envelope and read the message inside.
