Ti Amo (Battaglia Mafia Series)

by Mynx, Sienna

  “Catalina? What is it?”

  “Move, let me by,” she said trying to escape. Mira however refused. She grabbed Catalina’s wrist and pulled her up the hall.

  “What are you doing?” Catalina shrieked.

  Mira pushed her roughly into the parlor causing Catalina to stumble back. “Giovanni is showering, but Carmine came to our door and said you were looking for Franco. He told Giovanni that Franco didn’t come home last night.”

  “He did what?” Catalina said.

  “Tell me you didn’t,” Mira said. “For the love of all that’s holy tell me you didn’t go to Domi about Franco.”

  “I had no choice.”

  “Are you that dense that you would put the man you love in harm’s way? Do you understand what you’ve set in motion?”

  Catalina dropped her head openly crying. “I had to. I had no choice. Franco was a perversion and could have destroyed me either way.”

  Mira rolled her eyes and threw her hands up.

  “Help me.”

  Mira whirled on a sniveling Catalina. “Now you want my help? Now?”

  “You can tell Giovanni about him striking me. We will say Domi wanted to confront Franco, and Franco attacked him. Domi had no choice.”

  “That’s your plan? That’s as much as you thought it through? Giovanni will never buy it, Catalina. He hates lies. I won’t lie to him. You forced my hand. Now we just have to deal with the fall out.”

  Catalina’s eyes stretched to the point of bulging. “He’ll kill Domi, or worse, he’ll banish him. Domi will lose it all.”

  Mira sighed. “I’m sure Domi knew that risk when he murdered Franco. Because that’s what happened right? Franco isn’t missing he’s dead!”

  “I don’t know. Domi won’t talk to me.”

  “You played with peoples’ lives. Killing Franco makes you no better than him!”

  “Don’t you judge me!” Catalina snapped. “You have no idea what it’s like to suffer in love the way I have. All for family! You have no idea what it’s like to give yourself to a man that makes your skin crawl when he touches you but convince yourself that it’s not really that bad. You have no idea what it’s like to pretend at living while your heart bleeds for a man that is just down the hall. Don’t you ever judge me!”

  Mira sighed. “None of it justifies taking a man’s life.”

  Catalina dropped her head. “He might not be dead. We don’t know. And besides I love Domi. I only want to be with him,” she said through her sobs.

  Lorenzo opened the door to Dominic’s office. Dominic heard him first because his face rested in his palms, his elbows on his desk. He lifted his head and frowned at Lorenzo.

  “Where have you been?” Lorenzo asked.

  “Get the fuck out!” Dominic answered. Lorenzo closed the door.

  “Carlo and I met with Giovanni. You never came. Have you heard? Angelo is dead. I handled it.” Lorenzo slapped his chest in triumph.

  Dominic drank and flipped through the pages of the ledger before him. “Yeah I heard you burned the fucking place to the ground. Now we have a new war on our hands. Do you not think Bonaduce will let this go?”

  “Not my problem.”

  Dominic glanced up, his face felt hot with the raging flames of anger burning under his skin.

  Lorenzo narrowed his eyes on him. “Why are you drinking? What the fuck is going on with you?”

  “I can’t do this.” Dominic rose. After he buried Franco he sat in the forest staring at the makeshift grave until the sun set, and then he drove the rest of the night along the Amalfi coast. His adrenaline wore off, and the cold hard truth sunk in. He had betrayed everything he believed in. And even harder to accept was how Catalina had manipulated his guilt to make him do it. He wouldn’t lie anymore. It was over. He loved Giovanni. He took a vow that meant something to them all. But the day he slept with Catalina he broke their brotherhood. Everything he’s done from that day forth has been tainted by that sin. Now he was no better than Lorenzo.

  “Where’s Franco? Carmine is raising the roof telling everyone he didn’t come home. Now I hear he didn’t show up at work yesterday.”

  “So?” Dominic shrugged.

  “Last time I saw him he was leaving with you.”

  The silence lengthened between them.

  “Domi?”

  He exhaled a deep breath but refused to look Lorenzo in the eye.

  “Domi? What the fuck is going on?” Lorenzo pushed.

  “Franco’s dead.” Dominic walked around the desk. He faced Lorenzo. “I did him.”

  “You? Did him? Why?”

  “For her. I can’t help it and God help me I never wanted to. I love her,” he confessed.

  “You love who?” Lorenzo clenched his fist.

  “Catalina. I’ve been in love with Catalina since she was sevente—.”

  Lorenzo’s fist slammed into Dominic’s face. The force of the blow made his knees buckle and him to stagger back.

  “Say it again! Say it again!” Lorenzo gripped him by the throat and threw him on top of the desk. He pinned Dominic down, fist raised to pummel him.

  “I couldn’t help myself,” Dominic gasped, not bothering to struggle until the battle for breath began to make his chest compress and go tight as if it would implode. Clawing at Lorenzo’s hands his vision began to cloud over with tears as he fought for his life. Lorenzo tightened the grip on his throat. Dominic gagged. Lorenzo let his throat go. He dragged him off the desk and threw him into the reading table causing it to splinter and break apart.

  “What is that?” Catalina rose to her feet. The crashing noise followed by a man shouting froze Mira as well.

  “I heard it too.”

  “Domi! It’s coming from Domi’s office.” Catalina raced out of the parlor. Mira ran after her.

  Dominic rolled over, the agony in his throat and face made him weak and nauseous. Lorenzo grabbed him by the front of his shirt and forced him up, but Domi could barely stand. He wept hard. He’d never shed so many tears since the death of Papa Tomosino. Dominic’s pain stalled his assault.

  “Kill me.” Dominic begged. “Do it. Before Gio finds out.”

  Lorenzo drew Dominic into his arms and hugged him to his chest. He hadn’t felt so lost since the night he sat alone after Catalina married and went off with her new husband and new life.

  “I love you! You stupid, stupid jackass!” Lorenzo said. “How could you do this to our Catalina?”

  “I don’t know.” Dominic wept.

  The door opened. Dominic heard Catalina before he saw her. She attacked Lorenzo, swinging her fist for him to let Dominic go. Lorenzo shoved him off to grab her and calm her. Catalina snatched away and grabbed Dominic’s face, touching his bruises and weeping.

  Mira looked at the destruction of the office then to Dominic’s bloody face. She stepped back, horrified. She stared at Lorenzo in disbelief.

  “Ottenga l'inferno assente da lui ora! Get the hell away from him, now!” Catalina shouted.

  Lorenzo rose from the ground, and Dominic tried to calm Catalina saying he was fine. He struggled to stand. Mira watched Lorenzo head for the door. Stepping in front of him, she blocked his way. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To see Giovanni.”

  “I don’t think so!” Mira said. She glanced to Dominic who was held up by Catalina. They all looked at her, surprised by the firm tone in her voice. Hell it shocked her as well.

  “Scusi,” Lorenzo tried to step around her.

  “I said no. You will not speak to him about this!”

  “You don’t tell me—.”

  “I just did. So help me God, Lorenzo, you don’t want to make an enemy out of me. It’s my arms he comes to in the middle of the night, and it’s my voice that whispers in his ear. Don’t make me stand in between you two because I’ll be here long after you’re gone!”

  Lorenzo looked at Mira, confused by the threat.

  “Step back!” Mira shouted.


  Lorenzo did. Mira turned her anger to Dominic and Catalina. “You two have royally screwed things up, and my Giovanni is going to be devastated.”

  “I’ll face him.” Dominic said.

  “No!” Catalina cried clinging to him.

  Mira shook her head. “She’s right, you won’t face him and neither will you!” she pointed at Lorenzo. “I’ll do it.” Mira sucked down a deep breath.

  “Mira, he doesn’t have to know.” Catalina said. “Franco deserved what he got! Franco é una vera regina, finnochio!” she spat.

  Lorenzo frowned and looked at her confused. “He was gay?”

  “Never mind that!” Mira’s voice silenced them. “No matter what he was, Catalina, you two knew going behind Giovanni’s back to do this would have repercussions.”

  “He beat me!” she shouted.

  “He did what?” Lorenzo demanded.

  “I said stop!” Mira shouted. “Stop it! Killing him was wrong! Why don’t you people get that? Are you all crazy?” Mira put her hands to her head. Lorenzo stepped to her. She looked up a bit wary.

  “You knew he hit her and slept with men and you said nothing? Domi was right to kill the son of a bitch!”

  Mira glared at Lorenzo. “I was going to handle it.”

  “How?” Lorenzo laughed in her face. “Like this?”

  Mira rolled her eyes. “Does the how matter now? The only thing that matters is that this family isn’t ripped further apart. That there be no more got damn killing!” she shouted back. “He was a human being. You can’t possibly think solving problems means taking a person’s life.”

  “It’s what Giovanni believes.” Lorenzo smirked.

  “No. And I’ll prove it to all of you. He isn’t a monster.” Mira sucked down a deep breath. “Catalina, I want you to go find Zia. Tell her to bring Eve to our room in twenty minutes. Do you understand?”

  Catalina nodded. Mira then pointed from Dominic to Lorenzo. “You two stay out of his sight. I mean it.”

  ****

  Giovanni dried his hair with a towel. Mira walked in and he stopped smiling. “What took you so long, I almost shriveled up in that shower waiting for you. You said you’d take Eve to Zia and join me.” He chuckled.

  She gave him a weak smile. “Maybe we can take another one.”

  Giovanni put on his boxers then his pants. “I got meetings in Napoli today.”

  Walking over to him she took the hand towel from him and rubbed it across his chest, dried his arms and shoulders further. “Yesterday you taught me something.” Mira looked up into his questioning blue eyes. “You taught me that family always comes first. I believe you about Kei. I trust you. Do you trust me Giovanni?”

  He smiled and kissed her on the lips, sweetly at first, then passionately. Giovanni began to walk her backwards to the bed and she broke the kiss. He reached for the top button of her pants and she stopped his hand. “We have to talk.”

  Looking at her confused he removed his hand. “Something wrong?”

  She nodded.

  He waited.

  She couldn’t capture her breath. She smiled.

  “What is it?”

  “You have to swear to me that you will stay here in this room and hear me out before acting on what I’m about to tell you.”

  Frowning he said nothing. Mira walked away putting distance between them. Going to the door she locked it and placed the key in her pocket before turning to face him. “It’s about Catalina.”

  Giovanni narrowed his eyes on her. “What about her?”

  With a nervous hand she smoothed loose strands of hair back from her brow.

  “What’s wrong with Catalina? You’re worrying me Bella.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to but this is a long complicated story, and I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Talk to me.”

  “Do you remember years ago before the wedding when I asked you about arranged marriages? I asked you to talk to Catalina and find out if she wanted to really marry that way.”

  “Something wrong with her marriage? With her and Franco?” he asked concerned.

  Mira sighed. “Baby please let me talk, okay? This is hard enough.” She took his hand and forced him to sit on the bed. “When I asked you about her marrying, I had my reasons. I discovered that she was conflicted, Giovanni. She was keeping something from you.” Mira said cautiously.

  Giovanni stared at her silently, and Mira found her courage to go on. “She was already in love with another man. She begged me not to tell you. She said that it was a tradition to marry this way, and she was completely committed to it. I saw how determined you both were so I decided to stay out of it.”

  “In love? How in the hell was she in love prior to the wedding? She wasn’t allowed to date. She was a schoolgirl.”

  Mira sat down next to him. “The thing is, she ended that relationship before the wedding, and she really did try to start with her new husband. But her heart belonging to another made it impossible for her and Franco to commit. Soon they began to stray away from each other.”

  “Stop with the fairytale!” Giovanni snapped. “Are you saying that my sister cheated on her husband?”

  Mira nodded. “And Franco cheated on her? Although I doubt they knew it. They just did it because they couldn’t relate to each other.”

  “Fuck!” Giovanni shook his head. He stood. He paced. “Why didn’t you tell me that she was sleeping with someone else?” he asked angrily. Mira looked away and Giovanni processed it further. “Was she a virgin when she married Franco? She had to be! She was barely eighteen.” He stopped pacing. “Who would dare touch my sister? Who?”

  Mira stared at him. “There’s more, but I can’t tell you when you’re like this. You promised to listen to me.”

  “Tell me who it is!”

  The demand hammered her hard. She rubbed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. “Franco discovered who it was, and he hit her.” she blurted.

  Giovanni blinked at her, shocked. “He wouldn’t dare.”

  “The other night at the table when the men teased her about her makeup. Do you remember? She wore makeup to cover the bruise.”

  “You said she and Eve were playing in her makeup.” He narrowed his eyes on her. Mira understood his memory was as sharp as ever. The man never forgot a thing said or done.

  “That’s right sweetheart. I didn’t know at the time. I just knew that she was uncomfortable and trying to conceal something. I lied to protect her. Later I confronted her. We went up to Franco’s job and discovered who he was sleeping with.”

  Giovanni closed his eyes shaking his head. “Wait a got damn minute.”

  Mira kept going, ignoring his objections and questions. She had to get it all out before he completely lost it. “Turns out that Franco actually had a bigger secret; he was gay.”

  “Was?”

  “After we learned the truth, Catalina became upset. She couldn’t get past him being gay. To her it was a greater sin than anything she’d done. I wanted to talk to them both before we came to you, but you told me about Kei and things got crazy.”

  “Was gay? What the hell does that mean? Either he is or isn’t?” Giovanni paced before her.

  “I’m trying to explain.”

  “Try harder!” he shouted.

  She flinched. Mira exhaled slowly. “Catalina told the story to Domi. She showed him the bruise. Domi became angry. This morning Dominic and Lorenzo were fighting. It’s when we learned the truth. Domi killed Franco.”

  Giovanni laughed. He threw his hands up. “Of course he did, because no one in this fucking family does anything they’re supposed to! Except disobey me.”

  Mira saw the mixture of emotions cross his face and prayed that the one for compassion was the final one to remain.

  “All of this was done because Catalina was afraid to tell you she’s in love with another man. She’s afraid of what you would do. I understand now why you hate secrets and lies because they are so destructive. But now you hav
e the power to make this right, to put the family back together.”

  “Now I have power?” Giovanni chuckled.

  “You know what I mean, sweetheart.”

  The humor drained from his face. “Catalina married a man that hit her and Domi murdered him without my approval. All of this done because she was afraid to talk to me?” He lowered and fixed his blue steely gaze on Mira. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

  “I can’t,” she shook her head.

  “Oh yes you can, Bella. What is it you’re not telling me?”

  Mira met his gaze. “Will you promise to listen?”

  He gave her a sweet smile. He seemed pensive, not disturbed or angry. Was this the calm before the storm? She had to see it through. No matter the consequences.

  “Fine. You want honesty? Here it is. Family is your strength but it’s also your greatest weakness. You ordered a hit on Kei in the blink of an eye because he threatened our family. For all I know he’s dead right now, Giovanni, and I accepted it. I did that because I’ve accepted this life. But what I won’t tolerate is you turning that anger in on us. If you rush off without all the facts, more harm than good could be done. So for Christ’s sake let me tell the story the way I can. And really listen to me!”

  “How could you know all of this and keep it from me?”

  Giovanni ran his hand over his damp hair. The whole sordid story made him sick to his stomach. His precious baby sister’s life was ruined. Whoring around before she was married. He couldn’t process the undeniable dreadful facts, or better yet his heart refused to. If he had, it would mean he’d have to accept failing his sister this way. He swore that he would protect her. He swore to his mother he would keep her safe. Yet in the past three years he’d barely spent any time with her to know what was going on with her life. Instead he was consumed with rage and bitterness. This was his fault. Once again he had failed the women that he loved.

  “Family, Giovanni, she lied for family. Domi killed Franco to protect our family. He loves her, and he wants to keep her safe.”