by Sienna Mynx
“No,” Eve said.
“Just this once. The boys have had their baths. Can you help them put on their clothes?” Mirabella pointed to the folded clothes in the chair.
“Where is Cecilia?” Eve whined.
“She’s not here today. I haven’t seen Belinda yet. Let’s all get dressed and then we can have breakfast with Papa.”
“He’s still here? He stayed home?” Eve asked.
“Yes, now help your brothers please.”
“NO! I want to see Papa!” Eve started toward the door.
“Eve! Stop right there.”
The little girl sighed and looked back at her mother. Her mother had a hand to her hip and a stern look to her face. “Did you just tell me no?”
“I’m sorry mommy, but I really need to see Papa! I have to tell him something. It’s an emergency.”
“Do as I say. I’m not asking again. We will all go downstairs together to see him.”
Eve looked at the baby on the bed and then her brothers. All of them would come first. Especially the new baby in her mother’s stomach. She hated them all. She wanted to cry but Boo-Boo licked her chin and hand. She knew her mother didn’t hurt her on purpose, but it felt that way. No one cared about her feelings.
“Andiamo!” she shouted at her brothers and then put her puppy down. The boys looked up curious. She could spank them if she wanted and they knew it. She could do it and get away with it too. When they made her mad she would pinch them in retaliation. Though Gino never cried Gianni always did. Neither of them wanted to deal with her when she was angry. Eve grabbed the clothes with her puppy biting at her ankles. She ignored the dog and walked back into her room with them all following her.
“I hate it here!” Eve pouted.
“You didn’t come to bed last night?”
After breakfast Mirabella followed her husband into his office with her little niece in her arms. He’d dressed and been downstairs smoking cigars with Renaldo before she and the kids joined him. When she stepped into his office and closed the door it was the first thought that came to her head.
“Where did you sleep?” she asked.
“Villa Rosso,” he said and sat behind his desk. “I know you had your hands full with the new baby so I decided to stay in villa Rosso.”
“We still haven’t talked. I’m beginning to think you’re avoiding me, Gio.”
Mirabella went to the sofa in his office and sat there. He looked up at her. After a brief silent stare-off he got up from his chair and came over and sat next to her on the sofa. He dropped his arm around her shoulder.
“Let’s talk. You spoke to Marietta yesterday. Did you deliver my message?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“Bella?”
“Yes, Gio, I did. What more do you want?”
“For my wife to look at me?”
“Nothing I say now changes anything. I’m just doing what you asked me to do, and you’re doing what I asked. Neither of us have to like it?”
“This is true. I have some good news. The curfew is lifted. Mirabella Fashion house is reopening. You’re free to do business again.”
“What? But... how?”
“There’s no war. Not anymore.”
“Lorenzo and Marietta?”
“Are no longer a threat. Sicily is ours, the Campania is ours. Lorenzo will get that message soon enough.”
“So, he’s leaving Sicily?”
“He won’t have a choice soon.” Giovanni smirked.
Mirabella looked down at the baby. “Her name is Marie... Lorenza Marie.”
“Who?” Giovanni yawned.
“Your niece.”
Giovanni gave the baby a sideways glance. He sat forward and for the first time since the baby arrived he took a real hard look at her.
“I want you to hold her.”
“I’m not up for that.”
“I’m not asking. Hold her, Gio.”
He looked at his wife and then at the baby. She held the baby out to him and he accepted her in the most delicate way he could manage. “Good, raise your arm a bit to support her neck. The baby opened her eyes and looked up at him. The baby grabbed his middle finger with her small hand. The kid had a good grip.
“She knows who you are, you’re Patri Gio.” Mirabella smiled.
“She looks like your sister,” he mumbled.
“She reminds me of Eve when she was born.”
The baby closed her eyes and settled back down to a restful state. “Is she okay? I mean, healthy?”
“I had the doctor come see her. You should have heard the lies I told.”
“He knows better than to question you, Bella.”
“Not the point, Gio. He said she’s healthy. Breast milk would be best for her... from Marietta.”
“Not possible.” Giovanni said.
“She’s barely four weeks old. She needs her mother.”
“You’re her aunt. As good of a mother than most would have. Better than the mother she does have.”
“You can be so cruel sometimes,” she reached for the baby but there was a knock to the door and their daughter came right in. She and her little puppy.
“Eve? I’ve told you not to come into a closed door until given permission.”
Giovanni looked up at Eve who stared at him and the baby. “Papa you said we could play checkers. Did you forget?”
“Sorry, lucciola. Maybe before dinner. Now go back downstairs and close the door.
“Okay, Papa,” Eve said and picked up her puppy. She left with her head down.
“Give me the baby,” Mirabella said and took the little one from him. “Spend some time with Eve. She misses you.”
Giovanni dismissed the request. He went to the phone and dialed Dominic. It took several rings before he answered.
“Where are you?”
“Still in Sicily. Catalina—”
“We have to finish this soon. End it. The doctor. Did you take care of her?”
“I will, Gio. I promise. I need to move Catalina because she’s resisting and it’s not safe.”
“Take care of the doctor. Take care of all loose ends. We’ll deal with my sister later. I want this over with before Bella gives birth. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Gio. I got it under control.”
“Good.”
Giovanni slammed the phone down. He sat in his chair and released a deep sigh. Soon it would be over. Soon he’d restore order to the family.
Out of breath Eve ran around the corner laughing. Boo-boo her pup was right on her heels. She had to stop and put her hands to her knees to capture her breath. The puppy yapped at her, barked several times. Eve picked her up to silence her with her hand over her own mouth to stifle her giggles.
“Where did they go? I know they came this way.”
The puppy looked around as if she knew the answer. Eve turned the corner again closest to the wine cellar doors. She saw them.
“Stay quiet Boo-Boo,” she said. She leaned in and peeked at the young lovers. Belinda was pressed to the cellar door. Leo was kissing her. Eve watched them kiss and studied the way Belinda moaned and moved under Leo. She’d seen her mother and father kiss many times. But not like this. Belinda legs were parted, and Leo was rubbing her between them. Belinda put a hand down there to stop him.
“I need to get back. Stop,” she giggled. “Mirabella needs my help with all those kids.”
Leo groaned and kissed her neck. He must have whispered something to her because she laughed happily. Then she lifted her arms up to Leo’s neck and kissed him. It was then that Boo-Boo broke her promise and barked at the lovers.
Both of them jumped and Eve immediately turned around and ran. She dropped her puppy and kept running. When she was sure she was far from being caught she found a room to go inside of and hide. Eve laughed and laughed. She fell on the floor onto her side and laughed.
“Yucky! Insomma, dai, una vera cattiveria! Nasty!” Eve covered her mouth to hide her giggle
s again. She sat there with her back to the door kicking her feet and giggling. Her puppy jumped over her legs and then onto her lap.
The funny died in her throat. Eve sighed. She looked around and realized she was in the room where most of the food and house goods were stored. She got up from the floor and dusted her hands. After her aunts left and never returned and Papa started to leave all she had was Belinda. Then Belinda became focused on her mother. Now with all the kids in the house Eve had to learn to entertain herself. And the best way to do so was to explore. There were so many rooms and fun things hidden in her house. She’d been a princess, a warrior, a secret agent like in her books. She’s built fortresses, slayed dragons, and brought down Papa’s enemies with a toy gun her brother had.
Eve stroked her puppy looking around for the next game of make believe.
“They don’t want me around much anymore, Boo-Boo. Nico doesn’t come to visit me. Cecilia bosses me around. And Mama doesn’t care.” Eve glanced around the room. “Now Belinda is doing the nasty with Leo. I’m six. I’m a big girl. I don’t need any of them.”
She walked around the storage room. She found bottles of bleach and other liquids to clean with. Rags and brooms and mops. It was a maze of stuff. And then she saw it. On the shelf. Several boxes of matches. Eve remembered when Belinda taught her the game of striking matches before Cecilia found out and ruined the fun. She raised on her toes and stretched her fingers. Boo-Boo took a step back with her doggy ears raised and head cocked to the side. Eve bit down on the side of her tongue and reached the box. She brought it forward, but it went past her grasp and dropped on her head then to the ground. Hundreds of match sticks spilled out.
She dropped to her knees and collected them all, putting them inside the box. All but one. She sat down. Boo-Boo barked, sniffed the matchbox and came closer. Eve concentrated. She used the match against the side of the box the way Belinda taught her. She struck it twice and the stick broke.
“Dannazione!” she cursed.
She went back into the box and removed another match stick. This time she held it firm when she did the swipe and the flame sparked. Boo-Boo backed away and started barking. Eve smiled. “See! I can do it! I can do it all by myself. I’m no dummy.”
Boo-Boo kept barking. Eve brought the flame closer to her face and stared at the orange, yellow and red flickers. It burned down quick and the heat hurt her fingers.
“Owe!” she dropped it. The flame went out. Eve sucked her finger until it stopped hurting. Boo-Boo returned to her the minute the fire was gone. She sniffed around the burnt matchstick. Eve slid the box of matches into a secret hiding place and picked up her puppy. “Let’s go before Mama misses us. We’ll come back and play with the matches later. You and me. Our secret.”
Boo-Boo barked in agreement and the two left the room.
Works by Sienna Mynx
Sweet Romances
Before Sunrise
Black Butterfly
Out of Time
This is Love
The Promise
The Accidental Mistress
Me & Tia
On the Wings of Love
Turbulence
Keaton
Leoti
Erotic Romance
Teach Me
Love after War
Don’t Leave Me This Way
Dark Romance
Diego
Aiden’s Game
No Regrets
The Heist
For the Love of Chocolate
The Golden Chalice
Someone to Watch Over Me
Illegal Affairs
Bad Habits
Boss
The Wedding
Oz
Paper Dolls
Historical’s
Harmony
Nicademus
Buttercup
Queen Isra
Series
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 1 - Destino
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 2 - Ti Amo
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 3 - La Sposa
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 4 - La Famiglia
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 4.5 - Rallenti
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 5 - Amore
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 5.5 - Capu
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 6 - La Dolce Vita
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 7 - Bella Mafia
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 8 - Omerta I
Battaglia Mafia Series Book 9 - Omerta II - 12-15-2018
Final Battaglia Mafia Series Book - Vita Mia
Horror/Paranormal
Chosen
The Phantom
Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine
Wolf Bait
