“It’s Carmella, my girl. She’s dead,” Sophia said.
“Dead? When? How?” Mirabella found a box of tissues and gave it over to Sophia.
“You know how, Donna. She was taken after you delivered your sons.”
Mirabella drew back in surprise. She hadn’t been back to Mondello since the boys were born. And she didn’t inquire about Carmella. Why would she?
“Taken where?”
Sophia glanced around. “I mean no disrespect to you or the Don. I know Carlo was sent for her. The day she went missing from Marsuvio Mancini’s funeral I hear he was at her car waiting for her. I know the Don… ordered it.” Sophia’s voice broke again around her sobs. Mirabella comforted her the best she could. “I have no defense for what my daughter has done. Carmella has always been troubled, and in love with Giovanni. I never thought she would try to hurt you or the kids.”
“Sophia, I can assure you, Giovanni did not hurt her. I wish you had come to me sooner.”
“
Donna,
per favore
. I am not questioning you or Giovanni. What Carmella did… I had nothing to do with. I am her mother. I wanted to protect her from herself. I failed. I can’t fail my Anthony.
Per favore,
Donna
. I beg. I beg.” Sophia got down on her knees. She kissed Mirabella’s hands and wept. “I beg for you to help my son. He is just a boy. Only seventeen. They have him.”
“Who has him?” Mirabella asked. Her heart raced so fast and so strong she felt it would seizure. “Who has him, Sophia?”
“He is with the Mancinis now. He works for them. Soon he will belong to them. Donna, I know your secret. I know that you are Marsuvio’s daughter.
Per favore.
I’ve kept many Battaglia secrets. I do so for decades. I’ve given you my life in service. I closed my eyes to my daughter’s murder. I never asked for anything. I am begging you, Donna, spare my boy. Give him a chance to be something more than his father. Help me. He is all I have left in the world.”
Sophia buried her face in Mirabella’s knees. Unable to summon the words of comfort, Mirabella stroked her head instead. A mother’s love for her children, when tested, was unwavering. Mirabella couldn’t imagine having to beg for the life of any of her kids. And no argument she could raise to excuse her husband and brother’s actions seemed justified. What could she do?
“What the hell are you doing?” Marietta snatched Shae by the arm. Startled Shae couldn’t speak. Marietta looked into the room and saw her sister comforting a weeping Sophia. She glared at Shae. “Answer me!”
“I-I-I-got lost,” Shae stammered.
Marietta dragged Shae to the nearest room and forced her inside. Shae stumbled back rubbing her arm as if it were wounded. “Were you eavesdropping?”
“Calm down,” Shae answered.
“Were you?” Marietta shouted.
“I was only doing what you asked. I can’t understand them. I don’t speak Italian. You know that!”
Marietta paced. “I warned you, Shae. This is the second fucking time I’ve caught you peeping around corners.”
“Mae?”
“I told you not to meddle. What if my husband found you? Huh? What if one of his men saw you? Damn it!”
“Okay! You and these fucking rules! I can’t talk to the men. I can’t speak unless spoken to. Fuck this! I should have never come here!” Shae shouted.
Marietta put her hand to her head. She looked to her friend and calmed herself. She was on edge. Everything was on her for this event, and the stress was mounting. She shouldn’t have yelled at Shae. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to flip out, girl. But you get it. Don’t you? My family. We live by rules to keep our husbands out of jail, and our children safe. So please, pretty please. Stop the bullshit. Okay?”
Shae smiled. “I got your back. Like always. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Marietta rolled her eyes. “What now?”
“Oh, ah, forget it. It can wait.”
“Good, come on. Let’s check on the liquor.”
**
Mirabella had a headache. She found a pill bottle and dumped two Tylenol into her hand. She took them without water. She closed her eyes and swallowed.
“Mira? You should be getting dressed,” Catalina said. She walked into the kitchen in her robe. “I came to your room to borrow your earrings. What’s wrong?”
Mirabella turned from the kitchen sink. She smiled. “Have the kids left?” she asked.
“No. Dominic said they have to stay. Zia and Cecilia will keep them upstairs.”
“Why? We agreed that they’d go into Bellagio and visit with Zia’s friends for the evening. It was all arranged.”
“Gio’s orders. We are to go back to Sorrento right after the party, first thing tomorrow. I had to cancel our follow-up meetings with Kyra and Jamie. I’m on a travel ban too. I thought you knew?”
“My husband and his orders. I can’t keep up.” She pulled out a chair from the table and sat down.
“What’s wrong?” Catalina asked.
Mirabella couldn’t say. She stroked her brow. Her sister in-law put her hand over hers for comfort. It helped. “Is Armando coming to the party?” Mirabella asked.
“He said he would,” Catalina said. “Wasn’t easy getting the men to agree.”
“Nothing is ever easy in this family. Is it?” Mirabella asked.
“No. I suppose not.”
“Catalina, I have a question for you. It’s… it’s about Carmella.”
“Puttana!”
Catalina spat the word.
“Have you seen her?” Mirabella asked.
“No. I haven’t been back to Sicilia in over a year.”
“Have you spoken to her since… well after the twins were born?”
Catalina pushed back her chair and stood. She went to the sink and picked up a glass to run tap water into. “There was a lot of drama going on when you were in the hospital. A lot of chaos.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Mirabella said.
“Why ask it now? It’s been over two years. Who cares what’s going on with Carmella?”
“Is she dead?” Mirabella asked.
“What?”
“Dead. Is she dead?” Mirabella asked.
Catalina walked back over to the kitchen table. She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Yes, she’s dead,” she said.
“Jesus Christ,” Mirabella sighed. “Do you understand how insane that is?”
“No one told me she’s dead. No one had to, Mira. She tried to kill you.” Catalina looked Mirabella in the eye. “Anyone ever tries to harm us, Gio won’t forgive. He won’t forget. He never does and never has. It’s not your fault or your concern. She’s gone.”
“Sophia came to see me. She knows that I’m Marsuvio’s daughter.”
“How?” Catalina asked.
“These people who fix our meals and change our linen. They have eyes and ears, Catalina. She knows. And she came to me begging for me to save her only child’s life.”
“Anthony?” Catalina asked.
“He’s working for the Mancinis. The kid’s about to disappear into their world. Our world.”
“There’s nothing you can do about that. It’s Mafioso business. Best to stay out of it.” Catalina waved the matter off.
“I won’t have any more blood on my hands. If I can help her—”
“You can’t,” Catalina said. “Giovanni wouldn’t bother with it no matter what you say to him, and… wait? Are you going to ask Armando to intercede? Giovanni would be livid. Never ask a favor from his enemy. The debt becomes Gio’s.”
“Enemy or my brother? I was born into this life, just like you. Too late to stay out of it now,” Mirabella said.
“Not exactly. Being a Mancini has no meaning to you. You married into this life, Mira. You’re a Battaglia. Period.”
Mirabella sighed. She cut her eyes and walked away.
“Mirabella? Mirabella!”
She left the kitchen and headed for her room. Suddenly her headache was gone.
The Party –
“How many people did you invite?” Mirabella whispered through a frozen smile. Marietta gave a single hand wave as if she were on a parade float alone. Mirabella scanned the faces of those applauding. Only a third of these people she recognized. Bulbs flashed in rapid succession blinding her. She squinted twice.
Marietta took the first step and Mirabella followed. Together they descended the stairs of the outside veranda to the lawns, where lanterns swayed in the breeze, and lights were strung up around white and blue tents. Mirabella had to pause over the exquisite draping of wild flowers in bloom under the moon and stars.
For the evening Mirabella had designed golden toga dresses that draped over one shoulder, had two front slits that reached up the thigh, and were long enough to cover their feet. The dresses tied snug around the waist with a golden rope sash. With their hair both styled in loose but long spiral curls, wildly picked out and pinned on the left side, they looked identical down to their lipstick choice. If it weren’t for the different skin tones between them she knew many would struggle to tell them apart.
“Bella,” Giovanni greeted Mirabella first. He took her hand and kissed her cheek. She blushed. Not from the attention, but from the adoration banked in his violet blue eyes. She smiled and hugged him, pressing her cheek to his.
“Attenzione!”
Lorenzo shouted down the applause.
The grand entrance was orchestrated by Marietta. But Lorenzo made sure to pull his wife close and address the crowd of partiers as the lord of the manor.
“I, and my beautiful wife, want to welcome you to our home. We celebrate! Together!” he said to another burst of applause. “Marietta and Mirabella are together. It is a miracle, a Battaglia miracle, that they have found each other. This is their celebration and announcement to the world. With family we are stronger! Always!”
“Cin-cin!”
Giovanni raised his glass. The crowd followed with their salute and toasted them. After the toast, they were rushed by well-wishers. Mirabella took her position at her husband’s side. Marietta and Lorenzo stood to the left of them. They received each guest and envelope of money with a smile and humility. So many had come to celebrate.
“Ciao, piccola.”
Carlo pressed in behind Shae. The moment she felt his erection against her backside, the muscles along her inner thighs tensed. He kissed her bare shoulder. Her hair was short enough, and here sleeveless dress granted him the privilege. She pretended not to like how gentle and pleasing his lips brushing against her skin felt. The kiss was a very brazen act. Shae sipped her champagne and observed the twins, hoping no one would notice.
“Come with me,” Carlo whispered with his lips only a centimeter away from her ear. “I want to give you something hard and stiff.” His hand slid across her midriff and she was drawn back into his chest.
“I can’t. Stop,” she chuckled.
“
Sei una ragazza aqua e sapone
,”
Carlo whispered in her ear. “I say you are a natural girl. You don’t need this dress, makeup. You smell so good. Let me take this off you.”
“Carlo, you’re so bad.”
“Andiamo,”
He took her hand and pulled her away. She was forced to go with him. It was then she glanced back, and to her dismay Marietta was now looking directly at them.
Through the sea of people Marietta saw them. Carlo leaned in and kissed her friend’s shoulder, then pulled her away. The intimacy between them didn’t appear new or awkward. In fact, in all the time she’d known Carlo, she’d never seen him whisper to another woman or touch her the way he did Shae. And when Shae glanced up and looked into Marietta’s eyes she knew.
“Marie, meet Frenchie. My old friend from Genoa,” Lorenzo swept Marietta closer.
Forced into a greeting she gave her pleasantries in Italian and listened to Lorenzo brag about his bachelor days with Frenchie, whose real name was Arlo Capriani. A man who loved French women so much he’d married French three times. Marietta tried once more to locate Shae and Carlo in the crowd, but they were gone. She fumed.
**
“Buon compleannu, Donna Mirabella,”
Armando said. Her brother had always appeared handsome, but in a tuxedo he was dashing. She was rendered speechless at the sight of him. Was he the image of their father? It was no wonder Lisa’s choices and life ended so terribly.
Armando leaned in and gave her a cheek kiss. He nodded to Giovanni out of respect, and then extended his hand. Mirabella observed her husband’s tolerant handshake. It was progress. Or at least she hoped it was.
“I’d like to give the sisters their birthday gift, in private. Before family only of course.” Armando said. “Dominic approved. Your men had it brought in to a private room for showing.” He pointed back to the villa. “Shall we?”
The others had moved on and were socializing. It appeared that Armando waited to be the very last one to extend his birthday wishes.
Mirabella was the first to speak. “I’d love to.”
She glanced to her sister and gestured for her to come closer. “I’ll get the family and we’ll all meet in the conservatory,” Mirabella said. “Gio, show him the way.”