Devious Little Lies (6 page)

Chapter Nine

Rena was in labor. She and Tony had barely been married ten months and already she was about to give birth to their first child. At thirty-one she was going to be a mother again. Tony was ecstatic, but then the birth of a boy always seemed to make a man extra proud. Rena couldn’t help feeling a perverse sense of pleasure that she was going to give him the one thing his saintly Giovanna never had. For months, sonograms had been the only glimpse they’d had of the life growing inside of her. But now they would finally see their son.

Her daughter, Tricia, had really not said much about having a new sibling. But then again, Tricia was at the awkward pre-teen stage when she couldn’t decide if she still liked her mother or not. Rena understood that it was all a part of growing up. While Tricia stayed with a friend as Rena labored to bring her new brother into the world, the expectant mother could only hope that once Tricia laid eyes on him, any resentment she felt would melt away.

“This fucking hurts,” Rena said.

“That’s why they call it labor, sweetheart. It’s not supposed to be easy.”

Rena glared at her husband. If he were standing close enough to her, she’d rip his balls off. It was his fault her insides felt as if they were being ripped apart. Eve had screwed women for all time by eating that damn fruit.

“Then how about next time we switch places. You can lay up here with your goods on display for all the world to see while a little elephant plays soccer with your insides.”

“Come on, baby. You’re doing great.”

Tony took a seat next to the bed and grabbed her hand. She squeezed back as hard as she could as another contraction ripped through her body.

“I hate you,” she said as the contraction waned.

“Then it’s a good thing I love us enough for the both of us, Rena.”

He offered her an easy smile. The happiness radiated from him, shining in his eyes. If she weren’t in so much damn pain, Rena might have been able to really enjoy the moment with him. But foolishly she’d opted out of an epidural under the mistaken belief that the birth of her second child would be easier than her first. Fool should be written across her head in large, bold letters. Fifteen hours had passed and hopefully soon their little bundle of joy would be in her arms.

“Good for you.”

“Rena, we’re going to have a baby. Muster up some enthusiasm. This should be one of the happiest days of our lives.”

“It is. It is. I just forgot how much being in labor hurts. I want to hold our son as much as you do.”

“It’s going to be over before you know it, love.”

“And when it is I want a push present out of this world.”

“A push present? What the fuck is that?” Tony asked raising a brow.

“When a woman has a baby, her husband is supposed to give her some lavish gift as a thank you for all of the pain and agony she suffered through to give him a child.”

“What do you want? A new car? Some jewels?”

“Surprise me.”

Tony started to say something but was cut off by the sound of the monitors beeping. Rena glanced at the one closest to her. The green lines that had been bouncing up and down the whole time she’d been hooked up were now suddenly flat lining.

“Tony?”

A nurse barged into the room. She took one look at the monitor and stepped outside, hollering down the hallway. Rena looked at Tony and fear started to creep slowly into her heart.

“Calm down, Rena,” he said trying to soothe her.

She sat up straighter in the bed and then nearly folded in half as a contraction one hundred times the force of all the others she’d experienced hit her. A scream erupted from her throat.

“Somebody get the fuck in here!” Tony yelled, rising from his seat beside her.

A nurse ran into the room, followed by her doctor. He took his stethoscope and pressed it to her stomach listening. A frown formed on his face. The nurse was on the other side of Rena taking her vitals. Rena tasted fear, heavy and acidic in her mouth before she screamed as another massive contraction tore through her body.

Dr. Rhimes yelled at the nurse. “Tell them to get the OR prepped now. Not a minute to lose.”

The nurse ran from the room and Tony grabbed the doctor.

“What the fuck is going on? Somebody talk to us.”

“The baby’s heartbeat is gone. We need to do an emergency Caesarian.”

Tony’s eyes flew to hers, but Rena’s face was frozen. Dr. Rhimes patted Tony on the shoulder and raced from the room. Tony dropped to the seat beside her bed and reached for her.

“We can’t lose him,” she whispered.

“We won’t.”

He said it with such conviction that she believed it. Nothing was going to happen to their son. The machines had to be malfunctioning and if they weren’t, the doctor would get the baby out in time to save him. They had to.

But less than twenty minutes later there was no need for a C-section. Rena gave birth and Tony’s howls of grief were enough to peel the paint from the walls. Umbilical cord wrapped around his neck four times, and too deprived of oxygen, their son was dead. His face was blue when he came out. CPR was a futile effort. Dr. Rhimes held their lost little boy in his arms.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Why did this happen? How?” Rena asked through broken sobs.

Her son looked so perfect lying in Dr. Rhimes’s arms. Dark hair like both his parents, with her unique coloring. He was an angel. An angel, God had decided to take back to heaven.

“He kept moving and every time he did the cord wrapped tighter around his neck until it cut off his oxygen,” Dr. Rhimes explained.

“But why? Why did this happen to my baby?”

Rena could barely see through the tears as the doctor shook his head before wrapping their son up in a blanket and covering his face.

“Only God knows.”

His voice, barely a whisper sent her into hysterics and she turned away, curling up into a ball unable to face Tony or the world. Giving in to her grief, she let it wash over her like a tsunami wrecking everything in its path. From somewhere deep inside she heard Tony and Dr. Rhimes speaking. They were making arrangements for the baby.

“My priest. He’s going to be baptized before…before…”

Tony broke down again and she tuned him out as she sank further into despair. Her cries filled the room and she clutched her chest, unable to understand how a God that had given so much could take away an innocent child. Tearing at her face, she was suddenly strapped down as a nurse injected something into her IV. She fought them. This wasn’t what she wanted. All she wanted was her son, but soon she saw and heard nothing. Oblivion claimed her.

* * * * *

Wiping tears from her face, Rena tried to compose herself. Why was she remembering the most painful day of her life? Baptized Reno Gabriel Rosetti before he was laid to rest, her son would have been nine now. Nine years old and full of life. Instead, he lay on a cold stone slab inside the Rosetti family mausoleum. Out of sight and forgotten by everyone except her.

She glanced at her phone and the truth dawned on her. Today would’ve been her son’s birthday. July thirteenth. The knowledge hit her like a ton of bricks.
His fucking birthday. Dear God. Sweet God.
Grief hit her all over again.

“We need to make a couple stops before we head home,” she managed to say.

Cesare glanced at her in the rearview mirror before quickly looking away. “Where to?”

“I need to get flowers and then I need…I need…”

Her voice trailed off as she tried to pull herself together.

“You need what, Rena?”

“I need to go see my son.”

Not a word left Cesare’s lips as he turned at the next intersection, but Rena knew he understood. Every day she had to be the tough as nails broad no one wanted to cross. A mob boss’ wife who was untouchable. But today…today she was simply a mother grieving the child she’d lost. For now everything else had to wait.

* * * * *

From a distance he watched undetected. To anyone that unexpectedly happened to pass by, there was nothing about him that screamed threat. He was just a regular person out walking, but someone more observant might recognize the picture he presented was just a façade. He was strolling through a cemetery, one of the most private ones. It would be well and fine by itself if he weren’t following a visibly distraught woman.

He couldn’t help but to feel like a voyeur of the foulest degree as he watched her, tears streaming down her face behind dark shades. She carried a bouquet of simple white orchids. They seemed so out of place with the extravagance around them, but that said something about the woman. Something he was reading too much into.

A man walked with her. His reputation preceded him and because of that the man was aware that he needed to remain hidden. The last thing he needed on his covert operation was to be found out. He was green. So damn green that his heart still twitched as he watched the woman continue to cry. He knew he couldn’t let her tears get to him. He needed to toughen up in the worst way because the path he had to follow would lead to bloodshed, more tears, and destruction. By the time he was done he was certain that he would wish for the days when a few tears affected him.

The woman stopped walking and took a shuddering breath before she withdrew a key and opened a set of bronze doors. The man patted her on the back as he said something to her, but from his vantage point he couldn’t hear. She nodded and inside she disappeared, while her companion closed the doors and kept watch. It seemed that grief was an all too human emotion for everyone, criminals included. So for now it was time for him to take his leave. After all, the time would come soon to meet his mark.

Today his job was done and as he walked away it was with the knowledge that the game was in play and in a foundation that appeared solid, he had found his crack. A crack when hit the right way would send everything tumbling down around it. It was time to get his hammer.

Chapter Ten

Sleep eluded her like a weight goal that could never be reached. Tossing and turning for hours, Rena turned on the TV for background noise but hardly listened. Her mind was elsewhere. Visiting her son’s grave had really torn her open all anew. Though it had been nearly a decade since she lost him, fresh pain hit as soon as she saw his name engraved on the stone that hid his body. Her only son. The closest chance she’d ever gotten to be a mother again.

Rena had no idea how long she’d stayed inside the mausoleum touching his engraved name and crying. It had been painful, yet cathartic and she knew that as long as she could still feel the pain of his loss, he would never be forgotten. At least not by her. She couldn’t say the same about his piece of shit father. Tony hadn’t called and Rena couldn’t wrap her mind around how he could have forgotten their son’s birthday. Whenever the bastard did decide to call, she was going to give him a piece of her mind and it was not going to be pretty.

The man was in prison for fuck’s sake. It wasn’t like he had anything to do. She pushed thoughts of her husband away as her face grew warm with anger all over again. She didn’t have time to let him ruin her day, especially when she’d accomplished so much during her sleepless night. Looking through her manager’s impressive proposal, she’d made a few notes of her own before moving on to studying the dossiers of the ten men that would be meeting with her this morning. While she was fairly certain who would be the best fit, meeting the men would likely seal the deal.

Her late night insomnia had also yielded some new sketches, something she hadn’t done in a long time. It had felt good to have the creative juices flowing and remind herself that she was more than just a mob wife. She had talents and drive that could carry her into so many other avenues once she had her husband’s business settled. Now standing in front of the mirror, Rena tried to diminish the puffiness around her eyes. Today she couldn’t appear to be a tired, bored housewife. She had to be something else.

A boss in every sense of the word.

A woman who could command the respect of a group of men so tough they slit throats without blinking.

That would not be an easy feat for anyone, but when Rena put her mind to something she got it done. It was important that they respected her as not just Tony’s wife, but as the equal strong enough to stand in his stead. Applying the very little used concealer around and under her eyes, Rena carefully blended it in an effort to hide her battle with insomnia. When she was finally satisfied, she applied kohl liner, mascara, and a touch of smoky eye makeup to make her eyes pop. Like gray steel, her eyes were sharp, strong, and deadly. She topped off the look with vibrant red lipstick before pulling the hot curlers from her hair.

Her raven hair tumbled down her back in large, loose curls. Rena studied herself in the mirror and once again was grateful for good genes. Clad in only a lacy black bra and panty set, she was ready to face the world. Leaving her bathroom, a few steps led her to her large walk-in closet. There were more clothes and shoes inside than she could possibly ever wear. A perk of having money.

Less than five minutes later, she was ready. A black Versace wrap dress accentuated her cleavage, lace up Manolo’s and a matching wide-brimmed hat offered just a hint of mystery. Rena twirled in front of the wall length mirror inside her closet. She looked amazing.
Now it’s time to do business.
Stepping back into her bedroom, she glanced at the black clock on the wall before grabbing her portfolio and heading downstairs.

Rena took leisurely steps down the white marble hallway that led to the large formal dining room that no longer was used. Once upon a time Tony would have meetings in there. It was another reason why she would be having her own meeting there. It was symbolic. A passing of the torch that she hoped would go well. She was well aware that she could be in way over her head. Just an ambitious woman with no real idea of all the years of precedence she was trying to overturn. But without change all empires crumbled and fell. And with the Feds locking up men in “the life” left and right, now could be the time for the women of
Cosa Nostra
to take charge. Rena was ready to do just that.

She stood outside the large, white and glass French doors that lead to the dining room. She smelled food and that could only mean Cesare had been busy since his arrival earlier this morning. Opening the doors, she smiled as she watched Cesare carefully rearranging everything on the long black marble table that was large enough to easily seat twenty.

“Wow. Looks like you’ve been busy. This looks good,” Rena said.

He faced her and his mouth fell open before he quickly closed it. She couldn’t help the small bubble of laughter that formed in her throat.

“Something wrong?”

“No. You look…amazing if you don’t mind me saying so, ma’am,” Cesare finally said.

“Amazing like someone to be taken seriously or amazing like I want to take this woman to bed?”

Cesare’s face turned a slight shade of red as he pulled at the collar of his navy blue dress shirt.

“Well…I, um… I mean…both.”

Rena smiled before taking a seat at the head of the table. “Good answer.”

“Thank you. Is everything to your liking?”

“Let’s see: Fruit tray, muffins, croissants, scones, gourmet breakfast sandwiches, orange juice, apple juice, this says to me you’re welcome but don’t get so damned comfortable you can’t pay attention. Good choice.”

Rena turned her chair and glanced at the massive window behind her that showcased an impressive view of the Olympic-sized pool in her backyard. The clear, blue water looked cool and inviting. Perhaps after her meeting, she’d swim a few laps to decompress from everything going on.

“I’m glad you approve. I figured if I pulled out the heavy spread they were likely to be concentrating on stuffing their faces instead of listening to what you have to say.”

“And you’re probably right. Just make sure when you bring them in, you put five on each side of the table. I don’t want anyone thinking they are more important. This is a level playing field.”

“Really?” Cesare asked.

“As far as they know and that’s what matters.”

The doorbell rang and Rena leaned back in her chair doing her best to calm the brand new butterflies floating around in her stomach.

“I’ll get that,” Cesare offered.

“Thank you.”

Rena appreciated his gesture as a sign of respect and power. A boss didn’t open his own door. Someone else did it for him. Sitting as if she didn’t have a care in the world, portfolio closed in front of her spoke volumes.

Cesare came back into the room with all ten men trailing behind him. It was a good sign that the men had all shown up on time. Obviously no one wanted to be looked at as a disrespectful straggler. She remained seated as he directed them to their seats. None of them sat. They all turned to Rena with expectant looks on their faces. She quickly took stock of them. As her eyes roved over her visitors, Rena was well aware that they all were sizing each other up while still devoting the bulk of their attention to her. She wondered what they were thinking. Clearing her throat she was ready to find out.

“It is an honor to be invited into your home, ma’am.”

The thanks came from Carmine Luchese, a thirty-three-year-old soldier of Alfonso Caseolla, one of Rena’s targets. With dark black hair slicked back, chocolate brown eyes with noticeable dimples and a beautiful olive complexion, Carmine looked like he should be modeling instead of being in the mob. But his playboy good looks disguised a skilled assassin who had pulled off more than twenty successful hits in his seven years as a soldier. That was nothing to sneeze at with the Feds on a mission to crack down on organized crime. An unmarried ladies’ man who lived for his work and undercover computer geek, Carmine might just be the kind of guy Rena needed.

She rose and extended her hand. Without hesitation he kissed the large onyx stone on her right hand. Their eyes met and though Rena was impressed, she did her best to school her features. He’d kissed her ring like she was an ordained don. That gesture combined with his impressive resume had shot Carmine just a step above the other men in the room. The rest of the men had better step up or they would leave as they came…soldiers.

“You’re welcome. All of you please be seated. Enjoy the refreshments.”

They all nodded towards her and took their seats, except for Carmine, Rico Provachi, and Luis Malvadanado.

“May I?” Rico asked. He stepped forward and motioned to Rena’s chair.

She nodded and allowed him to pull the chair back so that she could take her seat. Only when she was sitting did Rico, Carmine, and Luis take their own seats. Rena studied Rico. He was somewhat of an anomaly in the mafia. Though it was unspoken knowledge that anyone could be a soldier as long as he was at least half-Italian from his father, the number of soldiers of other races besides Italian were slim to none, much less Latin American.

Twenty-seven and the son of a retired soldier, Salvador, who worked for Tony for many years ago, it seemed Rico was following in the family business, while trying to carve out his own niche. Rico was a weapons expert that you would never see coming. Trained in some of the best martial arts in the world, he was just the type of muscle she could use if things ever went sour for her. But most of all, he was hungry to prove himself and move up the chain of command. Most importantly he was still fresh enough in the business that his loyalty was at its highest.

Rena waited until they started to eat before she spoke. “I know that many of you may be wondering exactly why I asked you all to this meeting. All of you present have been vetted as the best of the best. Men worthy of respect, competent in your work, and most of all, loyal to my husband. And right now he needs your support, more than ever as new threats rise from within and outside the organization.”

“From within?” Luis asked.

Rena shifted her attention to Luis. Forty years old, Luis had been with Tony since he took over from the last boss. His loyalty was without question, but Luis’s greatest talent was his ability to gather information. Laid back with salt and pepper hair and a kind face, he was inconspicuous and the perfect person to go undercover when you needed to know something. But Luis was from the old guard so Rena knew that he more than anyone would be resistant to hear the rest of what she had to say.

“Yes. It seems that there is some disloyalty among the ranks and it needs to be snuffed out immediately.”

The room became silent. The men looked at one another, eyes furrowing with confusion before they looked to her again.

“I heard things have been a little rougher than the boss would like, but disloyalty? I don’t see that happening,” Luis said.

Rena offered him a tight smile. “I’m glad that you have such faith in the organization as a whole and the men you work with, but it seems that some of your
capos
don’t feel the same. After being given an important part in keeping the family together, they’ve decided to bite the hand that has fed them for so long. Though Tony is not present, he is still the boss of this family and in his stead he has authorized me to get to the bottom of exactly what is going on, and for that I need your help.”

“What exactly are you asking?” Joseph Salazar asked.

“Tony wants conclusive proof that implicates those who have betrayed him. Whether it’s a money trail showing them skimming off the top, consorting with our enemies, or funneling money into activities Tony does not approve of. Whatever it is he wants to know about it. Being a
capo
in the Rosetti Family is a privilege you have to earn and when you no longer are worthy of that privilege, you will be replaced.”

“Who are we supposed to be looking at? Can you at least give us that?” Marco Giacomo asked.

“No. You are all industrious gentlemen and all of you should have been in this business long enough to be able to catch a rat. Find that rat and bring him to me.”

“And then what?” Carmine asked.

Rena leaned back in her chair. “Then I’m going to have the motherfucker’s head on a platter and you’ll take his place.”

Cesare nodded and Rena waited for the men to respond to what she’d said. It was up to them to decide if they were man enough to face the challenge.

“A coup,” Rico said.

“How can it be a coup when I have the power to do whatever I want? In this pyramid I’m at the top with my husband and what we want we get. Now, if none of you has the balls to stand up and help me protect everything that Tony has built, then maybe you’re not the men I thought you were.”

“What about Victor?” Anthony Romano asked.

“Right now Victor is dealing with a crisis in his family. His mind is not on protecting our family and regardless of the circumstances I cannot have that. So I charge all of you to think about where your true loyalty lies. I am a queen protecting my king. Are you soldiers willing to protect the kingdom? Or do I need to look elsewhere? Think about what I said and keep your mouths shut about what was spoken of here today. If anything gets back to me as the old timers say, ‘Your ass is going to be swimming with the fishes.’”

Threat made, Rena rose from the table. The men followed suit and nodding they filed out one by one. Cesare followed to escort them out of the mansion. Alone Rena sat and picked up an apple cinnamon muffin, taking a large bite. As she chewed, she replayed the meeting over in her mind. Leaving the betrayers anonymous would give the men objectivity. If they decided to do as she asked, then everyone was a suspect and would be treated as so, leading to what she hoped would be more conclusive results.

When Cesare returned minutes later, she’d finished her muffin and was reaching for another one. He started to put away what food was left from the meeting.

“You did well, ma’am.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

He stopped and stared at her before nodding. “Yes. The boss would be proud.”

“Then why don’t I feel more confident? If anything I’m starting to wonder if some of those men are a bunch of pussies. Asking about Victor? I’m sorry but who gives a fuck. I’m the boss’ wife. I pull rank.”