Ti Amo (31 page)

“She doesn’t.” Dominic spoke up. “She’s taken to bed sick with worry.”

Giovanni sighed. “Today Dominic and my men will do a ride with you. Tour every spot he’s known to visit. Speak to everyone. If he doesn’t turn up in two days we will alert the authorities,” Giovanni said. He rose with Eve in his arms. He walked over to Franco’s father. “You need to rest. Let your sons handle the search, I promise you we will do whatever we can to find him.” He patted the elder gentleman’s shoulder. The man took his hand and kissed his ring. “Bless you Don Battaglia. Please find my son.”

“
Grazie,
Don Battaglia.” Junior and his brother’s all said in unison.

Eve dropped her forehead on his cheek, and he could sense her tiring. He left the men and their worry to Dominic. Giovanni couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly Dominic managed the lie.

Mira sat up in bed. The door opened and Giovanni stepped in with a sleeping Eve in his arms. She watched him curiously as he returned their daughter back to her room. “Where were you two?” she asked.

Giovanni shed his robe and tossed it aside, then removed his pajama pants. “She spent some time with her father,” he answered.

“Everything okay?”

“It is now,” he said easing under the covers with her. Mira slipped down under the blankets and moved in close to him. Giovanni folded his arms around her. She rested and soon let his embrace lull her back to sleep. A smile settled over her face. She appreciated the fact that he was such an active father. Giovanni truly valued his role in their daughter’s life. It was good for them both.

****

The ringing phone drew him out of his thoughts. Kei rose from the sofa and answered. “Why haven’t you called?”

“It takes time.” Cheung replied.

“No! Time is something we don’t have!” Kei kicked the chair in front of him.

“Something happen I should know about?”

Kei wiped a hand down his face. He spent every hour on the hour with a gun in his hand. He’s had to answer too many questions from the authorities. Just this morning the F.B.I. visited him and asked a few questions about the Verseci family out of Brooklyn, and somehow that conversation turned to Mira. One agent in particular by the name of David Muntz has had a hard-on for him since Mira’s supposed death. The tall burly man with greying temples and hard features didn’t buy his home invasion tale. Lucky for Kei the code of silence that mafia pig took made it easy to craft. He sat in a cell with a bullet in his leg, silent. This only meant Giovanni Battaglia would send someone else to finish the job.

“What is it?” Cheung asked.

“A hit. On me.”

“Interesting.”

“No! It’s not fucking interesting! You’ve been in Italy for several days now and not a word. What the fuck is going on?”

“Things are complicated. We have an ally. Tomorrow there is a meeting in Naples with Giovanni Battaglia. He will be dead before that meeting ends.”

“Then do it fast! I want Mira and my baby here by Christmas day!” he slammed the phone down. Kei sat in the chair and rested his .45 in his lap. He dropped his head back and released a deep sigh.

Chapter Thirteen

Giovanni barely had time for his morning shot of espresso before walking out of the door. He left his soon to be wife in bed asleep. To wake her would only delay him. Every morning he managed to make love to her before they started the day. Now with Christmas near he felt even more nostalgic about their ritual.

“
Buon giorno
,” Lorenzo said in a gruff voice as Giovanni slammed the door to the car and reclined the seat. Lorenzo drove around the parked cars in their drive and headed south. Two cars followed with four of his men in each. “Change of plans. I arranged for us to meet near the ruins of Trajan in Benevento. Tourism should be light, enough to keep the meeting civil.”

“Why there?” Giovanni asked.

“I can control the meeting when our enemies are unprepared.”

“You think he’ll fumble because of the change in location?” Giovanni asked.

“Don’t they always?” Lorenzo chuckled.

“
Perfetto
.” Giovanni nodded.

They travelled in silence along the narrow roads circling the cliffs out of Melanzana. Giovanni’s gaze remained fixed on the clear sky ahead. He couldn’t keep thoughts of Catalina from his mind. Every memory they’d shared as brother and sister surfaced. How could her life be reduced to this? Widowed, pregnant, in love with her stepbrother, the mere thought of it made him sick. Where did he fail her?

“I hear your thoughts.”

“Mind the road and not my thoughts.” Giovanni said bitterly.

“She will be okay, Gio.”

He closed his eyes. As hard as he struggled to believe what Lorenzo said, he could not. Catalina was sheltered, pampered. She never truly knew or understood the scorn they were subjected to being born Evelyn McHenry’s bastards. His leadership after his father’s death was constantly challenged. The Cammora afforded him the liberty to be his own man outside the traditions of the Mafioso. But he could feel that control fraying over the past two years. Now this family betrayal could ruin his credibility and weaken them all.

“Listen to me cousin. She’s strong. We should have seen this coming. You and I both knew she had a crush on Domi. We just never admitted to what we saw.”

He nodded. “True. If I think hard on the past years, I remember her crush, but I never believed he would encourage her.”

“Have you looked at her lately?” Lorenzo asked.

Giovanni frowned. He glanced to Lorenzo. “What the hell does that mean?”

“She’s a woman, Gio, a beautiful, smart, strong-willed woman. I’ve seen the way men look at her. So have you.”

“Shut up!”

“It’s true. She’s not a little girl anymore. You have to accept it.”

“I don’t have to do shit. She’s a married woman. Was! She
was
a married woman. Fuck! This conversation is over.”

Lorenzo chuckled. He slouched in the driver seat and continued to speed along the coast. Giovanni again fixed his attention on the void of blue sky ahead of them.

****

They’d started the search before dawn, and it was now close to noon. Dominic had to shower, and then he’d continue to lead the Minettis on a useless rescue mission. He walked out of the bathroom in his slacks, freshly shaven and prepared for the task. It wasn’t easy standing among the concerned brothers knowing how pathetically Franco begged for his life in the end. Maybe that’s why Giovanni stuck him with the task instead of being at his side during the meeting with Bonaduce. Cold bitter resentment swelled in his gut, and he grimaced.

He felt a presence in the room. His gaze lifted from the floor and connected with Catalina’s. She sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him. She looked lost and broken. He had himself to thank for that. Giovanni was her world and his respect meant a lot to her. What they did forever changed things between them all.

“
Ciao, bella
.”

“
Ciao
.”

Dominic tossed the towel he had roped around his neck during his shave. He approached the bed. “How are you feeling today?”

Her inability to look him in the eye pained him deeply. She kept her head down and her long locks shielded most of her face from view. Dominic sat next to her. He scooped her hair back and placed her soft locks behind her shoulder. “You can’t be in here, Catalina. We agreed to honor Giovanni’s wishes and stay apart.”

“We need to talk,” she said softly. Even now she had the sweetest, softest voice. One word from her and his convictions wavered. Her head lifted, and she looked at him with sincerity. He stared into her lovely eyes. He’d had many women, known quite a few, but Catalina was by far the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. She’d blossomed before his eyes. At seventeen her flawless skin, luscious curves, and thick dark brown hair captured the attention of every man in her presence. Giovanni was blind to it. Dominic never was. He’d even beaten a man on the staff ruthlessly with the butt of his gun for staring at her too long. Now she was here, broken and lost. It was his fault.

Catalina smiled.
“Ti amo, Domi.”
She touched his hand then drew hers away. “You shaved. The bruises aren’t as bad this morning. I’m so sorry Lorenzo hurt you.”

“I’ll heal.”

She nodded. “You know what I’ve always liked about your face. Your eyes.” She touched his brows. “Under these thick brows, they are so compelling. They have this lowered slant to them.” She brushed the tips of her fingers over his left eye. “And your dark lashes. You have dreamy eyes, Domi. That’s what you were for me since I was thirteen. Dreamy.”

“Stop.” He removed her hand from his face. “Don’t do this.”

She placed her hand in her lap. “It’s about the baby.”

Dominic waited.

“I lied.”

“I had to consider that it was a lie. I’m not surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised.”

“Forgive me.”

“I do.” He kissed her brow, and she eased her arm around his waist to hold him as they sat. “Gio sent Carmine to the store. He brought me back three different pregnancy tests. Three of them. I’m to take all three and bring them to Gio.” She dropped her head and cried. “He wants proof Domi. What are we going to do?”

“It’s okay.” He pulled her under his arm. Soon he’d be gone, and she’d mourn him. But he knew she’d get over it and possibly move on to someone more worthy of her. “I’ll handle Gio.”

“No. We have to try. I can stall Gio. I can convince Mira to do it. Did you see how she handled him? She’s really good, and she’s our friend. She understands our love. I’m thinking that we need to start trying to get pregnant immediately. I know I will be able to. I might already be. We didn’t use protection the other night. You never know.”

“It’s best we come clean with him and tell him the truth.”

“No!” She snatched away and stood. “You can’t. Gio is not a forgiving man. He’ll punish us!”

Dominic smiled. “He’ll do that either way. Right now all we have is Christmas.” Dominic brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Share it with me.”

Catalina smiled sadly and sat on his lap. “And after? After we will be together?”

He didn’t answer. He kissed her, and she drew him with her when she reclined on the bed. Her tongue swirling over his and her lush curves under him he took liberties he shouldn’t have. But he was a condemned man. There was nothing more to lose.

****

The day was much warmer. Giovanni looked up to the weathered stone steps of the Arch of Trajan. Its arc stood magnificently regal during Roman times and was carved of limestone. The sculpting engraved in the enclave and along the arch depicted victories and sacrifices. All of it drew tourism into southern Italy. The public setting should alleviate any stress Don Bonaduce had about entering southern Italy. If not, Giovanni didn’t give a shit. He was done with the old man’s interference. And since the last Calderone was now a charred corpse, he considered this meeting only a courtesy.

Giovanni started up the cobblestone path. Bonaduce watched his approach. He wore a fedora like his father used to wear. His sons were on either side. Giovanni squinted at the men and then cast his gaze over to Lorenzo who also took note of their smug stance. Something felt awry.

Cheung cursed under his breath. There was no plausible way he could get an accurate shot. The call came too late in the morning for him to properly scope out a good location. The arch was at least forty feet high. It had been preserved and set on display in a roped off park like area that was center to several traffic ways. Many of the hotels or businesses nearby were only three stories high and each would expose him considerably. Cheung finally decided his best option would be along via dei Rettori at hotel Villa Traiano.  He scaled the side of the building from the third story window with his sniper rifle strapped to his back. On the flat roof he set up his arsenal keeping low to the ground. The tripod and rifle were in position but the sun shone directly on him, and it meant his lens could cast a reflection. He had to make it quick to avoid being spotted. Cheung peered into the scope. Giovanni Battaglia was a tall broad shouldered man; he should be an easy target. The red crosshairs tracked the Battaglia’s as they parked and exited their vehicles. Giovanni, due to his height, was easily seen among the giants shadowing him. He wore a dark suit. He approached Bonaduce. Cheung fingered the trigger. Bonaduce said he’d draw Giovanni away from his men to give Cheung a clear shot. The chaos would be enough cover for him to slip away. All Cheung had to do was be sure not to miss.

“
Giovanni, come va
?” Bonaduce kissed Giovanni on the left then the right cheek.

“
Non mi lamento
.” Giovanni greeted Bonaduce in the familiar way. They had gathered before the roped off monument. The early hour left little traffic along via dei Rettori. Still Lorenzo and the others positioned themselves in a semi-circle, scanning the cars and the faces of Bonaduce’s men.