La Sposa Page 5

  Laughter exploded from the table as a player swept the cards up with a winning hand. Lorenzo frowned. Where the fuck was the kid? He scanned the faces of the others once more. As if delivered by the devil, Cheno suddenly appeared from the hall. He started walking toward him, running his zipper up after leaving the toilet. Lorenzo strolled up to him.

  “Salve.” Cheno stopped and greeted him. Before he could say more, Lorenzo shoved the kid back into the hall.

  “We need to speak,” Lorenzo said. He withdrew his gun. Cheno’s eyes lowered to the weapon. The mix of confusion and fear made him pale and stiffen.

  “What have I done?” Cheno asked.

  “In private we’ll discuss the matter. Go,” Lorenzo ordered.

  The young man, who mouthed off at nearly any and everyone, stammered his agreement. He had no choice but to turn and head to the back room. Lorenzo glanced back over his shoulder. Carlo exhaled two streams of smoke from his nostrils, observing him. No reaction registered on his friend’s face to Lorenzo with a gun. Maybe he could end the night without shedding blood.

  *****

  The massage concluded when she drifted to sleep. He didn’t mind. His job was done, and performed well. He cleaned her up and put away the soiled towels. Together they rested. He woke and ran his hand down her back and kissed her forehead. The warmth of her body and heavy blankets made the bed so comfortable, he nearly slipped back to sleep, when he heard a child’s whimper. Before his mind could register the source, his darling Eve let out a scream. His head lifted and so did Mira’s.

  “She’s not been feeling well, Giovanni. I’ll get her.” Mira rolled out of their embrace and reached for her robe.

  “No, Bella, let me. She needs to know Papa’s home.”

  Mira nodded and dropped back on her side. He kissed her forehead and left the bed. Finding his robe and pajama pants, he put them on, and went into his daughter’s room. Eve sat in her crib crying. The moment he stood over her, she wiped at her tears and sucked down her sobs. “It’s Papa, lucciola.”

  Eve picked up her pacifier and stuck it in her mouth. He lifted her from the crib and her arms immediately went around his neck.

  “Did you miss me?”

  Her small head lifted. She looked into his eyes with round beautiful ones that mirrored his own. Eve bumped her forehead against his. Giovanni laughed. He eased the pacifier out of her mouth. She frowned and stared at it in his hand.

  “Answer Papa. Did you miss me?”

  Eve blinked up at him and studied him for a moment. He had heard her speak when she played, but the damn pacifier always silenced her little voice. He’d loved to hear it tonight.

  “Did you miss me?” he pressed again.

  “Papa,” she said, and smiled.

  Giovanni laughed. He put her pacifier back in her mouth and she dropped her head on his shoulder. He held her to him, enjoying the welcome. Together they returned to bed. Mira had risen and put on her robe to cover her nudity. She had pulled back the blanket for them both. Giovanni eased in with his daughter, slipping fast to sleep against his chest. Mira scooted in closer. Eve dropped her hand over on to her mother’s cheek and patted it. His and Mira’s eyes met. Giovanni winked. She turned and reached to click off the night lamp and they returned to sleep.

  *****

  “Che cazzo dici? What the hell did I do?” Cheno asked as he continued to step back. His eyes never lifted from the weapon in Lorenzo’s hand.

  Lorenzo tapped the gun against his leg as he paced himself through the questioning. “When did the envelope arrive at Melanzana?”

  Cheno frowned.

  “Answer me!” he shouted.

  “I… it, ah, yesterday. It came yesterday.”

  “By who?”

  “A mail truck. It came with all the mail. I did what I do. I took your mail to your room and delivered the rest to Villa Rosso. I swear. That is all.”

  Lorenzo stepped closer. He stood a foot taller than the boy. He could smell the stench of booze and cigarettes on the breath he exhaled. What he didn’t smell was a lie. The kid didn’t know shit. It was stupid to think the punk would give him any fucking answers. He grabbed the boy by the throat. When Cheno gasped, he shoved the gun in his mouth so hard, the kid convulsed and nearly vomited. How he kept it under control, he didn’t know or care. Pressed against the wall, Cheno’s eyes were as large as his gaping mouth.

  “Any deliveries for me, you hold on to them. You see me directly. Understood.”

  The young man nodded his obedience.

  A door opened and closed. He knew they were no longer alone. He pulled the gun out of Cheno’s mouth and wiped the slob on the boy’s shirt. Cheno coughed and hacked down deep breaths of air.

  “Vai via!” Lorenzo ordered. And his command was obeyed. Cheno scrambled out of the room as fast as his feet could carry him. Lorenzo glanced back over his shoulder and locked eyes with Carlo. “Nasty business. No need to worry over it.”

  “You come in here and pistol whip one of my men? That gives me pause.”

  “I barely touched the kid.”

  Carlo eyed him with a hard, unwavering, lethal stare. Lorenzo waited.

  “You’re keeping something from me,” Carlo said.

  “Fatti cazzi tuoi! I can handle my own shit. Nothing for you to worry about.”

  “I never worry about you. I worry about us when you fuck up. And this smells like a fuck up. So I’ll ask you only once. What are you keeping from me?”

  Lorenzo swallowed his anger. He didn’t want to disrespect Carlo. He’d already done so by not greeting him when he arrived. Though Lorenzo outranked Carlo, they shared a mutual respect that was always honored between them. He wiped his hand across his mouth. Damn, he needed his friend. But how could he ever explain the deals he made with Giuseppe, or the role he had in Tomosino’s death? Carlo was loyal, but he took his vow to the Camorra seriously. He’d either turn Lorenzo in to Giovanni, or kill him himself. So there could never be any truth between them on this sin. He’d have to figure this shit out alone.

  “I can handle it. I always do.”

  Carlo looked him over once more. Then gave a single nod. “See to it then,” Carlo said.

  Lorenzo took that as his invitation to stay or leave. He chose to leave. He now only had to wait to see who was after him. And when he did find the fucker, he’d make him pay.

  *****

  Dreams, all of them violent, tormented him through the night. He woke to the sound of laughter, and relief filled him to know that he’d survived the nightmares. Giovanni squinted and waited for the dull ache in his skull to pass. There was tightness in his groin and his hand naturally moved under the covers to stroke his erection. Every morning he had one. He wished Mira had given him some relief last night. Though he felt hung over from exhaustion, he spread his other hand out across the sheet to reach for her. She wasn’t there.

  “Slow down, sweetie,” Mira chuckled.

  He glanced at Mira. She had breakfast brought up to the room. She sat on the chaise with Eve propped on her lap. Eve drank fast from her baby cup. Mira removed the cup of juice from their daughter’s lips and gave her the remainder of a half eaten croissant.

  “Morning,” Mira chirped.

  “Morning.”

  “She’s feeling better today. Has an appetite. Don’t you sweetie?” Mira chuckled.

  “Yes!” Eve exclaimed. She fell back on Mira, grinning. Giovanni eased up on the pillows, watching his girls. Mira was a good mother. She took the time with their daughter that often reminded him of his mother’s care with him.

  “What time do you plan to start your meetings?” Mira asked without looking at him. She fed Eve from her fork.

  “I’ll shower and go to Villa Rosso. I have some mail and calls to make before I meet with the family. I’ll come in for lunch, be at the table for dinner. I’m home, Bella, so don’t worry.”

  “I’d like to be the first.”

  “First? For what?”

  Mira stood.
“For a meeting.” She heaved Eve up in her arms. Had their daughter grown? She looked taller and a bit heavier. He tensed to see Mira balancing her weight on her hip, especially in her condition. But he held his tongue from the criticism. “I’ll bathe Eve and then get changed. Can you be sure to give me time?”

  “I don’t understand. We can discuss whatever you want now…”

  Without a backwards glance, Mira walked out of the room. Was she pissed at him? No. They had a sweet reunion last night, and he slept well with her and Eve. There wasn’t tension. Still the request seemed a bit off to him. Giovanni yawned. He had a very busy day. What time did he have to ponder the shifting moods of a woman? He tossed the sheet aside and left the bed. A fresh cup of cappuccino with cinnamon sticks waited for him on the tray. He picked up the paper and reclined on the chaise to read it.

  Later –

  Giovanni had all but forgotten the request from Mira. After he showered and met with a few men on the staff, he went to Villa Rosso and began to comb through the Capriccio business documents left for him by his attorney. It wasn’t until her soft knock rapped at the door, and his gaze lifted to her entering his office, did he remember she intended to meet with him. He paused at her attire. Mira wore cream-colored long wide-leg slacks with a royal blue silk blouse. Her golden accessories on her neck and wrist made her all the more elegant. She’d curled her hair and applied enough smoky dark tones of eye makeup and lip-gloss to complete the look. Mira appeared before him like the woman he met two years ago. Poised and composed. And in her hand, was a yellow folder.

  He rocked back in his chair and stared at her curiously.

  Mira fixed him with a serious look. “I told the others they can meet with you after we conclude our business.”

  “Business?”

  “Yes,” she smiled sweetly. “Mirabella’s. Our business.”

  She walked over to his desk and put the folder before him. She took a seat in the chair in front of his desk. “When you were gone, I had Teddy fax over the past two years of financial reports.”

  “Who the fuck is Teddy?”

  “I’ve told you who he is. These documents prove my company has had a fifteen percent revenue loss under three different head designers since Fabiana and I have been gone. However, there is good news. Get this. In the past few days, my sales have spiked about four percent. Typically, the chaos of a resurrection like mine would have affected the bottom line. But I think my return from the dead excited the market. Morbid, I know, but there it is in black and white. I was shocked when I read it.”

  “Complimenti, Bella.”

  She gave him the most beautiful smile. He hadn’t seen a smile like the one she wore for him now since he returned home. And he’d been looking for it.

  “There’s some bad news too, Giovanni. We currently have a head designer who is weakening my brand. I disliked her when we were peers in the industry, and I’m really pissed that Kei hired the witch. Apparently, he took plenty of liberties he shouldn’t have. I was too afraid of my own shadow to question him. I can’t blame him. I threw the company at him. That’s on me. Now I’m ready to correct that mistake.”

  Giovanni scanned the numbers she put before him and found that she was right. The company itself was worth a solid eight million. Impressive, since it was worth twelve million when she and Fabiana first arrived in Italy, and had probably been poorly managed by the China man. The few occasions he thought of Kei Hyogo, he cursed himself for letting the fucker live.

  “I’m thinking that the first thing we need to do is reclaim the company. With Kei under investigation in America, this may be a bit messy. Teddy already has my proxy. You can send Dominic. He can meet with him, and together, they can handle all the court matters.”

  “Really? That’s what you’re thinking?” Giovanni tossed her a challenging look.

  “Yes! Domi and Catalina should go together. I’ve been working with her the past few days. She can visit my office and meet with my staff. Or what’s left of my staff. Be my eyes and ears.”

  “Catalina doesn’t know shit about business.”

  “What she doesn’t know she can learn. A trip to America to work at my company will be good for her. I’ll stay here. We have our wedding and honeymoon. I wouldn’t miss that,” she smiled. He didn’t.

  Mira cleared her throat. “What I’m proposing is all preliminary, until we fully understand what else is needed to get my company back.”

  Giovanni sighed. “Bella.”

  “I know. Deciding in my favor for Dominic was hard for you. You wanted him gone. America, right? Well it’s the perfect solution for us.”

  He continued to listen but his patience grew even shorter with each passing minute.

  “I want my company. Do you understand? I want it! And hear me baby, it’s your company too. We are family now. Nothing that belongs to either me or you should be left to strangers to manage. Don’t you agree?”

  Her final question hit its target. He hadn’t considered the fact that the company was indeed his as well, when she became his wife. He needed legitimate avenues to wash the blood off some of his money. In fact, he had spent the morning combing through the Capriccio real estate deals in Milan. Giovanni looked down at the documents before him again with a renewed interest.

  “You ready for my terms, Giovanni?”

  “Let me hear them,” he said.

  Mira crossed her arms. “Two years after the baby is born, I resume the role as head designer. Eve will be four and the baby will be walking, and less needy. But until then, I will work to rebuild the team in America, from here of course. I decide who the head designer is, and everything under my label is approved by me. I want the time to learn my business, understand what Fabiana managed so well. That’s why sending Domi and Catalina is perfect.”

  “And what do I get out of this deal?” Giovanni asked.

  “Me. No resentment. I will be here, dedicated to you and the kids. Neither of you will see or hear the tedious business of running Mirabella’s. And of course, forty-percent of my assets will be transferred to you. I’ll maintain sixty-percent. Now admit it. Associating your companies with an American one like mine is a good idea. And tell me that making your future wife happy on the eve of your wedding isn’t a good idea?”

  Giovanni chuckled. There was no denying it. She had presented a solid deal. Still he discovered he had a secret jealousy over her company, and the powerful woman she once was. He imagined her return to her business could be managed well by her; but when years advanced on them, she’d probably be consumed with dressmaking, instead of growing his family and giving him more sons. He could see her now on the runway again, and his empty nights in bed alone. She’d fly across the world away from him. He’d be second and his kids third to her company. All of it was bullshit.

  “I have some terms of my own, Bella.”

  “Okay,” She nodded with an eager smile.

  “You will get thirty percent and I will retain seventy percent of your assets and future earnings.”

  “What the hell? Thirty percent? That makes no sense!”

  “It makes perfect sense to me. Let me finish.” Giovanni gave her a patient smile. “It’s my turn to be heard, it’s your turn to listen. Understood?”

  She sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

  He fixed his unwavering gaze on her. “I will handle the financial management of Mirabella’s. No decision in the company will ever be made without my approval. Agreed?”

  Mira chewed on her bottom lip. “What about a fifty percent split between us? Partners?”

  “No. Seventy percent in my favor, as will everything be in our marriage. Do you understand?”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s not balanced or fair.”

  “I have given you more power than any woman in the history of this family,” he said, and his voice rose above hers. “You were able to decide the life of a man. Now you may think that is something easily done. I assure you, Bella, it is not. You kept a lie betwe
en us and you ran away with my child. You decided our fate for two years and I had no input. That was neither fair nor balanced. Eve and I will never have those years again.”

  Her gaze slowly returned to his. “You said you forgave me for that.”

  “I’ll never forget. It’s a lesson for us both. We need to be honest here, Bella. We aren’t equal. That’s for your safety and mine. We aren’t partners in business matters. You have a voice and it will be considered, but now you need to respect my wishes. You don’t dictate anything to me. Ever.”

  She shook her head sadly. “I respect what your position makes you in this family. God knows I have convinced myself that this is normal and that I could be your donna. I did this based on nothing more than my love for you. But you are marrying an American black woman. We are different, Giovanni. If you wanted someone to behave the way you just said, you should have picked another bride.”

  “I wanted you.” He shot back.

  “It’s my company. I built it. You have to give me something more than this.”

  He sat back down in his chair. “Fine. You can educate me on the fashion business. Teach me what’s important and I’ll keep you informed of any decisions I make regarding financial matters in our company.”

  She forced a smile. “The hiring and firing of my staff? I know who has served me best in the past.”

  He nodded. “Decide on it.”

  “Any other conditions?” she asked, her voice tense.

  “Managing our family is your priority. We agree on this. You will not travel or put this company ahead of us, ever. When and if…”

  “If?”

  “If you return as the head dressmaker, any fashion events you do will only be where the family can attend with you. In other words, Bella, this fucking company will never be a factor in our marriage.”

  “It won’t be.” Mira agreed.

  “Oh? And I don’t want you on the runway. Ever.”

  Mira laughed. “I’m not asking to model.”

  “I saw you on the runway. Remember?” Giovanni asked.