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  “Zia…”

  “Let me finish.” Zia put up a hand. “He will never be the man to consider you an equal. And if I know Giovanni, he has already expressed this to you. He is always honest with himself and the people he cares about.”

  She nodded in agreement.

  “No matter what he promises you, he won’t make you his partner in life. He lives a different life, Mira. This you need to accept now, or admit to yourself that you don’t. Because our Gio will not change. And if you love him you won’t expect him to.”

  “He expects me to change.”

  Zia nodded.

  Mira sighed. “I guess I already have. I just don’t know when I changed. Was it when I agreed with Fabiana to date him? Come here? Was it when Fabiana died, or when I had Eve?” She looked to her daughter. “At some point I’ve changed, and I can’t explain why.”

  Zia smiled.

  Mira forced a smile. “Well he’s agreed to reclaim my company. I’m happy about that.”

  “That’s because there’s something in it for him. Right?” Zia asked.

  Mira chewed on her bottom lip. She nodded.

  Zia nodded. “I know you were a powerful woman. I see it on the television. I read it in the papers. You and your friend came to Italy for something different than you found. If you want to run your company and become this,” she waved her hand gesturing around the sewing room. “Then like anything in your marriage your husband doesn’t understand, you must convince him it is not a threat to him. Understand? Let him think you make pretty dresses for fun,” Zia grinned.

  Mira chuckled. “Don’t worry, he already thinks that.”

  Zia laughed.

  Rosetta walked out and the women froze. Mira couldn’t believe how beautiful the dress’s bodice appeared with the addition of the hand sewn in lace and beading. “Sei bellissima!” Mira clasped her hand over her mouth. “Sei bellissima!”

  Zia pointed at the raggedy hem. “But you are not finished.”

  “No, it’s not done. Almost. Let’s work on the hem and train. Step over there, Rosetta.” Mira instructed. Mira whirled around and gathered the material needed and hurried over. Eve raced after her, crying for attention. Thankfully, Zia took hold of her daughter and lifted her into her arms. Mira’s hands trembled. She was so excited.

  “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn.” Rosetta said, smoothing her hand down the front. “You are amazing.”

  “Thank you.” Mira dropped to her knees.

  “I would have loved to have a daughter to see her wedding day.” Zia mused, bouncing Eve on her hip.

  Mira glanced up with pins in her mouth. She spit out a few. “Do you have any kids, Zia?”

  The old woman’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “My boy’s name was Arturo. He was a good handsome boy, just like my Rocco.”

  “Was?” Mira asked, pinning the hem where she’d sew in the seam.

  “He died at eleven. It was a terrible accident. The pain of it nearly killed me, and my poor Rocco still blames himself,” she said, touching Eve’s hair and stroking her face. The little girl hugged Zia’s neck and pressed her cheek to Zia’s. “Children are a gift from God. When you can see your body grow with life and give birth to a little person, it’s as close to heaven a woman can get in this life. We as mothers are to protect them. Make sure they come first above all the others, even our selves. To lose a child is the worst thing a mother can experience. That’s why being a mother is the most important job. Yes?”

  Mira winked. “Yes.”

  The door flew open. “Mira!! Sono felice—” Catalina exclaimed. Everyone looked up. Catalina glared directly at her cousin, her face burning red with rage. “What the hell is she doing here?”

  *****

  “While in Bologna, it was agreed that Calderone’s assets now belong to us without any protest from Bonaduce or the Ndrangheta.” Giovanni informed both men. “The paperwork was drawn by the attorney handling the Calderone estate. Since there are no living heirs, the discussion concluded rather quickly.”

  Dominic was the only one who wore a look of surprise. “What did the Ndrangheta want in return for their generosity?”

  Giovanni reclined. They referred to their organizations without naming the men who ran them. Bonaduce was just one of three that led the Ndrangheta. The approval would have to be unanimous for Giovanni to take over territory in the Northern townships. He locked eyes with Dominic. “I agreed to allow the Bonaduces access to our shores. They requested approval to conclude business deals they have with the Nigerians and Russians, who are both enemies of ours. So we will need to be careful.”

  “Incredibile! The Russians killed Tomosino and now we are to suck their dicks?” Lorenzo spat in disgust.

  Giovanni laughed. “I will trust you and Carlo to decide how friendly we will be during this transition. You want to lead cousin. Lead.” He glanced to Dominic. He didn’t want to explain himself, didn’t feel the need to, but there would come a time when they’d both have to understand that his desire to legitimize the family was even stronger now. Bella had presented him the key this morning with her business. It would be the first. Flavio was negotiating deals out of Sicily with America. The Nigerians, Russians, and Albanians were here in Italy. He wouldn’t waste time in trying to eradicate them. Instead, he’d become larger than them all. The Irish would deal with no one, not even the Sicilians, only him. That was his leverage. Gun trafficking was his business. But all of the other shit they could have. And he needed a legitimate way to make it happen.

  “Are we still in business with the Irish?” Dominic asked. The young protégé had a way of reading Giovanni’s thoughts without them being voiced. A valuable talent for a consigliere, a title he no longer held.

  “Yes. We are very much still in the gun business.” Giovanni switched his attention to Lorenzo. “I want you to return to Milan. Caruso Capriccio has died. He and Don Calderone were in deals with me before Giuseppe and the war turned everything to shit. Now that Caruso is dead, his debt belongs to his son.”

  “David?” Lorenzo asked.

  “Yes. You and David have unfinished business. There are some warehouses in Milan that he hasn’t signed over to me. I want those warehouses. Silvio Negali sent me the total value. They will serve us well.”

  “Are we going to send our product there? Instead of Napoli?”

  “No. Bella intends to bring her company back to Italy and sign it over to me. We’ll need a place for the manufacturing offices. Milan is perfect. This is all to be legitimate, Lorenzo. Silvio will assist. Find out who the third player is in this Capriccio mess and neutralize him.”

  “Che cazzo?” Lorenzo frowned. “Third player? I thought it was David Capriccio we are dealing with?”

  “Silvio will explain. There are some legal matters that Caruso battled with before he died. Can you handle it?”

  “I’ll leave tonight.”

  “The wedding?” Dominic asked. “The wedding is in two days.”

  “I’ll be back in time for the wedding.” Lorenzo headed to the door. “We’ll talk again soon, Gio.”

  Giovanni waited until they were alone. He then looked to Dominic. “You and I have a lot to discuss.”

  “Am I to be consigliere again? I know it’s a position of trust, Gio. Give me the opportunity. I can prove myself. You’re making moves to legitimize the family again. Giving the Ndrangheta access to our territory, even if it is limited, it’s risky. You need me on this one, Gio.”

  “No. I will tell you what I need.” Giovanni opened the drawer and removed a tiny velvet box. He set it on the desk. He tapped a finger on the closed lid. “This is what I need.”

  Dominic frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Me either. Last night, when I returned home, I found this in Bella’s makeup bag.” He opened the lid. “It’s a child’s bracelet. The one I had retrieved after a purse snatching two years ago. Take a look at it.”

  Giovanni rocked back in his chair. Dominic ro
se and reached for the box. Their eyes met. He removed the bracelet and fingered the lettering.

  “Turn it over. Look at the clasp.”

  Dominic did. He held it up at the light and squinted. “Del Stavio?”

  Giovanni narrowed his eyes. “Bella doesn’t know anything about her parents. All she knows is her junkie mother died after her birth. And that her father gave her that bracelet.”

  “Del Stavio?” Dominic frowned.

  “Exactly. Last night, I couldn’t recall the insignia, but it came to me when I woke. How the hell did the private jeweler to the Dons of Sicily make a bracelet for my Bella?”

  “Did you ask her?”

  Giovanni considered questioning Mira. But he knew she wouldn’t deceive him. Her innocence in this was solid. Still, the mystery burned at his gut. The five Dons of Sicily used Del Stavio only until his betrayal of one of them put a bullet in his skull. Which made the jewelry priceless to men like him. Something as personal as a child’s charm bracelet had to be requested by one of them. But why would a black American orphan have such a rare lavish gift bestowed upon Sicilian children?

  “This makes no sense, Gio. Are you sure she doesn’t know its origin?”

  He slammed his fist on the desk. “Don’t question her loyalty. You of all people! I said she doesn’t know.”

  “Of course, Gio. I wasn’t questioning her. It’s just, well it’s rare to have an American given something out of the inner circle. Especially a bracelet like this one. And she is… she’s different than us. For her to receive this as a child, it’s strange.”

  Giovanni relaxed. “I agree. That is why we will solve this mystery. You want to earn my respect, then start here. Take Catalina after the wedding and go to America. Catalina will spend her days in the dress company doing whatever errands Bella wishes. You will find out who Bella’s mother was and who her American father is. Don’t return from America without this information.”

  “Where do I begin the search?”

  Giovanni considered it. “Santo can be of use, he has family and contacts in the States. I’ll speak with Bella. Get the name and dates of what she knows of her family. She is going to give you her proxy. Right now, she trusts a man named Teddy. That will change. The proxy will provide the proper end roads with her attorneys to pull up everything on her past.”

  “Okay. Maybe it was a gift to her American father when she was born. It’s not uncommon to have something like this done for an associate. A black man wouldn’t be part of the Sicilian mafia, but he could be made an associate. He’d serve as a go-between to keep the heat off the actual members of the Borgata.”

  Giovanni nodded that it was plausible. “In America, blacks are sometimes given jobs in the Mafioso. It’s rare, but I hear it happens. However, this feels different to me. When Bella first came to America she had the backing of Mancini. He put her in my business. That old Don never interferes with my business. Now this? I don’t like it.”

  Dominic nodded. “Neither do I.”

  *****

  “Why is she here?” Catalina seethed. “Vattene!”

  “What is wrong with you?” Mira rose to her feet.

  Rosetta wore a teasing smile on her full lips. “She hates me, Donna. Always has.”

  Catalina pointed at the dress Rosetta wore. “I was going to help you. Me. You said I could, why let her try on your dress? She isn’t worthy.”

  “Enough!” Zia shouted. Even Eve went still. “You two are cousins, famiglia! Enough of this bickering and jealousy, it ends now. Catalina, apologize.”

  “What? Me? Why should I?”

  “Apologize now!” Zia demanded.

  She looked to Mira with shock, and then to Rosetta with disgust. “Cheido scusa.”

  Mira felt a headache forming. She had little time or patience for this. Catalina disappointed her with these tantrums. Here she was trying to groom her to be a strong ally, and she could barely be in the room with a rival?

  “Rosetta, please take the dress off,” Mira said in an exasperated tone.

  The young girl nodded and stepped down gingerly to undress.

  Catalina approached Mira. “Forgive me. I was surprised. Rosetta is, ah, we don’t get along.”

  “I have no time for this, Catalina. I have to finish this dress.”

  “I can help,” Catalina chirped.

  “Me too!” Rosetta insisted before going into the changing room.

  Mira closed her eyes and sighed. “I don’t need the aggravation. I have delicate work to finish.”

  “Let them help, Mira.” Zia volunteered. “It’s time they learned to work together. After all, we are family.”

  Mira glanced around at the women in the room. This was her new family? Oh how she would miss Fabiana. The girls stared at her with hopeful eyes. She relaxed a bit. “Okay. I can use the help. But no fighting. This is a joyous task. We’re making my wedding dress.”

  “Yes! We can do it, can’t we, Catalina?” Rosetta said sweetly.

  Catalina forced a smile. “I’m sure we can try.”

  *****

  Dominic rose from his chair, a bit hesitant to leave the conversation empty handed. In his heart, he hoped for more with Giovanni. This errand seemed so menial compared to all that they would need to do if the Ndrangheta was moving in on the territory. Still, there were no end roads. “I’ll go and make some calls to Santo and our attorneys. I need to know who this person Teddy is that I will work with in America.”

  Giovanni didn’t answer. Defeated for now, Dominic turned and started for the door.

  “Domi.”

  He waited for his Don to speak. He cast his gaze back over his shoulder.

  “Catalina is young, a child. You’re like a shiny new toy to her. Do you remember how excited she’d become when we brought her home new toys?”

  Not understanding the question, Dominic turned and nodded that he did.

  Giovanni’s smile was absent of warmth. He narrowed his gaze on Dominic. “Do you remember how quickly she became bored with them?”

  This time, Dominic understood the question, and he felt his stomach sour. He was a man after all, and he had his pride. He wouldn’t be able to tolerate Giovanni constantly going for his balls. He had to defend himself. Giovanni continued. “We want what we can’t have. Forbidden fruit. It’s how I felt when I first saw Bella. Her dark skin, feisty attitude, beauty, and fame. No one would believe she’d become mine, not even her. When she rejected me, the desire to have her burned like a hot coal in my chest. Made me reckless and relentless. That burn to have her, control her, it’s still there when she struggles against her conscience over the life she has accepted with me. The difference is, I will be satisfied when she becomes my wife. I think it’s a matter of maturity. To appreciate the gift she has given me with my children.”

  “We both appreciate your generosity, Gio. I love Catalina. When she makes me a father and a husband I will continue to love her.”

  Giovanni smirked. “But will she outgrow you? One day, you won’t be that shiny new toy. Possibly the same day, my Bella will understand her place in this family, and why disloyalty is never to be forgiven. When that day comes, neither she nor Catalina will question how I resolve the betrayal between us brothers. What will you do then when I come for you?”

  The threat crushed him. One look into Giovanni’s violet blue eyes and he knew the truth. The man he respected, and worshipped, now loathed him. They would pretend at civility, and Giovanni would assign tasks to him. But he was no longer a man to be included in the inner circle. Unless he found a way to convince Giovanni that his betrayal was not greater than the unwavering loyalty he had for him and the family. It would be a miracle if Giovanni ever made him consigliere again. Good thing for Dominic, he believed in miracles. Having won Catalina’s heart was proof they did exist. Dominic swallowed the sob in his throat and made sure to blink away any tears. “I will use this grace between us to earn your respect. One day, Gio, you will see sparing my life doesn’t make y
ou weak. It makes us all strong. I am loyal to you, brother. Truly. I will prove it.”

  Giovanni’s brows lowered and his mouth curled into a threatening sneer. “We shall see.”

  Chapter Three

  La notte di Capodanno – New Year’s Eve

  Mira literally dragged herself to her room. Her arms, back, knees, and hands ached so badly, she had to wait for Leo to open the door for her to enter. Before crossing under the threshold, she sucked in a deep breath and smoothed her limp listless hair from her face. All in a vain attempt to appear anything but what she was, exhausted. She may have really overdone it this time, but with the help of her new apprentices, Rosetta and Catalina, her dress was finished, and beautiful. She even managed to make a miniature one for their daughter, and a nice one for Catalina.

  It was late. Already New Year’s Eve had crept in and now her wedding day was on the horizon. She needed rest and lots of sleep before the big event, and prayed silently that Giovanni had retired early. He hadn’t. He was in the bed propped up by a stack of pillows, reading papers with the night lamp on. His gaze zeroed in on her, and swept her appearance. Mira felt her heart flutter at the look of disapproval he wore.

  “Ciao,” she said in the cheeriest voice she could summon. She walked stiffly toward the bed and the door closed behind her, thanks to Leo.

  Giovanni tossed the papers aside. “Madonna! It’s two o’clock in the fucking morning! Do you know what it took not to come upstairs and drag you back here myself?”

  “Somebody’s grumpy this morning,” she sighed, sitting on the bed with her back to him.

  “Grumpy? I’m angry, Bella! Ammazza!”

  “Lower your voice. Eve’s asleep.”

  “She isn’t here. See for yourself!”

  Mira glanced back toward the open door to her daughter’s room. “What?”

  “Zia took her to her room, since her mother couldn’t be bothered to see to her bath and bed.”