Amore (74 page)

Mirabella felt trapped. She couldn’t jump from the balcony. She couldn’t scream for help. She maintained his stare and kept her distance.

“Uncle Dao is dying,” Bao Zei said. “When he dies Kei will be the Mountain Master. And I will be nothing more than his vanguard.”

“And that upsets you?” Mirabella asked.

“No. It does not. What upsets me is you,” Bao Zei said. “My brother is sick with obsession over you. It makes him vulnerable, and it makes the family weak. I want him to be his destiny. You are not his destiny.”

Mirabella exhaled deeply. “If you hurt me he’ll kill you. So don’t come any closer.”

Bao Zei smiled. “You are very perceptive. Yes. I do believe that Kei would take my life to save yours. In his madness to have you he will do anything. Even sacrifice our prizefighter Chao Lee, and let him die in disgrace. I cannot hurt you. If I did, I’d make you a martyr. The Triad will war with
la Camorra
for decades. My brother and your husband will spill the blood of many innocent men to avenge you. And then my brother would become consumed with grief and guilt. He is ten times weaker with you dead than alive.”

“I don’t understand what you want from me.”

Bao Zei stepped forward. “I want you to open his eyes. We need to show him where your loyalties lie.” He then glanced out to the ocean. “Those fishermen have been paid to ignore what they see and hear.”

Mirabella looked out at the men along the coast.

“Do you see that purple boat?” Bao Zei asked.

She didn’t speak. She was too scared to think. He was too close to her. “The man in the straw hat and rolled up green trouser pants, he’s been paid by me. When the time is right a door will be opened for you. Run.” He looked over to her. “Run to the man in the straw hat and purple boat.”

Bao Zei turned and walked away. Not until he was gone from her sight did her breathing regulate. She sat down in the chair behind her.
Was it a trap, or her only hope?
She wasn’t sure. She stared at the men by the sea. The man with a straw hat was the only one to turn his head and look back at the castle. He then hopped into his boat and used the little motor on the end to sail out to the blue waters.

If the opportunity came she’d run for it. She had no choice.

**

“Why are you here? I told you I want Eve Battaglia, and you come empty handed?” Kei asked.

Isabella smiled. She sat across from him in the garden. “This is where I grew up. It was a monastery owned by the Catholic Church for orphaned children. My room was there.” She pointed to a window at the top level. Kei glanced up. “I finally ran away at twelve to Sicilia with a boy from the village, to find my father, the great Don Mancini. Finding the truth changed my life.”

“Answer the fucking question, you crazy bitch!” Kei seethed.

She glanced at him with a smile. “Giovanni keeps the children under guard. Even if you drove a tank into that compound you’d never get to them.”

“So what is the plan?”

“I’m working on it. He needs to think Melanzana is no longer safe. If I can get the
Carabinieri
inside the gates he’ll move the children.”

“And then what?”

“And then, my handsome China man, he’ll take them to the one place he thinks you won’t know to look. Chianti. It’s a little farm with olive groves and grapes as big as your thumb, a safety zone. I need to steer him there.” Isabella grinned.

“How do you know it’s a safety zone?” Kei asked.

“My father, Flavio, he told me many things over the years. The Battaglia family retreated to this farm when in crisis. Always. I’ll snatch the brat, and execute the sweet little boys. Then you and your princess can live happily ever after.”

Kei stared at her. “You have no remorse? Your lover Santo did.”

“Do you?” she asked.

“I thought the Italians were all about family?” Kei asked.

“I’m Sicilian. We love our families. It’s our enemies that need to be careful.” She stood and picked up her purse. “By now my cousin knows who I am. I’m sure he’ll look for me. Let him waste time. Wait for the raid. I should have your little rabbit to you soon.”

**

Catalina started toward the stairs. The door opened to the front of the villa and she stopped. Armando Mancini was escorted inside. It was shocking to see him in their home. It was the first time he’d ever crossed through the gates. She stood there stunned for an awkward minute. Armando never lowered his gaze. He was as powerful as Giovanni. Marietta was right to call him. Maybe he could help her brother. Forcing herself, she walked to him. “You came?”

“You’re surprised?” he asked.

“Yes. I am. Why are you here?”

“Your brother granted a meeting,” Armando said. “I’m here to help.”

“Do you think you can?” she asked, and her voice pitched high with desperation.

“And if I was to say yes. I can help. Would you trust me?” he asked.

“I’d trust the devil if it meant Mirabella would come home,” she said.

He moved her hair from her shoulder and lifted her chin with his finger. “The devil would be flattered.”

“Thank you so much for coming.” Catalina threw her arms around him. She hugged his neck. Armando hugged her to his chest. He buried his face in her hair. There was something intimate about the way it felt to be held by him. Catalina saw the way the men frowned over their embrace and remembered the impropriety. She let him go.

He looked into her eyes. “We’ll find her.”

“Thank you,” she said mindful of keeping her distance.

“Armando!” Marietta exclaimed. She hurried toward him with the kids running behind her. The twins ran for fun, and Eve because of fear. Marietta leapt at Armando and hugged him. The twins did the same, hugging Armando’s legs. Catalina knew if Giovanni saw this celebrating it would anger him. She grabbed Gianni and put him on her hip, and pulled Gino away by the hand. Eve hid behind Catalina’s legs.

Armando set Marietta down. “Thank God Giovanni called you. Maybe you can help.”

“I’ll try,” he said. He knelt and smiled at Gino.
“Ciao piccoletto. Sono Zio Armando,”
he said to the little boy. Gino looked up to his aunt and she nodded that Armando was okay. Gino lifted his hand and waved at him. The little boy wouldn’t come closer. Armando’s gaze swiveled up to the other twin. The boy sucked his pacifier and stared at him with round blue eyes. He stood. Eve kept her distance as well. But he winked when he caught her peeking up at him.

“Don Mancini, come with us,” Umberto said.

Marietta smiled and nodded goodbye to Armando. She and Catalina watched him walk away. He and his men were being marched to the back of their home to the terrace. From there they would go to Villa Rosso.

“You think he can help?” Catalina asked.

“Maybe. I’m not sure anymore,” she sighed. “Catalina. I didn’t want to bother your brother, but I’ve got to get to Napoli.” Marietta said. She picked up a whiney Gino and put him on her hip. They started for the children’s play room.

“Why? You know you can’t,” Catalina said.

“My husband is in jail. Domi is in jail. Finding Mira is a priority, but we have to help them. I can’t just sit around here knowing they are locked away and do nothing.”

“I don’t know about this. We need to follow Gio’s instruction.”

“Gio asked about a woman that might be the cause of this. I need to talk to Lorenzo. I have to.”

“What woman?”

“Never mind who she is. Lorenzo might be able to help and he can’t if he’s in jail.”

“They won’t let you in to see him.” Catalina frowned. She put Gianni down. Gino was set down. The twins took each other’s hands and went to play with their toys.

“This morning on the news they said Carlo would be charged with Chao Lee’s murder. He has to face a tribunal.” Marietta put her hands to her head. “How is this happening? How could we be so happy one day, and then at the lowest point of our lives the next?”

“I don’t know. I keep thinking this is a bad dream I’m going to wake up from,” Catalina said. Zia walked in. She hadn’t spoken much since all of this began. She barely looked over at Catalina and Marietta. She went to the children. Eve took Zia’s hand and went to her chair. She wanted to sit on her aunt’s lap and read her book.

“You never said, but before this happened I saw Lorenzo had come home with you. Did you two make up? Before all of this I mean?” Catalina asked.

Marietta sighed. “I think so,” she wiped her tears. “Lorenzo makes me so mad. But he makes me so happy too. We talked. I shot his whore and he came home with me.”

“Wait? You did what? You shot someone?” Catalina gasped.

Marietta shrugged. “She’ll live. But if something happens to him. I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Catalina laughed. “Did you just say you shot someone?”

Zia glanced up and looked at them with concern.

“Damn right I did!” Marietta said and turned and walked out. Catalina hurried after her.

“Mio Dio!”
Catalina grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Slow down. Let me think of something. Don’t go doing one of your crazy stunts. Okay?”

Marietta stared at her unimpressed.

“Maybe with Armando here Gio will be reasonable? Or maybe we can get the attorneys to give us an update. Something,” Catalina said.

Marietta shook her head. “If we don’t find her soon something bad will happen. We have to get Lorenzo and Dominic out. Now.”

“I agree.”

**

Giovanni ate at his desk, and Rocco sat with the portable phone. Without Dominic to run down the business, Rocco and Giovanni had to split the duties of a
consigliere
. That included trying to get a call in to their political contacts to free their men.

Armando entered the room. The others stayed out. Giovanni wiped his face. There was no better cooking for his heart than his Bella’s, but the meal from Ana’s kitchen gave him some nourishment.

“I came as soon I could. I have a gift for you.” Armando said.

“Boss, he has a priest with him. Nicosia.” Umberto said.

Giovanni’s brows lowered. “You have Father Nicosia?”

“I picked him up in Bergamo. I thought he might be of use to you,” Armando smiled. “I think we should keep him outside until we talk. Don’t you?”

Rocco ended his call. He stood with the aid of his cane. “Armando,” he said and extended his hand. Armando walked over and shook Rocco’s hand. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat. Giovanni joined them. The Benicias were out searching for the priest and Isabella. Armando arriving with the priest was either suspicious or a good turn of luck.

“So? You have the answers. Fill me in,” Giovanni said.

Armando looked at Rocco first. His gaze then slipped over to Giovanni. “Before my father died he called me to his room and gave me an assignment.”

“And?” Giovanni asked.

“He wanted me to find Isabella and put a bullet in her skull,” Armando said.

“Why?” Rocco asked.

“She was blackmailing him. She knew about his affair with Mirabella’s mother. She was angry because she blamed you for her father’s death. My father wanted to make the introduction to Mirabella his own way. She wanted to expose the ugly secrets of the past.”

“Flavio?” Rocco said. “She wants to avenge Flavio?”

Armando nodded. “Papa thought she was a threat. He was convinced. I thought she died in the explosion that killed some of my men. Later I discovered she was still alive. I’ve been trying to find Isabella for close to two years. I lost track of her in China.”

Giovanni leaned forward. “Flavio never mentioned a daughter. Not once.”

“He apparently knew about my father and Tomosino keeping him from Isabella. How the two of them reconnected I’m not sure.”

“Not true. Tomosino didn’t know!” Rocco said. “He never knew. He would have killed Flavio if he discovered that he slept with Isabella.”

“Then how did Flavio uncover the truth? Who kept the secret? Who told the secret?” Giovanni asked.

Rocco hesitated. Giovanni could see his conflict etched all over his face. He was about to force the issue when Rocco spoke. “I told Flavio about the baby, that the baby lived, over drinks one night after the grief of Isabella’s suicide got to us both. He and I were the only ones that mourned her. Lorenzo was too screwed up in the head, and Tomosino was too focused on getting your mother back from Ireland. I couldn’t keep it from him. By then,” he looked over to Armando. “Mancini had already adopted her as your sister. Flavio was furious. But he understood the wisdom in not revealing who she was. I thought he got over it. Apparently he never did.”

Giovanni glared at Rocco. “You let Flavio take a seat as my
consigliere
knowing that he loathed this family. It’s why he sent Mirabella away. Revenge. And you never said a word.”

“Gio—it wasn’t an issue for Flavio,” Rocco reasoned.

“Why would my father do this?” Armando asked.