ASCENSION (8 page)

***

After dinner Shanda escorted Sal out to the deck to listen to music and watch the stars. Their
cheerful
voices filtered through the partially open sliding doors to where Alfonzo sat with his wife at the table enjoying a glass of wine.

“
Ella
está
loca
,”
he said aloud.

“She’s a little crazy but she’s harmless.”

“What she did isn’t funny or harmless.
Why the hell did you go along with it, babe?”

“I called Franky to tell him where we were not long after. Look, she was only trying to get me to have fun
. It worked,
I had fun!”

Alfonzo tensed, “Man, I didn’t realize you felt your life was devoid of fun. You want to have fun, tell me what type of fun. Let’s jump off a cliff together, hell why don’t we fly out a plane without our parachutes…that sounds like the kind of fun you want
. Is that the type of fun you need
?”

Her mouth turned down, “You’re over-reacting.”

His mind raged but his words were soft, “
I guess I am. When someone I care about is murdered
by the same s
onovabitch
who
comes into my house and shoots
my
woman
,
yeah
it can make a man
crazy.
” His eyes roamed her face for understanding, “I can’t live without you. If anything happened to you babe, I’
m afraid I
’ll
go mad, for real
.”

Selange rose and went to sit on his lap. She hugged him, “I’m sorry. I know you’re worried about our safety but
hun
you need to relax. You’re coiled so tight soon you’re going to snap.”

He hugged her waist and placed his head atop her breasts, “I’ll try.”

Alfonzo
worried
not
only
about
his family
’s safety
but other things as well.
A hostile take-over attempt of one of his father’s compan
ies
,
the
foiled hit
on his life
, the ledger and his blood ties to organized crime were
stressing him out. There were many reason
s
his family
required protection. At any time someone might
strike at his heart through his
family.
He hired Franky to watch over
his wife and son. Franky was a
legitimate
armed
bodyguard with stellar recommendations from high-profile politicians and businessmen. He needed his other guys free and accessible in the event of trouble. In light of what occurred he wondered if Franky was the best man for the job. Nico was a more suitable protector
,
but Nico’s expertise
was being utilized elsewhere.

S
ometimes
he
lie
awake at night thinking how he ruined
her
life
.
S
elfish
desires prevented him from
putting an end t
heir romantic
relationship
. She would not have
suffered a gunshot wound from psycho
Freddie or
feel
a compulsion to run off like a kid from a strict-overbearing
parent simply to bask on a beach with
a
friend. He hadn’t anticipated
the impenetrable hold this woman would have on his
heart. It defied reason
. T
heir lives
and souls
were
entwined through
a
tragedy
and
irrevocably linked by
the
powerful force
of love.

Guilt must be
the
p
enance for
my
selfish desire
.

He kissed
her forehead,
an
unconscious
reflex
, a
gesture
of gratitude for her life being spared. He’d taken a silent
oath
swor
n
with
blood he would never
allow anyone to harm his family
again
. A solemn promise he sought to uphold with his life
.

He whis
pered
Spanish words
in her ear
, “
Your love keeps my heart warm
,
without it, my heart would be
come
cold again.
”

Emilio
, one of the guards
interrupted their private moment
to
announce
a visitor at the gate. Alfonzo lifted her easily from his lap, “Who
is it
?”

“Mr. Luca.”

Albert
i
!

“Le
t him
in
,” Alfonzo instructed then took Selange by the waist, “This won’t take
long, promise.”
His kiss sealed the pledge
and he went to meet their unexpected
guest
at the door
.

Alfonzo s
cowled
at Alberti’s poor timing. He managed to interrupt a very intimate
moment with his wife. Alberti’s visits
always
signified trouble.
He opened the door and stepped onto the cobblestones to await Alberti’s arrival.

At the foot of the long driveway
he saw the headlights dancing in the dark. They stopped at the checkpoint and shadows obscured the intensity of the rays. The guards were checking the car, soon the occupants were frisked and one singular silhouette walked toward the house. The familiar gait was unmistakable. Only one man he knew walked with such casual
authority. Alberti Luca, his father’s trusted friend.

Alfonzo twisted the platinum and diamond encrusted ring on his right
middle finger
.
A gaudy piece of jewelry in comparison to his plain thick platinum wedding band
.
The bejeweled
family heirloom
belonged to
his grandfather, Sergio
Giacanti
.
A tragic reminder of his family’s legacy.
His uncle
Carlo called the
r
ing, ‘
Alto
Cancelliere
’
or the High Chancellor
.
An indication
of
his grandfather’s leadership position.
Luzo Palazzo
bequeathed
it
to
his re
luctant son
.
A so-called
symbol
of
t
he
Giacanti
stature
.
To
Alfonzo it
denoted
a
curse
d life
.
One he did not choose. A life thrust upon him; a life saturated with blood and subtle ruthlessness as its art.

His
uncle
possessed
a similar
ring
,
he’d shown it to him
one evening. In comparison his uncle’s ring was smaller and
lacked an
adornment
of diamond inlays.
It
’s
distinct characteristic, a sword pierc
ing
the
center
of the crest indicating a military
position
or
soldier
. Uncle Carlo
brandished it
proudly,
this was the ring belonging to an
enforcer of the
Giacanti
family.
A responsibility his uncle took very seriously.
His father’s
dying tale of the slaughter of the Giacanti’s was a horrific one. Uncle Carlo
was a small boy when he witnessed the carnage. He hid as men
methodically murdered his entire family
.
Luzo
was
away at school during the massacre. Such horror
s for a boy, no wonder his uncle lack
ed
mercy
when dealing with his enemies. Carlo Dichenzo’s reputation brought fear to many
. His
decree of protection
assured
Alfonzo was not gunned down in the streets of Palermo
or anywhere in Europe; the states was an entirely different matter
. None of the families knew of their blood
relation or
connection to the
infamous
Sergio Giacanti.
If they did the war over power would cause blood to flow like the rivers of the Nile.

Alfonzo
suspected
Vincent
already
put the men on high alert a
t Alberti’s arrival a
nd
they
monitor
ed
the
premises
at this very second.
Alberti Luca’s presence at his home meant only one thing…danger.
The Giacanti legacy was a burden.
Un mal trabajo con mas responsabilidad
!

A
lberti
walked casually up the drive. Peripherally
he
could see
armed
men
c
amouflaged
amidst the shrubbery
.
He stopped to light a cigar then
proceeded
toward the
man
waiting
in
the
distance
.
His old legs were strong but not as swift as in his youth.

“
Buongiorno
,” Alberti greeted as he came face-to-face with
Alfonzo.

Alfonzo nodded
curtly
, “
H
ola
Alberti, what brings you here?
”

The young
man
’s
face
was
taut and
h
ardened
.
Alberti wondered whether
h
is
u
nexpected
arrival set it so.
“Can we take a
night
stroll in your lovely garden?”

Alfonzo frowned.
This rare visit which brought Alberti
personally to his door must be important.
“
If that’s what you want,” Alfonzo replied before walking toward the west garden
in pace with his younger counterpart
.

They strolled in silence.
Alberti puffing languidly
on his sweet cigar
, savoring
the rich
flavor.
A
painful
reminder of the
old days
, predated by
anti—
smoking
sanctions and
other such
frivolities
.
Alfonzo waited patiently for the
elder man to speak. H
aste represented youth
’s
infi
rmity.
In deference to the old man he held his tongue
despite
the
annoyance
of
his
untimely
visit
.
Tonight he
crave
d privacy
with his
family
,
i
nstead
business
o
vershadowed
his
plans
, once again
.

“Your wife tends the garden?” Alberti asked
as he delighted in the
multi-hued landscape
.

“
Yes, with Sal’s assistance.”

Alberti chuckled
, “Such a beautiful thing
–f
amily is it not?”

Alfonzo wondered about Alberti’s innocent implication,
“Um.”

Alberti
stopped
at an array of orchids. His alert eyes moved toward the patio then settled on the flowers,
“
L
ovely
, your wife has a green thumb, unlike
my dear wife
.”