AWAKENING (27 page)

“He was the last person to be seen with our brother. That’s proof enough!” One of his son
s
voiced
angrily
.

But, Don
Benaducci
understood the consequences of bringing war against the
Dichenzo’s
. To do so meant losing allies who would not dare sanction such a hit. They feared Giuseppe
. “We must be smart. Giuseppe is no fool. We will wait for him to slip, arrogant men usually do.
Meanwhile, we will keep vigil and wait.”

“Put a tail on the sonovabitch,” Don
Benaducci
ordered his son.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Nico ditched the car
on a side
of the highway overgrown with tall grass and a thicket of trees. He
removed the plates, wiped
the interior and door handles thoroughly then ordered
Yei
to the side then opened the trunk a
nd
took out a red container filled with gasoline and soaked the seats then torched it. The flames shot high, the heat flared close and he squinted at the intense orange-black flames.

He adjusted his backpack
and
scurried over the grassy incline to the darkened road. The port was a half hour trek and he
wanted to get there fast and get sailing, he had a deadline to make.
Yei
, well, she better keep up, or he’d leave her. Fucking novice!

She dogged his steps, making an occasional grunt sound he ignored. His mind was not on the job. He’d finished it. His thoughts were on what Alberti told him. ‘Watch over Alfonzo’s family and yours.’ The statement worried him. He’d planned to return to Italy after this, but now he figured it was best to pop in on Ariana and make sure she and the kids were okay.

The power walk brought them to the pier in twenty-seven minutes and he jumped up on the boat and landed with a thud.
Yei
,
used the ramp.

The boat Captain
came
out the cockpit of the O’day 32
, “Hey, made it. We
gotta
’ get moving. Coast Guard’s
come
by twice.”

Yei
leaned against the rail, breathing hard. “Can I go below?”

“Go ahead.” The Captain answered before Nico responded.
Nico p
lanned to dump the extra baggage right there on the port,
but
since he decided to head to New York, he figured he
’d
dump her there instead.

She went down the narrow steps and when her head disappeared from view, Nico addressed the Captain. “Get me to
the
Carolina
’s
and we’re good.”

Nico changed the itinerary. In
South
Carolina he could rent a plane and fly in to
New York.
He had all his papers in order, albeit forged
, yet he
was a seasoned pilot. There were occasions when other means of travel were not viable or public exposure put him on law enforcement’s radar. In light of the current situation, he
sought to minimize travel time with
Yei
. Get her to New York, sever their connection and go solo, as usual. He didn’t want the worries, shit, he had too many already!

                                           ****

The long flight hadn’t deterred Alberti’s resolve. He didn’t care the hour, he was
determined to pay Sophie a visit concerning her clandestine
meeting with Maria. She
hadn’t
breathed a word of it to anyone. Had she mentioned it to Carlo, certainly he would
have told Alberti.
They were close and something that important, Carlo would have shared.

It was mid
-
morn
ing when his driver pulled to the front of the house behind another vehicle. He was out the door and ringing the bell like a man in urgent need of a toilet. The door opened and he stepped through it nodding curtly at the housekeeper, “Where is Mrs. Dichenzo?”

She pointed to the dining-room. His feet were quick
as
t
he
y
h
urr
ied
over the recently polished floors, anxious to hear Sophie
’
s explanation for the deceitful omission. All these years he believed Gina was the cause of Maria’s flight, as did Luzo. Yet, under their nose, the person responsible sat, smiling and oozing innocence. By the Greeks, what might possess her to do such a thing?

Voices met him before he entered and when the faces came into view Alberti’s expression transformed to stone.
Don Benaducci
sat
with
Sophie sharing talk and brunch.

She saw him and smiled, “Oh, Alberti, it’s you. I thought it was my son pounding the bell. Buongiorno,
Fabio,
and I were just finishing. Would you like something to eat?”

“
Buongiorno Alberti.”
Fabio
greeted.

“Buongiorno.”

Her guest
stood, wiped his mouth with the napkin
and
addressed Sophie, “
Grazi
, the food was as pleasant as the visit.”

“Visit again, you are always welcome and do tell your wife hello.”

“Of course, ciao.”

He nodded at Alberti as he passed and their eyes met, not as friends but courteous adversaries.
The man soon exited and Alberti sank wearily into a chair. It was at these moments he missed Carlo and Luzo. “What did he want Sophie?”

The pretentious smile erased from the lovely woman’s face. She rubbed her cheek, “Oh, I thought my face would crack. He hoped to find Roberto here I assume.”

“Roberto, has something happened to his son?”

“He’s missing.”

“And do you know where he is, after-all he’s Giuseppe’s friend?”

She laughed, “Friends come disguised as enemies, isn’t that what we know Alberti?”

Alberti’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, “What has Giuseppe done?”

“Who says Giuseppe has done anything?”

“Do not fool with me Sophie, you have kept secrets and today you will put them out or…”

“Or, you will have me killed? Do not make threats to a wise
woman,
they are dumb to her ears. We are family, Alberti and whatever my son has done is for its protection.” She interjected sweetly.

“Protection is not starting
scrimmages which may fuel a large war, woman!”

“Aye, you’ve grown old. Perhaps, the responsibility is too much.”

“You talk with a challenge, have you grown accustomed to power among your women you seek to test a man?”

“There is no
test;
the scale weighs in a woman’s favor. Our weapons are not muscle. Our battles are not fought in that way.”

Alberti leaned over the table, the glint in his eyes were of a wolf, probing the rabbit.
He smirked, “You have become bored in your husband’s absence Sophie. Perhaps, what you are missing is a reminder of the artillery available to a man.”

Her eyes burned fire at the vulgar proposition, “You go
to
far.”

“As have you.”

“Why are you here, Alberti?”

He settled
against
the
upholstered backrest, “Why did you send Maria away?”

Ah, this had become fun. Sophie was at a loss for words.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The morning presented with gray skies and a steady downpour which ruined Nico’s brand new clothes. He’d dumped
Yei
the second they arrived in New York. He’d taken a cab from McArthur Airport in Long Island and tossed her a roll of money to get her on her way. He’d gotten her to the east coast and now wherever the hell she went from there wasn’t any of his business. She had it in her head, what they shared in a night of lust meant more than it did. He was horny, they fucked and despite her thoughts of the contrary he wasn’t interested in rehashing the past.

He’d arrived in Manhattan and purchased some clothes from
Bergdof
Goodman’s, c
hanged in the men’s room then
stuffed his dirty clothes in the garbage before getting on the subway
to
stop
by Ariana’s office.

He arrived at the building and went through the whole, sign-in, show fake ID shit then
handed
one of those cheap sticky name tags he suppose was to slap on his brand new suit. He balled the shit up and rode the elevator to the tenth floor.

The shiny doors opened and he stepped into a swanky lobby, where straight ahead in bold read A.
Mattheson
,
E
sq
uire
, on a glass door. He could see the receptionist counter and a few people
sitting in top of the line lawyer-type seats. They were
likely clients, waiting patiently
for his smart as a whip, ex-wife
. Nico snickered, Damn woman sure made use of her cut of the killing money, hadn’t she?

He pulled back one of the doors and entered. Eyes
gravitated immediately to the tall dark man in the expensive suit and the beyond handsome sinister looks. The receptionist actually blushed when he bent down, “I’m here to see Ms.
Mattheson
.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Ex-
husband,
didn’t know one was required.”

The blush grew deeper, “Hold on a minute please.”

She scurried from her desk then entered one of the varnished doors. Nico leaned an elbow casually on the counter and looked around. One of the women smiled. He gave her a grin
and
turned back around when the receptionist
called out to him
. He walked to the door being held, thanked the woman and stepped into Ariana’s plush office.

She took off her reading glasses when he entered. Apparently, she was reviewing a file
before seeing her next client. She got to the point, al
ways
business, “Yes, Nico. What happened?”

“Hello Ariana, you look good.”

“Drop the bullshit, what do you want?”

He flopped in the chair in front of her stately desk, “Nothing, just wanted to come by and see how you’re doing.”

“See. Ex-wife is fine. The world goes on after divorce.”

He nodded, yep, no-nonsense Ariana. A trait he loved until he realized he needed more affection. “How’s the nerdy boyfriend treating you?”

“None of your business.
I’m not talking about who I’m dating
with
you.”

“Okay, your choice but I’m in town another couple of days, I’ll come by and check him out anyway.”

“No you won’t, besides he’s in Tokyo on business.”

“Tokyo, huh?”

“Nico I’m busy. Seriously, are you in trouble, need me to launder your money, what?”

“Just came to take my gorgeous ex-wife to lunch.”

She sat back and dropped her pen on the desk. “Look,
you don’t get to come here and charm me. I’m immune to the crap. Why are you really here?”

He chuckled, “Charming, you thought I was charming?”

“When I was a sucker.
I’m not anymore. Now, you’re irritating.”

“Is that a yes, for lunch?”

“No,
it’s
a no.”

“I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ll sit here until I get a yes.”

She stood, “Fine, I’ll use the conference room.” She picked up her files and headed for the door, “knock
yourself
out.”

The door closed and Nico smirked, “Shit, that’s a first.”

                    
                 ****

Maria flitted around the house for days in a nervous excitement. The results were delivered
. S
he read it
and
shrieked and nearly fainted. She scared poor Allie and Anita something fierce. She recovered and said she’d thought she saw a spider. That was two days ago. Today was Friday.