Cherished (Adam & Ella) (7 page)

Staying away was safe for Adam and Ella, but not for his family. Embarking on a new tactic, Claudio had sent notes to Adam’s mother through her church group. Knowing the family regularly attended the Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown Rio, it provided an opportunity to. Adam had never been a regular, but the others were, including Adrian and his parents. The bodyguards Adam had hired stayed close, but no one expected Claudio to do anything at church.

The Catholic Church was a powerful force, and one he was unlikely to anger, even if he was not a believer. But that didn’t stop him from reaching through the protective inner circle to contact Serena. During the week, she often went to church since she was involved in many community activities that centered there. The women she’d known most of her life met in meeting rooms to organize fundraisers and other community assistance.

The Metropolitan was a safe haven for Adam’s family, and they expected it to stay so. Not just the wrath of the Almighty, but the wrath of the community would descend upon Claudio should he violate the sanctity. But that didn’t stop him from using it to his advantage. One day, while Adam was still away with Ella, several notes were handed to his mother. The context was alarming, and the surfing trip was cut short, so Adam could be with his mother.

Serena was not easily rattled and was familiar with Claudio’s disrespect. However, when he sent notes putting others at risk, he’d gone too far. He’d violated sacred ties by sending his vile communications, using her dear friends as conduits and the church as an avenue for personal gain.
Fiorella’s text about what had happened brought Adam and Ella home immediately. They all met at the church to learn the full details.

While waiting for his family to arrive, Adam showed Ella the interior of the church. The exterior was impressive enough. It was in the center of the city, a tall, cone-shaped building, “two hundred forty-six feet high,” Adam said. Rectangular stained-glass windows rose to the ceiling. Once inside, with the sun coming through the colored panes, the light refracted through the glass, the interior was lit like a rainbow.

Church had never been part of Ella’s life, and she reflected that religion was another gaping hole in her formative years. While lacking formal religious guidance, she did feel spiritual. Riding the powerful waves of the endless blue ocean and smelling the salty air always transported her above this world and the everyday burdens. Experiencing such marvels of nature, how could she doubt a force greater than she?

Her love for Adam extended beyond a few precious years, as she knew she’d love him forever. And standing inside the majestic church, she felt a spiritual power, one she couldn’t define. It wasn’t for her to do so. But the love she felt for Adam, for his family, for life, was bigger than she was. Standing in reverence, Ella looked up at the pulpit, sitting on a platform above the main floor. Polished wood benches arched in semi-circles in front of the stage area, covering the expansive floors, shining beneath the light streaming through the stained glass.

Adam stood next to her, quietly holding her hand. The silence was calming, transcending the problems of life. The idea that his father had the audacity to use any part of the sacred organization for his own purposes was heinous. Breathing in the beauty around her, Ella saw with new clarity that there were forces at work that could crush Claudio and his petty life. As often was the case, evil, no matter how frightening, did not win out—unfortunately, not always before it wrecked havoc for others.

Turning, Adam led her through the huge space where so many had worshipped, and back outside to look for his family. Spotting them walking toward the entrance, Adam strode to his mother and hugged her. “Mamma,
sono qui,” he said, reassuring her that he was there.

Ella watched Serena cling to him. “
Adamo…Adamo,” Serena said with her eyes closed, her arms around Adam. Looking over, she saw tears in Fiorella’s eyes, and noted Adrian’s sadness. Threats had terrorized the family for too long, Ella could see that. And she wished it was within her ability to make it all go away.

Going inside, Serena led them to an office and motioned for them to sit. An elderly woman came from behind the desk, hugging her and kissing her cheeks. Ella could tell they were friends by their show of affection. Adam’s mother introduced the dark-haired woman as Glenna, and pleasantries were exchanged. Serena pulled the offending notes from her purse and handed
them to Adam. His eyes were dark and serious as he read them. Conversation ensued in Portuguese, and though Ella didn’t understand the language, the emotion of the words stabbed her heart.

Watching Adam’s face when he learned what had happened was heart wrenching. Much wrongdoing had been tolerated from his father. But attacks aimed directly at his mother angered him. The fervor with which he asked questions and responded revealed the depth of his fury over Claudio’s messages.

Adrian joined in the conversation, asking questions too, and Ella watched Glenna answer carefully. After a short period, it was clear there was nothing more to ask, and both men went quiet. Fiorella had stayed silent, but she glanced at Ella, giving her a meek smile as moral support. Yet, her eyes didn’t show the joy Ella was used to seeing there.

Glenna pushed her chair back and stood, coming around the desk to hug each family member, including Ella, as a goodbye. Adam took Ella’s hand firmly. With his other arm around his mother, still clutching the notes in his fist, he slowly left the small office. Adrian and
Fiorella followed behind. Ella was anxious to know what had been said, but waited until they were outside before asking.

The bright sun of the early afternoon did little to lift their spirits. Looking at each of them, Ella hesitated to make them speak of it again. But she had to know.

“What did she say?” she asked Adam. “What happened?”

Squeezing her hand, Adam said, “The notes came by messenger. They were in sealed envelopes each time. Glenna handles interoffice communications, and opens the mail. The messenger said the envelopes were for Serena
Bianci only, and they were very important.

“My mother doesn’t come here every day, so it was a few days before she received the envelopes. They were written in Italian, but not in my father’s handwriting. They were printed out, from a computer.”

“What did they say?” Ella watched Adam as he spoke, his expression somber.

“Claudio not only threatens my mother, but the church itself. He’s a madman.”

Ella waited, needing to hear it all.

Adam continued. “The notes had a clear message. He had one note delivered, followed by another, stressing the point. I don’t even want to repeat his words. It was enough hearing it at all.

“The short version is that Claudio has organized against us. He demands that I give him what he wants, says I owe it to him; he’s my father. If left no alternative he would use force against me, but wishes to avoid an all-out war. Considering the security force I have protecting the family, it would take a small army to get to me.

“However, the church is vulnerable. If not at the Metropolitan, the church itself, then the community activities will be his target. It’s impossible to protect every event, every meeting. And we will not know where or when he will strike.”

“He is threatening to harm the congregation?”

Adam swallowed hard. “He is doing exactly that. My mother’s fear is not so much for her own safety, but that of her closest friends and her beloved church. If he causes harm to them, she could not endure it.
Nor could I for that matter, since his vendetta against me is at the core of all of this.”

“Would he really do that?” Ella asked, shocked. “Would Claudio terrorize or harm church members to get to you, to pressure you to give in?”

She looked at Adam, his jaw tense and his lips pressed together. Glancing at the others, she saw the distraught look on their faces. Her question was met with silence. And that was her answer. A bad situation had just gotten worse, much worse.

“What are we going to do?”

“I’ve already set up a meeting tomorrow with Quinn to discuss the recent information from our lead investigator. I’ll let him know to follow any leads, find out who the messenger was, trace the computer the notes were typed on.”

“We already know who sent them,” Ella said.

“Yes, it’s not for that reason. But it may be further evidence of his crime, if he follows through with his threat. Meanwhile, Quinn will update us on what he has so far, and we will take action accordingly.”

*****

The family went to Adam’s home to be together. Fiorella worked in the kitchen with Ella to prepare a meal. No one was really that hungry, but they went through the motions anyway. The tasks were therapeutic, giving them something to do other than worry. Serena retired to one of the spare rooms for a rest, and Adrian left to play soccer. His heart wasn’t in it, but he’d already committed.

“It’s better for you to go,”
Fiorella said. “There’s nothing you can do right now. Join us for dinner later. I’ll help Ella.”

Adrian took off reluctantly, his own bodyguard in attendance. And Adam went to his office. “I’m going to call Quinn. I may be a while,” he said, walking toward the hall. He waved the offending notes in the air. “We will take these notes to him tomorrow.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Ella turned on some music, adjusting it so it would only play in the kitchen. “So what now?” she said to Fiorella.

“How about
pamonha? I know Eli stocks this kitchen well. I’m sure he has the ingredients.”

“Sure, Eli won’t be here today. Adam gave him the day off. He wanted the family to be together, and I told him we could handle the cooking. What is
pamonha? We haven’t made that before.”

“Oh, you’ve been missing out. Wait until you see how I make them. We make a paste from fresh corn and milk. We’ll do the savory version instead of sweet, so we’ll stuff them with minced meat and pepper. Then we wrap it in corn husks and boil them to make a dumpling.”

“Okay, I’ll get the meat and pepper ready,” Ella said.

“And I need a drink,”
Fiorella said. “I’ll make some caiparinhas for us.”

“I don’t think we have any tangerines.”

“That’s okay. Lime will do.”

Drinking and preparing food made Ella feel a little better. The incident was still a shock and she couldn’t wait to meet with Quinn the next day. But right then, the alcohol was going to her head, helping her relax.
Fiorella worked and chatted, sipping her drink while her hands flew threw her tasks.

Adam didn’t return to the kitchen and Ella supposed he was working. Losing himself in work was good. It would take him mind off the current pressures, and there was nothing they could do until the meeting the next morning. The
pamonha smelled delicious, reminding Ella she hadn’t eaten much that day.

With the food warming in the oven, ready for a meal when the family reconvened,
Fiorella refilled their drinks and led Ella outside. They sat on the deck, looking at the water, trying to keep their mind off what they’d learned at church. But it was impossible.

Finally, Ella said, “Claudio would really do what he threatens, wouldn’t he?”

Fiorella looked out at the ocean, not answering at first. She took a sip of her drink and sighed. “You know, Ella, he scares me. Something happened long ago, when I was a young girl, and I’ve never forgotten.”

“Something Claudio did? Something I don’t know about?”

“Only Adrian knows. He saved me that day. But I never told Adam. I don’t know what he’d do if he knew.” Fiorella looked sad.

“What is it? What did he do?” Ella felt close to
Fiorella and had shared much with her. It felt right to hear the secret that caused unhappiness, and made Fiorella’s lovely green eyes glisten with tears.

“If I tell you, promise you won’t say anything. Adam doesn’t need to hear any more. And Adrian would never reveal it.”

“I promise.”

“I was young, only a girl. One night, Claudio was home. My mother had gone to bed. I was on the sofa reading. Normally, my father wasn’t home at night. He was always out, doing something, hanging out with the wrong crowd.

“Anyway, I noticed he’d come into the room and was looking at me. It was creepy. Being so young, I didn’t know what to think. He was never a father to me, in any sense. In fact, he never paid attention to me, only to Adam.

“He came closer, and for some unexplained reason I was afraid. Claudio was always unpredictable and I’d witnessed his abuse of my mother too often. I didn’t trust him. I was sitting on the sofa with my legs tucked under me, and he looked at the bare skin of my legs showing at the hem of my dress. I thought he was going to hurt me.

“I was about to get up and just go to my room when he stepped over and touched my jaw. It made my skin crawl. A daughter should want her father’s love. But this wasn’t fatherly love. It was something I didn’t recognize.

“I couldn’t look at him. I froze. He sat next to me, and I started to cry. I don’t know why I was crying. I just cried, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“That seemed to make him angry. He yanked my legs out from under me and pushed me to the sofa. I tried to scream, but he put his huge hand over my mouth. In a low voice, he told me to be quiet.