Page 56 of Twisted Obsession

‘I know it’s him.’

‘Okay.’ He held his hands up in surrender.

‘The questions that need asking are… is the cut we’re losing getting larger because of Ricco’s greed? Or, is Salvatore trying to get rid of me once and for all?’

I stared at him as my questions met with silence.

‘I hear what you’re saying. But why would De Luca do it now?’ Marco asked.

‘Giovanna is engaged,’ I imparted and felt the cold steel blade of agony twist deeper inside my heart.

‘Well, fuck!’ I could see the disbelief on his face, and knew my own must have matched it when I’d spoken to Alessio only a week before and he’d absentmindedly let the information slip. ‘I could do with a night out.’

‘Good, report back in the morning.’

‘Boss.’

‘And, Marco—see if you can casually plant a tracker on anyone of any interest.’

He laughed before replying, ‘Will do.’

Chapter Two

Giovanna

‘So, open it.’ Romeo insisted, as he sat down on the step beside me.

‘But what if it doesn’t say what I want it to say?’

‘You’ve been studying for years, and you’ve achieved the highest grades. You’ve just graduated to teach. What school of music wouldn’t want you, Sorellina?’

I moved quickly and sat my trembling body down on the step next to him. Taking a sharp intake of breath, I began to create a small opening in the manila envelope with my thumbnail. Before losing my nerve entirely and thrusting it in front of his face.

‘What does it say?’

‘Oh no!’ he laughed, batting away my arm gently with his hand.‘You’re no coward, Gi. Open your eyes and read the letter.’

‘Just tell me.’

‘No way.’

‘What if I do get it? How will I tell Salvatore?’

‘You won’t tell Salvatore anything, Gi. But you can ask him.’ A much deeper, more masculine voice found me, followed by children laughing and Serafina’s softer tones explaining to their older two boys where they were allowed to play and where they weren’t.

‘Ciao.’ Greeting them both with the one word and a small smile, I placed the envelope on Romeo’s lap and held out my arms to take Serafina’s one-year-old sleeping daughter, my namesake Giovanna, from her arms. On receipt, I cuddled her close to me, and as normal fought down my ever-present maternal hormones, before I breathed in her baby scent and committed it to memory, as I had done with all four of her brothers before her. Slowly, I looked up at the two of them.

I watched as Salvatore slipped an arm around his once again pregnant wife’s waist and pulled her to him, while holding the hand of their third son, Luca. And there they stood awaiting an answer.

‘Well, I might have applied to volunteer to help to teach music to partially deaf students in Rome—at St. Cecilia Conservatory, and their various outreach departments.’ I squinted as I looked at him, wanting to gauge his reaction, but at the same time wary of it.

‘Rome?’ Salvatore repeated, as he spoke in that dismissive way of his, disregarding all the other information I’d just imparted and only repeating what was most relevant to him.

‘Oh, Gi. I think that would be an amazing thing to do. You are one of the most caring people I’ve ever had the pleasure to love. In fact, you would have made a fantastic nurse. Finding an opportunity like this, one where you can use all the things closest to you - piano, teaching, and helping others, especially those who need extra help - is brilliant…’

‘Serafina.’ Salvatore interrupted her flow and looked quickly down at her.

‘I’m just saying how I see it,’ Serafina retorted.

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