Page 10 of La Dolce Vita

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Lorenzo held his wife in silence until he heard her light snores. The woman never snored before she became pregnant. Instead of being irritated he found her little snorts to be cute. He could listen to her breathe and touch her all night. There was a grain of truth in what Isabella had said to him. At first, he envied Giovanni for having a wife and children. He struggled with that envy because it was just as strong as the love and devotion he had for Giovanni. It wasn't his fault. His mother had poisoned him from the cradle with her seething hatred for her brothers and his father. His life was always one of second best, and his mother was sure to remind him of it. But then he found Marie. Soon he would be a father, and now there was no need to envy his cousin. Now he had an actual purpose. His ownfamiglia.

Gentle and with care, he eased out of her loving arms. He pulled the sheet down and then kissed the belly where his child slept. He whispered in Italian to his little soldier to protect his mother and then drew the cover over them both. He couldn't wait to be a father.He couldn't fucking wait!He turned down the dial on the light switch, grabbed the phone, his cigarillos and lighter, and then closed the door. Outside on the veranda, he stared at the dark sea in nothing but his boxers. He didn't feel the temperature cooling around him. He was blinded by another emotion--impatience. It gnawed at his confidence and threatened him at every turn. He settled down on the long white wicker chair and lit his cigar, cupping the flame of his lighter with his hand. He took a long drag and stared out at the moon.

Her name is Isabella, and she is the bastard sister his mother never told him about.He had a sister.Who the fuck knew? Mancini? Flavio? How long had she been lurking in the shadows, threatening to destroy his life? Too much time had passed. The threat to him and his family was real, but still too far out of his reach. He picked up the phone and paged his man. He waited.

After thirty minutes the phone rang back. Lorenzo answered. "What do you have?"

"Nothing. People aren't talking. From door to door I'm told she doesn't exist. Maybe she's left Italy."

"She didn't leave. She's fucking close, watching, waiting!" Lorenzo seethed.

"Of course, she is. Which makes the search even harder when I do it alone," Renaldo answered.

Lorenzo touched his neck where his sister's accomplice had injected him with the poison. He felt a phantom sting beneath the skin. For days he was sick after having the poison in his bloodstream. He lied to Marietta and told her he had a summer cold. He knew better than anyone what Mirabella suffered through.

"Boss, you there?"

Lorenzo scratched his brow. He could hear the wind in the line. The noisy traffic sounds of cars and honking horns. Renaldo had to be calling from a payphone.

"Where are you?" Lorenzo asked.

"Roma. I was supposed to pick up Carlo from the airport, but he never showed up. I think he may still be in America."

"Mannaggia!"

"It's okay, Boss. I got another lead on Isabella. I'm following up on it."

"You are to do nothing if you find her. Do you understand me? She's mine," said Lorenzo. "Put a muzzle on the bitch and hold her until I get there."

"I will call again at six tomorrow," Renaldo said.

Lorenzo grunted. "I'm taking Marietta sailing tomorrow, and then home in time for the surprise party. Page me. I'll call you back from the boat." He ended the call. He set the phone down and swallowed his bitter disappointment.

The failure to protect Mirabella fell on all of their shoulders. And even though Giovanni still owned their wives’ share of the Mancini fortune, he had stopped Lorenzo's plans to take down Armando Mancini. As underboss, he expected to be punished for his failures, but this was too much. In fact, his cousin was pushing them all away. Conducting business meetings without his council. He knew Giovanni was hunting for Isabella. And he was aware that Marietta was right. If his cousin found Isabella before he did, he'd lose everything. Lorenzo extinguished his cigar and got up from the chair. He returned to his wife. For the night he'd seek comfort as opposed to revenge. But tomorrow would be a different story.

ChapterThree

Sin

Two Days Later

The world felt crowded; too small for a man of his nature. Dominic called 'grief' anxiety. Giovanni didn't believe in separation of weakness. Sometimes, grief was simply grief, and it made him weak and incompetent. He grieved deeply over his inability to prevent his wife's torment, since the day he rescued her.

Now he suspected everyone. He walked through life surrounded by the shadows of the men he paid to protect him and his family. Men he could no longer trust. Loyalty was at the heart of their code.Omertàwas a vow as sacred as the holy sacrament in the Mafia, and he made each man in his clan swear, live, and breathe the oath. In the past, he’d trusted that code, but a lot had changed since the past. He'd been infiltrated, conquered, forced to kneel. His men were useless if he had no belief in their ability to hold true to their vows. Santo was his best friend since primary school, and he could not hold true to his promises.

Was Lorenzo loyal?

Could he trust the counsel of an inexperienced young Dominic?

Did Rocco keep secrets from him that could one day destroy them all?

How many bullets would Renaldo take before he decides that his new family is worth more than the blood sacrifice?

And what of Carlo? Where did his loyalties lie now that his allegiance to Omertà had cost him two brothers?

Giovanni’s eyes opened.

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