Page 2 of La Dolce Vita

"He only means to ask if there is a reason we should know of," Giovanni said. And Lorenzo cast him a look of gratitude.

"We areCamorranow."

The Don let the proclamation sit.

The boys sat upright. The declaration skewered them. All they wanted to be when they grew up was their fathers. And their fathers were theMafiosi. In their opinion, theCamorrawere the dogs that lapped at theMafiosiboot heels. Yes, his father was sent by the Five Dons to southern Italy to invest in their interest. And yes, he broke bread with the clan bosses ofla Camorra. He even had his own clan and started new racket, but he had never abandoned his roots. Sicilia was in his blood. After theCiacullibombing and the first mafia war, Tomosino had more wealth and power within theCamorrathan most clan bosses. The plan as Giovanni believed it, was always to return to their roots. One day.

"That is the reason why we will live here. Not because of Don Salvatori Mancini. The old bastard is close to death. Not because of my lying brother Rocco. It is the choice I've made for you boys. The Amalfi belongs to Battaglia. It is ours for the taking, and we have no one to answer to. You areCamorranow. This is our home. I am your father, your Don."

They both nodded that they understood. Tomosino's gaze lifted to the village along the shore. "La dolce vita.The good life," he said. "What I build for ourfamigliayou will inherit. Remember, Gio. Who we are. Who you are. Not son, not cousin, not brother, not boyfriend to some sniveling wench. First, you are me, my flesh, and you do as I do. Do you understand?"

"Si´,"he said but didn't get it. How could he foresee the future and what his father's words meant? He could only accept the present. Their lives were now completely tied to Italy, and it was where they would remain. Years ago his grandfather had acquired land in Sorrento. And his uncles had built a beautiful villa known asMelanzana,as a retreat. It was often the place the family visited and stayed in when his father spent time in the Amalfi. It was constantly being built upon and improved as a testament to his wealth. In Sicilia, his father could not have such prominence without bowing to theMafiosi. But here, Tomosino and his father before him were their own men.

"La dolce vita,"Giovanni repeated. The good life was here. And his father would give him a second chance. "This is the life we deserve."

ChapterOne

One Throat to Choke

August 1994 - Sorrento, Italy

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"Mirabella Battaglia screamed in her head and not with her mouth. Kei's hand should have been called bone crusher. It clamped down on her throat with monstrous tightness. The man's fingers were unnaturally elongated, and his nails were sharpened and curved like the talons of a hawk.

"You can breathe, if you fight him. Fight back, Mira." A comforting voice whispered against her ear.

"Noooo, heeeee... hee... he's chokin... chokin... meeeeeee," she wept.

Kei tore at her dress, shredding it. The iron glove he wore to strangle her was also on his other hand. He knifed and slashed her bare skin beneath. He was morphing, turning into a monster before her very eyes. She saw the rage and madness within him. He bared his teeth in a cruel snarl. He forced her thighs apart.

"Fight him, Mira!"

"Someone, help me," she wept. "God, please!"

She beat him with her fists. The more she struggled, the tighter the stranglehold became. And he laughed. It was a cruel demonic laughter that was void of any compassion or understanding. The man she had known was gone. The monster on top of her would devour her whole. She was certain of it. Mirabella turned her head away, and tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

"Fabiana?" she said.

Her best friend wept. She shook her head sadly.

"Fabiana? Don't let him do this to me. Please help me," she begged as Kei dropped on her and a long slimy tongue licked the side of her face. She knew what he would do next. "Please help me!"

"I can't,"Fabiana said."No one can."

Mirabella’s eyes flashed open, but the nightmare held firm. Kei was no longer the attacker.It was Giovanni.He choked her. She prayed for death to be her release. He wanted her dead. Her beloved husband wanted her dead.

"Bella? Wake up! It's a nightmare! Wake!" Giovanni shook her.

"Let me goooooo!" She fought to get out of bed. They struggled, and both fell off the bed to the floor. He took the brunt of the fall. She kicked her legs and struggled to escape him. She fought him hard. Giovanni refused to release her. He protectively overcame her. Giovanni crossed her arms over her chest. He locked his legs around her thighs. She bucked with all her might, but Giovanni was too strong. He kept her pinned with her back to him. She whimpered, and her resistance broke.

"I want to die. Let me die. I just want it to stop Gio," she pleaded.

"Sei la mia anima gemella... shhhh.... non posso vivere senza di te..."he said she was his soulmate, and he couldn't live without her. He kissed the back of her head and held her tight to his chest. He talked to her in an even calm manner until she went limp with weakness and her mind cleared. She could hear and see him once more.

Together they sat on the floor panting. Giovanni held her and kept close.

"I'm crazy. Aren't I?" she asked.

The nightmares persisted. It had gotten to the point that she could only sleep if the children joined her in bed. She would never submerge into a deep enough sleep where Kei could rise from the dead and torture her if her babies were in her arms.And why was Fabiana there?Why would her mind force her best friend to watch helplessly?

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