Page 98 of La Dolce Vita

"No, I'm not," Catalina said. She rubbed warmth into her arms. Dominic turned up the heat in the car, and it gushed from the vents. She glanced to the radio. The dashboard was all lights. However, she could only focus on the time. She prayed Marietta was up.She had to talk to her.

"Are you sure you're okay? You were quiet on the flight home." Dominic asked.

Rosetta sat in the back seat. Catalina could see her staring in the side view mirror. She had to get her act together and fast. It was hard. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. Most of all she wanted to kill Lorenzo for betraying them all so badly. But what she needed to do was far more important than what she wanted.

"Catalina?" Dominic asked.

"Huh?" she answered.

"What is it?" Dominic asked.Damn him.Dominic could always tell when she was hiding something or lying to him.

"I was thinking of how sadMadrewas whenever we came here to Chianti. She was only truly happy in Sorrento."

"Not true. Later in life, she loved Mondello. That's why Giovanni buried her there."

"No. Giovanni buried her there because he knew she wanted to be close to father. And he couldn't even give her that. Whatever. Is Lorenzo home? I mean in Chianti?" Catalina asked.

"I think so. I know Giovanni is. He's pissed with me because I didn't tell him I had to leave for Sicily."

"Dominic?" Rosetta chirped in. "I heard Raffaele say that Papa was being taken to anospedalein Roma. He said that the family was moving out of Sicily. Everyone was coming to Sorrento now."

Catalina glanced over to Dominic to gauge his response. He nodded. But he gave no other explanation. That was the most infuriating part of being a woman born into this family. The secrets. Now their damn secrets would tear them apart. It made her sick with grief and fear.

She pushed in the CD sticking out of the radio player. DJ Quik came on rapping so fast he might as well have been speaking an aien language. Catalina turned up the volume. Dominic didn't complain. And she knew Rosetta would be prevented from asking another stupid question. She finally had peace.

Catalina looked back out of her window. Dominic's hand rested on her thigh. At first, she wanted to knock his touch away. She wasn't sure why, but she was angry at him, too. She was angry at everyone. However, a touch from Dominic calmed her. She put her hand on top of his and squeezed it.

He bobbed his head and rapped the raunchy lyrics.

She loved him. She felt it all the way to her soul. Suddenly she knew the answer. She would do as he would. As any of them would. She'd do whatever necessary to protect their family.

He glanced over at her and winked.

She mouthed the words: "Anch'io ti amo."

***

"Where are we?" Adara mumbled.

Of course, Carlo didn't answer. He got out of the car. Umberto eased out next. Adara had no choice but to wait on the men. She couldn't hear what they discussed. But from what she could tell Carlo gave the orders, and Umberto followed them. Soon after it began, the conversation ended. Carlo walked away. Umberto sat on the edge of the car. Adara rolled down her window and looked out of it as best she could. Carlo approached a phone booth and went inside.

"Mannaggia!"she mumbled. She glanced down to the door latch and saw it was unlocked. She could run. But where to? She could fight them, but without her gun, she could only take one of them down. On this desolate stretch of highway, they could kill and bury her before a single car drove by.She was trapped.The only thing left for her to do was to wait.

Carlo returned from making his call. He and Umberto had words and then Umberto walked away. Carlo went around to her side of the vehicle and opened the door.

"Get out!" he demanded.

She did as he told her. But she was prevented from stepping any further. He crowded her with his height and might. He held on to the door and leaned in. They were face to face when he spoke again. “I work for Giovanni Battaglia, do you know who he is?"

"I know he is," she said.

"He doesn't deal in whores, prostitution, women like you," Carlo said.

"I know that too," she said. "He's a stand-up guy." She snarked. Carlo seemed amused. There was a way he licked his bottom lip and continued to stare into her eyes. There was such rage and control in his stare she felt hypnotized into submission from one look.

"I do like whores, prostitutes, women like you," Carlo smiled.

Adara did not.

---