Page 80 of La Dolce Vita

"Did they hurt themselves?" she asked. "Were you paying attention? Gio, answer me!"

"They'll be fine," Giovanni said.

"Well don't just let them cry, for goodness sake," she turned to leave.

"Send for Carlo, and Lorenzo if he has returned. I need to speak with them."

She left without acknowledging his request. Giovanni sighed. He closed his eyes and rubbed his left temple. He suffered headaches now. They were slight but persistent. He knew it was stress. So he endured. But today the ache to his skull felt never ending. The only real remedy would be a glass of something strong, wine or whiskey, didn't matter. He squeezed his eyes shut and resisted the urge. Then a knock on the door forced him out of his isolated thoughts. He expected to see Carlo. When the door opened he locked eyes with Renaldo instead.

"Boss,excusimi, can I have a moment?" Renaldo asked.

A concerned Giovanni sat upright." Entra."

Renaldo entered and closed the door behind him. "I wanted to speak with you. Uh, I wouldn't normally, but this is important."

Giovanni nodded.

"Kyra's pregnant. The doctors have her on bed rest. She isn't going to Paris with Catalina; she has to stay home until the baby is born."

"I've heard she has had some problems with the pregnancy. Is there something you need? A doctor? A specialist?"

Giovanni owed the man before him his life. Not many could have taken as many bullets to the chest as he did and survived. It was a debt he hadn't forgotten.

Renaldo ran his hand back over his head. He looked flushed and uncertain of his words. Not a trait common with his top enforcer. His cool demeanor never wavered on the job. He never hesitated about a risk. But he was a married man now. And soon to be a father--again. Some thought that kind of change made him a better man. It was possible. But it also made him vulnerable. And Giovanni knew from personal experience how that vulnerability could weaken you in the life they lived.

"Boss." There was a pause. Renaldo exhaled a deep breath. "I need to ask for some time off."

"How much time?" Giovanni frowned.

"At least a month. I am making arrangements for one of her sisters to come for a visit. Kyra, she's not good with the stress. It's been several weeks since I've been home and I've only come on the weekends. I need to be there."

"This is a bad time for us, Renaldo. It'll have to wait until after the clan bosses meet here. Another few days. And the most I could give you would be a week off."

"I understand. I wouldn't ask this if it weren't important. In fact, I'm out of time. I need to be home no later than tomorrow. For my wife and my child’s sake. And to be honest, Boss, I need to be there for me. I'm not a hundred percent when she... when I know she's in pain."

The time he requested was out of the question. Tomorrow was out of the question. Every man in his organization was a chess piece on the master board of life. He was poised to take down all of his enemies and destroy that bitch, Isabella. But he could not do it without Renaldo. He was one of the few men left he trusted.

Renaldo stepped forward. "Boss, I know my problems aren't yours. I take my oath to you seriously. When I saw that gun raised and pointed at you, I stepped in front of it. I didn't hesitate. That's my oath. But when I was shot and nearly lost my life, the sacrifice I made told my wife and my son that your life meant more to me than my own. And now they don't trust me. It's not something she says, Boss. It's her fear. It's the way she doubts my intentions. She's vulnerable now, and I have to protect her. I have to earn the trust back. She's young. She's my heart. And she needs me."

"And if I say I need you more?" Giovanni asked.

"Then it will be a difficult decision. One I wouldn't want to make. But this time I will have to choose my wife," Renaldo said.

Not surprised Giovanni pushed back in his seat and stood. He walked over to Renaldo. They stood nearly the same height. Renaldo had been with him for many years. He'd been a good friend for even more. Giovanni grabbed his enforcer by the face. He kissed him on the left and the right cheeks and then pulled him into a brotherly hug. "Take as long as you need, brother. Go to her. Be there for her. And don't return until you make me a Godfather."

"Grazie, Gio!"Renaldo said with a deep sigh of relief and hugged Giovanni tightly."Grazie!"

Giovanni let him go as Carlo and Lorenzo entered the room. The men frowned over the embrace they witnessed. Renaldo turned and left without a second glance back.

"What was that about?" Lorenzo chuckled.

"Salve!"Giovanni gestured at Carlo. He opened his arms to him."Viene qua!"

Carlo hesitated a moment. It wasn't the welcoming he expected. Gio gave him a stern look, and he walked over to embrace his Don properly. Giovanni slapped Carlo's cheek and grabbed his shoulders to get a good look at him.

"Six weeks? You go to America for six weeks and no word to your Don?"

"I needed the visit. The trip went longer than I intended."

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