Page 154 of Vita Mia

Giovanni stopped chewing. It was confirmed. Carlo was returning. Giovanni picked up his cup as if he were taking a drink. He spoke when he should have been swallowing. “Tell the butcher to have his fun, but to leave some for me. Tell him I said I like the sunsets in Africa the best.”

The man mopped away and the Carabinieri returned. The guards immediately took notice of the two of them but said nothing.

Giovanni glanced to the camera pointed at him. He scooped more of his soup and ate the remainder of his meal trying to mask his smile.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Past - 1996

Naples, Italy

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MIRABELLA BOARDED THEplane first. Nico came on board right after her. There were several men already seated. The only one she knew was Brian Smith. He came out of his seat and greeted her warmly. He had smoothed his dark hair into a tight binding at the nape and a long plait. It reminded her of how Kei Hyogo would wear his hair at times. She accepted his hospitality and took a seat next to the window. Nico sat in the aisle. For the remainder of the four-hour journey everyone on the plane spoke Russian. She and Nico were quite aware of how isolated they were.

“Dominic’s news is good,” Nico said to her.

“Yes. Giovanni is strong. But he isn’t invincible behind those bars. We need to make this happen quickly for him. As fast as we can.”

“What do you think we will find in Russia?”

Mirabella looked toward the window. She had hopes of finding Lorenzo alive and well. But after her meeting with Tarzan she needed her daughter to hold her just to summon sleep. The man was eviler than even her darkest nightmares could conjure. She reached over and took Nico’s hand. She held it for the remainder of the flight. Neither of them spoke again.

When the plane landed they sat on the runway for what Mirabella thought an oddly extended amount of time. Brian was on the phone in the plane and speaking in Russian. Something about the delay felt wrong. Nico whispered to stay in her seat. He eased out and the men on the plane stopped talking immediately to look at him. He walked to the bathroom and went inside. The bathroom was to the back of the plane and Nico had taken the walk to assess the situation. How many men, and what he’d have to do to protect her. She could have saved him the trouble. They were in a foreign country stuck with more than even he could handle. And when he returned she saw the worry on his face.

“What do you think it is?”

“The federation here in Russia needs to let us into the country.” Nico whispered.

“We don’t have Visa’s?”

Nico glanced to her. They weren’t expected too. This was supposed to be undercover. “We’re at the Vnukovo International Airport. I checked with Domi before we left. Where we’d land. If they aren’t letting us off the plane then it has been detained,” Nico whispered.

Mirabella’s anxiety eased. If they were near officials then she was somewhat comfortable with their safety. In the past traveling was handled by Giovanni and they came and went as they pleased. Now she understood why Bryan insisted to be the one to fly them in.

And on cue Brian stood from his seat. He walked over to them. “I need your passports.”

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