Page 157 of Vita Mia

“Giovanni did what he had to do, because of you. You did this to the family Lo,” Mirabella said.

His gaze lifted and she saw the torment and rage in his eyes. She didn’t mean to turn the knife in his chest. If she wanted to hurt him even more she would tell him the story of his parentage. But that was a story for another time. And if he believed that he was nothing, he may not do what she had come to ask.

“The family is broken. We’ve lost the Amalfi. We barely hang on. We need you.”

“Can’t do much from here,” Lorenzo said.

“You might be able too.” She reached into her bag and removed the newspaper and camera. She had a small tripod to set it up on. Lorenzo stared at it confused. Sergei and the men began to speak. She heard the anger in their voices. But she chose to ignore it. She hadn’t traveled this far to be denied. She would get what she came to get.

“I need you to record a message. One for Marietta. I need you to tell her to trust us. To help us.”

“By not testifying against Giovanni?”

“You know how this works. She does that, and she’ll be a target of the Camorra for the rest of her life. We may have a war going on in the Amalfi but we can rebuild. And the Camorra has survived wars like this for over a hundred years. You have to get her to trust us.”

“She sees me like this and it will fuck up what’s left of her mind!” Lorenzo said and slammed his fist on the table.

A few men chuckled at the flash of anger from Lorenzo. He ignored them. But Mirabella noticed that they called him a pet and seem smug over his presence with them. What did Lorenzo have to do to survive the madness of this place?

“I’m negotiating your release.”

Lorenzo let go a laugh. He slumped back and shook his head. “I’m dead. She’ll get my body one day. There is no release.”

“There is. We’re negotiating for you to be moved from here. South America. It’ll happen soon.”

Lorenzo’s gaze slipped to Sergei. The tall albino’s gaze finally left Mirabella to impale Lorenzo. The seething hatred she saw between the men was the first crack in Lorenzo’s facade. What was really going on?

“Are you the only prisoner here?” Mirabella asked.

Lorenzo shook his head no. “This is where they bring their enemies. Armenians, Africans, American’s, and even the Chinese. We’re the United Nations of prisoners.”

Lorenzo wiped his hand down his face. “I’ll do the recording. Because Giovanni and I are brothers. And I’m a better man than him. I’ll protect him, even after all he’s done to destroy my life. That is what family is. Loyalty. Tell your husband to brush up on the diplomacy.”

“Better man than him? Diplomacy? Loyalty? You? He could have killed you on that boat Lorenzo. After being shot and betrayed, he let you believe the lie.”

“What lie?” Lorenzo narrowed his eyes on her.

“Never mind.” She went into the purse and removed a note. She slid it over to him. “This is what you have to tell Marietta. These are the instructions you need to give her.”

“I told her to protect Lorenza. I told her to never give her to you. She swore to me, she would.”

“She’s a liar. Like you are,” Mirabella said.

Lorenzo’s gaze lifted to her. He then read the rest of the note. He nodded. “Let’s do this. I heard they’re serving shit sandwiches for dinner.”

Mirabella turned on the camera. The flash on the top of it shone a bright light in Lorenzo’s face. He squinted at first. His eyes soon adjusted. At first, he stared at the camera and didn’t speak. And she feared he’d renege on his promise. But then he sat forward and smiled. He picked up the newspaper so the date could be seen clearly. Then he lowered it.

“Marie, I miss youcara?” he began.

***

PALERMO SICILY

“I’ve never had so many kids at once,” Catalina said above the sound of children screaming and laughing as they ran through her home playing.

She found Dominic at the bar. After Renaldo’s death, he had started drinking again. He rarely slept. The men told her of how hard it was for them to claim Renaldo’s body for Kyra. And now he was back with the children, pacing his office.

“Have you eaten?” she asked.

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