Page 232 of Vita Mia

He squeezed her to him. He smiled and held her tightly. He began to believe.

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GIOVANNI WALKED THEgardens at night with Leeza in his arms. In the garden, the fireflies twinkled and his daughter was excited by the blinking light display. It calmed her. Mirabella had gone to bed with Eve to calm her fears after the day they had. Zia had not been seen since the episode with Lorenzo. They all agreed to let her rest. But he knew that he’d put her through a lot and made a silent vow to find a way to give Zia some peace mind.

“Gio?” Dominic said.

He turned to see Dominic had followed them outside. The house had settled for the night, but it was no surprise to him that Dominic had been unable to sleep. He nodded at him.

“I was on the phone with our doctor. The prosecutors are releasing her. I’ve made the call that she be reunited with her family. We won’t hear from her again. It’s over.”

“It’s not over. The Générale won’t stop. They’ll find new charges. They’ll come again, and again. And even if I beat them in court they will come again.”

Dominic took a step toward him. He had his hands shoved down in his pants. He looked uncertain or troubled. Something he hadn’t seen on him since his release. “Something else I should know.”

“What do you think of what I’ve done, all of this, who I’ve become?” Dominic asked.

Leeza bumped her forehead on his and then rested her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back and stared at Dominic for a moment then his gaze swiveled to the gardens and the Mancini palazzo. He looked back to Dominic.

“The Don of Palermo. I think in the past few months you’ve done well.”

“It’s not what they say, not what the women think, even the men. Oh, I’ve done well. They think I’ve become a monster. And I had to be. What has being Dominic ever bought me but drunkenness?”

“If you’re a drunk so am I.”

Dominic chuckled. He glanced up at the sky. “I rather enjoy being sober because I feel everything this way. I feel the power.” He looked back to Giovanni. “That’s what it is. Power. When you have it, there’s nothing like it. They respect me Gio. They bend to my command. I’m the power now.”

“And you intend to keep it?” Giovanni asked.

“I had been tempted by Ballistrieri. Not to betray you. But to take it all from him. To be more powerful. I’m not pretending to be you or Lorenzo. I’m my own man. Not Tomosino’s son. I’m no one’s son.”

“I understand,” Giovanni said. “The real question is how do you keep the power while I’m here?”

“No—”

“Domi. There can only be one. You know this life. You know the cost. Power is sexy, it is addictive, more than alcohol or women. It can bring you everything and it... can burn everything to the ground.”

“You’ve gotten revenge. There’s nothing to stop you from taking it all back. Even after we deal with the Santoro’s and the Russians. It’s yours,” Dominic said.

Giovanni nodded. “It will always be mine. I will always be Camorra. But it’s not enough for me. That’s the curse of power. There’s never enough of it.”

“I’ve done things,” Dominic confessed. “To Catalina. I’ve been cruel. I have mistresses all over Sicily.”

“You want to anger me?” Giovanni asked.

“No. I’m being honest. Tonight, she told me she still loved me and it was different Gio. Our love is different. Not obscene like you thought. Not obsessive and homicidal like I made it. We’re adults now. It’s real, it’s painful and complicated and it’s hard to hold on too.”

“You a poet?” Giovanni arched a brow.

Dominic smiled. “I’ve always had a way with words. But that is the truth. She told me that she is pregnant. I’m going to be a father.”

“She told me this too,” Giovanni said. “She whispered it in my ear when I returned.”

“Does Mirabella and Zia know?” Dominic asked.

“No. She’s mypiccolettaand she wanted my blessing.”

“To have my child? Why would she need your blessing and not mine?” Dominic asked.

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