Page 73 of Ti Amo

“We can call in the families and address the problem, keep your hands clean.”

“The time for negotiating has passed. I take full responsibility for the Cammora being split amongst the families now. This is our problem, and we will solve it our way. Make the arrangements for the meeting. I suspect the snake in our garden is the weapon of choice for Bonaduce. Let’s draw him out. I’ll be the bait.”

“And Domi?”

“He’s not invited to the party.” Giovanni turned and walked past his cousin.

“Gio?”

“It’s as much as I will address today. Domi knows my wishes for his future.”

“He’s our brother, Gio. He screwed up, but he’s one of us. We should consider this.”

Giovanni walked out. He was going to make the most of this situation. He owed it to his girls. His sweetbambinawould have her first Christmas without the spilling of blood.

****

Sleep didn’t come easy. He only had two or three hours before he received word of visitors. He slipped on his robe to leave the room when he heard his daughter speak. Eve stood in her crib. She wore a lilac purple sleep jumper with the feet attached. She blinked clear blue eyes at him and put her pacifier back in her mouth. Giovanni smiled. Often times when he was young his father would take him from his mother’s arms and bring him along when he conducted business. He sometimes wondered why, other than to school him. Now staring at Eve he understood. She was his anchor, his tie to his humanity. He needed her love as much as she depended on him to be strong and provide for them.

Giovanni went to her crib. His daughter’s arms were outstretched for him. He heaved her up into his arms, and she rested her face under his neck. She smelled of powder and lavender baby lotion. He began to hum her favorite nursery rhyme to her as he carried her out of the room and through the dark halls. They entered a reading room on the lower level where Franco’s father and brothers waited. It was barely morning. The men gathered paused on conversation and stared at Eve. Several came over to kiss the baby. She eventually turned her face away not wanting the attention. Giovanni chuckled. His daughter kisses were reserved for him only.

Careful of her anxiety, he waved off those trying to greet her and approached his desk to have a seat. His daughter rested in his lap with her face pressed to his chest.

“You summoned us early. We had plans to arrive Christmas day.” Caesar Sr. said with a nervous smile in his voice. “Your men, none of them will tell us why we were brought here.”

“Papa, stay calm.” Caesar Jr., the eldest son said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He was a tall lean Sicilian man of about twenty-eight years old. He worked as a schoolteacher in Palermo. The older man looked visibly shaken. However, he had a controlled manner that Giovanni respected. He nodded his head as a show of respect and waited for Giovanni to speak. Caesar, had eight sons, and all of them except Franco were present. Giovanni’s chest tightened with pangs of regret over the injustice.When did his family spiral so far out of control?It felt as if he’d been living in a fog of chaos for two long years. He needed to bring them all out of the darkness or there would be no future for his daughter. He cut a steely gaze to Dominic who stood in the corner of the room, watchful, expressionless.

“Franco is missing,” Giovanni announced.

The men began to speak at once. Eve sat up in his arms and looked around at the confusion, Giovanni calmed her by rocking his chair a bit, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She did so for a brief moment, but Eve curiously looked back at the others, openly observant.

Franco’s brother Octavio stepped to Giovanni’s desk. “How long? What do you mean missing?”

“That is why we’ve summoned you. Do you remember Mira Ellison? She was the fashion designer out of America? The one we believed died.”

Several of them looked to Eve then to Giovanni.

Caesar Sr. answered, “Yes.”

“She’s alive. I’m sure you are aware of this. This is my daughter Eve.”

“We heard from the family that she was returned to you.” Junior said.

“Well my enemies know. I believe they are plotting against me, us, the family. That is why I’m worried that we haven’t heard from Franco in twenty-four hours. Not since he left for work. I need to know if you’ve spoken to him. If any of you have had contact. I also need to know where you think he would go if he were in trouble.”

“What about his wife? Wouldn’t she know?” Junior asked. He grabbed his brother Octavio by the shoulder and pulled him back.

“She doesn’t.” Dominic spoke up. “She’s taken to bed sick with worry.”

Giovanni sighed. “Today Dominic and my men will do a ride with you. Tour every spot he’s known to visit. Speak to everyone. If he doesn’t turn up in two days we will alert the authorities,” Giovanni said. He rose with Eve in his arms. He walked over to Franco’s father. “You need to rest. Let your sons handle the search, I promise you we will do whatever we can to find him.” He patted the elder gentleman’s shoulder. The man took his hand and kissed his ring. “Bless you Don Battaglia. Please find my son.”

“Grazie,Don Battaglia.” Junior and his brother’s all said in unison.

Eve dropped her forehead on his cheek, and he could sense her tiring. He left the men and their worry to Dominic. Giovanni couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly Dominic managed the lie.

Mira sat up in bed. The door opened and Giovanni stepped in with a sleeping Eve in his arms. She watched him curiously as he returned their daughter back to her room. “Where were you two?” she asked.

Giovanni shed his robe and tossed it aside, then removed his pajama pants. “She spent some time with her father,” he answered.

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