Page 26 of Mafia And Taken

The next morning, I got up early, leaving Cate asleep in bed, and headed down to the gym room in our mansion.

Part of the ground floor had been converted into our gym, holding our fitness equipment and weights, as well as having a large area for fight and knife training. Marco, Camillo, and I trained there every day, and even Danio trained here most days in preparation for his initiation into the Fratellanza. When our siblings were younger, it meant that Marco and I had to be able to train without being too far away from the kids in case they needed us.

This morning Marco was already in the gym, and his first question to me was what I expected. “Have you got anything out of the girl yet?”

“Cate,” I replied.

“What?”

“Her name’s Cate,” I said shortly.

“Whatever. What has she told you?”

“Not much so far, but I’m working on it.”

“For God’s sake, Alessio, you said you could get the information out of her.”

“And I can. It’s just that the concussion has left her memory a bit foggy. The doctor said things should come back to her once her headaches subside.” Even as I said it, I knew it sounded like a feeble excuse. If my Capo knew I had spent the night in the same bed as her, he’d be even more concerned.

“Her father hasn’t come around yet after his surgery and is currently on a life support machine. The FBI is snooping around trying to get to the bottom of the deaths caused by our drugs, poking their noses into places I don’t want them looking into. We need her to talk, and we need her to talk now. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll do it myself.”

“No, let me try one more time. If she doesn’t talk this time, I’ll take her into the garage myself.” The garage was the best place to make our enemies talk. This time, I might need to resort to some more severe methods of interrogation.

But I wouldn’t let Marco do it. It had to be me. I knew what had to be done. It was business, and nothing came between me and our business—and nothing came between me and my brothers.

I got on with my usual workout routine, however my mind wasn’t really on it. Afterward, I took a shower in the bathroom attached to the gym rather than going back up to my bedroom. I knew I was trying to delay the inevitable.

After my shower, I couldn’t hold off any longer. Marco was watching me closely, and I wouldn’t let him down. He was my brother and my Capo, and the Fratellanza always came first with us.

As I reached my bedroom and opened the door, Cate was just coming out of my bathroom and was wrapped in a white towel. She had just showered, and I could see stray droplets of water clinging to her perfect skin. I felt my loins stir, but I knew I couldn’t think about that now.

CATE

“Here’s some more of Debi’s clothes for you to wear,” said Alessio, handing me a pair of white denim shorts and a strappy pale pink top.

“Thank you and please say thanks to your sister as well.”

“Of course. Come down for breakfast once you are dressed.”

As I put the clothes on, I wondered how much longer I would have to stay here. Once I was dressed, I followed Alessio down to the kitchen. “Do you like pancakes? I thought I would make some breakfast if you’d like?”

“Sure, that sounds good.”

I watched Alessio get the ingredients out for pancakes. “Where’s the rest of your family?”

“The others have already left for the day and Marco is in the office.”

I was glad that the Capo was elsewhere. I got the feeling that otherwise he might be demanding some sort of explanation from me about what had happened with my father. And that wasn’t something I wanted to talk about.

Soon the pancakes were ready, and their smell was making me feel hungry. “Help yourself,” Alessio said, indicating toward the food.

“Thanks,” I said, tucking into my plate.

“How did you sleep last night?”

“Good. I feel well-rested this morning.”

“Any more nightmares?” Alessio asked, cocking his head to one side as if he were trying to analyze me.

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