Page 3 of Mafia Virgin (The Kings of Italy)

“We expect this marriage to happen,” Borghese said. “Do not disappoint me, Ravazzani.”

“The same goes for you, Buscetta.” Virga glared at me, his narrow-set eyes like black orbs.

“You ask the impossible,” Ravazzani said. “And Buscetta and I both agree this is not happening.”

The two old men appeared as if they wanted to say something, but how could they complain? Ravazzani brought in most of the ’Ndrangheta’s money and me most of the Cosa Nostra’s wealth. We weren’t men you could easily push around or threaten, not if you wished to keep your big houses, fancy cars and expensive mistresses.

I walked out first, not wanting to give Ravazzani the satisfaction. Zani and the others trailed me into the hot Calabrian sunshine. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I said as I climbed into our car.

CHAPTERONE

Emma

January

Toronto, Canada

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a doctor.

That dream seemed far away at the moment, though. I was struggling just to keep up in my second year of university. After this came years of medical school and residency.

I wasn’t quitting, though. Someday this would all be worth it.

I waved to the guards as I passed through the front gate of my home. Toronto was bitterly cold this time of year, and I always felt bad for my father’s men who were stuck outside. I guided my electric car up the drive and into the four-car garage. My father’s two cars—a big gas-guzzling SUV and a sleek sports car—were idle, as they had been for months.

After plugging my car in to charge, I grabbed my bags and headed inside. I needed to eat something and then finish my mound of homework. But all of that had to wait until after I checked in on Papà.

I dropped my things in the kitchen, then strode through the quiet house. The once-vibrant home was now an eerie collection of empty rooms. The loneliness used to bother me, but I was too busy these days to notice.

Everything changed in the past four years. Not only were my two sisters living on the other side of the globe, happily partnered, but my father revealed four months ago that he has Stage 4 cancer. It started in his prostate, but quickly spread throughout his whole body. The only reason he told me was because he needed to have radiation and chemotherapy to attack the tumor. Because we lived together, he knew he couldn’t hide it from me.

He made me swear, however, not to tell my sisters. Frankie and Gia had complicated relationships with my father, so I tried not to feel guilty about keeping this from them. It wasn’t like either of them had been home to visit recently. Neither one of them even called him on the phone these days.

The soft sounds of a television reached my ears as I climbed the stairs. Papà must be watching another old movie. Maybe he’d feel up to playing chess today. Unfortunately his last round of chemo had really sapped his energy. It would take a few weeks for him to regain his strength.

Gloria, his live-in nurse, was in his room, reading in a chair. My father was asleep, his body completely still except for the rise of his chest. Medical equipment cluttered the large space around the bed. We kept his treatment here, a secret from the rest of the world.

Gloria held a finger up to her lips and gestured for me to follow her into the hall.

“Hi,” I said as she closed his door. “How is he today?”

“Good. He ate some soup and complained about the lack of salt.”

“Of course he did. Has he been sleeping long?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

The doorbell rang, the unusual sound startling me.

Gloria and I exchanged a look. It couldn’t be a visitor, not with the guards outside. They would never let a stranger come to the door. Had Uncle Reggie lost his key? He was the only other family member who knew of my father’s illness, and that was because Uncle Reggie needed to oversee the business until my father was back on his feet.

“I’ll go down,” I told the nurse. “Be back in a few.”

“No need.” Gloria patted my shoulder. “You must be hungry and have work to do. I’ll sit with your father a little longer.”

“Thank you. That would be very helpful.”

The bell clanged again. Jeez, impatient much?

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