by J. L. Drake
“Hey.” Elio came up behind me and snagged my arm. “Where are you going now?”
I glanced at Nonna’s tilted head and could see she was interested in my answer, so I closed my mouth to rethink my words. “I think it’s best if I leave.”
“What?” He pinched his nose in frustration. “No, we have to talk.”
“If the young lady wishes to leave, Elio, let her leave.”
He shook his head at Nonna’s words, and I stepped toward the door, only to have him stop me again. Mariano’s voice echoed down the hallway, and I wanted to disappear. Elio took my hand and marched us outside. I glanced back at a very pissy Nonna glaring at me.
“I don’t have the mind space for whatever is going on, but you are not to be alone with him.”
“I’m sorry. At what point did I say I wanted to be?” I pushed him away and walked a few feet in order to take a breath. There was so much happening right now, and from all different directions, and I was having trouble sorting through it all. My nerves were on their final edge.
“Hey.” Mariano came down the stairs and slowly eyed both of us. “What’s going on?”
“Sienna has a friend in town wanting to meet her,” Elio said. “I called Vinni to pick her up.”
“But we have plans.” He directed his confusion to me.
“I tried to tell you there was a possibility, but…” I trailed off.
“Can’t he reschedule?”
“She’s only in town for one day.” I wanted to correct the gender, so he didn’t flip out.
“Oh, I see.” Then he looked at Elio. “How did you know about it?” One look at Elio’s face and he held up his hands and backed off
“Fine. Then we’ll meet up tonight.” He took out his phone as Vinni pulled in the driveway.
“Okay.” I gritted my teeth, avoiding Elio’s stare. “I’ll see you both later.”
Vinni had barely come to a complete stop when I jumped inside and covered my face with my hands and loudly growled into them.
“Wow, you don’t sound happy.” I heard Vinni twist in his seat. “Are you okay?”
“Would you mind taking me to the market? Or maybe a gun range? Is that okay?”
He thought for a moment. “Gun range. Ahh, no, but the market, yeah, I think I can do that. Do you need to go back to the house first?”
“No, I’m good.”
As we pulled away, I caught sight of Nonna in the doorway and closed my eyes in confusion at just how I could have so upset a woman I had never even met.
“Vinni? Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask.” He grinned playfully.
“Your nonna, she seems pretty sharp. She doesn’t suffer from any kind of dementia, does she?” I hoped the fact I had my fingers crossed would give me a pass on my one-way ticket to hell.
He laughed as he made a wide turn. “Nonna is one of the sharpest tools in the entire family. People might underestimate her because she doesn’t leave the property often, but trust me, she knows everything that goes on and then some.”
Great.
“That’s pretty impressive.”
“She really is. Let me guess, you met her?”
“I did.”
“She might come off a little protective, but she’ll warm up. She just needs to get to know you first.”
Mm, that’s it.
“I’m sure.” I sank into the seat and tried to push the terror of dear old nut-job Nonna out of my mind.
The market was just what I needed, friendly people, yummy food, gelato, and no lover or crazy wanna-be lover to deal with. I found myself drawn to the fountain and sat at the table Piero and I had used once before. Pulling off a little piece of sweet bread, I let my gaze drift over to some children tossing coins into the water. They looked so carefree while their parents watched over them. It drew me to thoughts of my mother. I should call her, but her hint that the Capris might have some answers to my past held me back. I just didn’t see it. Perhaps she just wanted me to hate them as much as she did?
“Scusa,” Vinni sat down suddenly. “Sorry, I know you were deep in thought, but I just got called to the dockyard. So, Jimmy, over there, will drive you home.” He pointed behind me to a man in a tight t-shirt and sports coat who now leaned against the car. He looked like he should be on the cover of some men-over-forty sports magazine.
“I’ll grab my sweater.”
“No need, you’ll continue in my car. I’ll take his.”
“You sure?”
“All good.” He smiled warmly. “Take your time. He’s been told to wait until you’re ready.”
As he walked away, I called after him, “Hey, Vin?”
“Yeah?”
“Your Nonna, I think—” I stopped myself, unsure if I wanted to pull harder at that thread just yet.
“She what?”
“Never mind, it’s not important.”
He looked at me funny, then his phone started to ring, so he waved and raced off.
I spent another forty minutes enjoying my alone time as I tried to collect my jumbled thoughts. I almost needed a notebook to jot down all the twists and turns that were coming at me. My phone rang, and I pulled it out with a groan. I wondered who wanted to yell at me next.
“Oh.” I saw Georgio’s name on the caller ID. “Hi, Georgio, how are you?”
“I’d be better if you’d return to work,” he huffed. When I didn’t react, he took a breath and started over. “I wanted to talk to you about something that’s come up. Do you have a moment?”
“I do.” I was curious to know what he wanted, particularly if a story might come along for me. I settled in to listen.
When I focused on my surroundings once again, I realized the place was clearing out and the vendors were closing up. I hung up in a daze, still reeling from what Georgio had just told me. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t just say no right away. Maybe there was a part of me that was intrigued enough to be flattered. Either way, I just wanted to relish the feeling.
Grabbing my bags, I looked around for the driver. Jimmy was a few yards away, across the street, getting a coffee. I headed toward him but stopped when I caught sight of the man in the gray suit from Vinni’s party. He was watching me again from across the street. What was strange was that when I locked eyes with him, he made no attempt to move or to look away, he just stood there. He wasn’t at all threatening. I decided I would have a talk with Elio. I wouldn’t put it past him to have hired the guy to keep an eye on me, but a heads up on Mr. Stoneyface would have been nice.
Peeling my attention away from him, I focused on the driver who I could now see through the window of the coffee shop was juggling his coffee as he reached for the door. I introduced myself as I pulled the door open for him.
“Thank you.” He nodded at me. “So, you’re Sienna?” He smiled.
“I guess I am.”
“I’ve heard nice things about you.”
“Thanks.” I wasn’t in a chatty mood, and he must have picked up on it because he didn’t ask any more questions.
Several yards away from the car, he pulled out the keys and clicked the unlock button. The next sound that hit my ears took my breath away. A bright flash of light and heat blinded me, and I blew backward, hitting something with a heavy thud.
As though in a dream, I realized I was slumped against a mailbox. Through a haze, I saw a figure lean over me. Then all went black.
“I don’t get it.” Vinni rubbed his face and tossed the paperwork on the table. “We’ve been through every tape, every document from here to New York. We’ve been through the New York videotapes, and the paperwork, and there’s just nothing.”
“There’s always something,” Niccola reminded him. “We’re just missing it.”
I stood in front of the window and looked over the dockyard and watched the workers unload today’s shipment. I had my guys combing through every nook and cranny of the ship. If there was something there, they’d find it.
“All righ
t.” Niccola sighed loudly behind me. “If I was going to smuggle a girl or girls from Siberia through Italy, why go through the States? Are they just stopping there or going farther? How much does a girl go for?”
“It really depends on a lot of factors,” I muttered, “virgins, body type, eye color. There are about four million victims around the world every year. America is one of the top three places to pick up girls. I know they’re easily snatched from foster care, so maybe that’s where they found her. They rarely look very hard for them.” I shrugged, disgusted with the thought of it all.
A stretch of silence fell over us as we took a moment to think about what could be happening in our dockyard. I had no problem taking someone’s life, but women and children needed to be left out of it.
“The boss of a major syndicate chooses to traffic girls through our dockyard. Why?” Vinni pondered out loud.
Niccola joined in. “If he gets the operation moving through here, he could easy call the Feds and have us all taken down.”
“It just doesn’t seem like Stefano. He’s vindictive, but to set all this up just to have the Feds take us down… Sounds, I don’t know, off somehow. He’d want more of a show,” Vinni countered.
“Maybe it’s nothing at all. Maybe it’s just a distraction?” I thought out loud. “Nothing leads to anything.” I pointed to the paperwork. “We’re here chasing our tails and killing off our own men for what? What do we really have except the word of one girl?”
Niccola stood and gave me a thoughtful look as his train of thought linked with mine. “Maybe we should question that girl again. See if she remembers anything else.”
I sent a text off to my translator giving him a date and time to meet the next day so we could question her further.
“Boss?” One of my soldiers stood in the doorway. I gave him a nod to report his findings. “We scoured every inch of the ship, twice, and we came up empty.”
I tossed the glass across the room, sending it into a billion pieces. What the hell was happening?
“Stop everything. Gather everyone below,” I barked at him.
“I think you may have been right, cousin.” Niccola joined my side. “Either it’s a distraction, or we caught the whole thing early and screwed up his plans. Either way, there are no girls, money, or evidence here.”
I fumed with anger, knowing what I needed to do. I headed outside to the steps and looked over the sixty-some employees who gathered with interest.
“We have a problem,” I called down to them. “So, hear me now, as I will not repeat myself.” My voice boomed over the quiet yard. “Anyone who has seen anything unusual or hears anything at all of Stefano Coppola or any of his men needs to come forward. There’ll be no repercussions if you speak up immediately. As of today, the dockyard will be shut down, except for a few remaining ships that are on their way to us. You will not lose pay. Consider it a small vacation.” A dull whisper could be heard. “If you know anything, come forward. I will keep a small number of you on to search the returning ships.” I turned and addressed my cousins. “Anyone who might have something to say, bring them to the warehouse. All ships returning to the dock will be searched and held until I say otherwise.”
Niccola nodded. “Understood.”
“Understood, bo…” Vinni trailed off as his phone rang in his hand. “Yeah?” His eyes jumped to mine, and suddenly my phone rang as well.
“What?” I snapped, not reading the caller ID.
“Elio,” my mother’s voice broke, “you need to come home.”
“Not a good ti—”
“It’s Sienna…”
I went cold as my hearing became super acute. “What’s happened?”
“There was a hit.” I hung up and raced out the door, down the stairs, past the sea of stunned bodies, to my car. As I peeled out of the gates, I swung onto the road and nearly clipped another car. He gave me the finger as I slammed the gears and shot off, leaving him to shrink in my rearview mirror.
Niccola’s name popped up on my dash screen, and I tapped the button.
“What do you know?”
“Someone planted a bomb under Vinni’s car. When Jimmy unlocked it, luckily from a few yards away, it triggered it.”
Anger raged through my veins, and I had to clamp my jaw tight to bring it under control.
“How bad is she?”
“I don’t know.” At his pause, my anger turned to fear in my gut. “We can’t find her.”
“What do you mean, you can’t find her!”
“She’s disappeared. Don’t worry, Elio, we’re on it. Just get there safe.”
I knew he could hear the screeching of my tires as I drove like a madman. I would break every single bone in Stefano’s body but his neck. He would suffer pain like no other, and my face would be the last thing he would ever see.
I took the main road, riding the shoulder most of the way. Cars honked, but nothing registered. My mind swirled with horrible scenarios. Did someone take her? Could she have been so hurt and afraid she started running?
I could barely think straight when I skidded to a stop at the Hill House. The door flew open, and Mama came out with my papa right behind her.
“Hang on, son.” He threw up his hands to stop me as Mama dabbed her eyes. “Let me tell you what we know.” He stood in front of me to block my path. “Jimmy had just stepped out of the coffee shop, and she met him, then the car exploded. Witnesses say the smoke was so intense that you couldn’t see anything, and once it cleared, she was gone. Jimmy is getting checked out now. You need to take a moment and get yourself together for Sienna’s sake.” He held my arm. “Son. Before you rush off, let’s get the footage. I have soldiers scouring the streets as we speak. The footage should be arriving any minute. Let’s be smart about this before you rip this city apart.”
He was right, but it didn’t tame the rage inside. I headed for the door, hearing my mother’s worried sobs behind me.
“Out.” I ordered the kitchen staff to disperse as I grabbed a water from the refrigerator and downed all of it. I wanted something stronger but knew I couldn’t risk clouding my judgment. I tossed the plastic bottle and took a moment to steady myself. Then I pictured her in her blue dress, and I could see her eyes as I’d last looked into them at my uncle’s house. They had been a darker shade than usual, and then I remembered she’d seemed rattled. I wished I had pushed my frustration at the meeting away long enough to have asked what was bothering her. I wasn’t used to checking in or calling when I worked. I was learning what it meant to have her back in my life again.
“Elio,” Francesco appeared on the other side of the island, “your father needs five minutes before you go anywhere. He said to show you this.” He held out an iPad. “It’s the footage from the corner store, next to the coffee shop.”
I pressed play and watched the video feed of Sienna sitting at a table in the market. Vinni joined her and pointed at Jimmy. I sped up the footage, and heat radiated through my core as I saw Sienna, a while later, have to go and look for Jimmy, and then seconds later the car exploded and they both flew backward. I backed up and replayed the video again and again as I studied the area around the car.
A man could be seen. He bent down as he neared the car, then he quickly walked away.
Wait.
I backed up the footage and saw Jimmy check the time on his watch. He glanced at the coffee shop and left the car. Immediately after he left was when the mystery man planted the device.
I tossed the iPad on the counter and spun to face the wall, infuriated by Jimmy’s obvious lapse in judgement. His training should never have allowed him to leave the vehicle unattended.
“Take a moment here, Elio,” Francesco said calmly, but I could tell by the white around his mouth that his anger was equal to mine. Sienna might be one of us, but she was the only one who didn’t deserve this. “If it is Stefano, flipping out on a murderous rampage is exactly what he would want.”
“Who else would it be?” I hisse
d.
“Here’s my problem with what happened.” Francesco took a seat on the stool and waited for me to join him. When I didn’t, he held up the small notebook taken from Stefano. “Stefano’s notebook has all these little S marks.” He opened the book to a marked page. “Look, the S’s are for Sienna. He’s been following her since she arrived here. See, here and here, they are all times when Sienna was there.” He pointed to another scribbled location and the letter S.
“He might be planning something, but the timing of a hit on her right now just doesn’t make sense. Unless I’m missing something in the bigger picture.” He lowered his voice as he glanced at the door. “However, you did get in someone else’s way today, remember? Mariano isn’t one to overlook. Jealousy and love can make a person do crazy things, but drugs, jealously, and love, well, that is a cocktail for disaster.”
I lowered myself to the stool and let that sink in. Was this my fault? We all had agreed that we’d play the next few months as normal with Mariano, but my head had been so messed up with Stefano that maybe I hadn’t played the cards correctly.
“I know you and I have been off lately,” he continued, “but despite what your feelings are about her mother being here, it’s time for some truths to come out. The good and the bad.” He twisted his hands together. “You have my word, if I’d known she was coming, I would have said something. It was a shock to me, too, and I’m still unsure how it will all play out. But it is what it is, and we need to be strong enough to weather this storm.”
“Tell me something.” A dark hate lined my soul. “How do you know what happened today wasn’t because of her mother?”
“Because I have eyes on her too.” He held my gaze, and I believed him. “She hates the family, but it’s because she believes we killed her brother, Angelo.”
“Did we?”
“No, but she was fed full of lies while she was mourning him, and it did a lot of damage. Some of it was repairable, but some of it, not.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the counter, and held my thumping head.
“You know Sienna better than anyone,” he whispered. “Where would she go if she needed help?”