by Emma Nichols
feelings for you? Why you? Reality was truth. Heaviness swamped the sweet, light feelings and cast a shadow of darkness and doom over her.
Now, her feet bloody throbbed even more than they had during her working day and reminded her of her place in this society. She was a waitress in a café, a nobody. She looked out the window without seeing beyond her reflection in the glass. A hot bath would help her disquiet, and then a drink would relax her for what was left of the evening. She looked forwards to two days off work. At least she wouldn’t need to deal with the crazy, fat pig or second guess Patrina’s increasingly edgy responses. The woman was fast becoming as unpredictable as her nephew.
Maybe she would go to the park tomorrow and then wander around Palermo on Monday. Perhaps that might get Maria out of her head. She leaned against the cloth seat. Stale smoke filled the air, and she closed her eyes. Was Patrina watching her? She flashed her eyes open and looked around the bus, her heart pounding. She didn’t recognise any new faces.
She released a tight breath and leaned back into the seat, willing her heart to slow and her shoulders to relax. Eventually, both eased and she closed her eyes, and the white noise inside the bus took her into a light sleep.
Simone blinked at the faint squealing of the brakes and opened her eyes as the gaseous hiss indicated the doors were opening. She stepped off the bus and set off up the main road. She crossed just short of the turning that would take her home as she always did. A thunderous crack split the night sky, and she spun her head around in the direction of the noise and screamed. Another booming roar went up and then another. She stood, frozen, with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes glued to the flaming light in the near distance. When someone grabbed her arm, her screams became lost in another explosive crack.
16.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s me.”
Simone looked at Maria with wide eyes and screamed again.
Simone’s body stiffened in Maria’s arms, and her breathing was shallow and fast. “It’s okay, you’re safe.” Maria held her tightly and pressed her lips to Simone’s head. She whispered, “Breathe slowly, nice and easy.”
She held Simone until her body softened and her breathing slowed.
The sirens became louder, and then a series of blue flashing lights whizzed past them. Maria noted the familiar unmarked car following at the rear of the convoy. Capitano Rocca was heading to the port. Good. She watched the taillights disappear into the distance. The explosion would be put down to a fuel leak, a problem with one of the vans that had caused a fire that had then spread and set off a domino effect across the fleet of parked vehicles. If anyone suspected differently, no one would challenge the word of the DIA, or any subsequent press release confirming the facts as instructed by Capitano Massina.
Simone eased out of Maria’s embrace and looked at her with a growing frown. Then a fire flashed across her eyes and she gasped. “What if Roberto has been killed?”
Maria shook her head. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“He could be delivering pizza over there. What if he’s been delivering pizza and got caught up in it?”
Simone lifted her hands sharply and jolted away from Maria. She held her head, in her hands and her garbled noises increased in volume. It sounded as though she was choking.
Maria bit her lip, frustrated by her need to remain silent. “He will be fine, Simone. Come, let’s get you home.”
Simone flinched away from Maria. “How do you know? He could be dead.”
Maria’s heart ached as she watched Simone shaking with worry and growing in rage. She couldn’t tell Simone she knew for sure without telling her that Roberto was working for her, and she couldn’t do that. “Can you text him? I’m sure he is fine.”
Simone grabbed her phone and tapped out the message with shaking hands. She stared at the screen. “Come on, come on.”
She started shaking the phone and stopped when Maria’s hand closed around hers.
“Let’s get you home,” Maria said softly, though she didn’t smile.
Simone’s phone pinged. She sighed. “He’s okay.”
Maria smiled. The tightness in her chest slipped away in a long deep breath. Thank God. She took Simone by the hand and led her up the road.
Simone held out the keys, and Maria let them into the house and turned on the hallway lights. Closing the door behind them, she locked eyes with Simone who was staring at her, open mouthed. “Are you okay?”
“What are you doing here?”
Maria felt the energy quiver from her stomach to her chest. Her heart was racing, and she hoped she didn’t look as awkward as she felt. She looked away, wetted her lips, and then turned back to Simone. “I wanted to see you…to make sure you didn’t worry.” The last bit wasn’t technically a lie. She cleared her throat, watching Simone’s frown deepen as she registered the truth.
“You knew about the explosion?”
Maria’s lips thinned, and her jaw tightened as she looked at Simone.
“Yes, I did. It’s just business.”
Simone turned away from Maria. She walked into the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink, Donna Maria?”
The formality in Simone’s tone landed like a boulder in Maria’s stomach, and she squeezed her eyes closed. Fuck. She took a deep breath and went into the kitchen. Simone turned to face her with glassy eyes, and she felt it in the sharp pain that pierced her heart. “I’m sorry, I should have asked before just showing up.”
Simone shook her head. “It was a shock, the explosion. I wasn’t expecting it.”
Simone’s quiet calm tone softened the tension a little. Maria nodded.
But for a few minutes, she would have already escorted Simone home, and they would have been inside the house together as the bombs went off. “I thought you would be worried about your brother.”
Simone looked away.
Had she hoped for a different reason? Maria hesitated. “And I didn’t want you to be alone.”
Maria hoped that was longing in the softness in Simone’s expression, and the quiver returned to her stomach.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Maria’s stomach dropped. The formality was back in Simone’s tone, and Simone looked at her as if from a distance. She turned from Maria and went to fill the kettle.
If Maria didn’t ask now, she never would. “Would you like to go for a drink? I know a safe place close by. You wouldn’t be compromised.”
A half-smile appeared on Maria’s face, and she tilted her head to the side. She put on her best, slightly pleading pose while her heart hammered.
Simone looked at her and sighed.
Phew. Maria’s smile was faint. Simone looked weary. There was only one place to go this time of night.
“A drink would be nice.” Simone smiled faintly.
Maria indicated to the door. “Shall we?” She reached out a hand and led Simone to the Romeo parked outside.
Simone frowned as Maria opened the door for her. “This is your car?”
“Err…yes.”
“You knew where I lived.”
“Of course.” Maria shrugged. “It’s my job to keep you safe.” She grinned.
Simone rolled her eyes. “Of course.”
Maria noted Simone admiring the white leather seats with her fingertips and smiled. She pulled out from the curb and headed north west, as far from the port as possible. She glanced at Simone, reclining against the headrest. She seemed a little more relaxed. “How was work today?”
“It was fine.”
“I need to talk to you about the explosion at the port.”
Simone sighed, but Maria continued. “Alessandro is going to be angry that his vans have been decommissioned. He won’t be able to transport merchandise for a long while.”
Simone looked across at Maria. “Did anyone get killed?”
Maria shook her head. “No, Simone. That is not the Lombardo...”
She stopped, the lie scolding her with the orders she had g
iven that would change all that in the near future. What was the Lombardo way?
“But two women nearly died earlier today.”
Maria swallowed hard. Simone had heard. Undoubtedly, Alessandro would have been bragging. “Yes, that is the Amato way.”
Simone lowered her eyes to her hands. “Yes. My family were killed by them.”
Maria reached across and took Simone’s hand. “Yes, I know.”
Simone lifted her head up and looked at Maria. “Of course. Is there anything you don’t know?”
Yes. I don’t know you, and I want to. Maria swallowed the mild accusation and smiled. “I’m sure there’s lots I don’t know.”
Simone lowered her head. Maria turned the car down a dirt track, and the softly lit single storey building became brighter. The small lake over which the rear of the restaurant looked came into view as they parked. It had been a long time since she had visited her uncle and aunt’s restaurant.
The lighting that had been set out around the bank reflected in ripples across the surface, and running water indicated a small fall that fed into the body of water and competed with the incessant chattering of the insects whose day had not long begun. “I had forgotten how beautiful this place is.
I think you’ll like it.” Maria smiled. “I didn’t know your family very well, but I recall the incident. Your parents and brother were victims caught in the crossfire. Stefano is in prison for his part in that crime among other related ones. The Amatos owed a debt to your family.”
Simone lowered her head. Her hands were shaking. “It was guilt money. They gave me a job and paid me more than I would be paid in any other restaurant in Sicily so I could look after Roberto.”
Maria squeezed Simone’s hand. “Yes. It’s the way they operate.”
“It was fine in the beginning. Patrina was kind, and I worked in the kitchens then. It is only recently that Alessandro…that he is asserting himself. He wanted me to work front-of-house at the café, and Patrina gives him what he wants.”
“They don’t own you.” Maria felt Simone’s sadness as if it were her own, and the desire to kiss Simone in the darkness and privacy of the car came to her with such force, it took her breath away.
“Alessandro thinks he does.”
The desire to protect became stronger as Alessandro’s image flashed in Maria’s mind. She turned from Simone. “I promise he won’t hurt you ever again.” She couldn’t tell Simone she would dispose of him altogether if she had to. But she would…and without a second thought.
Simone reached up and stroked Maria’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Maria felt fire in the touch zip through her. You are so beautiful.
Gently, she ran a fingertip along Simone’s hairline and lifted her chin.
“Let’s get that drink.”
17.
“Maria, what a delightful surprise. It has been too long.”
The slender, silver haired man held out his arms and smiled broadly as he stepped up to Maria. He tugged her to his chest and held her in a greeting that demonstrated heartfelt affection.
“Uncle, how good to see you. How is Paola?” Maria patted him on the back as she squeezed him. She held his shoulders as she eased out of the embrace and looked into his wise eyes.
He threw his hands in the air with dramatic effect and rolled his eyes. “That woman is getting older and grumpier every year. I will get her from the kitchen.”
Maria stopped him. “Later. Uncle Lorenzo, this is a friend of mine; Simone Di Salvo.” Maria looked at Simone, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Simone, this is Lorenzo Lombardo.” She smiled then whispered, “His wife is Paola. She’s the chef and the reason people come here.” She looked at her uncle and laughed, patting Lorenzo firmly on the shoulder as he rolled his eyes again.
“She is the best chef that no one has heard of,” Lorenzo said.
The fondness he held for his wife appeared in the glow in his cheeks and the softness of his gaze. Simone held out her hand and he shook it, bowing his head slightly then kissing both her cheeks.
“Very pleased to meet you, Simone. We rarely see Maria. It is good to know she has friends.”
He chuckled and ushered them through the restaurant to a quiet corner with a window overlooking the lake. The night sky looked darker from inside the building and but for the crescent moon and a sprinkling of stars, it would be impossible to see anything at all through the window.
Barely perceptibly, trees bounded the small lake in haunting silhouette set against the darkness. Inside, candles remoulded from use flickered on the centre of the tables that diners had recently vacated. The two remaining guests were quietly drinking coffee.
Maria smiled at Lorenzo and waited until Simone sat before taking her seat. “Would you like something to eat?”
Simone hesitated, heat rising swiftly through her and burning her cheeks. She hadn’t considered food. It was just short of midnight, and she hadn’t eaten before leaving work. She felt awkward that they were inconveniencing these poor people this late at night, but Maria smiled at her as if they had all the time in the world. “A little, maybe.”
Maria shifted her attention from Simone to Lorenzo. “Would Auntie rustle up a few nibbles for us? Nothing special, Uncle. Thank you.”
He raised his hand and shook his head. His shallow frown didn’t last for long, and he broke into a beaming smile. “You cannot spoil my evening.
I get one chance in many months to spoil my niece. I will spoil her and her beautiful friend. We are in no rush to close.”
Simone blushed. Maria smiled at Lorenzo and Simone felt the tenderness with which she looked at her uncle. Lifted by the unreserved welcome, she relaxed in the seat. Maria smiled at her, and her heart raced.
“Would you like wine?”
Simone’s mouth was dry, and the mild discomfort that came with a sense of wanting Maria stirred in her core. “Sure.”
Maria indicated to the menu. “You can choose.”
Simone picked up the card and studied the short list of options. She looked up and felt the heat of Maria’s gaze piercing through her. She swallowed, and Maria smiled with such tenderness she felt moved by her and confused at her inability to process the simplest information. Maria held her under a spell.
“All the wines here are good.”
Simone’s mouth felt dry. “The house red then.” Frankly, she didn’t care.
Lorenzo dipped his head, firstly to Simone and then to Maria. “An excellent choice.”
He went to the bar and returned immediately with the carafe of wine and two glasses then excused himself to attend to the two customers who were making their way to the door. He bid them a good evening and locked the door behind them. He closed the blinds over the door and the windows that exposed the inside of the restaurant to the car park.
Maria poured them each a glass of wine and leaned back in the seat.
She released a long breath and sipped her wine.
Simone watched Maria processing her thoughts in the way the fine lines around her eyes came and went, and the slight movement at the corner
of her mouth, and the faintest tremble in her lips before she wetted them.
And then Maria bit down as if to control some emotion. Maria’s breathing seemed affected, and it was clear that there was a lot running through Maria’s mind. “Is everything okay?”
“Sorry.”
Maria smiled, and Simone felt the warmth of it move through her.
The softness appeared in Maria’s eyes again.
“Sorry, I was just thinking. I promise to stop doing that.”
Maria’s tone was gentle and witty. Simone laughed. “You can stop thinking?”
Maria raised her eyebrows. “Under certain circumstances.”
Maria looked at Simone’s chest, albeit fleetingly, and Simone felt engulfed by flames. She looked away and sipped her wine. She couldn’t even think now, let alone if they had sex. God, she hoped they would. She gulped. And wh
en she looked back at Maria, Maria’s smile reached inside her, and her stomach flipped. Please don’t look at me like that. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Were you thinking about the port?”
Maria’s expression shifted, and Simone wished she hadn’t asked.
Maria nodded. “And other things?”
Simone looked at Maria and felt exposed by the connection they shared. She hadn’t experienced this depth and quality of feeling with any of her exes. Not that there had been many, and none of them serious. Maria exuded a quiet, elegant charm. The giddy, light-headedness that came over Simone when alone with Maria left her susceptible and wanting in an intoxicating blend of desire and fear. Maria looked pensive, and the feeling tilted in the direction of fear. “Would you like to talk?”
Maria cleared her throat. “No, thank you.”
Suddenly deflated, Simone lowered her eyes. Of course, Maria couldn’t talk to her about her work. Maria probably couldn’t talk to her about anything. They barely knew each other after all. She picked up her wine and took a sip.
“Hey,” Maria said softly.
Simone looked up, and Maria’s smile caressed her. The light reflecting from Maria’s eyes coaxed her gently back to desire.
“I don’t want work to spoil the evening.”
Maria leaned forwards and for a fleeting moment, Simone imagined Maria was going to kiss her. But Maria adjusted her position in the seat and
sat back. Simone’s stomach lurched and disappointment descended like a fine layer of snow.
“Tell me something about yourself. What did you study at university?”
Simone stared over Maria’s shoulder, her thoughts heavy with the weight of the time she had tried to forget, and the point at which she had parked her life, her lover, and her studies. Everything she had hoped for her future had disappeared in a flash. The moment she buried her family, she buried her life in a sealed box in the back of her mind. And she had found no good reason to open it since. She looked into Maria’s eyes and felt compelled by the inexplicable connection. She took a deep breath and smiled. “I studied Business and Economics at La Sapienza in Rome.”