by Неизвестный
Maybe she wasn’t. The acts of violence she needed to instruct and the
bloodshed that would result caused her gut to tighten. And the law of
silence wasn’t her law. She had never seen the sense in loyalty for loyalty’s
sake and neither had her father. Loyalty that had been bought was fickle.
Loyalty earned lasted. Her mother’s insistence that the code to remain silent
be preserved at all costs caused the tiny hairs on her neck to rise.
“You were trained by your father, Maria, and trained well. The same
is not the case for others, and violence and retribution are increasing across
the city. Stability requires order and respect. Lose respect, and you lose
everything. You must not lose the respect of the men, Maria.”
I never asked for this. I never wanted this. Maria shook her head.
She was well versed with the ways of the Cosa Nostra; the expectations, the
image, and how quickly it could all turn. People would disappear. Accidents
would happen. She had been fortunate to follow in the footsteps of her
father, and Giovanni and Angelo were trustworthy and loyal to her. But it
could quickly turn. One wrong foot, one decision that called her leadership
into question, and she too could disappear. It was clear that Vittorio would
be the first to jump at the chance of taking control of the business, and he
was amassing followers. “I’ll let you know if I need any help.”
Her mother smiled, turned away from Maria, and headed to the
door.
“Bona notti, Matri.”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “Bona notti, tesoro. Sleep
well.”
Maria doubted sleep would come easily. The clock on the wall
reading 1:28 a.m. told her it would be a short night. She plucked her phone
from her pocket and read the text message from Giovanni: Patrina prefers
the taste of the coffee at Café Tassimo at lunchtime.
Maria smiled. She hadn’t expected Patrina to agree to meet at a
restaurant on Lombardo turf under the circumstances, and Café Tassimo
was the latest Amato acquisition. It would be interesting to see what she
had done with the rundown ex-nightclub on the outskirts of town. Her smile
faded with the thought of meeting with Patrina on Amato turf after months
of no contact with her. Maria was the prey and Patrina the serpent that had
struck a casual blow and was now preparing a full-on attack. Her heart
pounded. She swallowed, and her thundering pulse quickened. She
challenged her fears with images of the tenderness they had once shared.
Patrina may want to lash out but deep down, Maria refused to believe
Patrina would seriously hurt her even though her body seemed to think
differently. She would prime herself for whatever Patrina might throw at
her. Having the problem go away was of paramount importance. Damn you,
Vittorio.
7.
Simone stopped drying the glass and looked up from behind the bar.
The throaty roar of the Maserati as it pulled slowly into a space at the front
of the café before the engine fell silent attracted the attention of the Amato
men outside.
The two Romano thugs in their car outside the restaurant looked out
through the plumes of smoke they generated and stared in the direction of
the vehicle. Alessandro’s runner leaned over the petrol tank of his
motorbike and smiled as if admiring a woman he would like to bed. It
didn’t take much to work out their thoughts. Simone laughed to herself.
There wasn’t one of them who wouldn’t want the Maserati, let alone the
woman who was now walking towards the café’s entrance. In your dreams.
Donna Maria Lombardo bore no resemblance to their standard
guest. For one thing, the café’s clientele was almost exclusively male. And
for another, they didn’t dress like that. There was no doubting the quality of
the dark blue suit. Ten thousand, she reckoned. The perfect cut exemplified
the image of Maria Lombardo she had seen portrayed in the newspapers,
elegant and sophisticated. She was more handsome in person than any
picture had managed to convey. Awe radiated through Simone, and she
looked away, acutely aware of the heat flushing her face. Only after Donna
Maria had walked past the bar did she swallow hard and look up.
She watched through the corner of her eye as she slowly dried the
glasses. Donna Maria looked out of place in this cheap, pretentious setting,
with its plastic seating in shades of coffee and brown reminiscent of 1970s
décor. Alessandro was equally fake, with the grossly oversized gold chains
that had to fight their way past the layers of fat that concealed his chin and
neck, the large gold signet ring bearing a coin that adorned the chunky little
finger of his right hand, and a gold band encrusted with diamonds circled
the thumb of his left hand. He thought he was the king. The gold bar that
pierced his right eyebrow and the cosmetic white-toothed smile that
concealed the ruby piercing in his tongue she had seen when he laughed,
just made him look like a punk. No better than the majority of men in their
late twenties in Palermo. The bruising that marked the smooth skin of his
right cheek and temple bore a remarkable resemblance to the indentations
on the sole of a boot. It was less than Alessandro deserved but Simone
applauded the person who had given it to him.
Maria stopped just short of the table at which Patrina, Alessandro,
and Beto were sitting drinking wine. Alessandro stood as swiftly as his
clinically obese body would allow and lumbered towards Maria with a
conceited smile on his face.
The glass fractured with the tension in Simone’s grip. She looked
up. No one had noticed. She restrained the urge to run out and defend
Maria’s honour. The odious man galled her. Her heart raced and her
breathing felt tight, even though Maria appeared to be calm and unphased
by Alessandro’s attempt to intimidate her.
Alessandro looked up to meet Maria’s eyes. “Donna Maria.”
“It’s been a while, Alessandro. You’ve grown into quite the young
man.”
Simone smiled at the subtle insult. He would be too stupid to notice.
He stood taller and flashed a grin. “Yeah, I have.”
He pointed towards Patrina, indicating for Maria to take a seat at the
table. As he turned, the injury that had been inflicted to the back of his head
made Simone smile.
Maria stood at the edge of the table.
“Are you carrying?” Patrina asked.
Maria shook her head. Patrina got up, moved around the table, and
stepped in front of her.
“You won’t mind if I check, will you?”
Patrina half-smiled. It looked as though she was goading Maria to
challenge her authority, testing to see how far she could push her. Surely
Maria wouldn’t react? She was smarter than that.
Maria held out her arms. “Be my guest.”
An intensity built quickly within Simone and she clenched her jaw,
then the metallic taste of blood alerted her. She had bitten her lip watching
Patrina run her fingers around Maria’s shirt collar, down between her
breasts, around her waist, and down to her hi
ps. As Patrina moved lower,
she leaned into Maria’s body. Simone couldn’t take her eyes off Maria.
There was something about the casual way in which Maria and Patrina
communicated. Simone frowned and looked fleetingly to the two men at the
table. They seemed oblivious to the obvious intimacy between the two
women. Were the men blind, or was it her imagination?
Patrina backed away quickly, looking flustered and flushed. Maria
must have whispered something personal to her. Simone had never seen
Patrina looking embarrassed before. Simone could barely breathe. She
turned away, her hands trembling, and poured wine into a carafe and
prepared a basket of bread.
Patrina cleared her throat and returned to her seat. She gestured to
an empty spot at the table. “Sit.”
Maria acceded. She looked across the table at Beto picking at a scab
on his knuckle.
“Beto.” Patrina tilted her head indicating for him to leave the table.
He promptly stood and made his way to the back of the restaurant
and through a door that led into the kitchen.
Simone took the bread and wine to the table on an imitation silver
tray. The closer she got, the faster her heart raced. She stood in front of
them, her heart pounding, and smiled weakly. Maria’s soft smile eased
Simone’s anxiety. Then Simone became aware of Alessandro staring at her,
and a bolt of fire shot through her.
His eyes were on her breasts. He licked his lips and grinned, his
possessive intent clear and vile. She wanted to smack that grin from his
face. She forced a smile, hoping her detest of the man didn’t show. Smug,
revolting arsehole. Something flashed in Maria’s eyes that told her she had
a similar opinion of Alessandro.
As Simone lifted the basket of bread from the tray and placed it in
the centre of the table, Alessandro reached around her with his fat hands,
grabbed at her arse, and pushed her short skirt upwards. She jumped, and
the carafe slid across the silver tray, rocked, and spilled its contents. She
tried to steady it whilst shifting away from the unwanted physical contact.
Alessandro wrapped his hand between her legs and tugged her closer, trying
to force her to sit on his lap as she placed the wine on the table.
Maria glared at Patrina, but she casually finished her drink and
poured herself another one. Simone looked pleadingly from one woman to
the other. Please, one of you intervene. Maria looked incensed by
Alessandro’s behaviour, but she wasn’t in a position to tell either Amato
how to treat their staff. Maria must have picked up on her silent plea,
because she looked intently at Alessandro and drew his attention away from
her.
“Alessandro. I owe you a sincere apology.”
Alessandro laughed, and he gripped Simone tightly. “You like pussy,
Donna Maria? Simone here is a lovely example.”
Simone froze. Had he noticed the connection between Patrina and
Maria? Maria gave her a quick empathic look that eased her concerns,
though her chest remained constricted.
Alessandro tilted his head to the side and stared at Maria as if he
held some power over her. Maria sighed. She seemed unmoved by his
provocation. In fact, if anything she looked subtly bored. She’s in control.
Simone felt a flicker of something warm settle inside her.
Maria cleared her throat. “Alessandro, perhaps we could arrange to
dine together one evening, and you can tell me what it takes to be a real
man. I would be interested to know what makes you so popular with the
women. You clearly have something special.”
Simone concealed the smile that Alessandro would punish her for if
he saw it. Alessandro’s ego had been sufficiently massaged, and he was a
sucker for a compliment even if laced in sarcasm. It was how Patrina
operated with him, and the only thing that caused him to back down. He
was weak and stupid when praised.
He puffed out his chest and grinned, then with a flick of his hand he
cast Simone free as carelessly as he would kick the dirt from the soles of his
shoes. She took a couple of small steps to regain her balance, straightened
her skirt, and glanced briefly at Maria before walking to the bar, aware that
Alessandro was still leering at her.
Maria watched and waited for Alessandro to shift his attention from
Simone, breathing deeply to stem the unexpected warmth the barwoman’s
presence had elicited in her.
So, you are Roberto’s sister.
Maria had sensed Simone scrutinising her from the moment she
walked into Tassimo. There was an openness in Simone’s eyes that
summoned something deeply inside Maria. The overwhelming desire to
protect Simone didn’t make sense. The despicable way Alessandro treated
Simone tempted Maria to exact retribution on Simone’s behalf without a
second thought for the consequences. But that wasn’t the reason. He was
just a pig, and she would defend any woman abused by him, even if she
couldn’t do it in the moment. She could and would deal with him. This
feeling though, and her intense reaction to Simone, defied logic.
Alessandro’s eye piercing caught Maria’s attention, and she cleared
her throat. “Could I get some water, please?”
“Simone. A jug of water, please,” Patrina said.
“Alessandro, I have come to see how we can we repay you for the
debt we have incurred.”
Alessandro leaned forward, squeezing his stomach to the table as he
reached for the wine and poured. “Vittorio did a bad thing, Donna Maria.”
Maria remained motionless. Acquiescence was always the best
policy with men like Alessandro. They had to feel as if they were in control.
Simone delivered a carafe of water to the table and returned to the
bar. Maria poured herself a glass and sipped, then resumed the visual duel
with Alessandro.
He was relishing the power. One way or another Maria would strip it
from him. It was just a matter of time. She wished she wasn’t on the back
foot from the start though. Vittorio had made a mess of Alessandro’s head
and while she could see what had driven him to violence, this was now one
hell of a developing problem. You fucking idiot, Vittorio.
“A very bad thing, Donna Maria.” Alessandro broke eye contact
with her and grabbed at the bread.
He broke off a large piece, dipped it in his wine, and rammed it into
his mouth. He shook his head and dark red crumbs skittered across the
table. For a brief moment, Maria imagined drawing a knife across his
stomach and watching his guts spew from him, as they surely would at
some point in the future. She watched him dip eat, speak, and spray.
Fucking pig. “Vittorio was misguided, Alessandro.”
Alessandro swung an arm in Maria’s direction, pointed at her, and
then at the food. “Eat. The bread is freshly cooked, and the grapes are the
finest in Sicily.”
Maria glanced at Patrina, who plucked a small piece of bread from
the loaf and dipped it into her wine. Maria watched as she put the bread into
her mouth, then she too broke a piece of bread, dipped it
, and ate. “These
are good grapes, Alessandro. A good crop this year, yes?” The lie slipped
effortlessly, and his smile demonstrated he was a man of little taste.
“It could be achieving more.”
Now they were talking. “How? What do you need?”
He smacked his lips as he ate, spoke around the food turning in his
mouth. “The Riverside.”
Maria slowly dipped her bread. He wanted to take over the
management of the Riverside, one of their key accounts, as retribution for
the injuries he sustained at the hands of Vittorio. It was an outrageous act of
dominance, one that, if she acquiesced, would send a message across the
patch and call her credibility into question. She leaned back in the seat and
placed the bread in her mouth. Though she was finding it hard to swallow,
refusing their hospitality would be disrespectful.
“The Riverside would allow us greater access to the market.”
Alessandro chuckled and wiped his chubby fingers across his too-wide
mouth. “With grapes as good as these, more people should benefit, don’t
you agree, Donna Maria?”
She was well aware that this transaction wasn’t about the Amatos
running their wine distribution through a wider network. The Riverside
would enable them to expand their drug distribution and cut through the
centre of Lombardo territory. It would be like handing them a license to
print money. And to do so would be signing her own death warrant. “The
Riverside isn’t that profitable, Alessandro. I can find you a better business
to supply wine to.” It was a lame card to throw, but she was playing for
time with a shit hand.
He rubbed his palm over his chin. “A bad thing happened, Donna
Maria. A very bad thing.” He shook his head, and his eyes darkened.
Patrina stared, her eyes as dark as her nephew’s, and her features
revealing nothing that would indicate that leniency might be negotiable.
Maria glanced away from the table to Simone. Simone didn’t look
away when Maria caught her staring at her intently. Maria broke eye contact
and turned back to face Alessandro. “Alessandro, can I have a moment with
Patrina? Alone.”
Patrina reached out and cupped his face. He looked at her like a
puppy waiting for an opportunity to please. She leaned across and kissed his