by Неизвестный
“Alessandro.”
He snapped his head to Patrina’s raised voice.
“We have to pay, or they will escalate.” Her tone shifted to concern.
She needed him to comply and appealing to his inflated ego usually
worked. “I am worried for you, Alessandro.”
Alessandro swallowed then snapped his head towards the
barwoman. “Where’s my coffee?”
Beto cleared his throat. “This is bad news, Alessandro.”
Alessandro turned to him with dark eyes and placed his hand on
Beto’s injured thigh. He squeezed hard as he gritted his teeth, revealing the
bone structure of his jaw that would otherwise remain buried deeply
beneath the flesh that concealed his frame. Beto whimpered as he leaned
into the back of the seat and bit down on his lip.
Alessandro glared at him. “When I want your opinion, I will ask for
it.”
Patrina reached across the table and set a comforting hand on
Alessandro’s arm, encouraging him to release Beto. She looked at Beto with
apology. “I have good news,” she said, attracting her nephew’s attention.
Beto released a whispered moan when Alessandro let him go and
cowered away like a wounded animal. The barwoman approached and set
their drinks on the table, looked fleetingly from Patrina to Alessandro, then
hurried away.
Alessandro sipped his coffee, dunked a biscuit, and ate it. “Tell me,
Auntie, what good news is there?”
“The Spanish.” She smiled warmly when he looked up at her, so as
not to reveal the lie she was about to tell him. He looked too preoccupied to
notice her mild disquiet and too eager to hear good news to ask for any
details. She would just give him the numbers.
“And?”
She rubbed her hands together. “We have a deal. The Spanish are
confident they can access the Lombardo cargo ships. Twenty-million euros,
Alessandro. Fifty-kilos being shipped out tomorrow and arriving in Palermo
in ten days. Ten days, Alessandro.” She stared into his eyes and caressed his
face as she spoke.
Alessandro looked at her, and a spark of light flashed across his eyes
as he grinned.
“I just hope you are alive to see it.”
His focus became swiftly enveloped by a blank expression, and his
eyes widened. Patrina knew fear when she saw it. The lightness she felt in
his suffering lifted her, and she concealed her smile. She frowned. “What
are you going to do about the Italians, Alessandro?”
Alessandro glanced at Beto. “You deal with them.”
Beto pointed to his leg and shook his head slowly back and forth. “I
can only watch them.”
Patrina shook her head at Alessandro. She wasn’t going to let Beto
be dragged into a battle that would certainly end in his execution this time
around. He, of all the men, respected her and once this problem was sorted,
she wanted him at her side. “Our two most talented hitmen have just been
murdered, Alessandro, and there is no doubting the lengths Don Chico will
go to and the resources he can commission to ensure you pay what you
owe. Beto will be executed if he tries to do your job again.”
Alessandro slammed his hand down on the table, then tapped his
fingers feverishly. He pressed his body back into the seat as if trying to
escape his own mind, then his eyes moved skittishly, and he looked around
the room.
Patrina softened her tone. “Beto is right, Alessandro. If we retaliate,
Chico will annihilate us all.”
Alessandro slumped, and his fingers quieted. Beads of sweat
covered his face, and a trail of water trickled into the creases in his neck. He
released a long breath.
“We don’t have the money, Auntie?”
There was uncharacteristic acquiescence in his tone. Patrina stared
at him. Good, he’s on the ropes. “No, we don’t. What about your private
account?”
Alessandro shook his head as he lowered it.
She straightened her back and took a deep breath. “You will have to
go to Chico and ask for more time, Alessandro.” A surge of excitement
coursed through her.
Alessandro’s eyes widened, and the remaining colour slipped from
his cocaine-flushed cheeks. He rubbed the back of his hand across his face,
glanced at Beto then back to Patrina, and whispered, “He will kill me.”
Patrina sighed, and her lips thinning as she frowned. “Well, you had
better hope he wants his money more than he wants your scalp.” She leaned
towards him and patted his arm. She didn’t give a shit. Alessandro would
get what was coming to him, one way or another. She couldn’t wait to see
the horrified look on Don Stefano’s face as she gave him the news of
Alessandro’s assassination by the ‘Ndrangheta. She felt energised by the
thought, and her spirits lifted.
Alessandro looked at her with pleading eyes. “That’s too risky,
Auntie.”
She lifted her chin and stared at him. “I hardly think you are in a
position to negotiate, do you?” Her tone was quiet, leaving no room for him
to challenge her. She smiled reassuringly. “You have to do this.”
Alessandro stood, staggered to his feet, and stormed out of the café
without looking back.
Patrina turned to Beto, her chin high. “Keep an eye on him. No
deliveries to Lombardo. We stay off their turf, got it?”
Beto’s eyes lit up and he bowed his head. “Yes, Lady Patrina.”
She smiled and spoke softly. “Thank you, Beto. That will be all.”
He edged to his feet, gathered the crutch at his side, and made his
way out of the restaurant.
She smiled at the barwoman. “Martina, would you bring me lunch.
I’m feeling really rather hungry.”
“Yes, of course, Lady Patrina.” Martina smiled, and her eyes had the
same quality of satisfaction in them that Beto’s had had.
She could guarantee Beto’s support, even Martina’s, though hers
was insignificant. She took a deep breath and the feeling of satisfaction
relaxed her. With any luck, Don Chico would resolve the Alessandro
problem for her and save her the trouble. In any event, she had a plan. I run
the Amatos.
29.
Maria slipped the oxygen tank onto Simone’s back. She tugged the
belt to fasten it securely around her waist and then tested air was coming
through the mouthpiece. The look in Simone’s eyes burned her skin as she
worked. “How does that feel?”
Simone was staring at Maria and smiling, and Maria had a very
good idea of what had flashed through Simone’s mind. With slow deliberate
movements, she placed her hand in Simone’s and inched closer. She ran her
fingertips along Simone’s thigh, and as she watched the tiny hairs prickle in
response, her own skin tingled with fiery heat. Simone jerked as Maria
traced a line across her hip, and her lips quivered and her breath hitched.
Simone closed her eyes, and Maria kissed her deeply as she trailed her
fingertips back along the edge of Simone’s hip. Simone jerked, and
groaned, and then jumped out of the kiss and giggled.
“You’re a tease.”
<
br /> Maria had never felt more caressed and more loved. “I can’t help it.
I want you.” She grinned like a child who had just discovered a secret and
moved her fingers to make Simone writhe again. Simone continued
giggling and tried, neither hard nor successfully, to get out of her grip.
The boat rocked under their feet, making it difficult to balance.
Maria encouraged the boat to sway harder and continued to tickle Simone
until she squealed and made the boat move as if it were on a stormy sea.
“Stop, stop.” Simone could barely speak for laughing.
Maria steadied the boat. She reached up and stroked Simone’s
cheek, and her lips. “You are too tempting.”
Simone’s eyes darkened.
Maria directed her attention back to preparing for the dive. Simone’s
sensual gaze persisted, making the task of burying the desire that rendered
her senseless and carefree, impossible. She groaned as she lifted the oxygen
tank onto her back and secured it into place. She looked into Simone’s eyes
and swallowed. “Ready then?”
Simone’s smile lingered. “Always.”
Maria ignored the surge of electric energy that moved through her
and instructed Simone to sit on the ledge of the boat. Simone took a deep
breath and released it slowly then sat. She wriggled the mask and
mouthpiece into place and gave a thumbs up. Maria smiled and nodded.
Simone tumbled backwards into the sea.
Maria fitted her mask and tumbled into Simone’s stream of bubbles
as they rose to reclaim their place in the air that tossed the surface of the
water above them. As Maria oriented herself in the water, Simone floated in
front of her, moving gracefully, her hair flowing freely, soft and coral-like.
She looked to be enveloped in a vacuum, a saintly aura that shielded and
protected her. Captivated by the wide, shining eyes behind Simone’s mask
and the beautiful, loving smile obscured by the breathing apparatus, a jolt in
Maria’s chest made it hard to breathe. She hoped her eyes conveyed the
elation she felt. The look in Simone’s eyes softened, and the tingling effect
lingered reassuringly inside Maria.
There was something else Maria sensed between them:
profoundness, the quality of which could drive her insane. She knew it as
the point at which love and loss merged into an absolute realisation that this
person in front of her, she was the one, the missing piece of the puzzle of
her life that would make her world complete. It had been that look in
Simone’s eyes that had shaken Maria’s world and awoken her to the deepest
love she had ever known.
Her heart ached as she looked into Simone’s eyes with deep
affection. Simone reached out, took Maria’s hand, and squeezed. Fire rose
up inside Maria like a venomous serpent. Overwhelmed by intense heat, she
swallowed hard and battled the tears that threatened her vision. She turned
her attention to the sea and hoped Simone hadn’t noticed her weakness.
Simone stayed close to Maria as they swam in the direction of the
reef. Her heart pounded as she focused on the agile movement of Maria’s
body gliding through the water. The passion she had seen in Maria’s eyes
had shifted suddenly, and she sensed the feeling of absence she feared could
come between them. And then Maria had looked at her with such love and
longing, the pain of it ripped through her heart and stole her breath. She
would enjoy what she could, for whatever time they shared together, and try
not think too much about the future.
Maria looked back at Simone and pointed to their left. Simone’s
heart fluttered with the sparkle that had returned to Maria’s eyes. She
stopped and watched the shoal of knife-shaped silver fish as they moved
closer and darted around them. She turned to see them go on their way and
when she turned back, she locked eyes with Maria, and her stomach swirled
and sent a quiver to her racing heart. The excitement and desire felt fragile,
and the water in which they swam was an ethereal state of physical
suspension. Heaven on earth. She could live here forever with Maria. They
could be free and together. Safe and together.
The look that she had seen in Maria’s eyes earlier returned. Worry
etched in the darkness behind the flicker of lust. The result was a potent
cocktail of disquiet and deep longing. She knew it because she felt it too,
and she wanted Maria more than she had ever wanted anyone. Though a
most exquisite sensation, it was also painful. She felt the essence of it every
time she looked at Maria and every time Maria looked at her.
Maria broke eye contact, and the feeling subsided. Simone could
breathe more easily though her heart still raced. She followed Maria,
spellbound by the beauty in the underworld that moved around them.
Swimming deeper, the water became darker the closer they got to
the black rocks of the volcano. Maria pointed to the white sponges and
gorgonian residents of the rocky surface. Orange and purple arms danced
with Maria as she weaved among them and waved at Simone as she passed.
Maria pointed to their left, to the brown grouper and the damselfish nipping
at the coral carpet. Maria indicated to a cave-like structure, and Simone
followed her towards it. Maria approached the cave slowly and waved for
Simone to come closer and look inside.
Maria turned to reveal the purple-red octopus taking refuge in the
darkness of the cave. Simone’s eyes grew wider. Simone froze then the ice
shattered and formed snowflakes that tingled as they descended through her.
Oh my God. The small creature’s dark eyes seemed to be assessing her
keenly as it slunk closer to Maria. All arms, reaching out and testing the
boundaries of its environment, it curled a long tentacle around Maria’s arm,
another searching around her waist and dipping into the pocket of the vest
beneath her apparatus. Simone watched Maria being caressed, tugged, and
played with, and the air from Maria gushed and bubbled towards the
surface. She held back the fizzing laughter that rattled in her chest.
Maria reached into her invaded pocket and pulled out a sealed jar.
The octopus claimed it from her with silk-like, pin-point movements. Then
it drew the jar closer to it, inspecting the live crabs within. The jar became
entwined within its grasp, and its tentacles worked almost as hands and
fingers to twist the lid from the jar so the octopus could claim its prize.
Maria held out her hand, and the octopus responded and led Maria
into the cave. Watching Maria stroking the creature with tenderness,
communicating as close friends would, Simone felt enveloped in
tenderness. Her heart expanded and pressed hard against her ribs and
sapped her of strength. I love you. Maria looked at home in this beguiling
place. This was clearly her sanctum of peace, where she was liberated from
the darker world she’d unwittingly inherited. In this natural habitat,
surrounded by undisturbed beauty, Maria was transformed. She watched,
stunned, finding it hard to think, hard to breathe, and impossible to draw her
eyes from the woman she would always love.
Maria climbed onto the boat, pulled Simone up, and removed their
equipment. Simone stared at her wide eyed and then shook her head gently.
Her lips parted as if she were going to speak, but she remained
dumbfounded. Maria smiled at her, teased the wet hair to the side of her
face, then moved closer and claimed Simone’s lips in a tender kiss. Easing
away, she looked at Simone with a soft smile.
“You taste of salt.”
Simone shook her head. “That was the most awesome experience
I…” She stopped speaking, immobilised by the intensity she saw in Maria’s
eyes. The darkness seemed to have lifted and only lust remained. Simone’s
breaths came in short shallow gasps, and her chest burned inside. Every
sensation she had experienced with Maria as she had watched her beneath
the water moved through her in waves of increasing ecstasy. She threw her
arms around Maria’s neck and kissed her. She buried her fingers into the
firm muscle at Maria’s shoulder, then moved her hands around to Maria’s
back and grazed the skin the length of Maria’s spine. Maria’s moans echoed
her want, her need, and she kissed Maria harder. Enjoying the taste of her,
the softness of her, Simone’s tongue delved and teased, and she slipped her
hand beneath Maria’s vest and cupped her breast. Maria groaned into her
mouth. She ran her thumb across Maria’s nipple and moaned as it stiffened
against her.
Maria groaned again and eased out of the kiss. She cupped her hand
to cover Simone’s at her breast and stared into her eyes. Maria’s lips were
swollen and inviting. There was want in her eyes, and her breathing was
rapid. Simone watched Maria smiling at her, and then the intensity slowly
drained from her. Maria’s eyes closed, and a soft moan sent fire down
Simone’s spine. Her heart thundered with her confused thoughts. There was
no doubt Maria felt as strongly as she did. She had to. But Maria was also
concerned about her family and the business. It was her job to take care of
them. Loyalty came first. Simone knew and accepted that. Even though
Maria had talked of wanting out of the business, they both had to admit
deep down, there was no escaping this life. She stroked Maria’s face willing
her to open her eyes, to share her concerns. “What is it?” she asked.
Maria opened her eyes and sighed. “You.”