by Неизвестный
Her smile was restrained. Simone bit down hard on her lip. She
wouldn’t accept rejection, not from Maria, not knowing what they shared…
and not now. There had to be a reason Maria had lived in relative isolation
all these years. She was a gorgeous woman who could have anyone and
chose no one. Why, Maria? Because loss hurts so much? You’re not going
to do that to me.
Maria took Simone’s hand. She raised it to her lips and kissed the
palm. “I want to explore every part of you.”
The shudder that vibrated through Simone caught her breath and
when she released, heat flooded her. Every cell in her body trembled. Thank
God. “I want that too,” she said quietly, her words barely audible though
they resounded loudly in her head as she realised how deeply she’d fallen
for Maria.
30.
Simone took a seat at the table at the front of Lo Scoglio café
overlooking the square and ordered a freshly squeezed lemonade. Thoughts
of Maria made the sun warmer and brought a faint smile that settled inside
her. She was in love with Maria, and she felt like a giggly, happy child. But
then there was a scary and confusing feeling that disturbed her as it had
when they were diving and previously in the car in Spain. She was living a
double life with Maria. One part of it she loved and never wanted to end,
the other part—the unreachable part that existed in the shadows—she
resented.
Diving to the reef had been incredible. Fishing with Giovanni,
learning to box, and exploring the cove with Maria had been like living in a
fairy tale. Making love with Maria was the most exquisite and insanely
delectable experience ever. Maria had exposed her deepest vulnerability in
her need for Simone, and it was the most frightening responsibility Simone
had ever owned.
And yet there was a quietness about Maria. The code of silence,
maybe. Maria never talked about anything to do with her work, except
Alessandro, and that was quite normal in this business. But Maria didn’t
talk about a future either, except the offer she had made for Simone to live
in the farmhouse in the Pyrenees…without Maria.
Would life with Maria always be this isolated? She had never lived
in seclusion before. Sure, she had never been sociable and had kept herself
to herself, but she had always been in control of her choices. She decided
what she did and when. Now that option had been removed, the feeling of
frustration niggled, and her thoughts raced.
Feeling cocooned, like a baby bouncing around in the womb, was
safe and secure. That was a good thing, but it was also suffocating. As
beautiful and remarkable as the villa on the beach was, as wonderful as
spending time with Maria was, Simone craved to return to her life outside
the confines of the cove. The freedom to come and go and move around
was living, as she had lived before all this blew up. Perhaps things would
still have escalated without Maria’s involvement. Alessandro made enemies
easier than friends. Maria was a mafia boss, and there were requirements
and restrictions that Simone had never been party to before. She didn’t
relish talking to Maria about her frustrations, but her feelings of
incarceration would drive a divisive wedge between them if she didn’t
address it.
Angelo was the perfect example of that restriction, sitting on the
wall that bounded the fountain in the middle of the square, facing the café,
and leafing through the broadsheet newspaper though his eyes on her. His
constant presence did nothing to alleviate the itch that came with living like
a caged animal. She had survived perfectly well in the presence of these
people, the Amatos, for enough years to know she could fend for herself.
She looked up as the waiter approached and smiled. She studied him
as he placed the tall glass on a coaster in front of her. He reminded her of
her time at Café Tassimo and the other restaurants she had worked at. He
had an easy smile, made whiter by his tanned skin, styled black hair, and
eyes as brown as cocoa and as bright as diamonds. In spite of Alessandro’s
sickening behaviour towards her, she had felt as liberated back then as this
waiter looked now. She sighed and smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“It’s a pleasure.” He bowed his head and looked out over the square.
“It is a glorious day to enjoy.”
She nodded. Yes, it is. She leaned back in the seat and lazily scanned
the square, focusing on nothing and everything. The whooshing and
running water, footsteps on the cobbles; a repugnant smell that made her
nose twitch; wafting cigarette smoke hung in the air, swirling, plumes
clinging to the person who exhaled it as they walked past the café, then the
smell drifted and merged with the fumes of passing cars. The light breeze
cleared the air. The aroma of chargrilled meat, fresh herbs, and salad
dressing drew her eyes to the plates of food being delivered to the table next
to her. This was Palermo, her city, and she wouldn’t be kept from it.
Her stomach growled, and she picked up the menu and studied the
options. At least she could choose what she ate. She lifted her head as the
shadow came to rest over her and when she looked up, her breath stalled.
“Hey, sis.” Roberto pulled down on the handle of the scooter as he
smiled at Simone from the curb.
Simone squinted and grinned at him. The pizza delivery sack hung
around his chest. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I spotted you from over there.” Roberto indicated across the
square.
Angelo looked up from his paper, and Simone thought she saw him
indicate in their direction. Roberto’s features became sterner and more
focused. Had Roberto acknowledged Angelo? He seemed to be looking to
the other side of the square and silently communicating with a group of men
Simone didn’t recognise. They lifted their chins in response.
She frowned. She could understand he might know of Angelo
because Maria was going to keep him safe, and Angelo might have been the
one to speak to him. How did he know these other men? Who were they?
He looked up at the café’s sign, and his beaming smile returned.
“You should stick with our pizza, you know.” He winked at her, laughed,
and pulled down on the handle again to open the throttle.
Then he glanced out around the square with a seriousness that was
out of character for him. Simone dismissed her thoughts. She was becoming
paranoid. “Will you be home later?” Why had she asked him that when she
wouldn’t even be there?
He smiled at her. “Much later. I’ll have a lot of deliveries today. Our
pizza is the best in town. How is it at Maria’s?” His eyes shone as he spoke,
and he patted the large bag at his side.
She smiled. “It’s good.”
His focus became distracted. “Good…right. I have to shoot or this
will get cold.”
“Sure,” Simone said, but he had already swung the scooter into the
road. She sipped her lemonade and looked across at the group of men. They
didn’t look
back at her. She sighed, then spotted Maria walking towards her
and smiled.
“Hi.”
Maria stood with her hands on her hips, and smiled softly then took
the seat opposite Simone and glanced around the square. Angelo folded his
paper and headed to the group she’d spotted. Simone frowned. Was
something going on? And what did her brother have to do with things? She
looked at Maria. “You just missed Roberto.”
Maria smiled. “How is he?”
“Seems fine. Busy. Interested in what’s going on in the square.” She
watched Maria’s facial expression. It remained constant.
“That’s good. The pizza business is a good business.” Maria leaned
closer. Her eyes were shining, and her smile warm. “You look very hot.”
The earthy timbre of Maria’s voice turned Simone inside out and
upside down and swept her deliberations from her mind. The longer she
looked into Maria’s eyes, the more her skin flared and the more the
vibrations fluttered from her core in a constant and increasing flow. A fuse
ignited and tingled through to her hands and burned the tips of her ears. She
sipped the chilled lemonade. It didn’t help.
Maria’s smile broadened. She picked up the menu. “Are you
hungry?”
Simone clung to the tall glass, determined not to put off what she
needed to say. She lowered the glass carefully, turned it on the coaster, and
then looked into Maria’s eyes. “I need to do some kind of work, Maria.”
Maria leaned back and challenged the fire in her belly with a
gracious smile. Simone was curious, and that was both a good quality and a
dangerous one. Did Simone suspect Roberto’s involvement? Maria hadn’t
expected him to be in the vicinity when she suggested the café for lunch. He
was working on Giovanni’s instructions, which must mean they had eyes on
Alessandro. Damn it. At least the men had moved on, so they could enjoy
lunch. “I know it’s tough, Simone, but things are improving. I have a
meeting with Patrina after lunch. I need some reassurances from her, and
then maybe you could work at the Riverside. What do you think?” Maria
bounced her leg up and down underneath the table. She had sensed
Simone’s discomfort at being holed up at the villa and that this time would
come, and she didn’t want Simone to feel trapped. They had at least
contained the Amato supply of wine, so there shouldn’t be any further
activity from Alessandro, especially since his attention was now distracted
by the Italian’s demands. She nodded with her thoughts. Simone would be
safe working at the Riverside.
“Can I?” Simone reached across the table and squeezed Maria’s
hand, then swiftly returned her hand to her glass.
A deep thud pulsed in Maria’s chest. She had seen distress in
Simone’s expression. Did you think I would refuse you? She swallowed
before speaking. The truth was, she would refuse if she thought Simone’s
life depended on it. This is no way to live, and Simone didn’t ask for any of
this. She smiled. “Let me speak to Patrina first, please?”
Simone’s eyes sparkled as she grinned.
“I will arrange things with Antonio.”
Simone’s lips parted and then curled up at the edges, slowly at first.
Her eyes flickered, and they looked more alive than Maria had seen before.
The bright sunlight revealed rich shades and soft tones. And when a broad
grin caused fine wrinkles to dust Simone’s cheeks, the tingling started in
Maria’s neck and swept fiercely down her spine. “Now, shall we eat? I
really am starving.”
Simone took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair as she
exhaled. Maria cleared her throat, picked up the menu, and pretended to
look at it, her eyes peeking over the top of it at Simone. “You still look
really hot.”
The waiter came to the table.
“I think I’ll have the skewered lamb.” Maria said, looking to Simone
as if nothing had passed between them.
Simone looked directly at the waiter. “Me too, rare please.”
Maria’s cheeks flushed. “And a half-carafe of red wine, please.”
The waiter smiled and excused himself, and Maria smiled at
Simone. “Why don’t you take the Romeo? Then you can come and go as
you please.” Maria tilted her head from side to side, relieving the tension in
her neck.
Simone drew Maria’s eyes to look at her. “I promise to be careful.
You don’t need to babysit me, Maria. I have lived around these people all
my life. I can handle myself.”
Maria nodded. The smile on her face was slow to form, and she
averted Simone’s pleading eyes. “I will still need to keep an eye on you
though. Just for another couple of weeks until the Italian affair is sorted
out.”
Simone held her breath and pressed her lips together tightly. “Okay.
And when the Italian thing is done, no more baby-sitting. Deal?”
Maria nodded. “Deal.” She wasn’t convinced. It wasn’t that Maria
didn’t think Simone couldn’t look after herself. She probably could under
normal circumstances. But the Italians involvement in Sicilian business
wasn’t normal and if they stayed, it would lead to bigger problems. They
were more dangerous than the Amatos, and when the Lombardos failed to
deliver their side of the bargain she had agreed with Chico they, and she,
would be the ‘Ndrangheta’s next target. Would the Italian thing ever be
done?
31.
Donna Maria stepped over the threshold into the cathedral and made
the customary cross at her chest as she scanned the pews for Patrina. The
lamb she’d had for lunch had turned to lead cubes in her stomach. If
Simone had noticed she’d only eaten half of her meal, she hadn’t
commented and for that, Maria had been grateful. The lie she’d told Simone
weighed on her mind. She didn’t know whether things were improving.
Watching Simone drive away from the square in the Romeo had brought a
wave of relief though. And then she had received a message from Giovanni
to say that Alessandro had just walked away from the Italian’s following a
meeting on the plaza outside the Grand Hotel. How the man had managed
to cut a deal with them she didn’t know, but apparently, he had.
She spotted Patrina bowed in prayer and slid into the seat next to
her. She knelt, clasped her hands, and rested her elbows on the back of the
pew in front of her. She lowered her head to her hands and whispered across
the short space that separated them. “Alessandro has more lives than a black
cat, Patrina.”
Patrina leaned closer and whispered, “I have a plan that will
eradicate the problem.”
Maria squeezed her hands tightly. She didn’t want any involvement
with a hit on Alessandro, but in the heat of the moment, and for reasons she
couldn’t fathom, she had agreed to help Patrina. Acid burned in her throat.
“I need to think about…”
“We don’t have the luxury of time, Maria.”
Maria clenched her teeth. “You’re talking about your world, Patrina,
not mine. The Italian’s are chasing yo
u for money, not me. Remember?”
She felt the heat from Patrina’s piercing stare and lips that curled into a
half-smile. Maria had seen that expression a thousand times. It said, I know
something you don’t. I have power over you. Ice crawled up her spine.
Patrina stared at Maria. “You haven’t heard?”
“What?”
“Roberto was just picked up by the DIA.”
Maria couldn’t decide whether she saw contempt in Patrina’s eyes.
What did sincerity look like in a woman scorned by life? Had she been
stupid to trust Patrina?
“Honestly, I had nothing to do with it.” Patrina turned to face the
front of the church and returned her tone to a low whisper that could only
be heard by Maria. “He was caught carrying a kilo of cocaine.”
Maria kept her head down, her eyelids slowly bringing the darkness
that would still the fire behind her eyes and quell her distaste for this world.
“Alessandro knows Roberto’s running for you.”
Maria felt the skewered lamb become a single solid mass in her gut.
She opened her eyes and stared at the stone floor and the small firm cushion
beneath her knees. What if Simone found out? No, when Simone found out,
she would be furious. Beyond furious, she would feel betrayed. Shit.
Patrina breathed out a long sigh, mumbled something that ended in
amen, and then turned to face Maria. “Simone will find out that you employ
her brother. I have no control over that. Lovers always find out the truth,
bedda. That’s just the way it is.” She looked to the front of the church. “You
know how hard Simone fought against him working in this business? I
considered training him myself in the early days. He was gullible, hungry,
and needy. Alessandro didn’t think he had it in him, and I felt a sense of
duty to Simone after what had happened. You have trained him well,
bedda.”
Maria blinked then locked her attention onto the priest at the front of
the church, feeling small and insignificant. She watched him light a candle
and pick up a chalice. Patrina’s words echoed in her mind, and Simone’s
image came to her in the form of her own broken heart, bleeding life from
her. She continued to stare, reality entombing her in emptiness.
“You have a shipment arriving in ten days. Alessandro is under the
impression that it has our property on it. I have told him we need your