I looked at Robert, my brow furrowed in question.
Travis and Katrina came to stand by our side. Evelyn had been swept up into the arms of woman after woman and taken to their table. Sam and Scott looked bemused. Sam, the ultimate tourist, had a camera around his neck.
Something important had just happened; perhaps that something had started with Robert’s trip to Rome.
I watched as he was escorted to a table to sit. Men approached him as if in single file. Were they congratulating him, and if so, for what? Or showing respect?
“Fuck me. It’s fucking real, isn’t it?” I heard. Sam had come to stand beside me.
“What?”
“The fucking Godfather, that’s what. He’ll be stuffing his cheeks with cotton wool balls soon.”
I looked at my best friend in shock, and then we burst into laughter. We linked arms, still laughing, and joined the party.
****
“There’s something I need to do. Will you come with me?” Evelyn said.
We had been sitting with a group of women and I’d followed the conversation as much as possible. I was reminded of a school disco I’d attended once. All the men sat on one side of the square, the women the other. Kids played in the middle. More tables had been set up, full of food.
“Of course. Are you okay?” I asked.
She held out her hand and I took it. We walked to the edge of the square where I caught Robert’s eye. I gave a slight shrug of my shoulder. He spoke to Vinny who followed a discrete distance behind. We walked to the cemetery. As we passed through the gates, I knew which way we would turn.
There were lit candles on ledges and on the floor throwing an orange glow over tombstones, and shadows flickered up the wall where we stopped. I held back as Evelyn walked forward. She placed her hand on a plaque. Her fingers gently brushed against the inscription.
“You know that feeling you get every time you look at Robert? That’s what I feel whenever I think of him,” she whispered.
I stayed silent; I had no words of comfort to offer.
“I loved him, Brooke, and he broke my heart, shattered it, when he left. I was angry with him, and with my father, for a long time. He should never have left me.”
I had to bite down hard on my lower lip to keep quite. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
I watched her raise a tissue to her eyes. “Rocco was my first. He was so gentle with me but so brutal with others. Just like Robert. They would have been great friends had he lived.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, pain ripped through me at the injustice of it all.
Evelyn sobbed. “Oh, Rocco,” she whispered.
As I was about to take a step forward, a shadow fell over me. I froze as a hand touched my shoulder.
“Evelyn, bella.”
Her body straightened, her hands flew to her mouth and she stood still for a moment before slowly turning around.
My body shuddered with the sobs desperate to escape but I was too afraid to break the spell she seemed to have fallen under.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she took a step forward, just one step, before stopping and shaking her head.
“You’re not real,” she whispered.
Rocco took a step towards her. He reached for her hand, pulling it away from her mouth before placing it on his chest, over his heart.
“Feel that, it beats again, and only for you,” he said.
Evelyn pulled her hand sharply away, confusion crossed her face, and I squealed as she slapped his face. The minute she had, her arms dropped to her side, she opened her mouth and cried out loud. Wracking sobs took over her body as she fell to her knees. My legs gave out and as I was about to fall, I felt arms wrap around me, holding me up. I gripped his shirt to steady myself.
“I’ve got you,” Robert quietly said.
Rocco knelt in front of Evelyn, he wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his chest.
The air was filled with the sound of heartbreak. I buried my face in Robert’s shoulder to quieten my sobs. He stood and helped me to my feet. As we did, Rocco looked over, a tear ran down his cheek and he gave just a simple nod to Robert before he spoke.
“Thank you.”
Evelyn looked up at me. She raised her hand to her chest, she was too distraught to actually speak words but through her tears, she smiled. We left them among the candles, among their friends, their relatives, among the dead.
We got as far as the car before I finally gave in to the shaking. Robert leaned me against the side and held me in his arms.
“You knew he was coming,” I whispered. He nodded his head. “What happens now?” I said.
“I don’t know. I guess that’s up to Ev.”
“How do you come back from believing he was dead for nearly thirty years?”
“Sshh, let them work it out,” he said as he smoothed sodden hair from my face.
“It’s done?” I heard. Franco walked towards us.
“It’s done,” Robert replied.
Franco placed his hand on the side of my face. “This was always his plan, Brooke. When the time was right, when all our lives were aligned, he knew he would come back for her.”
I didn’t fully understand what he meant, and I was too tired to question it. From the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I watched as they walked hand in hand from the cemetery to his waiting car. As he helped her into his car, he looked over to us and nodded before joining her. The car drove away.
“What on earth has happened?” Katrina asked as she and Travis walked towards us.
I shook my head and laughed. “The most wonderful thing has happened.” I looked at Robert. “I want to go home.”
“Home?”
“Back to the villa, although it feels like home.”
“Good, because I bought it yesterday.”
My mouth fell open. “You did what?”
“I bought it, all part of the plan, remember. Let’s go home.”
He called for Gerry who reluctantly joined us. Sam and Scott opted to stay a little longer. Gay men appeared to be a novelty, they were surrounded by the women of the village and oblivious to the scowls of the men.
“Leave him with us for a little longer,” Franco said.
“I…” I looked at Gerry’s face, his hands were held together as if in prayer and he mouthed the word, Please.
“Okay, go play.” I hadn’t finished my sentence before he ran off with his new friends.
“I’ll watch him, don’t worry,” Travis said.
Robert and I climbed into the car. Gary opened the front passenger door but Robert placed his hand on his arm.
“Go and relax,” he said to him.
Vinny started the car and we drove away. I leaned into Robert’s side throughout the journey. Once we’d stopped the car, Vinny handed me a key.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Stone,” he said with a smile. “If this house had to belong to anyone, it should be you.”
He walked back to the car, leaving us alone. “Did I ever carry you over the threshold?” Robert asked.
“I think you did but you can do it again,” I replied.
He scooped me up in his arms and I unlocked the door. He carried me straight through the living room to the terrace before lowering me to my feet.
“Wait there,” he said.
I sat in one of the sofas that surrounded a small table. I listened to the sounds of the party as they floated up. I could see the strings of coloured lights that had been hung around the square and I sighed. I’d meant what I’d said—after only a couple of days, the place felt like home. So much of Robert’s history, but not his biological history, stemmed from that village.
Robert returned with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and two fluted glasses. He poured us both a glass and raised his to mine.
“How do you feel about splitting the year between here and DC?”
“I’d follow you anywhere, you know that, but what about Gerry?”
“Got some great schools nearby, or tutors
, or whatever…”
“What happened yesterday and today? Something changed.”
“You know how I said Rocco has a successor? Well, you’re looking at him. He’ll stay in the background, of course—and probably here—but we are combing our businesses.”
“What about Evelyn?”
“I think he’s hoping she’ll stay here with him but whatever happens, like you will with me, he’ll follow her wherever she wants. He won’t let her go now.”
I looked at Robert. As much as he was a powerful man in DC, that move, that combining of business escalated him to ranks beyond my imagination. Did that give me any comfort? No, I feared for him, of course. With that level of power came more danger, but it was his destiny in one way. It was what he had been groomed to be all his life.
I raised my glass to him. “My Made Man,” I said with a smile.
****
I stood in front of the mirror the following morning and inspected myself. My body was sore, bruised, my skin was broken in places. My stomach ached from orgasm after orgasm.
“We are seriously going to have that chat, again,” I said as Robert headed for the shower.
“Again?”
“Yes, again. Look at me.”
He winked, smiled and slapped my ass. “Just marking what’s mine.”
“You might as well piss on me if that’s want you wanted to do.”
“Whatever turns you on, baby.”
I threw a towel at him as he stepped under the jets of water. I left him to his shower and went to dress. I found a cotton halter neck that would cover most of the bruises. Thankfully he was always careful not to mark my neck or exposed body parts. I surveyed the room—the bedclothes were still on the floor, clothes were strewn everywhere. There was no way I could leave that to be tidied up by Elvira. I picked up clothes, straightened the bedding then made my way downstairs.
“Guess what time we got home?” Gerry called out. He was already in his shorts and running for the pool.
“I don’t want to think about it. It’s an early night for you tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he called over his shoulder.
I walked into the kitchen to find Travis sitting at the table.
“Morning. I hear you brought my son home a little late.”
“Just as well. You and Robert might want to close your bedroom doors in future.”
I gasped. I could feel my cheeks colour and he laughed.
“Fuck off,” I said, laughing myself.
“So, lots of changes coming,” he said as he sipped his coffee.
“I guess so. We haven’t spoken too much about it yet.”
He nodded his head. “Mmm.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.” He seemed to struggle to talk. “I don’t know that I could move out here, not even for a short time. I love it here but this isn’t me, and I have Harley and Katrina to think of.”
I sat, looking at him. He reached forward and covered my hand with his.
“It’s the right thing to do—for all of us—but the family is going to split, and that’s going to take me a while to get used to,” he added.
“Oh. Oh, no. It doesn’t have to be like that. You and Robert, you’re brothers, Travis. No matter what happens, that will never change.”
“It’s okay, I’m okay with that. I’ll tell you a secret. I’m in love, really in love for only the second time in my life, and I want to hold onto that.”
“For the second time?”
“Yeah, the first was never available to me, but this one is.”
I was a little confused by his answer. “Have you told her?” I asked.
“I’d never tell the first but I will tell Katrina. Can you look after Harley tonight? I want to take her out, just us.”
“Of course. You’re not making a lot of sense but I’m pleased for you.”
Call it intuition but when he looked at me, I finally understood. I knew who the first one was. I pulled my hand from under his but instead of pulling away, I took his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. I stood and walked around the corner of the table to him. He stood. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest.
“I love you, too, but not in the way I love Robert. You’re the only family I have, and I love you for that. I love you for loving Robert.”
He laughed as he gently pushed me away. Travis didn’t do affection, however, he kissed me on the top of my head. He smiled down at me.
“Family,” he said. “And if you did love me, as family, you’d get me another coffee.”
“Now you’re taking the piss,” I said but picked his cup from the table and headed to the coffee machine.
“Do I smell coffee?” I heard Robert say as he joined us.
It was the smile he gave Travis, a smile of such kindness, a smile I very rarely saw from Robert, that told me he’d heard that exchange. He winked at me as I handed him his coffee. Robert was way too confident in our relationship to be threatened by anyone else.
“We have a lot to discuss, bro,” he said as he sat.
“We do. I was saying to Brooke, I don’t know…”
Robert cut him off. “Don’t dismiss anything just yet. Let’s work it all out first.”
“Are you going to bully me into moving here?”
“Bully?”
Travis turned to me. “When we were kids, Robert always got his own way. You should have seen the tantrums if he thought he wouldn’t. It wasn’t pretty.”
“Tantrum? I bet it wasn’t. I wonder…perhaps we should go along with him, I’d hate to see a forty-year-old strop,” I replied, teasing.
“Who’s having a tantrum?” Katrina had walked into the kitchen.
“Robert may if I don’t agree to move here for part of the year. He bought this house.”
“Move here? You?”
“I mean…us, possibly. If you want. We haven’t worked out the details yet.”
Travis was stumbling through his words. Katrina placed her fingers to his lips.
“Then you’d better marry me, and quick. I have no intention of living in a very Catholic country in sin.”
The pastry Robert had raised to his lips was held suspended in mid-air. I tried not to chuckle at the look of absolute shock on Travis’ face.
“Well?” Katrina asked. Travis opened his mouth but no words came out. “Do you love me, Travis?” she asked. He nodded. “Good, then we get married. Coffee anyone?” She headed to the kitchen.
At that point, Robert spat out the partly chewed pastry he had in his mouth, and I burst out laughing.
“Fuck me,” Travis finally said.
“After the ceremony, darling,” came her reply. “How long you can abstain for is the length of time you have to prepare,” she added.
“Then you better book for next week, soon as we get home.”
I squealed, again. I seemed to have squealed a lot over the past twenty-four hours. I grabbed my phone and dialled, not caring what the time difference was.
“Taylor, can’t talk for long but we have a wedding to plan,” I said.
I had to move the phone away from my ear otherwise her scream would have fried my brain.
“Who?” she finally asked.
“Travis and Katrina. Oh, hold on.”
I turned to Katrina, who thankfully was laughing. “Taylor has the most amazing wedding gowns. You need to take a look.”
“Absolutely. Arrange it for the day we return,” she said.
As I continued my conversation with Taylor, I watched Robert stand, walk to Travis and hug him.
A sopping wet Gerry and Harley ran into the kitchen.
“Hey, what would you say if I married Katrina?” Travis said.
“Cool, are those for us?” Harley replied before grabbing the plate of pastries and heading back to the pool.
“Well, that’s a done deal then, bro. Only Evelyn to tell and where is she?”
“She’ll be back soon, I imagine
.”
Katrina walked back from the kitchen area with two coffees. She handed one to Travis. He sat and pulled her onto his lap.
“Fuck, I’m getting married,” he said with a shake of his head.
****
Katrina and I sat beside the pool making plans.
“I only have my mother and a brother, a couple of friends. I’d like to keep it simple and small.”
“What about your dad?”
“He isn’t able to leave Russia. He’d be arrested if he did. I’ll tell you his story one day but I will call him. He’ll expect Travis to ask for my hand. He’s a very traditional man.”
A car—black with blacked out windows—made its way up the drive. I stood.
“Who’s that?” Katrina asked.
“Evelyn, I think.”
“Where has she been?”
“I’ll tell you later, but it may or may not be the most unbelievable love story you’ll ever hear.”
I met Evelyn in the hallway as she came through the front door. She smiled through the tears that ran down her cheeks when she saw me. I ran to her and pulled her into a hug.
“Oh, Brooke. I have no words.”
“Let me make you a cup of tea. You don’t look like you’ve slept at all.”
“I haven’t. We talked all night.”
As we entered the kitchen, Robert stood. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek.
“You are an amazing man, do you know that?”
Travis and I looked at each other and he shrugged.
“Sit, you must be exhausted,” Robert said.
“I just don’t know what to say right now. I can’t seem to process anything. I’m angry, I’m stunned, I’m happy; I’m every emotion you could ever imagine.”
“What happens now though?” I asked.
“I honestly don’t know yet. Thirty years have gone by, yet I feel the same way about him now as I did back then. I just don’t know.”
I placed a cup of tea in front of her. Her hands shook a little as she raised the cup to her lips.
“I’m deeply hurt but I understand why he left, what he had to do. I think I’m more upset with my father; he knew and he didn’t tell me.”
“He couldn’t, Evelyn. He’d have put you in danger,” Robert said.
“Did you know?” she asked him.
“No, I found out just a few weeks ago, and at that point I was told what Rocco’s plans were. I couldn’t share those with you until he was ready.”
Fallen Angel, Part 4 - A Mafia Romance: Fallen Angel Series Page 26