“My love, please rest for a moment. I’ll ask the chef to bring you something to eat. You can’t keep going like this. Come, I’ll draw you a bath.” I was holding him in a tight embrace. My husband was hurting.
“Franco is dead.”
I let go of him and sat down on the edge of the bed. I tried to speak, but no words came out. I felt responsible for his death, even though my reason told me that it wasn’t my fault. I closed my eyes and saw him lying in my arms, bleeding. I saw his face the first night I’d met the gang. I couldn’t handle any more bad news, not now. I curled up into a little ball and cried. Joe came over to me, lay behind me, and we spooned until I fell asleep.
***
When I awoke, Joe was gone. I had no idea what the time was or how long I’d slept for. In a daze, I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. The house was quiet—it was an uncomfortable silence. I found Bella in the kitchen.
“Hi, Mama. Where is everybody? Is my mother okay?”
“Glad to see you up, Ella. You look much better. Alicia is having a nap, The poor woman is exhausted. I heard about Franco. I’m so sorry, Ella. Come, sit, I’ll pour you some coffee. Are you hungry?” She reached for a mug as I sat down at the kitchen table.
“Starving. Where is Joe?” I took a big gulp of coffee. The warm, soothing liquid went down like a homesick mole. I felt better.
“He’s with Antonio.” I was waiting for more, but that was all I got.
“Are they here?”
“No, they’re out looking for Abriana. They got a tipoff that she was hiding out at her cousin’s house.”
My heart sank. I was worried all over again. Abriana wouldn’t go quietly, and the thought of Joe being anywhere near her made me sick to my stomach.
“Don’t worry, darling. This time she won’t catch them off guard.”
I prayed that she was right. I needed the nightmare to be over. I wanted to go back to our new home, our new lives, and leave the troubles with Sicily behind, once and for all.
JOE
I had no idea where Mario was, but Fabio and I were sticking close to the “Coli muscle.” Abriana was hiding out at her cousin’s—she hadn’t covered her tracks as well as she had before her big plan went south. I had a score to settle with her. Not only did she put our lives in danger, but she put my unborn baby’s wellbeing at risk too.
It wasn’t going to be easy to get to her. Her cousin, Andrea, was as nasty a piece of work as she was. He was on the shady side of Palermo’s crime wave, the side that no one wanted to be associated with—or cross. Andrea’s house was armed to the teeth when we surveyed the area. There’d be no point in walking up to the front door, ringing the bell, and hoping for tea and biscuits. Things were about to get ugly, and we knew it full well. Living in Palermo in the 70s had its drawbacks, and we were about to experience them first hand.
We tried our best not to announce our arrival, which was rather tricky, as we burst through the steel gates in a cement truck. Being in construction had its benefits. Andrea’s men crawled out of every conceivable hole, like fire ants after a storm. The ruckus was deafening, men running, shouting, shooting—the perfect distraction for Fabio and me to sneak into the house, unseen. Once inside, we were on the hunt, room by room, for Abriana. We’d searched nearly eighty percent of the house before we found her, defiant and spewing insults.
“Oh, so the brave Joe Coli is here to do his papa’s dirty work, is he? A real man would have come himself.”
“This score is mine to settle, Abriana. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
She stared at me as if she were daring me to put my money where my mouth was.
“How’s your little princess holding up? Is she missing her stud, Enrico, yet? They had such a close relationship. A real love affair.” She smiled sardonically.
“As a matter of fact, Enrico did himself in. Probably repulsed by the idea that he’d be stuck with you for the rest of his life. Can’t say I blame the poor fool.”
“So, now what? Are you here to punish me? Gonna drag me off to the Coli mansion for a whipping? Or perhaps Antonio wants to have one more roll in the hay before he sends me to my doom? We were great together, by the way. He kept coming back for more. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. I’m sure he thinks of me when he’s banging that mousy little mother of yours.”
My blood was boiling, but I knew exactly what she was trying to do.
“I’m not going to kill you, Abriana. That’s not my style. But you’re going to wish that I had. You’re going to beg for it.”
“I will never beg a Coli for anything. My Gino loves me; he will never allow you and your haughty family harm a single hair on my head.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Abriana. Gino knows where his future lies, and it’s not with you. He all but swore allegiance to my father and me when we learned that it was you who was behind the wicked scheme. I think you’ll find that he is more of a Coli than a Ferrari. That must hurt. I’d say I’m sorry, but that would be a lie.”
“You snotty son of a bitch! You’ll pay for this.”
From behind us, I heard a gunshot. Fabio and I immediately fell to the floor in an attempt to protect ourselves from the shooter. His identity made us freeze. It was Mario. He had a cold expression on his face. Fabio and I looked back at Abriana, who was doubled over, holding her chest.
“Fuck you, bitch. Go to hell where you belong. You took the life of my friend; now, I’ll take yours. The world is not going to miss you. I’ll make sure of that. There will be none of the pomp and ceremony that goes with a burial. I’m going to make sure that they never find your body. This is the end of the Ferrari legacy. Goodbye, Abriana.”
With that, he stood over her and watched as life flickered in her eyes, and then she died. He threw her lifeless body over his shoulder.
“I’ll see you boys later.”
Fabio and I stared in silence as he left the room. The chaos outside had subsided. The enemy was defeated. We were safe.
Epilogue
ELEANORA
I was breathing heavily, beads of sweat collecting on my forehead. My mother grabbed the phone and dialed Joe’s office number.
“Joe, come home, now. Ella needs to go to the hospital.” Her face was a roadmap of wrinkles; worry and stress had aged her overnight. She was expecting the worst.
By the time Joe arrived, I was downstairs, curled up into a ball. It was a very difficult pregnancy. The emotional shock and physical trauma I’d sustained during the kidnapping took its toll on me. I wasn’t sure if the baby would survive.
“Are you okay, my love?” Joe asked as he lifted me off the couch and carried me to the car.
“Oh, Joe. I'm so scared. What if our baby dies? It’s too soon for him to be born. I can’t lose him, Joe, I can’t.”
“I called the hospital before I left for home, my love. The doctors are standing by.”
As he picked me up off the couch, a mini explosion erupted from me. Clear fluid mixed with blood was streaming down Joe’s pants.
“Oh God, Joe, get me there now!”
My mother grabbed her purse and ran after us as Joe sprinted to the car at breakneck speed. He lay me down gently on the back seat. My mother got in the back with me, put my head on her lap, and wiped the sweat from my face.
“Hold on to her, Alicia. I’ll get us there as quickly as I can.”
“Oww,” I breathed as the drive seemed to drag on and on. The contractions were moving over me in waves, each one stronger than the last. I’d had painful periods before, and I remembered an aunt told me once that contractions felt similar to menstrual pain. This was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. The pressure in my pelvis was scary and painful.
“I’m in pain! Hurry!” Poor Joe was trying to keep calm and pacify me, but it was no use. Heat was radiating from my back, spreading to my legs. How the fuck can this be so painful?
I was just thirty-four weeks pregnant. Terrified that our baby had sus
tained injuries early on in the pregnancy, I was a nervous wreck. My mother’s eyes were glossy from crying. It broke my heart that I was putting her through such trauma after the recent death of my father. It had been a really bad year for all of us.
I heard a siren. “Fuck!” Joe kept driving like a bat out of hell, the siren sticking close behind us.
“Joe, what’s going on?” My mother touched his shoulder as he was cursing.
“Of all the times I’ve been pulled over by cops, this is the worst timing ever! I’m not stopping. I don’t care if they lock me up.”
The cop car pulled up beside us, the driver gesticulating for Joe to pull over. Joe opened his window and shouted at the cop, “I can’t pull over! My wife is in premature labor. I won’t lose our son!”
The cop gave him a thumbs up and pulled ahead of us. He kept his siren on, which was a godsend, as all the cars pulled over as we shot by them. At this pace, we’d get to the hospital in no time. I was eternally grateful—baby Coli was on his way out, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Outside the ER doors, two nurses stood waiting for me, stretcher at the ready. Joe picked me up carefully and lay me on the stretcher. He held my hand as the nurses pushed me into the operating theatre. The surgeon was dressed in his scrubs, ready to deliver our little miracle baby.
Because I’d had such a difficult pregnancy, the plan was always to deliver via c-section. My doctor didn’t want to take any chances. There was no time for pain relief or any such measures, so the best option was to put me under anesthesia as soon as I arrived in the theatre. Joe wouldn't leave my side. The theatre nurse handed him scrubs to wear while they were preparing me for surgery. He held my hand as the anesthesia took effect. The last thing I remembered was his beautiful green eyes filled with tears.
JOE
Ella and I were relieved to be back in Palm Beach. The nightmare of Palermo was behind us, and we were ready to get on with our lives. Mario was never charged for the murder of Abriana. Her body was never found—his police contact paid his debt. Mario left Palermo. The town held too many memories for him. He met a lovely woman while on holiday abroad. Last we heard of our bubbly buddy, he was up to his eyeballs in babies and Pina Coladas.
Fabio flew back to an eager Bria, while Ella and I traveled back to the US a week later. Before we’d left, Gino and I had a conversation. He’d come clean on many things, such as treating me harshly and trying to insert himself into the Coli pecking order. He apologized for his mother’s action, even though he denied having any knowledge about it. We agreed to disagree and made peace. I wasn’t convinced that it would be the end of our differences, but I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
I was overjoyed to have my Ella back home safely. She’d spoken to the powers that be at the university, who, after learning of her terrible ordeal, insisted that she take a leave of absence for a year. They were afraid to lose her as an integral part of the academic team. Ella was grateful and relieved. She was very passionate and accomplished when it came to botany. I was happy for her and very proud.
Her pregnancy was a tenuous one. She was in and out of the hospital a few times. The doctor warned us that a miscarriage wouldn’t be uncommon considering the trauma during the first trimester of her pregnancy. I felt for my wife. She was so brave, never complained, and she soldiered on. Halfway through the second trimester, Alicia came to stay. I was relieved to have her at the house when I was at the office.
Fabio and I grew even closer, if that was possible, after our experience in Palermo. We spent as much time together as couples as we could. The bond between us was strong. After the threat of losing the ones you love, we were grateful for each other.
Bria spent a small fortune on baby clothes—more than enough for twins. I asked Fabio when they were planning on having children. He smiled and said, ”I thought I’d see how you guys fair first. Let you two make all the new parents’ mistakes first. Then, Bria and I will swoop in and show you how it’s done.”
“That’s a very calculated move, my horny friend. There’s just one factor you haven’t taken into consideration.”
“Yeah, and what’s that?”
“Bria’s biological clock. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. Before you can say ‘nursing bra’ Bria will have you cornered.”
“Bloody Italian women! All incubators!”
We laughed hysterically as we spoke about late-night feeds and changing diapers. The scariest part of the conversation was the very real possibility that sex would become a scarce commodity. That’s when we decided to have a double whiskey and change the subject. The discussion had run its ugly course.
As Ella progressed in her pregnancy, it was my job to leave the house in the middle of the night on a mission to find watermelon, anchovies, and ice cream. I wondered what had happened to my sensible, reasonable wife. The woman ate like a locust. The best thing about her pregnancy was, without a doubt, the size of her ever growing breasts. I considered kissing them as payment for my late-night trips to God knows where. It was a fair tradeoff.
Life was returning back to normal. The nursery was filled with the best baby paraphernalia Italy and America could offer. My mother sent boxes filled with clothes, fluffy toys, and diapers. Between the three ladies, Ella would be set for sextuplets. I found myself assembling cots, feeding chairs, walking rings, and stenciling the high reaching places in the baby room. Nothing like a pregnant wife to keep a husband on his toes.
As her due date approached, neither one of us got much quality sleep. Every case of indigestion was an emergency drive to the ER. I could drive the route to the hospital with my eyes closed—sometimes, I was so tired I thought I had.
When Alicia called me in a panic, I dropped what I was doing and burned rubber on the highway. It was way too early for this.
***
My heart was pounding so hard I could see it hammering under my shirt. Ella was lying on the operating table, a mesh of tubes everywhere, heart rate monitor beeping. Then, it went quiet. Did someone switch the monitor off by mistake? What was happening? Fast action ensued. The surgeon said something to the nurse, who grabbed the scalpel and handed it to him very quickly. I held my breath as he made an incision in her abdomen. I heard the ripping sound he made when he opened the uterus just enough to pull our son out.
He handed the baby to the pediatrician, who rushed him off to the corner of the room to help him take his first breath. The monitor was making a continuous sound, and when I turned back to where Ella was lying, I watched in horror as the doctor was trying to resuscitate my wife. I tried to move closer to her, but the theatre nurse stopped me.
“Please, Mr. Coli, we need you to wait outside while we tend to your wife. Now, please!”
She half shunted me out the room where I stood, cemented to the spot, too afraid to move a muscle. I listened intently for the beeping noise of the monitor. Please, God, please don’t take my Ella, please!
After a minute or two, the nurse came out to where I was. If she had bad news, I didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t face living without my Ella. I just couldn’t!
ELEANORA
It took me a while to open my eyes. They felt heavy and scratchy. I heard voices around me but I couldn’t respond. Then, I heard Joe’s voice.
“Ella, my darling, can you hear me? Open your eyes, sweetheart.”
I made a soft moan as I tried to move my head.
“Open your eyes, baby.”
My focus was out, but I could make out the outlines of his face. The inside of my mouth felt like I had a handful of cotton balls shoved in it. The nurse standing next to Joe put a straw to my mouth. It was the best tasting water I’d ever had.
My mind snapped into first gear. “My baby! Where’s my baby?” I panicked and tried to get up. A searing pain shot through my abdomen, causing me to regret the sudden bravery.
“Slow down, Ella. Everything is going to be okay.”
I didn’t like that at all. Why wasn’t it okay now? Was my baby dead?
What the hell was going on?
Sensing my angst, Joe took my face into his hands. “It’s okay, my love; our baby boy is in an incubator. His lungs are a bit underdeveloped still but he’s fine. They want to keep him here for another two weeks, as a precaution, and then, we can take him home.”
Tears of relief streamed down my cheeks and into the nape of my neck, soaking the pillow under my head. Joe put his head on my chest as I sobbed. When I looked up into his green eyes, I saw the months of anxiety dissolve.
“I’m so proud of you, my love. You did great. Our son is beautiful, like his Mama. He has a thick head of hair! He’s so beautiful, Ella. I can’t wait for you to meet him. Thank you, my gorgeous; thank you for our miracle baby. I love you so much.”
My heart was full of joy. My family was finally complete. I cried a tear for my father. He would have loved and spoiled his grandson so. The nurses wheeled me to my hospital room where my mother and Bria were waiting for me. They were laughing, crying, nattering, telling me how beautiful my baby was.
“As soon as the general anesthetic wears off a little, I’ll take you to see your son, Mrs. Coli.” The nurse propped me up in bed and brought me a glass of orange juice. The surgeon came to check up on me a few minutes later.
“How are you feeling, Mrs. Coli? You gave us quite a scare, young lady.”
“Thank you, doctor. Is my baby going to be okay?”
“He’ll make a full recovery, Ella. Please don’t worry about him. If he’s as strong as his mother, he’ll be walking out of here in two weeks.” He smiled at me, clearly amused by his own joke. I smiled back. He was my new hero.
“I’ll leave you to rest. The nurse will give you pain medication when you need it. Please feel free to ask her when you’re ready. Congratulations, mama.”
JOE
Fabio and I were sitting in the visitor’s lounge just outside of Ella’s room. The happy, carefree summer of beach parties and clubbing, a lifetime ago. Fabio whipped a silver flask out of his jacket pocket.
Hidden Deceit: A Mafia Romance (Corrupt Minds Book 2) Page 15