Feeling stupid, I couldn’t ask the man who just made an incredible promise to me what his last name was. Yet there I was going to meet his family.
Sonny turned onto a road that ran along the shoreline. The view was beautiful, but not enough to make me forget my confusion and embarrassment. The car turned and stopped in front of a large iron gate with an ornate G in the center, and I fought to keep myself composed.
I didn’t know what my problem was. I knew he was in the Mafia, I just didn’t realize Dante was the Mafia. It seemed like a big deal but when I thought about it, it didn’t really matter. What mattered was him, not what he did or what his last name was.
Looking at the ring again, I remembered his promise to me. Dante had always been so generous to me. And now with this promise, I felt indebted to him even more. He did all these things, even saving me without expecting anything in return. It was time I made a promise to him, too.
“Dante?” I said as Sonny stopped the car in front of a large home with wooden shingles, tall windows, and white awnings.
“Yes, my angel?”
“I want to make a promise to you, too. I promise that whatever happens, I’ll always love you. I know what you do and I know about the crows, but I won’t let any of that change how I feel about you.”
He leaned in and kissed my lips, letting his lips linger. I wrapped my arms around him and melted into him.
“There won’t be any more crows,” he whispered before getting out of the car.
I wanted to ask him what he meant, but as he helped me out of the car, his family came out of the house to greet us. Every person I met kissed my cheeks and hugged me as if they had known me for years.
I loved it. I missed having a big family like that and even when some of the men pulled Dante away from me, I didn’t really mind. Dante entered a library where an older man stepped out from behind his desk and hugged him warmly.
“Who’s that?” I asked Toni, Dante’s sister.
Toni was a beautiful brunette with Dante’s eyes and as soon as we met, I knew I’d get along with her.
“That’s Papa. He’s so happy Dante’s moving up. He’s been a Soldier long enough. If you ask me, it’s about time he became Capo, even if it took Robert’s dying to set him straight.”
Capo? Moving up? Robert? I didn’t understand what was going on. Dante always hated what he did, but maybe he just hated killing. I looked down at the emerald ring and thought about what he said about always protecting me. Could that be it? Did he do this for me? My head spun as I realized the truth.
Dante sat between his father and another man while several others, including Sonny, got them drinks.
“Come on,” Toni said. “Let me show you around the house. You and Dante have your own suite, and the pool is amazing.”
I had been so overwhelmed by everything that I never looked around. The house looked like it came from a magazine. With its tall ceilings and back wall made entirely of glass that looked out to the beach, it was breathtaking. It was much different than the small brownstone I grew up in in Brooklyn and made me feel very far from home.
I wrapped my arms around myself as we walked through the expansive foyer with its cream-colored marble floors. A voice boomed from the library, echoing against the walls.
“It’s a great day when my only son moves up. I haven’t been this proud since the day you were made. Now, let’s talk business. That thing with the gang, the ones that took Robert out, has that been taken care of?”
“You mean the brother?” Sonny said. “I took care of it. He won’t be a problem anymore.”
Ice ran through my veins as I realized they were talking about Terry. I rubbed my arm and the ring made a small pull in my sweater. Looking at the ring, I thought about the promises Dante and I made to each other.
In another time I would have been more upset about Terry, but I couldn’t forgive him for what he did. I owed Dante my life. He was always there for me. He loved me and I loved him. No matter what.
Capo
CHAPTER TEN
Gia
Standing in the bedroom, with my robe around me, I tried to push out of my mind what day it was. I didn’t want to think about it. Who ever thought about going to their brother’s funeral? I needed a distraction.
The shower started and I realized what time it was–Dante’s shower time. I let the robe drop to the floor as I pulled out a simple black dress from my closet and put it on, smoothing it over my wide hips. The hem came just under my knee.
I turned towards the full length mirror to make sure my butt didn’t look too big or lift the back of the dress up. That was one of my pet peeves about wearing a dress that drove me crazy sometimes. Digging my black ballet flats out from the closet, I slipped my feet into them and then hurried towards the bathroom.
One of my favorite things to do was watch Dante in the shower. Of course I didn’t want to be obvious about it, but I suspected he knew. He kept trying to get me to join him, but I didn’t get as good a view from in the shower as I did out of the shower.
Stepping into the bathroom as quietly as possible, the soft click on my shoes stopped me dead in my tracks. I wasn’t myself that day. Normally I would’ve gone in barefoot so I wouldn’t make a sound, but today I forgot.
“You really should just join me,” Dante said with his eyes closed as he washed his dark hair. “We could have some fun.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said, trying to sound innocent. “I just came in to do my make up.”
Through the mirror, I could see the water dripping down his body. It started from his head, to his broad shoulders, then followed every curve and angle of his muscles. He turned, and I admired the perfect roundness of his butt and then let my eyes travel up his back to look at the large bare tree tattoo with its many crows.
He had a new tattoo on his back, above the tree, a dark-haired angel. It was between his shoulder blades and went up towards the back of his neck.
When he turned to face me, the scars on his chest briefly made me wince. I couldn’t help but think of the pain he must have felt when it happened. I wanted him to open up more about it, but he refused to discuss his past.
Dante turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist as he stepped out. He pushed the glass shower door closed behind him and gave me a sly grin.
“You really have to join me in the shower sometime. I’d like to get you wet.”
As I giggled at his words, he stepped closer and his lips brushed against mine. His tongue entered my mouth and everything was swept away. Dante was the perfect distraction.
A loud knock on the bedroom door pulled Dante away from me.
“Sir, we have to get going soon or you’ll be late,” Sonny said.
“We’ll have to save this for another time,” Dante said as he entered the bedroom.
Damn Sonny! He had the worst timing!
***
I never thought this day would happen. Momma’s passing, as sad and lost as I felt from that, I knew it was coming. Going to Terry’s funeral wasn’t something I expected at all.
The cloudless sky was the perfect shade of blue and the hot sun was tempered by a cool breeze. My mind wandered as Father Francis, the priest I knew from my childhood, read a passage from the Bible.
Of the people who stood around the mahogany wooden casket with me, most of them had never even met Terry. I should have been happy to have so much support already from the Gambino family, and I was, but their being there highlighted the lack of my family’s presence even more.
I held back a sigh as I looked at the small floral wreaths and flower displays, all sent by Dante’s family. It made me even angrier at my brothers and sisters. Where were all of them? Out of five of them, only Carlo had bothered to show up. And he had a new baby and lived over an hour away in Connecticut. The others were closer.
I couldn’t understand why they didn’t show up for their brother’s funeral. I wondered if they blamed me for
Terry’s death. That guilt added to the heavy weight on my chest.
Would Terry still be alive if it wasn’t for me? I would never know. The path he was taking would have led him here eventually though, and I had to keep reminding myself of that.
Dante stood beside me, the sun gleaming against his dark hair. He was handsome in a black tailored suit with his hair brushed back. I was glad to have him there holding my hand.
Next to Dante was Sonny. The shorter man had dark sunglasses on, and I couldn’t help but feel he was on edge and on alert. Every so often, he scanned the cemetery, eyeing the small group gathered around Terry’s casket and anyone passing by.
When Father Francis ended his prayer, Carlo and I placed roses on Terry’s casket. I didn’t have anything to say to Terry. His body was in there, but I knew he wasn’t. I prayed wherever he was that he finally found whatever happiness he wasn’t able to find on Earth.
Placing my hand on Dante’s forearm, I looked up as his blue eyes met mine. He smiled softly and nodded.
“You don’t even have to say it,” he said then turned to Sonny and gave him a nod.
Sonny vanished towards the car and when he came back, he had a floral arrangement of orange roses and stargazer lilies, my mother’s favorite flowers.
“What is this?” I asked as Sonny approached. “I was only going to ask if we could move some of these flowers next to Momma’s grave.”
“I know, my angel. But I know you too well. She needs her own flowers, and I know you weren’t able to have any for her when she passed away.”
We walked over to Momma’s gravestone as Sonny placed the flowers down beside it. Francesca, with her birth and death dates that had been recently added to the large gravestone with my last name–Carlisi.
Carlo put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. His hair was much more grey than I ever remembered it being. As my oldest brother, Carlo was twenty years older than me and ten years older than Terry. Between him and Terry I had two more brothers and two sisters. Being so much younger, Terry was the one I was closest to.
“I never thought I’d visit Momma’s grave so soon after her funeral,” Carlo said.
Nodding, I agreed with him but couldn’t speak the words. Everything had been so crazy since she died, it almost felt like her passing never happened. Everything was just a dream.
“Mimi called before I left the house,” Carlo said.
“And what? Did she have some lame excuse for not being here for her own brother’s funeral?” I asked.
“They’re going to the Gambinos. I know I don’t need to tell you why.”
“Because in the end they don’t care about Terry, but they want to see if the rumors about the Gambino family are true.”
He nodded and squeezed my shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll all be there, maybe even with their families.”
Sighing, I touched Momma’s gravestone and wondered how such an honest and selfless woman could have raised so many ungrateful and selfish children. I was never close to most of them, and at that moment I didn’t regret it. I’d rather forget about the four of them.
“How are Darla and the baby?”
“They’re great,” Carlo said, smiling. “The kids are helping as much as they can, too. Darla wanted to come, but this isn’t the place to bring kids. Plus her sister is staying with us to help us out.”
“I’ll have to have you over for dinner sometime,” I said.
Carlo turned to face me directly. His eyes darted over at Dante before he put his arm around my shoulders and led me towards a nearby tree.
“You sure everything’s okay?” he asked. “You know I knew the Gambino family back in the day. I used to do some work for them. Are you in any trouble?”
“What do you mean? Don’t tell me you’re trying to help me now. Where were you when I asked you for help with Terry or saving the house we grew up in?”
“Gia, please stop. I need to know. Is Dante Gambino here for a reason? Do you owe them anything?”
“You’re kidding me, right? You think I’m here surrounded by the Gambino family because I owe them something? Just because my own family couldn’t see fit to show a little support for me or pay respects to our dead brother doesn’t mean other families don’t know how to behave. I’m in love with Dante Gambino, and he’s in love with me. Is that so hard for you to understand?”
My voice rose as I spoke. I couldn’t keep my anger in any longer. I wasn’t really that angry at Carlo, he was just being a protective big brother. And I didn’t care that people were turning and looking at us. For him to say Dante was only there because I owed him something set me off.
“I’m sorry,” he said. Carlo put his hand up towards Dante and Sonny to signal to them that everything was all right. “I just know you went through a lot with Terry, and I didn’t realize how bad things really were.”
“Well, I’m not your problem anymore.”
Walking away, I felt good for standing up for myself. My family was used to Gia the jellyfish—no backbone. Well, I was done with that. I didn’t have a problem with Carlo, he just had the bad luck of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
As I reached Dante, still standing by Momma’s grave, he pulled me close and brushed his lips gently against mine. Behind me, the swish of suit pants grew louder as Carlo followed me.
“Gia, I’m really sorry,” Carlo said. “It came out wrong.”
Taking a deep breath, I turned around and looked at my oldest brother. The sun was in his face, making him squint and adding more lines to his face.
“Forget about it, Carlo,” I said. “I’m just sensitive. The past couple of months since Momma died have been crazy.”
“I have to tell you something,” he said as he pulled me away from Dante. “Mimi told Ron Mendoza about Terry.”
“Ron?” I asked. I hadn’t heard his name in years, and that still wasn’t long enough. “I didn’t know she was in touch with him.”
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask her, but she’s bringing him with her.”
“What? Why?”
He shook his head. “Damned if I know, Gia. I know she’s our sister, but I don’t trust her. She’s up to something.”
She had to be, but what? Mimi knew Ron was the last person I wanted to see. As I turned back towards Dante, I realized how much I still needed to tell him. He wasn’t the only person with secrets.
***
Sonny maneuvered the long, black Town Car through the narrow streets of the cemetery and out into the traffic of the city streets. I smoothed my black dress over my thighs then glanced over at Dante, who was watching the traffic go past the tinted windows.
“Carlo said my other brothers and sisters will be going to your parents’ house,” I said.
“That’s good. I know you’re not close to them, but I’d like to meet the rest of your family.” Dante turned from the window and took my hand as our eyes met. His brow wrinkled then straightened quickly. “What aren’t you telling me? I know you’re upset with your family, but there’s something more. I can see it in your eyes.”
I looked down at my feet, feeling guilty. “No, there’s nothing. I mean, maybe there’s something, but it’s not a big deal. I just hope my family doesn’t do anything to embarrass me.”
It was as close to the truth as I could get. I wanted to tell Dante everything, but I couldn’t say the words and I couldn’t utter Ron’s name. If I was lucky, Mimi would get distracted by something shiny on the road and forget where she was going.
“You didn’t have to do all this, you know,” I said as I looked back at him out of the corner of my eye.
“Do what?”
“Have everyone over to your parents’ house. We could’ve done something at a restaurant or something. There are a few places that are close by.”
“This wasn’t my idea,” Dante said. “My parents wanted to be there for you, but my father…” His voice trailed off, and I could see he was searching for the right words.
“He needs to be somewhere he’s safe.”
I had to get used to hearing that and thinking like that, too. It had only been two weeks since I realized Dante was a Gambino, making his father the Boss, or Godfather. But in all that time, we never discussed what I saw and heard and he never told me he moved up from Soldier and became a Capo.
“Is this how life is going to be now that you’re a Capo? Will it reach a point where one day you can’t leave the house either?”
I bit my tongue to stop anything else from spilling out of my big mouth. How stupid was I? Dante already had a driver and bodyguard in his associate, Sonny. I had to stop being so naive.
“Toni has a big mouth,” Dante said.
“Don’t blame her. I’m glad your sister told me. I just don’t understand why you did it. I thought you hated all of this. I thought you wanted to get away from this life.”
“We’re not talking about this. Not now. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters. Remember that.”
He turned back towards the window, ending the conversation. All I meant to do was tell him about my brothers and sisters, and especially about Ron. I didn’t mean to make him angry. I didn’t know why I didn’t say what I wanted to, but sometimes it was easier to keep secrets to myself.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gia
As the car passed through the gates, I noticed a row of cars parked along the curved driveway. My mouth felt dry as I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. I wondered if any of the cars belonged to my sister Mimi.
My mind whirled with different excuses for me to leave, but it was useless, I had to be there. It was just my family, why would I be worried about seeing them? Because it’s not just your family, I reminded myself. Ron is going to be there, too. My stomach dropped further, on its way to my feet.
Dante placed his hand on my knee, making me realize I had been nervously tapping my foot. Why couldn’t things be simple? Why couldn’t I just grieve for my brother in peace?
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