Battaglia Mafia: La Famiglia Part 58

"May I?" Giovanni asked.

Cecilia looked confused. He would never ask her for permission to tend to his sons but he had. And Giovanni had never changed a diaper in front of any of them, although Mira made him change Eve's pampies regularly in their room. Cecilia nodded and stepped aside. Giovanni approached his son. He learned with Eve how to change a diaper with the elastic tape. But cloth diapers looked to be more complicated. He and Mira had said they would take turns in the night with the twins. And the crib would be in their room so their babies would never be far.

The tiny cloth diaper did cover Gino but he was at a loss on how to make it fasten.

Cecelia chuckled. "Let me help." Gino opened his little legs. His head was turned left and he sucked his pacifier with contentment. Cecilia brought up the middle of the cloth diaper to cover his tiny genitals. She then brought over the right side and the left side of the diaper to pin all three in the center. "See this here, you just pin it here. And there you have it," she said.

Gino's head turned, he blinked up at his father and Giovanni smiled. He leaned in and kissed the baby.

"He's not a crier, like Gianni. Very quiet this one," Cecilia said. "I have to check him to make sure he needs changing."

"He's a survivor. No need for tears," Giovanni said. "Tears never got a man anywhere."

"I have a bottle for him if you want to feed him," Cecilia offered.

"No. Take care of them. Help the Donna," Giovanni said.

"I will."

He turned to pick up his things and his eyes met with Mira's. She stood at the door. She glared at him. Fresh tears were glistening on her cheeks. He had hurt her deeply and sadly it was his intent. If she cried, it meant she cared. He picked up his luggage and avoided her eyes, ashamed of his actions. She stepped in front of him. She blocked his pa.s.s. She touched his chest. "I love you... so much, Giovanni," she said, and sobbed. "I don't want to fight anymore. Stay," she pleaded. "I can't go on like this."

On impulse he leaned in and kissed her. He expected her to push him away but she kissed him in return. "I don't want to stay," he said.

She stepped aside and he walked out.

Mira watched him go. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes but the tears flowed. Wiping the tears away she sucked down a deep breath and returned to her sons. It was all she had left to do. "I'll take care of it from here, Cecilia. Go find Eve for me please? I think she's with Zia. I want my children with me."

"Yes, Donna." Cecilia walked over and gave her little Gino. He blinked at her. She removed the pacifier from his mouth.

"Maybe we should not start this habit huh, Gino? No matter what Evie thinks," Mira said and tried to sound normal.

The baby yawned and then fed his fist into his mouth, sucking. Mira laughed. She cried and laughed. If Fabiana were there she'd help. She felt so alone and so desperate. Gino's blue eyes sparkled like his father's. She kissed his brow. Her nipples ached and itched and the urge to nurse became greater. She went to the rocking chair and opened her s.h.i.+rt.

"Knock! Knock!" said Marietta. "Busy?"

Mira sniffed. "No. I was about to feed Gino. Come in."

"Ick!" Marietta smiled. "I could never let a baby lick my nipple. Creeps me out."

"Lick?" Mira frowned. "He's feeding. It's the best thing for your kids. You don't plan to breastfeed?"

"Don't plan to make babies," Marietta grinned. She dropped down on the bed. Mira didn't bother to disguise her tears. Her sister stared at her intensely before she spoke. "I saw King B and his crew roll out of here on a mission. Guess he'll be wherever the h.e.l.l my husband is," Marietta said.

Gino's eyes closed as he nursed and she brushed his chubby cheek with her finger. Thankfully Gianni slept. She often chose to give her breast to Gino first because he was still underweight.

"Are you two upset with each other still?" Marietta asked.

"I think we're past being upset. We're in territory neither of us wants to be in. I don't know what to do," Mira said and she began to cry again.

"Awe, sis. Don't cry."

"I can't fix things with him. I don't know how. And it might be too late."

"Forgive him."

She glanced back at Marietta. "It's not that easy. I can forgive him. I've made mistakes too. Done things I regret. But he isn't sorry. He isn't the least bit remorseful. He's just consumed with having me kneel and agree to his orders. I can't do that. I need more in my marriage."

"You know what I think?" Marietta asked.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're just as stubborn as he is. You want him to kneel, to come to you on bended knee and beg for your forgiveness. Repent. So that you can put him in his place." Marietta laughed. "You married the wrong man for that, sister."

"I'm not trying to break him," Mira sighed.

"You could have fooled me. The man is a walking ball of fury now that you are home. And I'm telling you, honey, you didn't see how devoted he was to you when you were sick. How mean and nasty he was when you sent him away from the hospital. We all stayed out of his way. The poor guy is hurting."

Mira frowned. "Why are you defending him?"

"Listen to me. I know we are new at this sister thing. And I know we are trying to get to know each other. So please don't take this the wrong way. But I always hated women like you."

"Women like me?" Mira rolled her eyes. "Here we go."

"Let me finish. You married a mobster. You faked your death and left your career because of him. Yet you walk around here like you are above the s.h.i.+t in this family. It's ridiculous. Women like you who play both sides. Who fool themselves into believing the princess dreams and then freak out when things get tough. The man did wrong. Punish his a.s.s. True. But get on and get over it."

"As much as you think you know me you don't! I want respect in my marriage. That's all. I won't sit here and pretend to think I have control over much else. I'm not sitting on the fence. Giovanni knew who I was the day he pursued me. And we made promises to each other that he should have kept!"

"Fine. All of that is fine, honey. But what did you do? You shut down. You locked the man out. You pushed him away. Tell me how that gets you respect? Ever hear that to have respect you have to give it? s.h.i.+t, if I pushed Lo out of my bed he'd be kicking the door in. Your husband left the hospital and respected your wishes. What the h.e.l.l else do you want him to do?" Marietta reclined back on her hands. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to offend you. I just don't get it. If I had the money, the fame, the s.e.xy Don, the family, I wouldn't spend so much time at being miserable. Life is too short." Marietta sat upright and smiled. "I'm running my mouth and you're trying to feed your baby. I'll give you some privacy."

She stood and Mira frowned. "What is that on your neck? Is that Dominic's necklace?" Mira asked.

"Cool isn't it?" Marietta smiled. She walked over and showed the necklace to Mira. "Do you know who this is?"

"A Saint?" Mira said.

"It's the patron saint of lost children. Giovanni had it made for Dominic when they were kids. Dominic said your husband protected him from a lot of pain. I guess there are some good sides to the mean ole Don after all," she said through a smile.

Mira smiled and watched her go. She rocked back in the chair and tried to focus on the positive. It was hard.

Later Mira stretched and heaved her weary body from the chair. She was exhausted. Before she put Eve to bed and laid the twins down for the night Zia showed her a really good way to wrap her newborn sons. She wrapped them so tightly that they slept for fours at a time instead of two. She needed to shower and eat something before the boys woke. She picked up the handheld baby monitor and made sure it was on and connected to the one attached to the crib.

Mira left her room. Leo wasn't posted outside of it and that was a first. With the men gone the others that remained spent more time outside guarding the perimeter of Villa Mar Blu than inside. She walked across the hall into her bedroom. The cool emptiness she found chilled her through her clothes. She glanced over at the bed neither had slept in since she discovered the truth. She smiled. How could she not look at the bed she shared with her husband and not smile?

Over the past few months of her pregnancy he had been there, day and night. She had gotten used to the constant. The separation between them now was unnatural.

Mira walked over to her dresser and set down the baby monitor. She returned to her bed. She picked up her gun Giovanni left for her on her pillow. She didn't fear the weapon any longer. She set it aside and stretched out over the sheets. She rolled over onto his pillow and took a deep intake. She could smell him. Forgive him? She could. She has. But what did she do with her anger?

Mira closed her eyes and her thoughts drifted to her mother. Soon she thought of Giovanni's mother. The comparison made her shoot upright on the bed. There was so much she still didn't know. Such as, why a man who abandoned her and her sister would wait nearly twenty-five years to rectify that mistake?

She needed answers. The truth. She needed to be free of all her anger and hurt by confronting the person who really put it there.

"Mancini," she said.

She scrambled off the bed. She grabbed the baby monitor and hurried out of her room, down the stairs and through the hall to Marietta's room. She found her sister on the bed listening to music with a pair of headphones. Marietta painted her toenails. She glanced up.

"Hey?" she said. She removed her headphones.

Mira set the baby monitor down. "I know what we need to do."

"What?" Marietta frowned.

"We need to get answers. Real answers. Not from our husbands but from the man himself. We need to see our father."

The flight ended shortly after take off. At least it was how he felt. Time and distance had no affect on him now. The strange dead feeling of blackness thickened in him. Giovanni blinked at the pa.s.sing mountainous landscape of Naples from his window. From the moment he left Villa Mare Blu he reflected on his life, his past and current mistakes. He touched his lips. The brief kiss from Mira lingered there. The look in her eyes when they parted haunted him. Away from her, clarity returned. An image formed in his mind-Mira and him dancing at their wedding. How beautiful she was. How happy he felt. Such undiluted happiness it shocked and amazed him. No woman had ever made him feel such peace and torment.

He shouldn't have lashed out at her, or been cruel to her. He regretted so many things. Still he wouldn't change any of his actions. He was who he was. His wife had never accepted that fact. She'd never accept him. The plane taxied to a stop. A surge of energy returned to his bones. He harnessed it and resolved his purpose. There was a caravan of twenty-six cars waiting for his arrival. His top earners and enforcers had all come to welcome him.

Giovanni left his seat with his head bowed to avoid colliding with the plane's low ceiling. He stepped out of the plane as all his men exited their vehicles.

Santo approached first. He wore a tailored black suit. Carlo, Lorenzo, and Nico waited near a car reserved for Giovanni. Each man observed him. The mood of his men was tense, solemn. They'd lost territory and lives in their own clans the past few days. And the blood continued to flow through the Campania.

"Ben tornato." Santo kissed him on both cheeks. "Inspector Bonomo will meet with us. He waits for you at Melanzana. It's all been arranged thanks to my careful negotiations."

"Change of plans." Giovanni replied. "You and Nico are to head to Chiaiano tonight."

"I thought Lorenzo and Carlo would return and I could a.s.sist you in the-"

Giovanni walked toward the car waiting for him. Santo quickly caught up and matched his stride. "Boss? Aspetti un momento."

"After I meet with Bonomo I will join you and the men in Chiaiano. End of discussion," Giovanni said.

Carlo opened the door for Giovanni and he slipped inside to the backseat. Dominic joined him from the other side of the car. Lorenzo got behind the wheel and when Carlo joined them Lorenzo drove them off the tarmac. The caravan of his men followed. Giovanni wiped his hand down his face and worked his neck from left to right. The lack of sleep had him numb all over.

"Are you sure you want to handle things this way?"

"It's already decided," Giovanni answered.

The tension in Dominic's tone coiled tighter when he spoke. "May I ask why? Why are we cutting Santo's throat? He has worked hard to get the inspector to agree to this meeting. What are your plans?"

Giovanni glanced up and Lorenzo looked up in the rearview mirror. Their eyes met. Lorenzo smiled. Giovanni looked away. "Santo will learn his fate soon enough," he replied.

* B *

"Wait? Let me get this straight. You want to go and see the man who is trying to kill us?" Marietta asked. She laughed. She laughed hard.

Mira didn't take well to being laughed at. She chewed on the inside of her jaw. Maybe she should try to explain herself another way. "This isn't a joke."

"Maybe not, but it's funny as h.e.l.l," Marietta said with a dismissive flip of her wrist.

"I'm serious, Marietta. I want to confront the man who made us. The man who separated us. The man who destroyed our mother," Mira said.

"If he hadn't destroyed our mother we wouldn't exist," Marietta said. "Ever think of it that way? Besides it's in the past. I told Lorenzo I'd leave it there."

"I want answers. I need closure so Giovanni and I can move on. Don't you want that?"

"I have closure." Marietta shrugged. "I know what happened to my mother and I found you. That for me is closure."

"Not for me." Mira paced the floor. "For years I blamed her. Hated her for being so selfish and leaving me behind. I actually thought she deserved to be dead. I was afraid to be a mother because of my issues."

To this Marietta did look up. Mira recognize the look of confliction in her sister's eyes. So she continued. "The thing is it was all a lie. Our mother never abandoned us. She was taken. Murdered. And my husband is so torn up with guilt over what his father did he's put a wall between us in our marriage long before I knew it existed. I'm scared we'll tear each other apart if I don't get to the bottom of this."

"What does that have to do with finding Mancini?" Marietta frowned.

"There's more to the story of her death than either of us know. If we can't get the answers from that evil b.a.s.t.a.r.d then who can tell us?"

Marietta moved her feet off the bed careful to keep her toes raised and separated. "Remember this?" she asked. She opened the drawer in her nightstand and retrieved a folded piece of paper. Mira accepted the doc.u.ment and read it once more. It was the letter that was given to her the day she learned the truth.

"Gemma gave that to me, it's the letter I gave to you," Marietta said.

"Who is Gemma?" Mira asked.

"My G.o.dmother. That's the only way I can explain her. She says she knew our mother."

"How did they know each other?" Mira asked.

"Not sure. When I grew up Gemma was always there. At first I thought she was an aunt. But later I found out she was a family friend. She took me to have my ears pierced. She was the one who taught me how to use tampons. She came to America regularly to make sure I was okay. She said I was special and I was grateful for her."

There was so much Mira didn't know about her mother and her life her head swam. Each minute that pa.s.sed she grew desperate to learn the full truth. "She never told you how she knew our mother?"

"She gave me my bracelet. Told me that she only knew my mother briefly. When I got proof of my original birth certificate, she later told me that my father was a man named Capriccio. So I came to Milan to confront him. Capriccio put me in his will to keep me from learning the truth. Mancini was my father. He and Gemma conspired together."

"Why? What is with all of the secrets?"

"Mira, we were supposed to be dead. I think Gemma and Capriccio kept us a secret to keep us alive. To help us."

"I don't know. I have a hard time believing something like this was done to protect two b.a.s.t.a.r.d babies. There's more to the story," Mira said.

"Maybe. But I guarantee you Mancini won't tell it. If you want answers, let's get them from Gemma."

Mira nodded in agreement.

"On the back is a number to call her. I think we should," Marietta said.

"I don't want to have this conversation over the phone," Mira said.

"We can't invite her over for tea now can we?" Marietta laughed.

"It's not funny." Mira sighed. "Giovanni and I are at a terrible place right now. I have to fix my marriage. If I get my answers I know I can find a way to fix my marriage."