Page 121

“Take her to theospedale,Gio.” Zia said, at his side. “Take her now. She isn’t well.”

“No. I won’t. It’s not safe.” Giovanni paced, combing his hand back through his hair constantly. “Not until I know for sure what… what happened here, and by who.”

“Let me examine her. We can determine how bad it is. I gave her something to calm her. She’ll rest.”

Before the drug claimed her, her eyes lifted under heavy lids and she looked into his. For a moment there was clarity. It was soon replaced by sadness, regret, and fear. He was right. She was afraid of him. He saw it when she ran for the car, and he heard it in her voice as she shouted he was a murderer. Her long lashes fluttered under her sinking lids and shut. Giovanni leaned in and kissed her bruised, chapped lips. His tears mixed with those now glistening on her puffy red cheeks. He exhaled the deepest sigh of sadness and said a silent prayer that she found a sliver of peace in the tranquilized sleep. It took an inner strength he could barely claim to draw away from her bed. Flavio followed him out.

Lorenzo slumped forward in the chair with his head bowed. Funny, how hysteria could shift from the darkest depths of grief to full on rage. His gaze lifted, but his head didn’t. He tracked Carlo with a steely glare. The boys had relieved him of his gun and knife, but if a man got close enough, any man, he’d snap the motherfucker’s neck. Only Carlo dared be alone with him when he was in this state. Carlo kept pacing in front of him, ready, in case he charged him again. They fought in the room until both of them had bloody noses and knuckles. Lorenzo spat blood on the floor and mumbled curses. He wanted to fight again. Nico and Renaldo waited outside of the door ready to charge in if things between he and his best friend got worse. And they would. He’d make them all pay for caging him like some wild bull. He deserved justice. He deserved… shit! His head dropped lower, and he wept. Fabiana was dead. His beautiful girl, gone, and he’d only had her for such a short time.

I killed her. I did it. My Fabiana is gone.

The doors opened with Giovanni and Flavio stepping through. Lorenzo sat up from his lean and blinked away tears. He smeared the blood and snot from his nose and mouth with the back of his hand across his face and fixed his gaze on his cousin. Giovanni’s tuxedo shirt was covered in sweat, soot, and traces of blood. Blood. He fixated on the blood, then looked down to the back of his hand and stared at the red blood. Red like Fabiana’s hair. Did his woman’s body disintegrate in the explosion? Had she suffered? Were pieces of her blown apart before she knew what happened?

Dominic arrived. His voice broke the tense silence that had fallen over the men. It drew Lorenzo from the trance he’d fallen into. “Flavio, thecarabineriwant to meet. I told them Giovanni required medical attention from thedottoreand could not be interviewed. They are currently interviewing our men and the few family members I selected. Rocco is among them, and Uncle Vito.”

“I’ll take care of it. Don’t join us.” Flavio ordered.

Giovanni went to the shelves of wine bottles in the room. He grabbed one and removed the cork with his teeth. He then paced with the bottle in his hand, never taking a sip. Flavio nodded to Dominic who watched him go and closed the door behind him. Lorenzo closed his eyes and tried to see Fabiana, remember her. She was so vivid in his mind he half expected her to walk into the room. He felt dead inside.

“Porca puttana!A bomb? They planted a bomb in my fucking home!” Giovanni grimaced.

“I spoke to Carmine. The delivery of the car was by one of Marcello’s men, they’ve been known to do work for Gino at times. It was a hit within the Cammora, the Marcello’s are on the side of Angelo Calderone. The Nigerians couldn’t gain this kind of alliance so soon. It has to be Angelo, and from the looks of it he planned the bombing to happen after his visit today.”

Lorenzo wiped his hand down his face and accepted the news he already believed. “How did she die?” his voice croaked.

“The bomb was for you.” Dominic continued. “The women were outside arguing. No one is sure why but Fabiana approached Carmine for the keys and insisted he give her access to your car. She said you okayed it.”

Lorenzo shook his head that he hadn’t.

Dominic nodded. “The argument continued in the car. At some point Mira left the car, but Fabiana remained. One of the boys says he heard the engine turn over right before the explosion. She had to have ignited the bomb when she started the car.”

A thunderous crash exploded in the room. Lorenzo glanced over to see the bottle Giovanni had carried was now smashed to smithereens after colliding with the crimson stained wall. His cousin was on edge too. But no one knew the depths of his pain. His Fabiana was dead and it was as if he’d set a match to her himself. Giovanni ran his hand through his hair that now hung over his brow into his face. He then looked at his cousin and processed the shared hell they found themselves trapped in.

Lorenzo rose slowly.

Giovanni’s vision narrowed and only Lorenzo remained in his sight. “This is the price you pay for betraying our brotherhood, for allowing snakes into our garden.”

“I accept it. I only ask that you grant me one thing. Revenge. I want to do Angelo Calderone myself.”

Dominic threw up his hands and stepped between them. “Wait. We have to first meet with the families. We still have friends in the Cammora.”

“No! No fucking meetings! Did you not see what happened to her?” Lorenzo shouted at Dominic. He returned his gaze to Giovanni. “There isn’t enough of her left to bury. I would gladly die for what has been done to her, but I want justice, revenge!” he choked out.

Giovanni nodded. “Go! Dig up Giuseppe’s stinking corpse and deliver the rot to his mother’s doorstep. Get that bitch Fish is fond of and send him a message as well.”

“There is time to fix this, Gio, to find a way to resolve it peacefully.” Dominic said. “Hear Flavio’s plan first. A meeting with the families for justice. Let the collective decide, and we will know who our allies are.”

“Do as I said. I will make calls to our friends to get you all the manpower you need. I don’t need a fucking meeting to know who our friends are. We’ll have war, but not the one Angelo thinks. And we’ll deal with the Nigerians too.”

Nico and Carlo grunted their agreement. They walked out with Lorenzo.

“Lorenzo is wrong. We don’t need vengeance when we’re so close to legitimizing this family. I know I speak out of turn and Flavio is your consigliere but I think…”

“However I run this fucking family I decide who lives or dies! Not the fucking Calderone’s! I decide what is just and unjust! Not you or Flavio! None of you are to question me! Lorenzo has paid a price for his sins; he lost his woman today. My Bella lost her best friend. They will have vengeance. Angelo is going to die slow for daring to come into my fucking home and challenge me!” Giovanni grabbed a chair and threw it at the wall. “I want them dead. I want everything breathing with the name Calderone dead!”

Dominic turned and walked out.

Giovanni struggled to capture a breath. He staggered over to his desk and sat down on it so consumed with rage his chest felt like a pretzel knot. After a knock on the door, he collected his composure and Dominic escorted the doctor in.