Page 11 of He is Poison

“What do you think ofour future Don?” Luigi sounded serious, but Dom knew him well enough to see thetiny hint of smile.

Domenico snorted andshook his head. “It’s a joke.” He looked at his mentor, wide-eyed, and tookextra care to look around and check to see if they had been followed. “I don’twant to question the Don, but I can’t understand his actions.”

“I think everyone’s atleast baffled, but I didn’t see Vincente laughing. I don’t know what thisdecision is supposed to prove, but you can cut the tension with a knife.” Luigilit his own cigarette when they went outside.

Domenico leaned down tolight his cigarette on the flame from Luigi’s Zippo and breathed in thebittersweet smoke. “How badly does Vincente want this?” he asked, slowlywalking between the palm trees and away from the mansion.

“He thought the positionwas his. He’s older and actually has the balls to do the job. He is scorned, nodoubt about that. Seth spent the last five years in the States as if there wasno tomorrow. What did that jellyfish of a man do there? Study tourism,international relations, or some shit like that? Take up knitting?” Luigiscowled.

Domenico took a deep,long drag of the cigarette. “Something like that.” He looked at the sky,stuffing one hand into the pocket of his slacks. “Seth will be myresponsibility now. How worried should I be?”

Luigi shook his head,and there was no smile in his eyes. “Very. He knows next to nothing. You willhave to start with the basics. He knows how to operate a gun, but it doesn’tmean he knows how to use it. At least he seems fit.”

“Yeah, but he knows nodiscipline. This is going to be a fucking nightmare.” Domenico shook his head,thinking intensely. “I need to take precautions in case Vincente gets out ofcontrol.”

“I think he’s tooshocked. If he decides to act, it will take time. And the Don’s still alive andwell. Things can change in a year or so. You need to train him up. What happenslater is up to him. You are both getting sent off to Berlin for a simplemission.”

“He doesn’t want it.He’s not fit to want it.” Domenico shook his head. “But Berlin’s a good place.Did you pick it?”

Luigi smiled wider anddrew in a breath of smoke. “I did. There’s a job to be done there. I rememberyou like the city, so I thought it might sweeten the time you have to spenddealing with Seth. You should make sure he doesn’t get stabbed or shot. Otherthan that…” Luigi shrugged.

Domenico felt a pull atthe corners of his mouth, but he kept the smile plain and nodded. “There’splenty of places to train there. I will make sure he returns home alive.”

“Good man.” Luigi pattedhim on the shoulder. “If anyone can smash some sense into him, it’s you. I’lltry to find out what prompted the Don’s decision. Maybe Vincente did somethingnone of us knows of.”

“He’s not my perfect Doneither,” muttered Domenico, squinting at the house. He dropped the cigaretteinto the grass and stomped on it.

Luigi put a hand on hisshoulder and stepped closer to look straight into Dom’s eyes. It was as if hecould see right through him better than Domenico’s mother. “Don’t lose yourhead, Domenico, yeah? Focus.”

“You know I’m alwaysfocused.” Domenico grinned and slouched against a tree. “Don’t worry, theporcelain will be fine.”

Chapter 3

The funeral was drawingto an end, and Seth was shocked that his hangover wasn’t that bad. He vaguelyremembered Domenico feeding him some pills, like a good nanny, but with theamount of alcohol he had drunk the day before, he didn’t think it would help.Seth took part in the mass and did all that was required of him, but he didn’tfeel anything, still numb after yesterday’s announcement. No number of priestscould get his mother back. They would never again sit together in the kitchenand bake cakes for Christmas.

A part of him that wasstill religious hoped she was in a better place, a place without pain andsickness, but he’d lost his faith somewhere along the way in his life. Hewouldn’t tell any member of his family because they wouldn’t understand, butshe was the one who told him to stay away. His mother didn’t want to beremembered as sick, and as much as he wanted to come and be with her, Sethrespected that. There was also the silent agreement between them that it wouldbe best if he stayed away from Family business. His mother had been the onehelping him apply for university in the US and supporting him along the way.None of the mafia men could comprehend the bond they shared.

And now everything hadgone to shit, all her efforts to keep him away were useless in the face ofFather’s decision. He didn’t dare say it outloud, but it was pure madness. Hishand still hurt, reminding him of his captivity, and now he was to be‘schooled’ by Domenico Acerbi of all people. It would be hell on earth.

As if to spite the grimmood in his heart, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun seepedthrough the stained glass windows of the small church in thick rays, coloringthe floor and the women sitting on the other side of the aisle with brightpatterns. Seth’s eyes however, were on the small female silhouette lying in thecoffin on a bed of white satin and flowers. The mortician had done an excellentjob. In her favorite dark green dress and a pearl necklace, Mother looked morealive than the last time he’d seen her, just before she was diagnosed withcancer. Even the makeup was spot-on, all the way to her favorite shade oflipstick. Earlier today, Seth had sneaked into her bedroom, got her most prizedlipstick, and put it into the tiny purse she was to be buried with.

Vincente hadn’t uttereda single word to him since yesterday, and he kept his distance, sitting on theopposite side of the bench, next to their father. Seth looked for Domenico butcouldn’t see him anywhere. Maybe it was for the better? The last thing heneeded was to get agitated by his handsome fucking face.

Everyone was slowlygetting up to move on to the graveyard, where the coffin would be taken. In away Seth felt as if it were his life ending. His old life. The life of Seth whohad a boyfriend, attended university, and had fun hobbies. He followed hisfather out of the church and watched him look into the sky, drying his eyeswith a handkerchief. Seth didn’t have any tears in him. He put on his shadesand moved to stand at the foot of the hole prepared for his mother. There wereso many people, all with a close relationship with the Villani family. Therewere his cousins, family friends, and so many of them wanted a piece of him nowthat the news of his new status had spread that he was getting tired of it. Allhe wanted was for the funeral to be over so that he could get a few minutes forhimself.

Stuck under a pine tree,Seth looked up at the pale walls of the old church, which seemed to crouch onthe slope, with a round tower at the other side. When he slid his gaze down thelimestone to watch the exit of the church, where the coffin would appear at anymoment, his heart halted for a split-second at the sight of a familiarsilhouette. Domenico’s sleek, broad-shouldered form was confined in the mostperfect fitting black suit imaginable. The wind played with the flap of hissuit jacket and the tight ponytail of pitch-black hair, but Domenico wasn’talone. Holding onto his arm was a slim woman in a black veil so thick, Sethcouldn’t recognize her face.

Thanks to his darksunglasses, Seth could actually stare. Looking at Domenico in that black suitand knowing what he’d done at the airport, Seth began to think that he shouldhave been namedDemonico. As destructively attractive as Domenico was,Seth had to remember to keep his distance, or he would reveal himself. IfDomenico knew Seth was gay, that he’d smelled his hair when he was drunkyesterday, he’d go mental. Men killed for these things in the Family. He had goosebumpsat the memory of little Mimmo trying to gut him with a kitchen knife. Hevaguely remembered crying himself to sleep and his mother coming over severaltimes a night to check on him.

The adult Domenico stoodin place like an incredibly shapely statue, solid and dark even as the lightbecame paler. Seth blinked and looked up at the gray edges of a thick cloudthat blocked the sun and now loomed over the church like a bad omen.

The lady in the blackveil leaned over to Domenico and they whispered to each other. Everyone seemedto have some business here, to know exactly what they were doing. Only Seth waslost in a sea of vultures in black, all circling around him and watching closely.Just as the coffin appeared at the door of the church, the first droplets ofwater fell on Seth’s sunglasses. There was discontented whispering in thebackground, but he only had eyes for the wooden box that would be Mother’sfinal resting place. The lady in black started slowly walking toward the grave,her veil floating with the wind as Domenico watched over her in silence.

The vultures openedtheir umbrellas, and the massive one Domenico opened for the lady beside himreminded Seth of a protective wing. It was strange to see the demon being niceto someone for a change. Domenico was so calm and collected as well, nothinglike the little bratty, screaming Mimmo, who would always burst out in anger,as if afraid he would burn up if he didn’t let it out. The knife attack hadn’tcome out of the blue. Okay, maybe Seth wasn’t the nicest kid around and hadteased Mimmo for his long hair, but they were kids, kids did that kind of shit.Domenico’s hair had been even longer back then, dark and thick, like a girl’s.He used to be thin, gangly, and so much weaker and smaller than Seth. An easytarget. But Seth would have never even considered the option of the other boyactually fighting back with so much violence. God, had he been wrong.

The funeral rites seemedto happen beyond Seth’s attention as he looked at the endless spray of waterfirst dotting, then dripping down the coffin as it was lowered into the soil.He snapped out of it when a pile of wet dirt landed right on the cross on thecasket lid. Father slowly got up and cleaned his hand with a linenhandkerchief, safe and dry under an umbrella held by one of his men.

That was it for Seth. “Ineed to spend some time in the church,” he whispered to Father, who nodded andfor a moment, the heavy weight of his hand on Seth’s shoulder was almostcomforting.