Page 35 of Married with Mayhem

34

MONTE

S abrina is sleeping when Ethan Krull shows up at the hospital again just before noon. He has some morgue photos he wants to show me. From what he said earlier, he’s technically no longer the police chief but fuck if I know how the small town police hierarchy works

I look at the photos of a pasty dead man and I’m not shocked to recognize him.

“His name is Derek Bianco,” I say.

Ethan withdraws his phone with a nod. “Yeah, we ran his prints and he had a record. What’s his connection to you?”

I think the less said the better. Bianco, I’m remembering now, had recently joined Lenny Lombardo’s crew. And the question of how he knew where to find me is answered when I remember Rochelle’s scowling face. She was sitting right there in Gino’s when Sabrina and I discussed taking a trip up here this weekend. We even mentioned the carnival. It doesn’t matter what her motives were when she went blabbing to her fiancé. The result is the same. Bianco must have figured this was his golden opportunity to take me out far from the city without suspicion being traced back to him.

The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach returns. Though there was never any doubt the gunman was aiming was for me, there are mixed feelings that come with putting a name to the killer.

At least the Tempestas were telling the truth. But Sabrina nearly lost her life because of a man who had multiple reasons to hate me.

How was I ever so foolish to believe I could collect endless enemies and pay no price?

This has to end. My life is with Sabrina now. The rest of the bullshit is just noise.

“I went to high school with him,” I tell Ethan Krull. “Must have bumped into him in the hallway once upon a time.”

The man isn’t dumb enough to believe this but there’s nothing he can do about it. He might be an ex-cop but that’s still a cop and I’m giving him nothing. He gets a calm stare and that’s all.

He knows it and shakes his head with a smile. “How’s your wife doing?”

“She’s hurting and will be for a while but the surgery went well and she’s resting.”

“Glad to hear it,” he says.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll be getting back to her now.” I walk away without giving him time to answer.

If he needs to talk again then he’s capable of hunting me down. I’ve got a call to make before I check on Sabrina.

My dad answers immediately and I’m quick to say, “She’s fine,” before he gets anxious.

“Thank god,” he breathes. There’s a mix of voices in the background. The jukebox is playing Fortunate Son.

“I’m sure the lunch crowd is about to hit,” I say. “And I won’t keep you for long. I just wanted to ask if your offer to join the family business is still open.”

He pauses. I can just picture his jaw dropping.

“It’s always open,” he finally says. “You know that’s my dream, for you and your brother to take over the place one day.”

“I can’t speak for Nico but I need a new line of work. One that doesn’t have a body count and keeps me close to home. I’ve got my wife to think about now. So what do you say? You want a partner?”

“Hell yes,” he says. “You don’t know how long I’ve been hoping for this.”

Yes, I do know. He’s only been saying it since I was a kid. I’m only sorry it took me so long to get here.

“I’ll let you get back to the lunch crowd,” I say. “And we’ll talk more when Brina and I get back to the city.”

“Love you both,” he says. “And do me a favor. Give your mother a call when you get a chance. I know you two aren’t close but she’s still your mother. She and your Aunt Kiki have been worried.”

“Will do. And love you too, Pop.”

Sabrina is awake when I return to the room. Someone finally found her a plate of pancakes. She’s having trouble cutting into them with one hand so I cut them up for her and feed her one bite at a time.

“You take such good care of me,” she says. She’s smiling but every now and then she winces with pain.

“Get used to it.” I hold up a cup of orange juice for her. “This is my number one job.”

She drinks her juice and then settles back on the pillow. “What kind of wedding should we have?”

“Whatever you want. We can get married right here in the hospital if you like.”

“No, I want a New York wedding. Soon. Not a big fancy one. Just us and our families.”

“You got it.”

Keeping my promise to my dad, I call my mother. We never got along when I was growing up and don’t often speak now. But he’s right. She’s still my mother. And she’s happy to hear my voice. I’ll call her more often.

She wants to talk to Sabrina. The two of them have a short but sweet conversation and Sabrina even extracts a promise for a visit to New York. When I take the phone back, my mother cannot stop gushing about what a wonderful girl I married.

No one needs to tell me that.

Speaking of mothers, they seem to be crawling out of the woodwork all of a sudden.

I’m barely off the phone with my mother before Sabrina’s mother comes running in here. She’s early. We weren’t expecting the Sicilian crew to show up for another couple of hours.

Sabrina’s mother has been crying. She continues to cry as she holds her daughter and inspects the bandages. Sabrina does her best to assure her mother that she’s recovering just fine but the tears continue to fall.

They deserve some time alone together so I back up into the hallway. And that’s where I nearly collide with Vittorio Messina and his scowling entourage.

Sabrina’s uncle throws me a rather severe look and bypasses me to peer into the hospital room.

“Uncle Vittorio!” She waves at him while her mother keeps covering her face with kisses. “Thank you for bringing Mama here.”

“Hello, Sabrina,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

She makes a face. “I’m sturdier than I look. But I don’t recommend getting shot. It’s not any fun.”

“I know,” he says and pulls back from the doorway. I could swear I caught a hint of warmth on his face while he was talking to his niece but now that I’m in his line of sight again, his gaze hardens.

Can’t say I blame the guy. His niece took a bullet because of me.

“I’m sorry,” I say to him. “I’m deeply sorry that I couldn’t keep her safe. The failure is mine.”

He’s still just staring. If he’s got any ideas about kidnapping Sabrina and carrying her back to Sicily, he’s going to have one hell of a fight on his hands.

“Uncle Vittorio,” calls Sabrina. “Be nice to my husband or else.”

His mouth twitches but his harsh gaze doesn’t waver. “Come with me, Monte.”

His team of minions begin to follow. He waves them off. One of them looks especially familiar. I remember exchanging heated glares with him the day of my wedding.

He’s not glaring now. He won’t even look me in the eye. I know a nervous man when I see one.

The hospital isn’t exactly the ideal spot for a private mafia conference. I assume Vittorio is going to lead me outside. Maybe we’ll have another awkward chat in whatever luxury vehicle is currently shepherding him around.

But no, he’s content to lead me to the cafeteria. At the tail end of lunchtime, it’s far from empty but no one pays us the slightest attention as we occupy a table in the back.

Vittorio must be uncomfortably hot, wearing that dark suit in late August. Maybe that’s all he has. I’ve never seen him dressed in anything else. The idea of Sabrina’s uncle wearing a pair of jeans and a baseball cap seems as likely as a lion wearing sunglasses. Some things just don’t happen in nature.

He waits with that same stoic expression. Finally, I realize I’m the one who is expected to speak first.

“The gunman is dead.”

“So I’ve heard,” he says.

“He wasn’t trying to shoot Sabrina. He was trying to shoot me.”

“I heard that too.”

“I knew him. I grew up with him. I forgot he was part of Lombardo’s crew so I’m sure he blamed me for the loss of his boss. But his grudge was also more personal.”

Vittorio shrugs, unsurprised. “That happens.”

“Look, I know that I’m the reason why Sabrina is in a hospital bed. And I can’t undo all the shit I’ve done before. But this was a wake up call. Nothing matters to me if I don’t have Sabrina. I’m finished with anything that puts her in danger or takes me away from her.”

At last, there’s a flash of surprise on his face. He quickly gets it under control.

“You really think you can just walk away?” he says.

“I never accepted an offer to make my loyalty official. My family is respected and liked. I’ve always kept my mouth shut and I always will. Yes, I think I can just walk away.”

He mulls this over. “That might be true,” he says. “Frankly, I don’t care what you do. My only concern is what’s best for my niece.”

I can’t stop from laughing over that one. His eyes flare with confusion, and a dose of outrage. I’m sure there aren’t too many people who dare to laugh at him to his face so I’d better explain myself.

“Look, no matter how big your mafia kingdom is, I can’t forget that you were eager to pawn Sabrina off on the first mob psycho that made you a good offer.”

He cocks his head and now his expression becomes amused. “Where did you get that idea?”

“I may have a bullet hole in my arm but I don’t have fucking amnesia. You made it clear that you wanted Sabrina off your hands. You said that if I didn’t marry her then you’d force her to marry someone else.”

The gleam in his eye intensifies. “Is that what I said? Or is that just what you heard?”

I stare back at him, stone-faced, crossing my arms over my chest even though it hurts.

Vittorio smirks. “I presented Sabrina with options. When she refused, I never considered forcing her.” Gradually, his smirk fades. “Despite what you may think, I care about my niece. I never had any children of my own and Sabrina reminds me very much of her mother. While Albie Barone was alive, there were critical times when I failed to be there for my sister and the girls. I’ve been trying to atone for that.”

“You’ve got to admit, your methods come across as a little sketchy.”

He observes me for a long, thoughtful moment before speaking again. “Sabrina wasn’t happy in Sicily. Anyone could see she was lonely. But I needed to make sure no one took advantage of her. For whatever reason, you are what she wants. And I saw what I needed to see from you. All I did was give you the little nudge you needed. It was easy. And I would have done far more to make my niece happy.”

This fucking guy.

He seems to believe we’re all puppets dancing on the end of a string for his entertainment.

“And you think you can just play with people’s lives like that?”

Vittorio laughs. “Yes.”

He’s one crafty fucker, I’ll give him that. Maybe I should be more furious about being outwitted but what for? I have Sabrina. There’s nothing more that I need.

“We’re going home to the city as soon as she’s discharged,” I say. “This is what she wants.”

“Are you under the impression I’m going to argue?” Vittorio says.

“Just thought you might be interested in our plans.”

“Your plans,” he echoes, then nods. “I’m sure you know I’ve been managing the Barone fortune.”

“Not asking for any money.”

“So be it. Sabrina’s sisters have stubbornly refused to accept anything that was once attached to their father, but I’ve made an investment on Sabrina’s behalf, something she can’t turn down.”

“What’s that?”

“Your building.”

“My what?”

“The building you live in. I’m told there’s a pizzeria on the ground floor. You know which one I’m talking about. They’ve had the lease for decades. Anyway, my niece owns the building now. It’s done and officially in Sabrina’s name. But don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll let you stay. Maybe she’ll even give you a break on the rent.”

He grins, enjoying my shock.

“You bought a fucking building in Manhattan?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that?”

“It’s Sabrina’s rightful inheritance. She deserves to have it.”

I might have misjudged the callous mafia king. His methods might be shady as fuck but I do think what he says is true. In his own way, he cares about Sabrina.

“Uncle Vittorio!” Daisy is back from her nap at the cabin and she rushes into the cafeteria to greet her uncle.

He stands and a hint of a real smile battles with his face as she kisses his cheek.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Daisy says.

Big Man Bowie, his sandy curls stuffed into a backwards baseball cap, trots over next.

“Hey, dude,” he says to Vittorio. He offers his fist for a bump.

Vittorio simply stares at him in confusion. Big Man Bowie’s solution is to offer a hug, slapping Vittorio’s back like they’re old frat brothers. He’s lucky not to get stabbed.

Daisy is in a hurry to see her mother so she pulls her husband away, but only after making us promise we’ll be right behind them.

“Hey,” Big Man Bowie says while Daisy tries to tow him out of the room. “You want a burger, Uncle Vittorio? I’ll make you an awesome burger!”

Vittorio’s response is a glare. I’m sure he’ll get a burger anyway.

“By the way,” I say, getting to my feet. “You’ll want to have a talk with your men.”

His suspicious eyes swing to me. “Explain that statement.”

“One of them has been feeding information to the Tempestas. My cousin told me this morning.”

His rage is subtle. This actually makes it more terrifying. Every muscle freezes and only the cold glint in his dark eyes betrays his fury.

“The matter will be dealt with,” he says breezily.

I have no doubt what this means. Someone is going to die very painfully.

“I thought of something else you can do for Sabrina,” I say as we walk back to the hospital room. “If you’re interested.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I’m waiting.”

“Since you and your men are so good at wedding planning, you can help plan the wedding she wants to have in the city. We haven’t set a date but she wants it to happen soon and her whole family should be there. Including you.”

We’re close enough to Sabrina’s room to hear laughter from her and Daisy. Their mother joins in.

Vittorio’s head turns toward the sound and his jaw flexes. “She’ll have whatever she wants. You can hold me to that.”

“I will.”

Sabrina sits up in bed, flanked by her mother and sister. No hospital patient has ever looked lovelier.

When I enter the room, she reaches for me. “Monte, come here.”

Obviously, I obey without hesitation.

There’s no other option when the girl you love calls your name.