Chapter 79
Emilia
Bianca cried all the way out of Florence.
Lucia was in the middle of the backseat, and she held Bianca’s head in her lap. She stroked her hair and murmured soothingly… although what she said was pretty far from soothing.
“Don’t worry… we’ll get the fucking bastards that sent them. Dario and Adriano and Massimo will crucify them. Don’t worry.”
I don’t know if it comforted Bianca, but it scared the hell out of me.
Part of me wanted Giorgio there –
But every time I thought about him, I flashed back to how he’d looked in the warehouse, his hands and white shirt smeared with red.
And I remembered what he’d told me:
It’s okay – it’s not my blood.
As though that made it okay.
Thinking back on it now terrified me.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
I KNEW what Giorgio does for a living –
What these people are –
And now I’m paying the price for ignoring it.
I felt like I might have a panic attack, so I just stared out the window at the countryside.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my leg. I whipped my head around to find Lucia looking at me.
“Are you okay?” she asked sympathetically.
“I… no,” I whispered. “No, I’m not.”
She nodded. “I get it. It’s a lot. I grew up around this shit, so I’m more used to it, but I know it’s scary. Especially for someone who’s never seen it before.”
Bianca sat up, her eyes red and her cheeks wet with tears. “Emilia, I’m so sorry you got pulled into this. I really am. If I could do anything, I’d make it so you never got involved in any of this.”
I smiled sadly. Surprisingly, I didn’t have to fake it. “I’m just glad you’re both okay.”
Bianca reached across and squeezed my hand. “You helped save our lives. Thank you.”
“Yeah,” Lucia agreed. “Thank you.”
They were so kind to me!
It was so confusing –
To know they were married to gangsters and wrapped up in this dark world…
And yet they were so sweet to me…
“Giorgio’s going to be okay,” Bianca said comfortingly.
Lucia snorted. “Yeah, he’s not the one who’s got to worry right now. That Neapolitan fucker’s the one who better be worried. Once Massimo gets ahold of him – ”
I recoiled in terror.
I think Bianca knew immediately what was going on with me, because she said firmly, “Emilia, Giorgio saved our lives. We’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for him.”
“Damn straight,” Lucia agreed.
“He’s not like those guys who tried to kill us,” Bianca said. “He’s not. He’s one of the good guys. You have to believe me.”
I wanted to –
I wanted desperately to believe her –
But all I could see was Giorgio standing in front of me, his hands and white shirt smeared with blood.
My eyes blurred with tears, and I broke down sobbing.
Lucia pulled me closer to her, and all three of us embraced as Bianca started crying, too.
Lucia, though…
Lucia never shed a single tear.
I’d composed myself by the time we reached the estate.
I was glad I did. Otherwise, I would have missed out on one of the most spectacular things I’d ever seen – almost as impressive as the Boboli Gardens.
We turned off a small two-lane road onto a paved drive. We drove for a while between two rows of tall, thin cypress trees. Then we reached a tall wall with a massive iron gate. It swung open as we approached, and our car drove through.
Over the next several minutes, we drove past beautiful vineyards and orchards that blanketed the rolling hills around us.
Finally, we left the vineyards and reached a wide-open grassy hill.
Up at the top was a gigantic mansion – something out of a storybook romance. It was three stories tall and stretched for hundreds of feet. The Pitti Palace might have been bigger, but this place was far more beautiful.
We pulled up to a circular drive in front of the mansion –
And I immediately tensed when I saw four men dressed exactly like Giorgio approach the car.
Tailored black suits, white shirts, black ties.
Mafiosos.
I also thought of Maurizio when I saw them – and shuddered.
Two of them opened the Mercedes’ backseat doors for us to get out.
I was so nervous about the man holding my door that I scooted out the other side and followed Lucia and Bianca.
As we approached the house, the huge bronze doors opened, and a man raced down the massive marble steps.
He was around my age and wore a white shirt and slacks. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I was in love with Giorgio, I would have said he was the hottest guy I’d ever seen. He looked like a movie star.
“Are you guys okay?!” he called out as he ran over and embraced Bianca.
“No, but I’m getting there,” she said sadly. “Valentino, this is Emilia. She helped save us.”
“Ohhh – Giorgio’s girlfriend! Well, on behalf of my entire family, thank you for what you did to save my sisters-in-law. Come on, let’s get you inside.” He put a protective arm around me and ushered me up the steps.
As we entered the house, there were a number of people standing in the foyer – which was spectacular, by the way. Crystal chandeliers… a giant staircase that led up to the third floor…
But that wasn’t what drew my attention.
It was the man standing in front of me.
He was tall and devilishly handsome in a very expensive suit. His shirt was open at the collar, exposing tattoos on his neck. His eyes were piercing, and his face looked grim. There was something about him – an aura of power that I’d never encountered in my entire life.
A shudder ran up and down my spine.
I knew in an instant that he was a mafia don…
Giorgio’s top boss.
Adriano’s older brother.
The man gave me a quick glance that chilled me to my soul.
When he moved towards me, my heart nearly stopped –
But he passed me by, thank God.
“Bianca,” he said in a deep voice as he took her into his arms.
She broke down crying again as he held her against his chest.
That gave me a moment to survey the other people in the foyer.
There were four women. Three were about my age; the fourth appeared slightly older.
The older one was tall and stunning. She had the build of an athlete beneath her black slacks, white blouse, and black jacket. Her face reminded me of a movie actress, but I couldn’t remember her name.
There was also another man in the foyer, too – an incredibly handsome Swede in tan pants and a dress shirt. He stood next to the tall woman with his arm around her waist.
One of the other women looked very smart, with stylish glasses and elegant clothes. Her long, brown hair was tied back in a ponytail.
Another girl was cute but looked out of place. She didn’t look like mafia so much as a chick you might bump into in a bar. She had ear piercings, shoulder-length hair, and was dressed very casually.
The fourth woman was young but very pregnant. She looked sweet but worried, with an unhealthy pallor to her skin.
I also noticed she clutched a rosary in her hand as she rested it on her belly.
A rosary.
In all the mafia movies I’d seen, that was one thing I’d never understood.
How could someone who did what they did claim to be religious?
How could they believe in God and the Bible, and turn a blind eye to the evil around them?
Kind of like YOU with Giorgio? the mean little voice in my head whispered.
I had to admit, I felt ashamed at being so judgmental when I was no better.
The mafia don and Bianca were talking. I’d been so distracted by the other people in the foyer that I only caught the second half of their conversation.
“I know it’s stupid to be so upset,” Bianca sniffled. “I know it was just a bunch of clothes…”
“It wasn’t,” Lucia protested angrily. “That shop was your dream! You worked hard, and those fuckers came in and destroyed it!”
“But you and I weren’t hurt,” Bianca said. “That’s the important thing.”
“It is the most important thing,” the tall mafia don agreed, “but what’s equally as important is your hopes and dreams aren’t gone.
We will rebuild – and we will make whoever is responsible for this pay.
This was not just an attack against you and your shop.
This was an attack against the entire family. ”
The anger in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.
“Dario, this is Emilia – Giorgio’s girlfriend,” Valentino interrupted. He pushed me forward gently. “She helped save Bianca and Lucia’s lives.”
I was petrified when Dario turned to me.
But his eyes were no longer angry – they were curious, and seemed to search deep within me. Whatever he found there, he seemed to approve.
He smiled gently as he stepped forward. “Emilia, you have done my family and me a great kindness today. I am forever in your debt.”
“I just did what anyone would do,” I said quietly.
“You would be surprised how many people wouldn’t do what you did,” Dario said with a smile. “Giorgio is one of my best men. More than that, he’s a good man. It makes me happy to know he met an equally good woman.”
A shiver went down my back again.
It felt like the devil was paying me a compliment, no matter how well-intended.
Dario raised one eyebrow the tiniest bit, as though sensing something had shifted inside me.
But he still smiled kindly. “I’m sure you must be exhausted. Alessandra, Caterina – would you accompany Emilia to the kitchen and get her something to eat? I need to speak with Bianca and Lucia, but the rest of us will join you shortly.”
“Of course,” Alessandra said with a smile.
“Absolutely,” Caterina agreed, and took my hand. “Come on – I’m not too bad a cook, and I’ll fix you anything you want to eat.”
“‘Not too bad a cook,’” Valentino repeated with a snort. “My wife’s the best in Tuscany. She’ll take good care of you.”
I forced a smile and let myself be led out of the room by Alessandra and Bianca.
I glanced back over my shoulder –
And saw everyone else file into a room off the main foyer… a room filled with dark wood and the color red.
Then the doors closed behind them with an ominous boom.