I raise my glass. “To happier times.”
“Salute,” my brothers say in unison.
An evening breeze caresses my face and for some strange reason, I’m reminded of Juliet. I find myself imagining what she would be like in bed and berate myself for even thinking about her that way. She’s too young.
Riccardo joins us under the canopy of the umbrella pines and my brothers acknowledge him before the two of us walk out of their earshot.
He asks, “Ready for the plan?”
“Sure. I’ll stumble onto campus tomorrow, invite her out, and then we’ll nab her.”
“Then we’ll blindfold her and drive all over, so she won’t know where she is,” he continues.
“Perfect. With any luck, Conti will cave in short order. We’ll get what we want, and he’ll get his daughter back. Although, after meeting him, I don’t think he will leave us alone even after we let her go. His love of greed and natural flare for sickening and unpredictable behavior makes him dangerous.”
“You think we need to take care of her? What did your consigliere say? Did he approve?”
“Nicolo said it’s a calculated risk. The man is a known psychopath who instills fear in his own men by reputation, imagine his presence in front of them. I can’t imagine being around such a whack job. I hate to bring an innocent girl into this. It’s not her fault who her father is. I think it’s our best play to get what we want. We’ll be prepared with some sort of contingency plan.” I hope this satisfies my siblings’ concerns over another war with the twisted Conti family.
I don’t know how I overlooked this huge detail. There’s nothing to stop Conti from pursuing us even if he gives into our demands. He’ll be angry we went after family, even if it’s family that he thought he had kept hidden from his enemies.
“I wanted to smack that smirk off his face yesterday. He truly is insufferable. Maybe we’ll have an impromptu wedding. After all, I do have two brothers who need wives,” I state, and it would get Mama out of my personal life.
“That would get Mama off your back for a minute,” Sal chuckles.
“Maybe a minute,” I agree. “Not much more.”
Being the oldest puts so much more shit on my shoulders. It’s not just the business, it’s taking care of Mama and my brothers and our employees. This business with Conti has me wondering what will happen to Juliet once we set the plan in motion. His stubbornness and greed have forced my hand. Not that I need an excuse for using force when needed. No one in my family will ever call me weak.
“Beautiful view from here.” Riccardo looks out over the valley below. It’s a choice piece of real estate for sure.
Cherry blossoms are in bloom and the sweetness wafts up from Mama’s orchard below. The pink petals are colorful against the dark bark of the tree limbs, and I’m reminded of a young woman’s succulent lips once again.
Thankfully, my thoughts are interrupted before I get a hard-on fantasizing about someone who doesn’t know anything about me but my name.
“Mangia! Mangia!” Mama calls us over to eat. The dinner table is long, and the trees make a perfect canopy over it. During the day, they provide shade, and now as night begins to fall, the lights strung in the trees turn on, creating the perfect ambience for a perfect meal.
The bread is fresh from the bakery around the corner and the meat is from the butcher shop Mama’s gone to forever. I remember as a small boy standing next to her with my nose against the glass case and seeing fresh ground beef in a bowl next to steaks and sausages. Next to it, the veal and chicken are on skewers ready for grilling, like Mama used to make when Babbo was home early enough to eat with us. Looking up, the cured meats hang from the ceiling, the salami, pepperoni, and my favorite, prosciutto.
I’m at the head of the table with Riccardo at my right and Mama my left.
“Ma, you made enough food for an army,” I protest, and of course, she waves me off like it was nothing when I know she spent all day in the kitchen.
“I’m just so happy everyone is here. When are you going to bring a nice girl to dinner? You never bring any girlfriends to dinner. I’m your mother, I want to see you with a girlfriend, Dante. It’s not good being alone. Trust me, I know.”
And now, Sunday is complete.
8
Juliet
Ava was out all day yesterday and is totally enthralled with her date, which from what I can gather included a trip back to his apartment for some hot, sweaty sex. Now, she is in my room looking at the clothes I bought on my mini spree. I’m glad to see that she approves of them.
“I’m in a dry spell. I hope these clothes help.”
Ava picks up the short minidress I bought at a trendy but not too expensive boutique. It fit perfectly, so I had to buy it. I put it on my charge card and figure I’ll get a job in the next few weeks as I managed to fill out a few applications on my way to the shop.
“This is adorable,” she exclaims.