“You think he’ll fumble because of the change in location?” Giovanni asked.
“Don’t they always?” Lorenzo chuckled.
“Perfetto.” Giovanni nodded.
They travelled in silence along the narrow roads circling the cliffs out of Melanzana. Giovanni’s gaze remained fixed on the clear sky ahead. He couldn’t keep thoughts of Catalina from his mind. Every memory they’d shared as brother and sister surfaced. How could her life be reduced to this? Widowed, pregnant, in love with her stepbrother, the mere thought of it made him sick. Where did he fail her?
“I hear your thoughts.”
“Mind the road and not my thoughts.” Giovanni said bitterly.
“She will be okay, Gio.”
He closed his eyes. As hard as he struggled to believe what Lorenzo said, he could not. Catalina was sheltered, pampered. She never truly knew or understood the scorn they were subjected to being born Evelyn McHenry’s bastards. His leadership after his father’s death was constantly challenged. The Cammora afforded him the liberty to be his own man outside the traditions of the Mafioso. But he could feel that control fraying over the past two years. Now this family betrayal could ruin his credibility and weaken them all.
“Listen to me cousin. She’s strong. We should have seen this coming. You and I both knew she had a crush on Domi. We just never admitted to what we saw.”
He nodded. “True. If I think hard on the past years, I remember her crush, but I never believed he would encourage her.”
“Have you looked at her lately?” Lorenzo asked.
Giovanni frowned. He glanced to Lorenzo. “What the hell does that mean?”
“She’s a woman, Gio, a beautiful, smart, strong-willed woman. I’ve seen the way men look at her. So have you.”
“Shut up!”
“It’s true. She’s not a little girl anymore. You have to accept it.”
“I don’t have to do shit. She’s a married woman. Was! She was a married woman. Fuck! This conversation is over.”
Lorenzo chuckled. He slouched in the driver seat and continued to speed along the coast. Giovanni again fixed his attention on the void of blue sky ahead of them.
****
They’d started the search before dawn, and it was now close to noon. Dominic had to shower, and then he’d continue to lead the Minettis on a useless rescue mission. He walked out of the bathroom in his slacks, freshly shaven and prepared for the task. It wasn’t easy standing among the concerned brothers knowing how pathetically Franco begged for his life in the end. Maybe that’s why Giovanni stuck him with the task instead of being at his side during the meeting with Bonaduce. Cold bitter resentment swelled in his gut, and he grimaced.
He felt a presence in the room. His gaze lifted from the floor and connected with Catalina’s. She sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him. She looked lost and broken. He had himself to thank for that. Giovanni was her world and his respect meant a lot to her. What they did forever changed things between them all.
“Ciao, bella.”
“Ciao.”
Dominic tossed the towel he had roped around his neck during his shave. He approached the bed. “How are you feeling today?”