Page 54 of Mafia And Taken
“It took a while for us all to adjust, but the kids were the sweetest things right from the start. We have lots of photos of their mother around the house and talk about her and visit her grave. I tell them that she is still watching over them. And Lorenzo tells them that their mother would want me looking after them because she’s with God and no longer able to do it herself.”
There was no opportunity to get Alessio by himself, so I was forced to stay for dinner.
The men continued talking business, which meant that, thankfully, Alessio didn’t focus too much attention on me. It was hard to look at him after what I had let him do to me last night. Instead, I listened while Debi and Anni talked, although I found it hard to concentrate on their conversation, knowing what I had to say to Alessio later.
Anni sat between the two children and helped them both with their food.
After Clara had eaten enough, she climbed down from her chair and perched her chubby hands on Lorenzo’s arm. “Dadda,” she cooed.
Lorenzo stopped talking immediately and looked down at his daughter with a look of complete love. I had also seen him give the same look to Anni earlier—but I knew that wasn't ever something I could have with Alessio.
“Yes, mia preziosa,” said Lorenzo, his eyes filling with love as he called his daughter ‘my precious’.
She stretched her arms up at him.
Knowing what his daughter wanted, he scooped her up into his lap. She looked so tiny in his arms. He carried on talking to Marco, although the men were very careful in what they said explicitly in front of the children.
Clara curled up in her father’s lap and put her head against his chest. She was content to listen to the rhythm of his voice and feel his arms around her as she snuggled into him with her thumb in her mouth.
“You’re tired, mia preziosa,” Lorenzo said softly as he stroked her dark curls back from her forehead. “We’ll get you home to bed soon.”
At the end of the meal, I tried to catch Alessio by himself. “Um, Alessio, can I have a word please?”
"I have to head out with Lorenzo to deal with something. I’ll see you back at the apartment later tonight.”
Barely concealing my sigh of frustration, I returned to my apartment, where I spent the evening flicking through TV channels and pacing back and forth. I was nervous about what I had to say to Alessio, but I was determined to say my piece.
When Alessio hadn’t arrived by 11 p.m., I decided to go to sleep. I would wake up and talk to him when he arrived. I was too tired to stay up any longer, so I climbed into bed and let my tiredness overtake me.
***
The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake. Alessio was here. “Wake up, Cate. You need to get up.”
I looked at the clock and it was 1.30 a.m. “Alessio? What’s the matter?”
“We need to go.” He was speaking in an urgent tone. “Get up.”
I stumbled out of bed, and he grabbed a throw and wrapped it around my shoulders. “What do you mean? Go where? I told you I don’t want to live in your mansion.”
“I’m not talking about the mansion. We need to leave Chicago and go to a place where the FBI can’t get to us.” He pulled at my hand, urging me to get moving. “They want to arrest me, Marco, and Camillo. We need to lie low for a while. They also might arrest you, so we need to get you somewhere safe as well.”
“What?” I halted in the middle of the bedroom. “Arrest me for what? I haven’t done anything.” I could hear the panic in my voice.
“The FBI and DEA are looking into the bad drugs that your father distributed to us and the Russians.”
“I thought you had police connections?”
“Yes, we do, but they’re not good enough when bad drugs are out there and responsible for numerous deaths. Damn your father!”
“Why do they want to arrest me?” My heart was beating frantically.
“They know we’re married now. I think they may believe you’re also involved in the drug supply transactions somehow.”
He took my hand again and tugged me along with him, but I shook myself free of his hold. “What?” Shock and incomprehension combined to smother a fog over my thought processes. “But that’s ridiculous! Of course it’s not true. I just need to answer the FBI’s questions and once they hear the truth, I’ll be in the clear. Honesty is the best policy.”
“I’m not leaving you here, cara.”
My chest felt tight like I was suffocating, but I knew what I had to do. “Look…I was going to tell you tonight anyway that this thing between us can’t go on. We need to get the marriage annulled. I don’t want it. And I don’t want you.”