Claimed by the Enforcer: A Venturi Mafia Spin-off novel, page 17
"I'm alright. How are you?”
“Good. Well, doing better every day.”
“I heard from Stefano that the three of you had returned from Milan. I wasn’t sure if I should have reported it and risk putting you all in more danger. I wanted to reach out, but I wasn't sure...”
"It's okay.” Alessia squeezed my shoulder. “I understand. I was just relieved to hear that you made it out. We weren't sure what happened. Then when that undercover sting operation happened, I was worried that you put yourself in more danger running away for nothing.”
“I'm so sorry that I couldn't get the lock open in time for you to get out then.”
“Yeah, me too. It was worse without you there. But I'm glad that you got out and didn't have to go through more like we did.”
“Are the others here?” I glanced around the ballroom.
“Giulietta is somewhere around here with her father. Francesca is actually back in Sicily now. She went straight home after she got back. I think she needs some time away from all of us.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and wish you all the happiness in the world. Congratulations on the wedding and the baby.”
“Thank you.”
Alessia squeezed my arm affectionately before disappearing into the crowd again. Of all the girls, she was the one that seemed the most kind, although I hadn't forgotten that she was very much a part of everything that had happened at the club, it was good to know that somewhere deep inside there was at least some good in her.
I turned to start walking when I nearly ran into Teo.
“Whoa, careful there, little sister.”
“Teo, geez. I didn’t see you there.”
“Yes, I’m sorry for being so stealthy by walking straight up to you the way I did,” he teased, but his smile faded. “Are you alright?”
“Of course, I am.” I forced a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be? This is my wedding day.”
“I take it by that hint of something less than joy that I spot in your eyes that Luca’s talk with you didn’t go well?”
“Luca’s—you knew about that?”
“Of course, I did. He came and talked to me before he came here. He said how much he loved you and wanted to be with you. Poor guy, I guess he had his signals all wrong. I hope you let him down easily at least.”
“As easily as I could.” I struggled to hide the pain in my voice.
“I’m sorry that he chose your wedding day to tell you how he feels about you but at least now he knows that it was unrequited, and you got to make a fully informed decision before walking down the aisle.”
“Yeah.” My voice came out in a blend of wistful and sad.
“You made a beautiful bride, Mira.” Teo pulled me in and gently kissed my forehead.
“Was there ever any doubt?” I teased, trying to seem more like myself but it was a struggle to compartmentalize everything with Stefano to keep Teo and the others from suspecting anything.
Stefano joined us a few moments later and any joy in the moment was gone.
“There you are.”
“I didn’t mean to monopolize Mira’s time,” Teo smiled at Stefano and shook his hand. “Congratulations, brother.”
“Thank you, truly.” Stefano shook Teo’s hand, flashing him a fake smile but the expected enthusiasm of a newlywed was missing from his tone. He turned to me with the same lackluster expression. “We should probably get going soon. It's been a long day and the jet’s waiting.”
“What about our luggage?”
“I had the driver pick it up. It's already waiting in the car.”
“Oh, okay,” I said timidly.
“Say goodbye to Mia and Papa before you go,” Teo said as he pulled me into a hug. “I’ll see you in just a couple of months.”
Chapter 25
Luca
I held the phone to my ear as it rang and rang for the fourth time in a week. Mira wasn’t answering my calls. I didn’t reach out the first week to try to give her some space. The second week, I texted, and by the third without even a word back from her, I’d started calling her regularly for the last few days.
I had to know that she was okay, so I swallowed my pride and headed straight for Teo’s office. I knocked firmly and waited.
“Come in,” Teo called out from behind the door.
“Teo,” I greeted as I walked in and headed straight for his desk.
He was reading something on his computer and stopped to look up at me in surprise. “Luca. What brings you here?”
“Have you heard from Mira lately?”
“No. Not in the last week or so. She didn’t answer the last time I called. Mia may have, though. Why? What’s up?”
“She’s not answering my texts or calls, and I wanted to make sure that she was okay.”
Teo tilted his head the way one might look at a child. “She’s on her honeymoon, Luca. I’m sure after everything at the wedding, she just needs a little time for the awkwardness to fade.”
“I just can’t get this troubled feeling from the pit of my stomach. Something’s not right. I can feel it.”
“You’re just not used to any woman being able to resist your charms.” Teo chuckled, but my humor had been replaced by an uneasy feeling that I didn’t care for.
“You’re probably right. If it’s okay with you, I’ll give Mia a call and see if she’s heard from her though, just to be sure.”
“Okay, she was having lunch with Arman and Dante today, but she should be home by two.”
I left Teo’s office, not feeling any better about my concerns. I’d barely made it to the parking lot before pulling out my phone to call Mia. I’d be interrupting her lunch, but I couldn’t wait another hour and a half to call, and Mia would understand.
“Ciao, Luca. Is everything okay?”
“Si, I’m sorry to bother you but I was just wondering if you’ve spoken to Mira since she’s been in Sicily?”
“Once, when she first arrived. She said it was very pretty there.”
“But you haven’t heard from her in the last three weeks?”
“Well, no. But they are on their honeymoon. Why? What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure. I just have this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach that something isn’t right.”
“Luca, I know that things didn’t work out with Mira the way you had hoped. I should have reached out to see how you were doing with all this...”
“No. I mean, yeah, it hasn’t been easy but that’s not what this is. There is something going on. I can feel it in my bones. I’ve known Mira most of our lives and I can just feel that something isn’t right.”
“Have you tried calling her?”
I got to my car and climbed inside, not bothering to start the engine while we talked. “Yes but she’s not answering. I don’t know if that’s because something is terribly wrong or...”
“Or if it’s because of what happened before the wedding.” Mia finished my thoughts.
“Exactly. I know you are at lunch with your cousins, but do you think you could try to give her a call? If she answers for you then I’ll know that she just doesn’t want to talk to me and I’ll drop it, I promise.”
“Okay, sure. I’ll call you back as soon as I give her a call.”
“Thank you, Mia.”
“No problem. Talk soon.”
We ended the call, and I started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot to head home. It was only lunch time, but my mind wasn’t in a good place to be doing much in-person work and everything else I could handle from my home office.
I was halfway to my house when my phone rang, and I eagerly answered the call.
“Mia? Did you hear from her?”
“Yes. She answered my call. But you’re right, Luca. Something isn’t right.”
My grip tightened on my phone. “What do you mean?”
“She didn’t sound like herself at all. There was no light in her voice. I even tried making jokes, but she could barely muster a humorless laugh for my sake.”
My foot pressed a little harder on the gas pedal, making my car’s engine roar as I sped down the road. “Did she give you any indication of what might be wrong? Is it that asshole, Stefano? I knew something wasn’t right with him. There was something in his eyes that didn’t match his smile.”
“She didn’t say but I got the impression that she wasn’t able to speak openly.”
“You called her on her cell?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to make a call and I’ll call you right back.”
“Okay.” Mia sounded just as concerned as I had been and as much as I hated to worry her, it was nice to have someone who knew that I wasn’t crazy.
I called our tech guy, Marco, waiting as the phone rang several times.
“Luca, how are you?” Marco’s bright tone contradicted the feelings I was having so much so that it was almost jarring to hear it.
“Marco, I need a big favor.”
“Name it.” Marco’s tone lowered to match my more serious sound.
“I need you to check on Mira’s phone. See if there’s any new software, a new trace or bug.”
“Luca, you know that I can’t look into one of the don’s family’s info without his expressed permission.”
“Please, Marco. You know me. You know our history. If Teo has a problem with it, I will take any heat that comes around. You have my word.”
Marco let out a sigh of resignation. “Alright. Give me just a minute.”
The quiet across the line filled with the sound of rapid typing and clicking as Marco worked his magic, and I held my breath as I waited.
“Okay, yeah. It looks like there was a new bug added to it almost four weeks ago but as far as my records go, it’s not one of ours.”
“Of course, not. Teo would never bug his own sister’s phone. Thank you, Marco.”
“What’s this all about? Do I need to alert Teo to a security breach?”
“No. I’ll take care of it. Thanks, Marco.”
“Sure thing. You take care—”
“Actually, can you do one more thing for me?”
“I might as well at this point.”
“Can you forward me the live feed to her phone’s location?”
“I don’t know, Luca. You’re going to get me in so much trouble.”
“You won’t be. I’m the head Enforcer now, remember? My job is to enforce the laws of the family and break them when necessary to ensure the safety of our don and his family. This is for that.”
“Okay. I’ll email it over now. Just click on the link and it will take you through the steps to connect you.”
“Thanks, Marco. I owe you one.”
“Just cover my ass from any blow back and we’re good.”
“Deal, but I’m still buying you a drink at Enzo’s club once I get this sorted.”
“Sounds good.”
I ended the call with Marco and instantly called Teo. He answered on the second ring.
“You didn’t wait until two to call Mia.” I cringed like a child being found out by his parents.
“I couldn’t wait but Teo...”
“I know. Mia already called and told me that Mira sounded off. She said you were looking into something. What did you find?”
“She’s got a bug on her phone. It’s not one of ours so the only thing I can think of is—”
“Stefano. That controlling, slimy bastard. I should have never—”
“I need to talk to Mira, without anyone listening in. Something is definitely not right, and she can’t even tell us what without Costa listening in.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I want to go to Sicily and talk to her face to face.”
“How do you plan on getting a face to face when you can’t even talk to her on the phone?”
“I’ll work that out.”
“If you take the jet, all of Sicily will know you are there within the hour.”
“I’ll take a public flight under a different name. I’ll keep a low profile and be in and out before Costa is the wiser.”
“What do you plan to do when you get in?”
“That all depends on the situation with Mira. If he’s as controlling as I suspect, chances are Mira is not staying with him by choice.”
“I can’t imagine my little sister letting anyone control her.”
“Which is why I’m concerned that she’s not able to leave on her own.”
“Do you need a team?”
“No. It’s better if I go in, just me. It won’t raise as much suspicion. Plus, if I am found out, it doesn’t have to look like I’m there in any official capacity.”
“Okay but be careful and do me a favor...don’t get caught.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you, Luca.”
“For what?”
“For loving and protecting my sister. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. Maybe if I had...”
“This isn’t on you. If anyone, it’s on me for not having the balls to be a man and come talk to you about how I felt for Mira before she fell for that snake.”
“What do you say we just blame it on that manipulative, deceitful Sicilian instead?”
“Deal.”
I ended the call, mentally preparing myself for whatever I might be walking into. I pulled into my driveway, but I wouldn’t be staying home long. I just needed to pack a few things for the trip, and I’d be off.
Chapter 26
Mira
I sat in a large reading chair beside the window that overlooked the tranquil Mediterranean Sea. It was a beautiful view and one of the only enjoyable things I’d found since arriving in Sicily. A beautiful view from my prison tower.
Luca had always called me principessa, whether it was because I was practically mafia royalty or because he thought that I acted like a spoiled princess, I wasn’t sure. I wondered what quips he’d come up with if he saw me literally trapped in a tower.
Even under such crushing circumstances, the thought of Luca made me smile even while the reminder of losing him brought tears to my eyes.
I placed my hand over the slight baby bump I'd begun to develop. It was as if one morning I woke up and there it was.
Stefano couldn't have been happier. He immediately began planning a gala to show off his new bride and heir. It was scheduled for the week before I was to return home for my third trimester.
He'd said that it was to send us off in style, but I knew it was really so that I would be showing more before the event. He wanted visible evidence of the baby growing inside me.
My baby. I'd become fiercely protective of the life I carried even though Stefano always emphasized the fact that it would be his child. I wouldn't let him control my baby's life. I wasn't sure how, but I'd find a way to escape the situation. I was just biding my time until we were scheduled to return where I'd be surrounded by allies and the home I knew.
The sun sank lower in the sky. Soon it would be time for another dinner alone. Not that I minded, considering my options for dinner companions, but it annoyed me on principle that Stefano kept me cooped up in the house while he went to business dinners nearly every night.
After dinner, I mindlessly spun my wedding ring around my finger while staring out at the moon's reflection on the water. The ring felt foreign on my finger. I'd imagine in happier scenarios, that the new weight would be a pleasant reminder to the newlyweds but for me, it was like a tiny shackle.
I'd read that it was common for hands and feet to swell in the final months of pregnancy. So much so that many women had to remove their rings until after they gave birth.
I looked forward to that. How freeing it would feel to slide the ring from my finger, even if for just a few weeks.
My phone rang and I checked the caller ID to see Stefano’s name flashing on the screen. I rolled my eyes and thought about ignoring it but that would only pointlessly provoke him, so I answered.
"Ciao."
"Ciao, amore mio. I was just calling to let you know that I will be home late. We are going to the lounge for after dinner drinks and to discuss business, so I don't want you waiting up."
