Promised For Truce

Chapter 4

A week had passed by since the men from The Outfit came to New Orleans. Life in the city became tranquil again due to a momentary stop in the feud between the Italians and the Irish. With the Irish pulling back and biding their time, business was going strong for the New Orleans family.

The Sciacca household was relatively quiet. The only ones present in the house were Carlos, Nina, the maids, and the guards who were on their posts outside.

Nina was early up to water the roses in the garden. A little earlier, her mother asked her if she wanted to go to Canal Place with her but she declined the offer. Shopping and gossiping about other women in their community went hand in hand. If given the opportunity, Nina would rather avoid indulging in those activities.

After she was done watering the other beds of flowers, Nina took a moment to relish in the warmth of the sunlight hitting her face.

The crashing sound of glass snapped her back into reality. Dark eyebrows drew together in confusion. Nina stepped inside to find the source of the noise. First, she checked the living room, then the kitchen and asked the working maids what had happened.

"We don't know, Ms. Sciacca. It came from upstairs."

Nina left the maids to their work and climbed the stairwell up. Reaching the top, she heard muffled voices coming from her father's working space. The wooden door got opened and she came face to face with her father.

"Oh, you're already here. Come inside," Carlos said and walked right back into his study, leaving the door open for his daughter to enter.

Her eyes immediately settled on the other man in the room. Her uncle and also the boss of the New Orleans family. Nina could only describe him as an unpleasant man.

Similar to her father, her uncle had dark-brown hair. Both were about the same height. The most distinct feature on her uncle's face was the drooping of his right upper eyelid. He sustained it after getting a stroke a few years ago.

"Good morning, Uncle Galasso." She forced a smile.

"Yes, good morning."

Her eyes wandered around the room and found a sea of tiny crystal-like pieces on the floor. Three of the five glass shelves were completely shattered.

Why is he even here? Did they get into a fight?

She examined the hands of her father and uncle from afar. Both seemed unharmed and there was not a single drop of blood in sight. Just like the men, Nina opted for standing instead of sitting down as usually was done when summoned into the study.

"I'm afraid I'll be the bearer of bad news today," her uncle said.

You always are. Nina wanted to say it out loud but didn't. She knew better than to anger the boss of the family.

Bad news? I don't know if I want to hear any bad news today and since they're telling me, I'm going to be shocked if this isn't about Luciano.

"Your wedding will have to be postponed."

Nina wasn't able to hide the surprise in her face. In her eyes, the revelation was anything but bad news. She knew the wedding was inevitable but being able to stay with her family for a little longer was a small victory.

That explains the glass. I'm just glad I wasn't here when Uncle Galasso broke the news to Papà. I can't imagine him being in high spirits.

"When is it now?" she looked at her uncle.

"The original date has been set back by two years, Nina."

I'll be twenty then.

"Unbelievable," her father muttered angrily. "That was all, Nina. You can go."