Lonely Together

45

VALENTINO

As I waited for Mariah to finish getting ready for the night, I couldn't help but to let my mind roam back to the meeting I had today.

"You ready?" Luciano inquired from beside me as we stood outside the door that separated me from the man who we believed killed my father—Carlo Brambilla.

Carlo was just a few years older than me and became the capo of the Ferrari family when his father died of natural causes. His death wasn't a surprise to any of us. Carlo and I hadn't gotten along since we were boys although we were often forced to spend time together whenever he came over with his parents or whenever there was an event hosted by the mafia. Since we were children he's been power hungry—precisely why I didn't doubt that he may have been the one to kill my father.

"I'm ready."

He gave me a pat on the back before I pushed the door open and stepped into the room, the eyes of all four of the men landing on me. All of the men—excluding Carlo—had been capos my entire life and had terrified as a child. Today, they were merely my equals in my eyes.

"Have a seat, Santori," Mr. Ambrose spoke, motioning to the seat across from him.

As far as ranks went, the family that my great-grandfather developed had been the most powerful since it's creation. Carlo's was next, followed by Mr. Ambrose and so on.

I took the seat that he had motioned to and finally let my gaze fall on Carlo who was leaned back in his chair with his hands resting behind his head. He was trying too hard to show that he was calm—something was up.

"As you know," Mr. Ambrose began, looking around at each of us. "This meeting is customary when a new capo is put in place and before the ball. We must all agree to remain peaceful with one another in this new era of our organization. Sadly...our men are beginning to die off," Mr. Ambrose spoke, his eyes connecting with mine and holding pity as he said this—he had been my father's closest friend.

"But that doesn't mean that our new capos aren't any less powerful and capable. Therefore, we need to ensure that nothing gets out of hand and agree to continue the decades of peace we've been able to maintain."

We then each went around the table, agreeing to the pact by swearing on a bible before more important topics were discussed in relation to the change.

"And Valentino, I understand the ball is being held in just three days. Everything is fine with that?"

"Yes. Perfect actually," I replied, toying with the pen in front of me to stop myself from reaching across the table and choking Carlo. That smug look on his face was getting on my last nerve.

"And understand that if you don't have a date...we'll be able to find a young woman to attend with you and just make it clear that it isn't anything serious."

Traditionally, the grand entrance at the ball was to show off the new capo and his wife or the woman he intended to be with for the rest of his life. Of course, there was yet another exception to this where it would just be made abundantly clear that the man's date wasn't someone he was serious with.

"I have someone," I told them seriously, wanting the topic to be over. I hadn't wanted to mention Mariah for fear that any of them were more shady than they were letting on.

"You meet her in America?" Carlo questioned, leaning forward in his seat with a grin on his face. He knew about her.

"Yeah."

"An Italian girl...in America. Good for you, Valentino," he chuckled, leaving the other men puzzled while I understood exactly what he was getting at. The way he said proved that he knew she was anything but Italian.

As capo, I would be expected to have children who could take over when my time was up. Of course, they made exceptions for men who couldn't have children—but that wasn't the case for me. Knowing that my girlfriend wasn't Italian would cause controversy for many reasons—precisely why I was hoping to talk to Mariah about it tonight at dinner with my grandmother. My grandma and mother would be able to help me navigate the conversation better.

"As much as we would like to talk about his...date, we have better topics to talk about," Mr. Ambrose interjected, sending Carlo a pointed look that made him shut up immediately.

The meeting continued, but my blood didn't stop boiling the entire time from the fact that Carlo was seated diagonal from me. I needed more evidence that he had been the one to do it—evidence that Luciano was working on getting at that very moment.

Luciano had been into all things to do with technology since we were children, so when he eventually graduated with a degree in Computer Science, I wasn't surprised. And it came in handy for moments like this, as he was actively gathering Carlo's call logs and text messages so that we could search them for anything that hinted that he had been the one to do it.

Still, even more than I was angry about him killing my father, I was angry that he seemed to be bothered my Mariah. And I was angered that he even knew about her. Someone had told or he had personally seen her.

For the people in my family, my being with Mariah wasn't a shock—she was my type. But some of the people in or related to the mafia were particular about following the very rules that I was breaking. I didn't care though because my kids—if I ever had them—would never be subject to the same fate that I was given the second I was born. Even if they were fully Italian, I would find a way.

"Well, I think we can all agree that this meeting has gone on long enough," Mr. Ambrose spoke in that booming voice of his. "Valentino, again, I am sorry for your loss and we are looking forward to your entrance at the  ball. Being capo is a monumentally important title...this ball will secure your spot with that title."

With that said, we all stood and shook hands before walking out of the door all together. My gaze immediately landed on Luciano who was seated on one of the benches waiting. He sent me the slightest bit of a smile, letting me know he had done it.

With one last fleeting look, Carlo and I walked our separate ways. Admittedly, the creepy look he gave me sent chills through my body, but only further proved—

"Babe, I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm finally ready," Mariah spoke as she rushed out of the bathroom in the outfit she would be wearing for tonight and pulling me out of my thoughts. "I hope I don't upset your grandmother if we're late."

"No, love. It's fine...she'll understand when she sees how good you look," I remarked, sending a blush to her cheeks as I approached her and helped secure her necklace around her neck.

"She's gonna love you...just not as much as me," I reminded her, pressing a kiss to her neck before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

If someone had told me a year ago that I would be so deeply in love with someone like Mariah, I wouldn't have believed them. With the ending of my last relationship years ago, I thought karma had caught up with me, rendering me loveless and lonely for the rest of my life. Before her, I spent days on end alone in that big, empty penthouse without anyone to share my time and space with. It was mind bogglingly depressing. But she changed everything for me.

She changed everything for me, forever.