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I exhaled. “It’s complicated and the less you know the better. I overheard Salvatore talking and it's very important.”
“You… you’re giving away information from his house.” Pina’s eyes grew wide like I’ve never seen them before.
“No! It’s not like that.”
“I have no place in judging you,amica[49].”
“It’s really not. The police will raid Guido’s club tonight. I have to tell him, Pina.”
“I understand.” She said in her specific nonchalant way. I looked over to see she was in tights and an oversized hoodie, with her blonde hair up in a ponytail, and the image made me smile involuntarily. She was the first familiar thing I saw in so long. “To be honest with you, Grazia, this is the first thing in weeks I understand.”
“Oh, Pina.”
“I keep glancing your way, but I don’t think I can look you in the eye.”
“Why? It’s not your fault.”
“She’s my sister!” Pina exploded, hitting her fist in the steering wheel. “That whore has dragged us all down with her and for what?”
“She wanted the attention.”
“She wanted to be you. That’s all Ariana ever wanted, Grazia. She wants to be the mafia princess, with seven brothers who would give their life to protect her and a mafia Don that loves her like she came down from heaven.”
“What?”
“Why do you think she acted the way she did for so long? She took ballet classes because you did. She couldn’t have your brothers so she tried to fuck her way through them, but that didn’t work. She only came close once.”
“Excuse me? Pina what are you talking about?”
“Ariana has hit on every single one of your brothers,amica. Even the married ones, but they took pity on her and never said anything. Gianni is the only one who said a word to my father about her behavior because Ruby wanted to kill my sister.” Yes, my dear sister-in-law Ruby was very quick to anger.
“What do you mean she came close once? With who?”
“Garon.” She said and her jaw tightened. “She caught him drunk one night and he fondled her a little.”
“Cristo, I’ve been so blind to so many things.”
“I wasn’t. I saw all of this. She was always jealous of you, but I thought it was just that, stupid jealousy because she’s vain. I think lately it turned into something else. Something ugly.”
“Desire for my father?” I couldn’t think about anything uglier than that.
“Obsession.DonFabiano was the only one who gave her something to hold on to.”
“And now she lives in my house.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“He should be sorry, Pina, not you. That house holds every memory I have from my mother and he brought my so-called friend there to be his mistress.” I was shaken by a mix of anger and disgust. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and Salvatore is sleeping next to me. I stay there wide awake missing my family and thinking that maybe I should have thought twice before starting a war with them, but then I hear things like this and know I have no reason to regret my decision. Salvatore loves me to the point of madness. He would never humiliate me like my father did and he wouldnevertake anyone’s side against me like my brothers.”
“Grazia, your brothers have to protect theDon. It’s our law.”
“Right. Can we change the subject, please? I can’t think of Ariana living there. I just can’t.”
“Sure. I have another very interesting subject I’d love to hear about.”
“What is that?”
“Salvatore Fiori. Yourhusband. Why? How?”
