AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I can have someone here to marry us in a few hours. I’ll have Gino call his mom. She’s very tight with the priest of her congregation.”
I wasn’t pleased with this because I wanted to give Salvatrice a big wedding; I wanted to see her in a white dress, and this felt more like her way of saying goodbye than a promise of forever. I didn’t like it one bit, but I was ready to give her the world on a silver platter.
Of course, the girls helped again – Muse talked with her old boss, Lou, who owned a diner in Little Italy to do the last-minute catering, Lola filled Salva's room with flowers and lights and other shit that we didn’t need, and Catherinelle took Remy out shopping for a white dress with a pink bow on the back. She looked just like a little doll. The hospital tried to protest having over fifteen people there for the ceremony, but Gino paid them off really quick and that was resolved too. Simona Nucci came through and she was really fast in securing a priest to perform our ceremony. Catholic services were usually too long for my taste, and I wasn’t going to put Salva through it, so we agreed on a shorter version.
It definitely wasn’t an ordinary wedding. Salvatrice remained in bed and I sat in a chair next to her, holding her hands. Romina insisted on being part of it, so she climbed next to her mom, which was perfect, because I was making a promise to her too. The private room Salvatrice was admitted in wasn’t small, but with all my friends and family here, it became really crammed. It was very far from what I imagined my wedding to Salvatrice would be, but she was happy, she was smiling, and that was the only thing I cared about. We had no vows, because none of us prepared anything, but I told her that I loved her and she said it back. It was more than enough.
Right when the priest was going to finish the ceremony, we were interrupted by Ignazio’s ringtone and I glared at him to get the hell out.
“In the eyes of God, you are now married. You may kiss your bride.”
I did kiss my bride while people applauded, and I don’t know it was just because we entwined our lives for good, but it felt different. I just knew she would never walk away from me again and I got the peace of mind that I’d waited for. My wife.
“Roman, I love you so much.”
“I love you too, amore.”
Romina put her hands around Salva’s neck.
“Mama, I liked it. I wanna get married too.”
Excuse me. I picked her up and frowned at her.
“Absolutely not. Ever. You’re not allowed to get married, young lady.”
“Why not?”
“Because I say so.”
Gino came behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, that’s what I used to say to Catherinelle. Remember what she did, don’t you?”
“Don’t,” I growled. There was a lot of laughing and people coming to hug Salva and I, but when Ignazio came back, he pulled me aside and asked for a word in private. “What is it? If it’s business, it can wait, Ignazio.”
“No. I got a phone call from some of my contacts in the south. We got you a match.”
All the air left my lungs so fast, I was afraid I might need a transplant soon.
“Are you sure?”
“The person who called me guaranteed that the blood work has been done twice.”
“So what are you waiting for, Ignazio? What do you need? Transportation? Money? Just tell me.”
“Actually, it’s a little more complicated. The lungs are in a person. Living…person. A convict in maximum security down in Texas. He wants you to get down there and sign a contract to take care of his family while he signs papers for a direct donation to Salvatrice.”
“Absolutely. How are you on logistics?”
“We paid off the prison warden, and you’ll have to write a fat check to a Texas congressman who’s done this before. A couple hundred thousand at least. He’ll make sure there will be no questions asked, and the death will be registered as an accident, but Roman, it’s shaky ground. We don’t know these people. All I know is the prison warden is the brother-in-law of one of our associates in Miami, Gus Avanti. Remember him?”
“I do.” We only met him once a year so he could drop some money and pick up more product. “So you’re telling me that this is not secure and I could walk straight into a whole lot of bullshit.”
“I’ve heard some chatter and it’s been done before at the same penitentiary. A death row inmate died right the day before some hot shot in Washington got a heart transplant. It seems legit; Avanti said he can put his neck down for it, but there’s a risk.”
Yeah, a pretty big risk. There’s a reason why we don’t do business outside the famiglia – because every motherfucker was out to get us. This could be the case, but what choice did I have? Wait until we’re sure this deal wasn’t a way to send me to prison? Salva didn’t have that kind of time and I just took an oath to take care of her in sickness and in health.
“Talk to Gino, tell him to have the jet ready for us. Look, Ignazio, if you don’t want to come to Texas, I get it, just give me your contacts and that team of surgeons you said you have on retainer.”
“No need. If he signs that paper, the transplant goes legit. I’m coming with you, but we can’t let Gino anywhere near it. We’re not taking his jet, it has Muse’s name on it.”
Right. I was the one who should think about details like this, but my mind was overwhelmed.
“Ok, I’ll arrange something else.”
“No, I will. You go spend some time with Mrs. Stefani and tell her you’ll be gone for the night. We’ll be wheels-up in about five hours.”
