Yeah, give me five and then escort him in.
You’ll remain until the meeting is over.
He replies with a thumbs-up emoji. I just shake my head. It’s quite comical actually. Ricco is about as tough as they come. He’s an enforcer, bodyguard, and all-around wise guy. When he sends emojis in his texts, I can’t help but laugh. Ricco is also man of a few words, so I guess the emojis say more than he can. Whatever the reason, I still find it damn funny.
I spend the next five minutes getting my thoughts in order. Then I realize I have nothing to worry about. Vince answers to me now. I’ll tell him how it’s gonna be, and that will be that.Yeah, right.
When Ricco knocks on the door, I look up and say, “Come in.”
In walk Ricco and Vince. “Vince,” I say, addressing him. “Good to see you again.”
“Fuck the pleasantries, Michael. Where’s my sister?” he asks. Okay, so he’s already not happy. I thought we had settled all this on the phone, but I guess we need to make a few things clear.
“First of all, Vince, show some respect. In this room, I represent the Vitali family, which now encompasses your family. I will not tolerate such disrespect,” I say.
“Fuck, Michael, I’m just worried about Zaira. I feel like you are hiding something from me,” he replies. “I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect.”
“Good,” I say. “Now before you visit with Zaira, there are a few things we need to discuss.”
“Oh hell, Michael. What now?”
“Just fucking chill. Cut the drama, Vince,” I say. “So Zaira has amnesia. She knows her name, and as of last night, she knows she has a brother and sister. She knows both of her parents are deceased but nothing more. She knows she was hurt at her engagement party, and…” I hesitate briefly before I continue. “She knows I am her fiancé and that’s why she is staying here and not going home with you.”
“Wait, what?”
“You heard me, Vince. Your sister and I are engaged.”
He shakes his head. “No fucking way, Michael! You promised you wouldn’t force her to marry you! You fucking promised me!” he yells as he rises from his chair.
Ricco immediately gets to his feet and is at Vince’s side. He says nothing, but Vince quickly sits back down. He is familiar with Ricco’s reputation and knows he’s not in a position to challenge me in any way. After he is seated for a minute, he asks, “Michael, why? Why would you do this to her?”
“I’m not doing anything to her. I’m just allowing her to believe something that isn’t true. Vince, there are some things you don’t know about Zaira and me. We’ve always been close, and I guarantee you we would have ended up engaged if not married already if it weren’t for your father blaming the Vitalis for your mother’s death.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” he replies.
“Actually, I can. The day of your mother’s funeral, Zaira begged me to take her away. She begged me to elope and marry her. Out of respect for your family, I refused. Then everything went to hell.”
“I didn’t know that. She never said—” Vince has always known that there were feelings between Zaira and me. But the true surprise on his face tells me he had no idea that they ran as deep as they had.
“No, she didn’t. But I would bet money those feelings still remain.”
Vince leans forward in his chair to make his point. “But, Michael, that was five years ago. A lot has happened since then,” he says.
“You don’t think I know that?” I ask. “But fate has dealt me the perfect hand, and it’s time for me to play my cards.”
He looks at me confused.
“This whole memory loss for Zaira is a blessing. It erases all the past and allows her to start new. We have no idea when, if ever, her memories will come back. I’m not a man who will sit idly by and wait for something to happen. I make things happen, Vince. You will do well to remember that.”
“Fuck, Michael, why do I feel like I’ve just been fucked in the ass?” Vince asks.
“There you go with the drama again. You are being ridiculous. I know you care for your sister. Hell, you should know I care for her too. Why the fuck do you think I am doing this? If anyone has anything to lose in all of this, it’s me. I’m taking the biggest risk, and I’m gambling my happiness. This could blow up in my face, and she could fucking hate me when her memories come back. So get over the feelings of being fucked over and get on the train. I promise it’ll be a hell of a ride, and the last person who will get hurt is Zaira.”
“I really don’t have a choice,” he replies, defeated. “I sure as hell hope you know what you’re doing.”
“So do I,” I say. “You can see Zaira now. You will go along with everything we just talked about, and you will be careful about sharing memories of her past. And most importantly, she is not to know how your parents died if she asks.”
He takes a deep breath and then says, “Got it.”
