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‘Doyou think he’s who you’ve been looking for?’ my grandfather questioned from his bed, with a voice that was so weak it was only audible from a close distance.
‘I do.’ I moved my head away to refocus my eyes on his. ‘It’s been four days since we found Mia and as each second ticks by, I’m even more certain, and I know we’re closing in on him.’ I clenched my fist over my heart. ‘There isn’t a blade of grass we haven’t lifted, nor a grain of sand we haven’t searched under.’
‘Four days,’ he whispered as he pondered over its significance to him.
I stood to relieve myself of the suit jacket I was wearing. Pulling off my tie, I threw the two things to the other chair beside me. Then I released the top button and started to roll up the sleeves of my dress shirt. His room was, as always now, stifling hot.
‘Yes, four days.’ I sat myself back down and turned my focus fully back to him. What I didn’t say out loud was the fact that each one of those days I’d also come to see him, and I was witnessing him growing weaker by the day. That I’d spent each day coming to what we hadn’t voiced, but all knew was his death bed.
‘Security?’ he asked the same question he had each day.
‘Nonno… everything has been stepped up. After your announcement…’ I raised my eyes to his to make sure he was following what I was saying. As his dark eyes bored into my own, I knew the medication he was taking hadn’t taken him away again just yet. ‘I’ve got everything in hand.’ I nodded at him because it was mostly true. Given his revelation, everything in our world appeared to be stable. Apart from the thorn in my side at the fact we still hadn’t managed to find Enzo.
‘Salvatore…’ He stopped talking to conserve his breath. ‘I knew that you would be able to ride the waves my death would undoubtedly bring.’
And riding the waves I was.
It was now Thursday and the last time I remembered getting more than an hour’s sleep was sometime on Tuesday afternoon. The same time as I’d last held my wife in my arms. ‘Please don’t worry yourself.’ I shook my head gently at him. ‘Although, if you could stop Gi going out on her own, I’d be grateful.’ I tried to add humour to my voice where I felt none.
‘On her own?’ he questioned.
I shook my head at him, trying in vain to dampen down what I’d just imparted. Sitting up straight in the chair I was resting on, I opened my arms up wide in the Italian way and tried to convince him it was nothing, when it was irritating the fuck out of me.
‘She believes her music lessons are more important than any orders from her…’ I stopped, not knowing what to call myself in front of him.
‘Salvatore, my namesake. I am the one who named you. Did you know that?’
I shook my head at him.
‘Well, I did and you, I think, are only days away from being the head of the family and I am certain you will be voted in as the next Don. I have no problem with you being referred to as such.’
‘I do,’ I admitted. ‘And I think Gi does too.’
I thought back to our conversation just this morning. She knew well enough to accept instructions from any senior males in her family and obeying me, her brother, should have been enough. But when she had left the De Luca home this morning, after being expressly told not to, I’d called her to let her know I had men on her trail and she wouldn’t be leaving the house again until I, her Don, told her she was allowed to. The names she’d called me before cutting off our call let me know how unhappy she was.
I’d felt her pain keenly.
She was reeling at the shock of her much-loved nonno’s imminent death, and I knew that me using the title of Don had pushed her.
I only hoped it wasn’t too far away.
‘That’s as maybe… but death gives no leeway for what we want.’ He looked intently at me.
‘Well, as her future Don, she is hours away from being locked up in her room with armed guards at her door and windows.’
‘Speak to Gianni,’ he offered. ‘He will help with her.’
I didn’t answer, nor did I react to his words.
It would be a cold day in hell before I took my sperm donor’s counsel.
‘How is…’ He tried to speak again and stopped as he began to cough with the exertion. Although, I already knew who he was asking after.
‘She’s still in a coma, but at home at least. Her face is still badly swollen, and she has many cuts and bruises.’
‘He must pay,’ he uttered, more of a thought than a statement.
‘He will.’
