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He reached up and wiped the tears from my face with his thumb, my other hand still in his. “No. I will not let that happen. I said I would protect you and I will. We will figure this out.”
“Why? Why are you being so nice to me?” I stared up into his eyes and saw the turmoil swirling in them. He lowered his hand and let go of mine.
“We should go. It’s getting late,” he said frostily, and jumped down from the wall, strolling over to his motorbike. I inhaled a shaky breath and wiped my cheeks as I took one last look at the rolling waves of the ocean.
But this time there was no calm. No peace. Just jealousy of their freedom.
The Truth
Olivia
As I sat on the bench by the river, I tried to tame the pesky hairs behind my ears that had fallen out of the messy bun of hair on top of my head. I looked like shit. I knew I did. My eyes were stinging from the tears and I was still pale from the shock. I needed answers. But I also needed to prepare myself for the truth. So, I decided to talk to the woman who could give it to me before I walked into the lion’s den. I knew she was an honest person and we were very similar in many ways. That was how I knew that even if it was not what I wanted to hear, she would give it to me straight.
My eyes darted around the beautiful surroundings as the paranoia took hold. I had been followed for weeks. I was likely being watched now. It was a horrible feeling and one that made me want to lock myself away in Gigi’s flat and never leave again. But I couldn’t. I was never going to let another man control my life like that, even if they were threatening to kill me.
“Olivia?”
I turned and looked over my shoulder as I heard my name and the clicking of heels on the cobbled pavement. I stood up quickly and stared at her concerned face that looked me up and down carefully. One of Gio’s men was standing guard behind her protectively and when she saw me looking at him, she waved her hand, shooing him away. He moved back a few paces to give us some privacy.
“Don’t worry. Gio doesn’t know I am meeting you.”
I relaxed a little and nodded, sitting back down on the bench as she came to sit next to me, brushing the invisible dirt off it before she perched.
I looked out across the river at the buildings on the other side and tried to gather all my strength to not feel intimidated by this woman. Now I know who she is.
“Olivia. You are worrying me. What is wrong?”
“You are the mafia,” I said coldly, still not looking at her. I felt her body tense next to me and the tension grew between us. “Are you going to deny it?” I turned and faced her.
To my surprise, a small, sad smile appeared, and she shook her head. “You are right. We are. Although we do not call ourselves that.” My heart started pounding more violently at her confirming what I already knew. I held her gaze, willing her to continue. “We call ourselves Mala Del Brenta. We are the most powerful family controlling Northern Italy.”
“And by controlling you mean what?” I asked bluntly. My tone was portraying my anger. I tried to keep calm, but this woman had invited me into her home to care for her children and fall for her son on an illusion.
She sighed and fidgeted with her gold bangle on her wrist. “I really think you should speak to Gio about all of this, Olivia.”
“No. I am asking you Cecilia. Woman to woman. You knew I had no idea about who you really were and you gained my trust. You welcomed me into your family with open arms and fed me lies. You and your son. And now I want to know why. Why would you not tell me the truth? Are all your other employees in the dark as well?”
She took a deep breath. “No. They are aware. Everyone has a trial period when working for us and they must sign a confidentiality agreement. After two weeks, if they are a good fit, we tell them who we are.”
I thought of Natalia. So, she knows they are criminals and she still told me to go for the job. But she obviously hadn’t told anyone outside of work about who they really were because she signed their waiver. It was starting to make sense.
“And what if someone breaks confidentiality?” I asked, glaring into her brown eyes. She looked uncomfortable and shuffled in her seat.
“Olivia, I really think you need to hear all this from G- “
“You kill them? Or torture them? Threaten them?” I interrupted her, my voice raising slightly into a low yell.
“Olivia, I know how you are feeling right now. This is a lot to take in and- “
“You have no idea how I am feeling, Cecilia! You all deceived me! You kept your entire lives a secret from me! You gained my trust and…” I choked on my emotions at the end of my sentence. It was him I was really thinking of.
“I know how this feels better than anyone, Olivia. I was in your shoes thirty years ago! I was a normal girl from a sheltered background, who had just finished university and become a lawyer. I met Vinny and fell in love, having no idea who he really was. When I found out, I was feeling everything you are right now,” she said with heartfelt emotion and I stared at her, narrowing my eyes. “Ask yourself this, Olivia. If I had told you who you were working for after the two-week probation would you have stayed? If you knew who we were, would you have given Giovanni a chance?”
“That is not the point, Cecilia, and you know it!”
“I know. But Gio had his reasons for wanting to protect you from this.”
“Really? Because as far as I can see, he hasn’t protected me from shit.”
