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‘One of them was.’ His eyes found mine and refused to release their hold, and I knew the answer even before I’d asked the question. Goosebumps formed on my now chilled skin.
‘When and who for?’ My voice sounded small and reluctant.
‘For you… Our son had died only two months before and they broke the unwritten code of never involving women and children in our business. My grandfather received a single piece of paper with your name written on it in blood. It was attached to a torn off piece of your wedding dress.’
‘I don’t understand.’ I moved backwards, rested my backside on the table behind me and grasped the edge with both hands. ‘How on earth did someone get hold of that?’
‘I don’t know.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What I do know is that in those two years we spent together, our world had become more volatile. And then, piece by piece, it fell apart. In the weeks that followed the loss of our son, I cossetted you in our home and on our beach. I gave orders that you weren’t to be party to the violence that had escalated.’ He stopped and took a deep breath. ‘Then Don Ferraro died. The families were at war, jostling for position. Enzo wanted what he thought of as his birth right and my grandfather wanted the position he had worked tirelessly for years to earn. It didn’t help that I still hadn’t uncovered who it was that was making money from trafficking our women and children. Seeing us so weak, the Ricolleti family from Sicily and the Lombardis from Rome, became involved in our business when they saw how easy it would be to gain a foothold.’ Some of what he said I had been aware of. Even in my all-consuming grief, I remembered hearing snippets of conversations here and there.
Salvatore carried on. ‘As you know, the De Lucas voted me in as the family’s consigliere, which gave our family the strength it needed to get my grandfather voted in as the next Don. It seemed that the only way somebody felt they could get to me was through you. If they could bring me down, the family would once again weaken. We had just lost our son and there was no fucking way I was going to lose you too.’
‘So, you pushed me away.’
‘I gave you your other dream and kept you safe.’
I could feel myself gently shaking my head from side to side.
‘You should have told me.’
‘And if I’d have told you, what would you have done?’ He released his hold on the chair back, sat up straight and opened his arms out wide.
‘I would have stayed,’ I admitted.
‘Precisely.’ His arms closed and with his point proven, he rested them again on the back of the chair.
‘So, what’s changed now?’
I asked the question as understanding travelled through me. I knew without him answering, how much stronger the family were. I’d heard from my papa how, with his agreed retirement, Alessio and Dante had been invited back into the family and were now involved with the De Lucas, keeping the businesses on track. The De Lucas had even broken bread with Enzo Ferraro and although he wasn’t back in the inner circle, he was at least tolerated. Salvatore was now the underboss and things in Calabria were as stable as they ever had been.
‘I know I can protect you now, I can keep you safe.’ He relaxed heavily onto the seat.
‘Salvatore, I’dalwaystrusted you to do that.’ I knew all about his one insecurity, the one he had kept with him from a young boy of four years old, when he hadn’t been able to save his mama.
He lifted his chin and stared intently down his nose at me, and I knew whatever he was about to say next, he wanted me to feel deep down inside.
‘But what you don’t know, Serafina, is that I won’t live without you any longer.’ I watched as he curled up his right fist and slammed it onto his chest, over the top of where his heart resided. ‘You are with me always, everywhere I go. When I wake up, you’re the first thing I see and you’re the last image I dream about as I fall asleep at night. You are the place I dream of when my soul desires peace.’
His admission was more than I’d ever dreamt of hearing from the dangerous man I’d loved for as long as I could recollect.
Keeping his eyes firmly on mine, he stopped speaking and lifted his hand off the back of the chair. As he turned his hand over to offer it to me, I saw his titanium ring catch the light. I felt my breath catch. It had to be said, nothing was more sensual than seeing your wedding band on your husband’s finger.
‘It’s time to come home, little bird.’
Pushing myself off the table, I walked the few steps towards Salvatore. After taking his proffered hand, and closing his fingers over mine, I kissed his wedding band. Then I placed his arm around my waist and held his head for a short time in my hands as I looked down at him.
Using one hand, I brushed his clean but errant hair off his face and let out a deep sigh. I thought back to the previous times I’d done the exact same thing, on a beach in Italy. The beach he’d chosen to build a home for the two of us on, at the other end of the bay to my parents’ house, and I could almost imagine the feeling of the salt it was normally caked with in between my fingers.
Slowly, I bent over to press my lips against his.
Our kiss was chaste. It was a kiss of forgiveness and acceptance. As we broke apart, I stood tall and held his head to near where our baby boy had previously been and let the tears flow once again down my face.
He was a force to be reckoned with by himself, but together I knew we were potent.
‘It’s time to go home,’ I agreed.
CHAPTER SIX
SALVATORE
