“What do you want here, Luca?”
Adonis dumped the bag of cash on the sofa, as he walked into Miguel’s home, following suit.
His second-in-command smirked, no longer looking like a shell of himself as he did a few days back,
“Well, hello to you too. I’m fine, thank you very much for asking.”
“I never asked.” He deadpanned, his gaze moving to the woman who had been silent all through the rest of the drive home, “You’re not sitting?”
Cara stood by the side, hands fidgeting, her gaze unable to meet her husband’s.
“No.” She refused, a slight tremor in her voice. “I’d rather… I’d like to go to bed.” And with a small nod at the other members of the room, she went straight up the stairs.
Luca and Miguel threw wary glances at one another, catching a whiff of the stuffy air.
“So… trouble in paradise?” Luca teased, not expecting a reply from his tight-lipped friend.
“I think she hates me… have for a while,” Adonis mumbled causing him to splutter.
Did his friend just open up willingly or was he hearing things?
Amongst the many wonders that had occurred in their lives recently, this had to be the most intriguing.
“You’re distracted. What’s on your mind?” Adonis’s cold voice drew him back to the present.
Clearing his throat, he encouraged “Sorry. Go on.”
“She’s disappointed,” Adonis stated plainly, his voice tight.
“Why does that sound familiar?” Luca muttered, reclining on the sofa, “It gets worse. I haven’t spoken to Cecelia in months. Welcome to the club dude.”
He gave him a blank look.
“I’m guessing our plan had something to do with her attitude?” Miguel commented and one look at his son-in-law answered his question.
He expected it. The little time he’d gotten to spend with his daughter had shown him how difficult Cara could be. She was loveable and kind but that attribute couldn’t be overlooked.
His lips curled up in a smile, she wouldn’t be her mother’s daughter then…
He sighed, “You guys should take care of your women. Adonis, you know Camilla. Figure it out because I don’t want her stressed.” Then rose to his feet, heading for the bar. “Drinks anyone?”
“You don’t think it’s pregnancy hormones do you?” Luca suddenly reasoned.
Adonis fixed him with a glazed look, “Why are you here again?”
“I needed a break. Tina’s driving me crazy and I… I wanted to ask Cara for a favour.”
“And you thought coming here was the right thing to do? We’re being watched, dude.”
He plastered a silly grin on his face.
“Try living with her for a week, then you can talk. Moreover, your father-in-law gave me a lowdown on the new developments. I don’t think we have anything much to worry about.”
Adonis studied his friend closely; from his restlessness, he knew there was something more. “Is that the only reason you’re here? Nothing else?”
“Sincerely, no. I was going to ask Cara about Cecelia…” he trailed off in a low voice.
His eyebrow rose, “You made a huge mistake, Luca. Cecelia e una donna intelligente (Cecelia is a smart woman). She would’ve handled it well.
“I was cut up, okay?… Fighting through everything on my own. I did what I thought was right.”
“But now you miss her.”
He nodded, “Yes. Yes, I do.”
If he could hear her voice… It doesn’t have to be direct. He’ll be fine with just that. Life at the mansion had been so burdening.
The men with no understanding of the situation on ground were beginning to think of him as a traitor. A man who betrayed his capo-best friend, and woman just to sit on the throne.
He wasn’t bothered about that. He knew rumours would begin to circulate at one point, but keeping up with Tina and Sarah was draining. Luca had always thought he was a good actor, yet the amount of energy he invested in deceiving the two women was taking a toll not only on his physical but also on his mental health.
Still, he understood it was a sacrifice he had to make for the family. To make sure there was a family…
Some days, he wakes up wishing everything was a dream and not that it happened.
Today was one of these days.
Abruptly rising to his feet, he stalked towards Cara’s father, who was already on his second glass.
“Can I have a glass too?”
The elderly man smiled, “Knock yourself out.”
Adonis watched the two, then glanced at the stairs.
She was probably asleep already. He was never one who liked to avoid confrontations. He enjoyed it more than anyone else. Especially because the other side was always at his mercy.
Yet tonight, he didn’t feel like going up. Maybe it was because he partly agreed with her. She had pointed out the guilt he had been secretly battling with.
Rising to his feet, he joined the men at the bar.
“I want a glass too.”
Miguel gave a light-hearted laugh. “Who knew women’s troubles would affect you both deeply?”
“Can we just focus on our drinks?”
“I have a better idea. Tell us about tonight’s mission.”
All their current thoughts immediately took a back seat, their expressions turning serious as he began,
“When we got there…”
****
“Such a showoff… you knew you were going to win either way.” Luca teased as Adonis ended his narration.
At some point during their discussion, they had moved back to the living room, each holding a glass of scotch in hand. The empty bottle lying on the table being the evidence of how much time had passed.
“So how was it? Do you think we’re playing it safe?” Miguel enquired.
“I got the attention of Diavolo, so I’d say it was effective. One more round at the ring, and I’m sure he’d be trying to recruit me.”
“One more round? What if you’re up against someone stronger? This is a risk, Adonis. Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to do this?”
“I’m fine.” He firmly replied, having enough of people questioning his health because he was in a coma.
“I just want all these to be over soon… Cara’s getting bigger by the day, and I want us to be back home before her due date. No offence, sir, ” He tipped his glass towards Miguel. “You’ve been a stellar host.”
“None taken. Hopefully, we can get this over with faster than planned. Luca and I checked out the orphanage you told me about.”
Adonis sat up interested. “Did you get any news?”
“No,” his friend replied. “It burnt to the ground ten years ago. There was an unexplained fire.”
“Unexplained fire?” He said flatly.
“To them. Not to us.” His father-in-law divulged.
“Yeah. It happened around the same time we returned from our training in Italy. Five years ago.” Luca supported.
“What do you think about it?”
“Isn’t it obvious someone is trying to hide something-whatever it is, I don’t know, but I have a feeling that if we follow the trail, we might find it.”
Adonis took in the new information. It was just a step, but they were making progress, and if all things worked out as planned, they’d be celebrating victory in no time.
“That would be all for today, then. Luca, return to your home and try not to get caught. If you sell yourself out, then it’s on you.” He warned as everyone rose.
“Where’s the money you won anyway?”
He threw the bag over his shoulder.
“Back off. It’s mine. I’m going to offer it as a peace offering to Cara.”
Luca laughed loudly, “He’s so whipped.”
“He better be. Camilla deserves more.” Her father replied.
“So you think money answers all?” A small figure with a mountainous nest for hair waddled out with zombie-like eyes.
They flinched, Luca, going as far as letting out a small scream.
She stared at the wall, the annoyance and betrayal from earlier subtly shining in her eyes as she played with the helm of the pyjama shirt. “What? I thought you all were fearless?”
Adonis stepped forward, “Did you forget something?”
“Yes.” She said, her smile brittle. Then crossed the room and snatched the bag of money from him. “Not peace offering. It’s your punishment.” She turned back towards the stairs but Luca stopped her.
“Hold up, Cara, I have a question.”
“What?”
“It’s about…” he frowned, noticing a flicker of movement outside through the window behind her. “Did you all see that?”
They all turned to look. Before anyone could speak, a car pulled up, and a knock echoed throughout the room
“Hello!” A cheerful voice called out, “Sorry for the intrusion. Is Cara in?”
His mouth fell open.
“Isn’t that… Cecelia?”