Kira
I open Raphael’s door to find him still asleep. Good. I go to him and tuck the blankets in around him. Seeing Miguel at La Club was jarring, and then of all things, he tried to kiss me. As though thirteen years haven’t passed between us. I didn’t understand back then what our families being at war meant, now I do, and he acted as though I was just his for the taking.
I kiss Raphael’s head and smile. Miguel can never know about him. I will not let him take my son away from me.
I walk back to the living room, where Sofia is setting up her laptop.
“Thanks again for doing this, Sofia. Arianna offered to send someone to collect the financial reports, but I have to go to the dock anyway to get fresh fish for the bistro,” I say.
Sofia smiles brightly at me. “It’s really no problem. I have to study for an upcoming exam anyway, so I don’t mind the peace and quiet at all. Dom has already gone off to do whatever he does now, so I was alone anyway.”
“Still, thank you. If you can, just make sure Raphael eats all his breakfast and takes his lunch. He catches the bus just down the road, but I don’t like him to walk alone,” I explain to her.
She nods. “That’s easy. I’ll make sure it’s all done. You go, and just be safe, OK.”
I smile and slip on my coat. Grabbing my purse and car keys, I leave the apartment.
As I walk to the car, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and I look around. There’s light traffic from those who get up early to get to the office before dawn, missing the worst of the traffic. Some people on the pavement are talking in quiet voices but nothing else to cause alarm.
I climb into my car and am about to start it when there’s a knock at my window, causing me to jump out of my skin. I hear my cousin’s low chuckle and roll my eyes before I open my window. “Dominic Sorvino, you could have given me a heart attack.”
“I dropped Sofia off and decided to hang around to accompany you to La Club. It’s where Arianna is working on the reports.” He grins at me mischievously. “Good to know you’re on your toes, though.”
I roll my eyes again. “Will you follow me?”
“Yeah, I’m parked right behind you. I’ll follow you there,” he says, walking away.
“You’re still an ass,” I call, then realize the time, quickly start my car, and pull off with a slight giggle. Hopefully, I didn’t disturb anyone’s sleep.
Dominic and I arrive at La Club, and he opens the door for me to get out. I left the reports in my car overnight, so I grab them off the back seat.
The bodyguard at the door lets us both in. The club is silent and a bit eerie. This place is normally pumping, but I know it closed about an hour ago. The staff is still cleaning up, wiping down bars and tables, and mopping the dance floor, and I hear someone complain loudly from the bathroom. No doubt someone threw up the little food they had in their stomach.
Rather them than me, I’m glad I work at the bistro.
We walk into the office where Arianna sits at a computer with piles of papers around her. She smiles at me. “Hey, I still can’t believe you’d get up at this hour to bring me reports.”
“As I said, I had to get up anyway. Today’s specials are fish based, and I need fresh catches. I’m going to be competing with all the other restaurants this morning at the dock.” I hand her the paperwork and stand back. “If you need anything else, just give me a call and let me know.”
“This should be perfect,” she says as she flips through the paperwork. “You’re really thriving over there. I’m so glad.”
The door behind us opens, and Carmine comes in with some coffee. “Hey guys,” he says with a grin, handing a coffee to Arianna and then one to Dominic. “You want one, Kira?”
“No thanks, I’m trying to cut down on caffeine.” I smile. “And I have to be off, you guys have a fabulous day, and I’ll chat with you later.” They all bid me farewell before I leave and go to my car. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing again, and I glance around-just the usual amount of people going back and forth, regular traffic. I give myself a mental shake.
I climb into my car and drive toward the dock.
Once there, I park, get out and look around again. The sun is just about to rise, and I see several people walking between various fishermen to inspect their goods. I hurry along, not even locking my car.
I take the list out of my purse and smile as I approach the first area. A fisherman is packing out fish on ice, displaying his catches.
“Beautiful tuna,” I say, inspecting the large fish, “I’ll take this one and this one.” I point to two of the fish. “For The Italian.”
“Delivery, or will you take it now with you?”
“Delivery, please,” I say. “Do you have any sole?”
“None today, but Freddie got a haul of some decent-sized ones at the end.”
I smile at the man. “Thanks so much.”
I hurry along the dock and pause at another fisherman. I pick out ten lobsters and ten crabs for delivery and pause. I feel itchy, as though I’m being watched. I look around, but most people are engaged with the fishermen.
I shake it off and head toward the fisherman at the end. “Freddie?” “That’s me, love.” He gives me a toothy grin.
“Excellent. Can I see your sole please?”
As he’s packing out his catch, I glance around. Down the wharf, two burly men casually walk down toward me. They are wearing jeans and coats, and their beanies are pulled down, so I can barely make out their faces, but I know their eyes are boring into me.
Once I’m done with Freddie, I walk to the other end of the dock, past the men, and up again. I glance back once to see they’ve changed direction and are walking after me.
Nope.
I’m outta here.
Something is wrong.
I hurry toward my car, trying not to break out into a run, so they don’t realize that I know they’re following me. I fumble for my keys before remembering I hadn’t locked my car. I hurry to get in and shut the door. I lock the doors just as the two men reach the vehicle. One knocks on the window while his companion stands guard.
“I can’t help you,” I say loudly as I get the key into the ignition and start the car. The starter turns over, but the car does nothing else. I try again and again until the guy knocks again. “Trouble with your car, miss?”
“I’m fine,” I say, panicked. I grab my purse to rummage for my phone when the window behind me smashes, and I scream. A hand reaches in, unlocks my door, and yanks it open. I scramble to the other side of the car, but an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back.
I scream again, but if anyone hears me, they pretend not to. People don’t get involved in family business down here.
I’m pulled away from my car and carried to a black SUV with tinted windows. They throw me into the back, and one of the men climbs in with me. I cower on the floor of the SUV. As his partner starts the car to leave, the one in the back grabs my hands and starts to tie a cable tie around them.
“Please, my cousin will pay handsomely if you let me go. Please don’t hurt me.”
“We aren’t going to hurt you, Miss Sorvino. Our boss just wants a little chat.”
He pulls out a black sack, and I shake my head, but he gets it on easily enough and then binds my legs.
“Sit tight. It’s a bumpy ride,” I hear his muffled voice.
Miguel
I sit in the chair overlooking the city. Dawn slowly creeps up to the east, and the twinkling lights of the buildings fade away as the sun bathes the city in light.
I haven’t slept…again.
This time it was because my night was filled with thoughts about how I’m going to approach Alessandro. How I’m going to handle this when he finds out his sister has been taken by another family?
Lyle sent a text message a while ago to tell me they had her. They had followed her to La Club, where she was with Dominic, and then she left, and they had tailed her, picking her up at her next destination.
I bring the lit cigarette in my hand up to my mouth, and I take a deep drag. It’s a terrible habit, really, but one I mostly indulge in when I’m stressed.
The door behind me opens, and I hear scuffling as Lyle and Jarred come in and drop a heavy object on the floor behind me. I stand and drag the chair I’m sitting on to the center of the room.
“Put her on there,” I say, stepping back.
They lift her onto the chair, and I eye her out.
“Untie her feet and take the sack off. Let’s take a look at the precious Arianna Sorvino,” I say.
Her muffled voice comes from the sack, “Who?” I frown and walk forward and rip the sack off.
Kira looks up at me defiantly. Before she can say anything, I turn to my cousins and roar, “This is not Arianna Sorvino! This is Kira Sorvino!”
“She’s exactly as you described her, Don Rossi,” Lyle says defensively. “And she went to La Club with Dominic Sorvino and everything.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers. “I can’t expect you two to do anything, can I?”
I put my cigarette out in a nearby ashtray and light another, inhaling deeply and staring at Kira.
“What the hell am I doing here, Miguel?” she demands to know.
“It’s Don Rossi to you,” Jarred seethes, and I don’t correct him.
Kira snorts, “So because you’re a Don now, you think you can take whoever you want from the streets? Don Sorvino will not stand for this.”
I watch her carefully. I don’t particularly want to be near her, not after how she left me, but I know she matters a lot to Alessandro. She matters almost as much as Arianna.
I don’t know what to do. My emotions are running high, and I can’t think straight. Mostly, I want to let her go so she’s not near me. Being in her presence is intoxicating, and it brings back memories I don’t want to remember, feelings I don’t want to feel.
I lift a hand to wave her off, but she spits at my feet. “If you think
I’ll do anything for you, you’ve got another thing coming.”
That coldness in her voice, that resentment and hatred, it’s so clear that I find I can immediately shut off my own emotions. Coldness replaces my confusion when I’m around her, and I tilt my head to the side and chuckle. “It’s fine, cousins. She’s right. She does mean a lot to Don
Sorvino, enough for us to continue with our plan.”
“Should we leave her here with you for now?” Lyle asks, shifting awkwardly. He can sense the tension between the two of us, and he doesn’t like it.
I shake my head. “You can untie her and release her into the guest bedroom. Nothing she can do from there. Then come back so I can tell you how to send a message about her to the Sorvino family.”
I watch as my cousins cut the cable ties holding Kira’s feet and hands together, and then they each take an arm and lead her toward the guest room. I turn to face the city again.
The sun is high now, and the city has lost its magic. Now it’s just another grimy, industrial city with a section of trees just visible in the distance: Central Park, one of my favorite places as a child.
Of course, the park is enormous, but it’s surrounded by the concrete jungle of apartment buildings and office blocks. The roar of the city rises as traffic congests, and more people join the pedestrians on the sidewalks.
Most people would find the view dizzying if they were not used to heights, but New Yorkers are used to it. We love being on top of the world because we are just that, on top of the world. Everyone wants to live here, work here, and be here. New York is an experience, a culture shock, and it will be all mine to rule over when I dethrone Alessandro Sorvino and pull all other families under my rule.
Lyle and Jarred come back. I hear their footsteps and turn around. “Have the kitchen make her something to eat. We should, of course, show common courtesy to our enemies. It’s what is done. Lyle, you stay. Jarred, you go organize that.”
Jarred leaves, and I turn to Lyle. “Did she have a car?”
“It’s down at the docks. We had to smash the back window to get in to get her,” he explains.
“Okay, see if you can get it and drop it off at one of the warehouses.
Then I want you to send a bike messenger to La Club with a message for
Alessandro.”
I lead him into my office and sit down at my computer. I pull up our family letterhead on the screen and type a letter underneath it.
Don Sorvino,
By the time you’re reading this, you may already be concerned for the welfare of your cousin Kira. She is safe in my custody for now.
Should you try and retaliate against my family again, she will no longer be enjoying the hospitality of the Rossi family.
We need to meet for negotiations for her trade.
I prefer to meet in neutral territory: one guard each, no other guns allowed.
Should you agree to this, send word with a messenger to my casino on Seventh Avenue, a stamped envelope marked for my attention.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Don Rossi
I print that off, and as my printer clicks and clacks, I look at Lyle, “Make sure it gets at least into his sister’s hands at La Club. She’ll ensure that it gets to him. Do not go yourself. They will kill you instantly.” I pull the sheet of paper out the printed and fold it neatly. I tuck it into an envelope and seal it. I pick up a stamp on the side of the table, ink it on an ink pad, and stamp the Rossi family symbol where the envelope seals.
I hand it over to Lyle and nod. “Be quick, so you can get her car before the family does.”
“What are you going to do with her while you wait?” he asks curiously.
I give him a look. “Are you questioning me?”
“No, Don Rossi,” he says respectfully, bowing slightly. “I’ll be on my way.”
“Leave Jarred here. He can stand guard in case she tries to escape.
Sorvino’s like to try their luck at the best of times.”
Lyle leaves my office, and I realize my cigarette has burned out in the ashtray. I take another and light it. Sitting in my high-backed chair, I contemplate what I’m about to do.
I should contact my father and seek his advice, but at the same time, I want to demonstrate to the family that I am solid in my decisions and that they are good decisions.
I take a drag on the cigarette before I get up, balancing the cancer stick between my fingers and pouring myself a glass of whiskey neat.
I sit back down and sip the whiskey with a sigh.