ATONEMENT (30 page)

“Yes, she’s scary, isn’t she?”

“Not as scary as the big one Marcella, no?”

“
Oooh
, you’re right. Marcella’s scarier.”

She slid down the counter and whispered conspiratorially, “The reason
Marcella
despises
Renalda
is because
she
slept with her husband. Everyone knows but we pretend we do not.”

Selange dipped another strawberry in the thick cream and
took a large bite
. “
Ummm
,
makes sense now
.”

“And Kim-Sung, she
worked as
a
n
escort, which
is how she met her husband.
” She chuckled. “You see, we are a sordid bunch.”

“We all have a past.”

“What about you, what are your secrets?”

The question caused Selange pause. Whatever secrets she had were remaining with the person she trusted most,
Selange
. She shrugged, “Secrets should
remain
secrets, right?”

The young woman
smiled, “My secret is I had a crush on
Matteo
but…” she shrugged, “he fell in love with
Amelda
instead. I
’m happy
for my friend, they are
happy
together
…
with me he would
not
rest.”

Selange snickered, “I don’t doubt it.”

They talked a bit longer and she got the scoop on everybody, even Alfonzo’s step-sisters. The teenage girls were rather famous actresses in Europe
and had
a hit show
with
scores of adoring young fans
. The eldest,
nineteen year-old
Adrianna
was
the wild one
,
Crystalia
reported
. She lived for the spotlight, partied till the wee hours and had a penchant for older men.
Their mother,
Natalie
was
a
movie star
in Italy.
Beautiful and
a
consummate paramour.
Her latest lover
was
a Russian
b
illionaire
.
At this moment she was in
St. Petersburg
filming a movie and
no one knew if she were coming for the wedding. Then again,
Natalie L
una liked to make grand entrances.

She pointed the fork at Selange, “I think you are nice for an American.”

“Well thank you and for an Italian you’re not bad yourself.”

The woman
ate
the last morsel
from her
glass
dish
and smiled, “
Ummm
,
delicioso
!” She washed
the dessert bowl and fork
the
n
joined Selange at the table
and bent over to the newest member of their bunch. The
floral
scent of her body
overpower
ed
Selange’s
super sensitive nose.
“
Be careful of Lucia and
Renalda
.
Lucia
despises you and tonight I heard her say she will get you back for the worms.
”

“Let her try.”

“She has already tried to seduce Nico to get information about you. I saw her.”

Now this piqued Selange’s interest. Or maybe it was jealousy she felt. “What did you see?”

“She was rubbing him down there, asking if he would like company tonight.”

Selange appear
ed
unaffected.
Poker face Nico warned. “
And?”

“He refused.
” She smirked, “She is not the only one who has tried.”

“
You too
?”

“
Not yet, but a
ye
maybe soon. What do
you know about your bodyguard?” She
clicked her tongue
then waved her hand before Selange could answer. “He is
pericoloso
…”

“Perry what?”

“
Pericolos
o
–dangerous
.
Dangerous is sexy to many women but m
en fear him
and
very few
have
actually see
n Nico.
They fear Nico
more than
brother or
his father.”

Selange knew Nico was dangerous, after-all he was an enforcer, aren’t they supposed to be?

“His father was
called
‘
The Butcher
’
. He was once a young
soldato
for the
Giacanti’s
,
they say after the murders he worked for
Leppienza
Toscado
. This is when he got the name of The Butcher. He would cut men’s tongues and hearts from their bodies and was master
ful in his technique. The men would be alive begging he shoot them but he would not. He took pleasure in killing them
slowly
.”

Selange grimaced, “
Ew
!”

“I have heard my father say, Nico is worse. He kills a man in silence. He never speaks and the method of death can be any.
No one sees him
coming, d
eath
is his calling card.
”

Selange frowned, why was
Crystalia
telling her these things
?

Then the question was answered, “
Nico does not guard anyone unless
he has been ordered by a Capo de tutti.”

“My husband?”

Crystalia
snickered, “You are unaware of things,” she looked around, listen
ed,
then certain it was safe to proceed said, “Your husband’s influence here is not as great as in America. He is not of the old ways. Nico’s family are Sicilians, they follow the dictates of the great Sergio Giacanti, they give deference to your husband out of resp
ect for his father Luzo Palazzo, but it is the
Giacanti’s
who are the original mafia family. Lucia and
Renalda
were talking. For Nico to be here,
I heard them say
he
is
under the direction of an Italian descendant of Sergio Giacanti. Nico
,
like
his father would not
be given
a
menial undertaking
to guard someone
, unless the
y are very important
.
You must be important, Selange.
”

Selange remained silent. They did not know. Of course, they didn’t why else would
Crystalia
relay these tales. Luzo Palazzo was a Giacanti. He changed his identity after the massacre, as did his brother Carlo
Dichenzo
,
Amelda’s
father. Both men were dead, direct Italian descendants of the once powerful man on these shores, but a secret she would not share with the well-intentioned gossip.
Alt
hough, what
Crystalia
said
disturbed Selange
. If it was
true about
this Capo de tutti, Boss of bosses so to speak
,
having influence here far beyond her husband’s then that could only mean one thing. This influential Italian descendant could only be one man, Alberti Luca.

Alfonzo told her months ago about Alberti. The youngest sibling of the
Giacanti’s
was not slaughtered as many believe. He was saved and taken to the home of the infamous ‘Butcher’ and raised as his son.
Nearly two decades later, The Butcher’s wife
had twin boys,
Nico and Vincent. Alberti was a man by then, yet just as Alberti
’s
Alfonzo’s and Giuseppe’s blood uncle, he is also by legal definition Nico’s adopted brother. This fact haunted her.

Crystalia
continued
, “You are shocked by these things?”

“A little.”

“I hear Nico is very well-endowed…you know…as they say in America, hung or something like this.”

Selange had to smile, yes he was but Alfonzo
’s chain had ample linkage and he knew how to work it.

“I would like to find out if this is true. I wonder if he likes redheads, what do you
think?
”

“I don’t know you’ll have to ask him.” Selange re
p
lied keeping a straight face, although she truly wanted to say, ‘
bitch
back
-
off
!’

“Anyway, it is late. Remember to be careful of those two.”

With this warning,
Crystalia
sauntered away and soon Selange followed, wondering whether Nico did in fact like redheads.

At the
bedroom door she shared with Kim-Sung
she inhaled a familiar scent and glanced down the dimly lit corridor. It was two in the morning
,
someone else was awake,
and apparently
there were others who could not sleep. The odor c
a
me from one of the rooms
. She
smelled
the scent
every day
growing up in
a
Brooklyn housing project
.
It would drift beneath the doors of her apartment
or an
open window
while
she slept and mingle with the air in the morning when she walked to school. Domingo
reeked
of it at times
; t
he stench
was unmistakable.