AWAKENING (29 page)

He
picked up
his head then let it fall again into the super fluffy padding. He tried to think about something else. Tomorrow was Allie’s birthday. His
nina
was turning four, believe it? Damn, he still
remembers
when she was a little runt of a baby, sleeping the days away without a fuss. He sighed, the one Angelina, geez, she cried for nothing. He chuckled, like her mom. Damn,
crybabies
–both of them.

He closed his eyes and for a moment he thought it, a strange and wishful dream. Those blue eyes had yet to dim and he wondered…what if? He chased it away, blowing at it, “Nah, how is it possible?”

Then, the thought reappeared in his mind and he sat upright and snatched his laptop from the nightstand and did some research.
He sat there reading
information on genetics and twins. What he
learned gave him an awful ache
, because for a dude with a master’s degree he didn’t know squat
. There’s no twin gene. Twins can be a result of hyper ovulation and twins do not skip a generation or because you are a twin, doesn’t guarantee you
r
children will be twins
. These
are only a few of the facts he learned in his Google research.

Alfonzo frowned, hot damn!

Why hadn’t he considered getting a paternity test?

Why?

Because he was angry, that’s why.

There was a strong possibility those babies were NOT Nico’s.

He picked up the remote and flicked on the television.
CNN,
was his favorite news program. They gave an international news report. He lay there listening to weather, politics and a brief mention about the murder of
federal agents guarding a witness.
One of the agents killed was C
hristopher Hernandez
.
Alfonzo frowned, Franky.
He guessed it couldn’t be helped.
The man was on the wrong assignment, at the wrong damn time.

Three hours later, he finally slept, but it was a fitful sleep and in his dreams he sought the truth.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Giuseppe stood over Alfonzo staring down at his cousin laughing. He had his leg outstretched, clutching the pillow, snoring and mumbling incoherently like a deranged man.

Giuseppe slapped the soles of his feet, “Wake-up,
cugino
!”

Alfonzo bolt upright, his eyes focused, noticed Giuseppe and he groaned, “What time is it?”

“Time to wake-up
!
”

Alfonzo rubbed his eyes, the broad shoulders, one side covered with tattoos on display. “Ah,
you
’re
mess
ing
with a sleep deprived man.”

“We go for coffee,
and
you find energy. Come on
.”

Alfonzo climbed out of bed, stretched then dropped and did
fifty
push-ups. By the forty-sixth one, he had the blood pumping and Giuseppe smiling at his back.

“Do fifty more then you impress me.”

“Not trying to impress your dumb ass,” Alfonzo said sideways as he put a hand behind his back and did a
set
of one arm push-ups.

Giuseppe sat on the bed and lay back, “Let me know when you finish prancing.”

After a series of crunches, Alfonzo leapt to his feet and went to shower. Sleep gone.

Giuseppe had fallen asleep and Alfonzo laughed, “Who’s sleeping now, huh? Get the fuck-up!”

“Not sleeping.”

“Hell you weren’t,” was the retort from Al
fonzo as he dressed.
“
H
ow’s things Geo?”

“
Buono
.
And, how are things with the cheater wife?”

“
Bueno
, we’re good.”

Giuseppe sat up, his large frame seemingly expanding at this, “Good, how can things be good?”

“They are. We’ve come to an understanding.”

A broad smile creased the masculine face, “You fucked her, no?”

Alfonzo didn’t answer.

“You like pain, eh
cugino
?”

Alfonzo
slipped the white-short sleeve V-neck shirt over his head. His toned arms were visible. “
It de
pends on the
type of
pain.”

“You
cugino
are hopeless when it comes to her.”

“Sure am.”

“Eh,
then
fuck
her brains out
and be happy
. Don’t let Nico near her, or you two may find yourselves in a who fucks Selange better contest.”

“Alright
,
Geo,
shut the fuck-up with the
wisecracks
and fess up with what’s going on in your
shitty
part of the
world?”

“Eh, do not degrade our motherland
, she is good to me. She doesn’t screw behind my back.”

“She’s not flesh and blood
Geo,
of course you know that right?”

“She is to me.”

“You’re touched.”

“Funny, this is what everyone says about you.”

“Then I guess we’ve got the Giacanti crazy gene.”

“Um.”
Giuseppe took the opening, “Nico is Alberti’s son, did you know this?”

“What?”

“It’s a long sad story of love and loss, but in the end we are related by blood to the bastard.”

This information fostered the urgency for a DNA test of the twins. Nico was his first cousin and this caused him pain
. His mind automatically remembered Vincent and wished he had known this. It explained the brotherhood he experienced with the man and pain changed to sadness. “
Vin
was like my brother, you know?”

“Yes,
cugino
.
I hurt because he was the better of the two. Vincent would have never betrayed you like his shit of a brother has.
I
grieve over his loss and now I must do it again over the passing of a friend.”

A
lfonzo
zipped up his pants then sat on the edge of the bed to don
socks
. The tone in Giuseppe’s voice changed to false sincerity when he spoke of the friend. Alfonzo cast a questioning glance in his direction, “
You
expedited the inevitable,
huh?”

“
I had no option.
”

“What
did
this friend do?”

“
Talk
to the DSS about
our family business
.”

Alfonzo’s ears twitched, “Did you dig the
grave
deep?”

Giuseppe smirked. Ah, he loved his cousin.
“Yes,
cugino
.
He is mixed with the excrement of the earth as fertilizer.”

Alfonzo slipped his feet in the soft black leather shoes. “Fucking-A!”

“We
understand the way, you and I –except she is your weak spot and you must fuck her to submission.”

“Geo, every man
has
a weak spot even you
, and what’s this shit you got in your head about women
,
k
inda
’ sadomasochistic
, don’t you think?
”

Giuseppe puffed out his broad chest, “No,
weak spot
i
n me. Yes, my woman must understand I am
boss.” He
grabbed his crotch, “This is my paddle I beat her with until she does everything I say.”

“
E
go is your weakness, primo.
Can’t wait ‘til a boss chica squashes it,
and then
we’ll see who’ll do the submitting
.
Guarantee
,
you primo, you’ll eat pussy anytime she cocks open her legs. That’s how hungry you’ll be.”

The smile became a sneer, “Not funny
,
cugino
.”

Alfonzo slapped the back of his cousin’s head
playfully
, “Ah,
what part offends the great Geo, eating pussy or submitting?”

                                     ****

The entire Diaz clan converged upon the sprawling island estate. A colorful giant slide, a clown, a miniature pony and other games filled the lawn on the opposite of the house, far away from the pool. There were sensors on the pool. However, with the many children on the property, Alfonzo insisted it
was
covered and post
ed
a guard to monitor the area at all times. He wanted no tragic accidents on his daughter’s special day.
He wanted everything perfect for his angel.

Small children squealed happily, running around to nowhere, enjoying the wide open space.
He stood by Selange’s side as pictures were taken with the birthday girl and her pony shaped cake. Yes, she loves ponies. Before that it was cuddly bears and before that purple butterflies, oh yeah with sparkly wings. Nana Maria beamed proudly as did tia Carmen as the little girl blew out her candles then jumped from her frilly chair at the huge pony table, Alfonzo ordered and clapped pleased with herself.
“Happy Birthday
…m
e!”

“
Feliz
Cu
mplean
os
…
Aldonza!
” Everyone applauded and the
family
party got under way.

Alfonzo and the men sometime during the face painting, pony rides and stuff, gravitated inside the house to the beer
and large screen to watch sports
. Alfonzo was laughing at a joke Giuseppe made about the shape of Domingo’s head when Shanda strolled
in,
strutting harder than usual. He grinned when Giuseppe took notice and followed with his eyes the
hot
chocolate
approach
.

“Alfonzo, Selange asked if you can get the large serving bowl down from the top cabinet.” She said, stopping right in front of the men to give them a full view of her betty-
boops
.

Alfonzo jumped to his feet. Shanda was shameless. He supposed she had
her tentacles set on Giuseppe and planned to go hard with the flirtations.
Poor Geo.

He heard Giuseppe speaking in his broken English to her, “Shanda right?”

“That’s my name.”

Giuseppe was on his feet, towering like a massive building over the woman. “I’m Giuseppe.”

“That’s nice.”

Alfonzo had the bowl in his hand and leaned against the kitchen counter watching the play-by-play with amusement. Domingo decided to join his kids
outdoors;
he didn’t want to witness Giuseppe’s annihilation by the barracuda.

“You like big men?”

“It depends, big in the sack or big pockets?”

“Both.”

“I’d have to see the merchandise first.”

Giuseppe unzipped his trousers, took Shanda’s hand and placed it in his pants, holding it there until her fingers touched his bulging flesh and closed around the impressive organ. Alfonzo ducked his head in disbelief. He would’ve warned Giuseppe about Shanda but thinking about it, maybe those two were a good match.

He decided to take the bowl out to his wife; he didn’t want Shanda’s nasty hand
s
on it. He spotted Selange immediately. She wore her hair in
a ponytail
. It was full and untamed running down her back
, touching her skin. He could see the line of her spine in the long open-back dress. She was smiling and moving among the children and guests. She was the ultimate hostess. She held one side of her dress as she walked across the grass toward his mother
who sat under the shade, the sleeping babies beside her
in dual rockers
. She held a drink out to the woman and Alfonzo saw his mother smile. She always smiled with Selange. She’d liked Selange from the jump.
He wondered if she knew this would be the woman to bring him such joy and misery. He gazed upon the assembly. They were all smiling and happy. His
family was
the light in the darkness, seeing them this way, reconfirmed how important they were in his life. The bad things didn’t make him a bad man, because bad men have no conscience and his
were
tortur
ous ranting’s, at times. Until,
Selange’s hand or kiss silenced it. She loved
him;
he realized he loved her
more
during this trial
.