Affirmation (13 page)

“Good, you bow. That is the first sign of respe
ta
. See,
a dummy can learn
.”

Sergio’s face twisted into a mask of pain and he
croaked a defiant, “Fuck you!”

“Tsk, you speak!” Giuseppe’s fist struck the insolent youth again and he
toppled
over. “Get him up!”

Lou sighed, he could not stand around and witness Giuseppe batter the kid, nor could he usurp Giuseppe’s authority. Interrupting Alfonzo wasn’t an
option;
however there
was
another
guest
with the power to intervene
before Giuseppe killed the kid
.

Nico.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Alfonzo shared a dance with his mother. “You look beautiful mama,” he said as he held her hand and led.

She smiled at her son. He looked happy and she thanked the saints for bringing joy to their family once again. “Thank you. I am very proud of you.”

The song
the live band
play
ed was
his mother’s favorite
by Celia Cruz
. He wanted to make her proud, he always hoped one day he would, but he never thought he’d ever see the day. “
Thank you mama for everything
. Te amo.
”

She waved a hand, “De nada, I do what a mother should.”

He looked very handsome in his midnight tuxedo.
A Latino James Bond, she mused. Yes, she was very proud of the man he’d become.
The life thrust upon him was not what she wanted for her son, but this was his destiny and she preferred life over death.

He swirled her around and
she
laughed
. He
led her back to Bruno who danced with Bianca and his mother
’s
face glowed more. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and put out his hand to Alberti’s widow and she took it and said, “I am honored.”

Alfonzo grinned
.
“That’s supposed to be my line.”

“There’s no male female delineation for the truth.”

“And why are you honored?”

Bianca placed her hand on the handsome man’s shoulder,
and Alfonzo took her by the waist. T
hey danced to the Latin music
and he liked seeing Alberti’s widow smile
.
It warmed him inside.

“It is always an honor to dance with a gentleman.”

“Is that what it’s called when a man
’s
polite?”

Bianca’s hips swayed as if she
had
shared slow dances with Alberti her entire life. “Polite men are rare,
and that makes you a rarity
.”

Alfonzo wanted to laugh. The way in which she spoke reminded him of Alberti. They must have made an awesome pair. He danced a few more bars with the lovely woman and
slyly
halted beside
Martin Scheppe
who danced with Selange. “May I cut in?”

“Sure," Martin bellowed and released Selange’s hand
when he saw Alfonzo’s partner. She’s the woman he asked Alfonzo about earlier and he tried to conceal his excitement when he asked if she wanted to dance.

Bianca agreed.

The men exchanged partners.

“Slick,” Selange whispered when
Alfonzo pulled her
to his chest. They’re movements w
ere of lovers, unlike the customary dance he shared with others.

He peered down. “You know me too well, babe. That’s why you and I are
a
perfect fit.”

“I agree.”
She started to
laugh
and her eyes smarted.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m still thinking about what Allie said this morning.”

“Oh, yeah.” He chuckled, “She has the nose of a hound.”

“
Kids seem to sniff
when
parents
ha
ve
sex.”

“Thank goodness she didn’t
bust
in our
bed
room last night,” Alfonzo commented as the sounds of revelry continued around them. “We may have
caused her to go blind.
”

“
S
he
would
put our business in the street
. The girl has acquired a very f
resh mouth
. S
he
told Nana she was
old
.
”

“My angel
, for real
?”

“
Your angel isn’t
so
innocent
.”

“She gets it from her mama.”

Selange
pinched
his
triceps
and they were hard.
The man didn’t flinch
,
“And what does she get from you
r
smart-ass
?”

The arrogant grin appeared
.
“
The hell-raising charm
, of course
.”

“That’s for sure.”

There wasn’t a tense muscle in Alfonzo’s body.
The evening festivities were winding down and he had a wonderful time. Soon, they would toss her bouquet and get the hell out of there to fuck without disturbance. He was eager to go now.

This is what he loved
. Normalcy
and these
simple moments made him happy.
It was nice just to have an easy communication with his wife. The games he played in business were necessary strategies to keep his associates in line. With her, he didn’t need to do any of that. He could be Al, and just relax.

Jessica and Emilio danced nearby and his cousin wagged a finger at Alfonzo, “Treat her good.”

“I plan to prima and you do the same for my man Emilio.”

“Emilio isn’t complaining, are you papi?” Jessica asked.

Emilio smiled, “No, mami. I’m good.”

Alfonzo nodded. They did seem happy. He preferred Emilio d
id right by his cousin and marr
y her,
but not everyone believed in marriage. Whatever, worked for the couple, worked for him.

Alfonzo spotted
Lou enter
ing
the tent
. He looked
around
and walked to where
Nico and Ari were
talking. Lou
said something that made Nico high-tail it out of there.
Alfonzo exhaled,
the sense of serenity just couldn’t last, not with his crazy ass family!

CHAPTER T
HIRTEEN

Sergio stayed down. He refused to get up. The fluffy strands from the area
rug
were soft on his bruised skin. Blood trickled from his lip and he pushed his face down into the natural fibers willing the pain away.
The hurt failed to end and he choked a sob, feeling like a bitch for giving in.

Giuseppe sat on the sofa and sucked his teeth. The young man talked shit and couldn’t fight worth a damn. What sort of Giacanti
was he
?

“
I do not believe you are Vincent’s son. You are a disgrace
!” He spat as the sorry ass punk drew his knees in a fetal position moaning like a
cow
giving birth. His cell vibrated and he
rummaged through his suit pocket to retrieve the thing. Another nuisance call from Tolo brought a grumble, “Cosa?”

“
E’ lei. Ho trovato la donna.”

Giuseppe was on his feet, “Dove?”

“Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.”

Giuseppe stepped over Sergio’s squirming body
.
“I am on my way. Do not let her out of your sight. Mi hai sentito?”

“Sí.”

Finally, Tolo earned his money. Shanda was found. He put on his jacket and yelled for the men to toss his useless cousin out on the road
. They were about to carry-out his order when Nico burst through the door.

“Cugino what the fuck is going on here?” Nico exclaimed once he took in Sergio’s condition.

“The
cazzo thought he could bypass primary school and attend the university. He learned he is not fit to sit in
a
class
with
me!”

Nico found nothing humorous about
Giuseppe’s heavy handed tactics.
The moans coming from his nephew told Nico the kid wasn’t dead. He strolled over to Sergio and knelt
to examine his condition
. There were bruises
on his arm and
face
. Bo
th eyes were swollen shut
and he had a split lip
. He had the shit beat out of him, that’s for sure, however he’d live. “Can you stand kid?”

Sergio tried getting to his feet and puked on the floor.

“
Giuseppe
what the hell is wrong with you?” Nico glowered at his
brute of a
cousin. He took Sergio by the arm and helped him over to the sofa.

Giuseppe gave a mocking laugh from the door, “I don’t like shit coming into my home!”

Nico
retort
ed,
“This is not your home Geo!”

“
Location is irrelevant. Mi famiglia is here, and it is home cugino. This
piece of dung has no respe
ta.
He
comes unannounced
and uninvited
to my brother’s celebration
and
it
offend
s
me,
cazzo lui!
”

“This is
Vincent’s
son and you say fuck him.
Did you bother to ask him why he's here, cugino?”
Nico pointed to
one of the guy’s
, “Get ice and a towel.”

Giuseppe had his hand on the doorknob, watching Nico’s concern with amusement. “You make a good woman, cugino.
I didn’t ask because I do not care. He is trouble!
”

“
The name-calling will get you an
ass
-kicking by this woman!
”

The remark received a scoff, “Should I remind you Nico of our last encounter. Who had their ass whipped then?”

Nico had
enough
of Giuseppe’s bull-shit. The man was a bully; he’d been th
is
way
since childhood. Nico
stood and marched to his cousin and said, “
You cocky sonovabitch. I
let you win!”

                               
****

Alfonzo excused himself and stepped outside to the night. The illuminations in
the sky put a yellow spotlight on the grass. His steps were trailed by security and he didn’t need to turn to know this, it’s the requirement of a Capo de tutti to have protection everywhere he went. There were exceptions and Alfonzo drew the line at the private areas of his home where he relaxed with his wife and kids.

He spotted Giuseppe emerge from the guest house and get into a car. If Giuseppe was leaving, it could only mean that Shanda was found. He quickened his pace as he checked his pockets for his cell. Shit, he’d left it upstairs earlier today!

Alfonzo reached the car just as it stopped at the security gate and ta
pped on the window. When it rolled down, he stuck his head partially in. He noticed the specks of blood on Giuseppe’s shirt
.
“Where are you going big brother?”

“I have an important meeting. Enjoy the honeymoon fratell
in
o.”

“Does this meeting have anything to do with Shanda?”

“
That is
not your concern
.
”

Alfonzo opened the door and slid inside.
H
e and Giuseppe had become brothers long before learning of their biological connection. Beneath the wise-cracks and short fuse, Giuseppe cared about his family. In fact, he cared so much he’
d kill first and
ask
question
s
after
the body was p
laced
in the gr
ound
.
Giuseppe’s
impulsivity
had begun to
affect
his business
es
and
at times
put
a
strain on the family. The situation with Shanda further exacerbated his brother’s ill temper.