Amore (51 page)

“That’s right. Because that’s not your style!
Mae the tease
. That’s your style!” Shae shouted. “You just string him along. Toy with his feelings. Keep him confused and on his knees begging for a chance. Huh, Mae? Like you did Earl, Ray, Eric, Chip!”

“Shut up, Shae,” Marietta clenched her fist.

“No! You don’t even know how fucked up in the head Carlo really is. Every one of you whisper and snicker about him being some kind of animal behind his back. Then throw him a stick for him to fetch and bring back.”

“Shut up!”

“You sure as hell got him convinced he’s a monster. In your little game of tease and catch me, did you ever notice how he is the one left with nothing? And we both know how it feels to have no one. The man can barely touch a woman without being aggressive. Sound familiar?”

“I don’t care! It’s none of my business! And it’s none of yours!”

Shae smirked. “Is that why I saw you in the hall kissing him?”

The invisible band of restraint holding Marietta back snapped. She charged Shae. Neither woman was ready for the sudden eruption of violence. It sent them both crashing into the tallboy dresser. It nearly came down on them both. On the ground they kicked and clawed at each other. Marietta kept trying to gain leverage, to keep her hands on her throat.

Women screamed. Catalina shot up in bed. At first she thought the screams were in her head. She was off the bed and running. Every time she’s ever heard screams in her home disaster followed. From Fabiana’s death, to Mirabella’s collapse in Sicily, the worst always came after a scream. In the hall it only took her seconds to find the door the screaming came from. She threw it open and paused. Shae and Marietta were fighting. All she could see was arms thrashing, legs kicking, hair pulling.

“
Mama mia!
Stop!” Catalina ran inside. She grabbed at Marietta first. Shae was underneath, fighting to get Marietta off her. Catalina tried to pull them apart but it was crazy how wild and strong they both were. “Stop it! Stop!”

Two of the men ran inside. One grabbed Catalina and threw her to the side, and then they both went for the fighting women. They literally had to drag them apart.

“You fucking hypocrite!” Shae shouted at her. “Calling me the whore when you’re the one sneaking around this damn place to fuck Carlo!”

Catalina’s heart seized. She looked to Marietta in shock for a response.

“I’ll kill you, bitch! I’ll kill you!” Marietta battled hard to get to her. Ringo had to tighten his hold on her. But Marietta’s kick landed its mark. Shae was hit in the stomach and gagged with agony. Shae coughed and started shouting in retaliation.

“Tell your family how long you and Carlo have been sneaking around. How you take birth control to keep from getting pregnant. Fool your husband so you can fuck his best friend! Tell them!”

“You fucking liar! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Marietta screamed.

Panic set in and Marietta couldn’t think through what to do next. All she knew was she had to get her to shut up. The men heard Shae. Soon everyone would be in this room. Some things can’t be said or unsaid.

“Shut up! The both of you!” Catalina warned. “Stop it! Let her go!” Catalina said to Eduardo who held Shae by the arms. He did as he was asked. Shae backed up, but she had a wild look in her eyes. One of her earrings was gone. Her face had scratches on the cheeks. Catalina stepped in front of her. “Go in the bathroom. Fix your face.” Catalina said. “Please! You’re bleeding.”

Shae backed away touching her cheek, and then checked her fingers for evidence of blood. She turned and went into the bathroom.

“Go get the Donna. Tell her it’s an emergency. Do not say anything to my brother, Eduardo. This is for the Donna! Do you understand me?”

He nodded and left.

“Let me the fuck go!” Marietta yelled. She bit Ringo on the arm and he howled in pain. He was forced to release her. “I want that bitch out of here now!” Marietta charged for the bathroom door. Catalina stepped in front of her.

“Stop it!” Catalina said. “Calm down.”

“I never slept with Carlo!”

“
Che cazzo dici!
Shut up. Don’t say another word.” Catalina warned. “I’m serious. Stay silent.”

Marietta pulled at her own hair with both hands as she paced away. It looked as if she did so to calm herself, but it was having no effect. She breathed hard and was flushed with anger. Catalina noticed Ringo held his arm. Marietta had bit him hard enough to draw blood.

“Merda!”
Catalina said. “Ringo, go find Zia. Tell her… tell her… tell her I sent you. Tell her she needs to take care of your arm. And listen to me, Ringo. Until the Donna has a chance to deal with this, keep your fucking mouth closed. Domi, none of them need to know about the fight. It’s … it’s women’s business. Okay?”

Ringo was very close to Carlo. He worshipped him. The men knew what an accusation like the one Shae leveled would mean for Carlo. He looked to be relieved to have the orders to not say anything.

“Go!” Catalina pushed him. Ringo walked out holding his bloody arm.

“I didn’t do anything,” Marietta began to cry. “She’s fucking lying.”

“Don’t say anything else. Just wait until Mirabella gets here.
Cavoli!
I need to think.”

“What the hell is going on in here?” Mirabella walked in. Marietta and Catalina both whirled around. The destruction in the room only then became clear to Catalina. She was still reeling from what she overheard. Everything had either been broken on the floor or smashed. A chair was turned over. The sheets were dragged off the mattress. Mirabella closed the door.

“Marietta? Explain this.” Mirabella demanded.

“Stay there. No more fighting!” Catalina warned Marietta. Mirabella walked over to her sister. She took her in her arms and forced a hug on her. Catalina went to the bathroom door and opened it. Shae was at the sink tending to the long scratch under her eye.

“Come out please,” Catalina said.

Shae glanced up at Catalina in the mirror.

“Nothing will happen to you. I swear it. Just come out,” Catalina said. “Mira wants to talk to you.”

Shae did as she was asked.

“I want her gone!” Marietta shouted. “Out of this house! Now!”

“Not until someone tells me what happened,” Mirabella demanded. She let go of Marietta and smoothed back her hair. Her sister refused to look at her. “Talk to me?”

“I don’t know,” Catalina began. “I was taking a nap when I heard screaming. I came in here and they were fighting. It was crazy. Eduardo and Ringo were the first to arrive. They pulled them apart. And then—”

“She’s a liar!” Marietta shouted.

“I don’t lie! Why the fuck would I need to?” Shae shouted. “It is not a lie! I saw you both kissing! You told me about the birth control pills!”

“Fucking bitch!” Marietta charged at Shae, but Catalina tackled her and brought her down on the bed.

“Stop it!” Mirabella shouted. Catalina and Marietta stopped wrestling with each other. “I mean it. Stop it now, Marietta, or I’ll go get Giovanni and Lorenzo and have them sort it out!”

Marietta’s eyes stretched with fear. She pushed Catalina off her and scooted off the bed. “She’s lying on me.”

“I am not!” Shae insisted.

Mirabella turned on Shae. “You are a guest in my home, and my sister’s home. You will either shut the hell up, or I’ll have someone make you be quiet. Do you understand what that means?”

Shae narrowed her eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

“I don’t make threats. I don’t need to,” Mirabella said.

Shae glanced from Mirabella to Catalina, who stood glaring at her. She threw up her hands. “You’re all fucking crazy. All of you.”

Mirabella arched a brow. Shae became silent. Catalina was grateful because she truly didn’t know what else to do.

Mirabella turned to Marietta. “What happened? Talk fast before one of our husbands show up!”

Marietta began to cry and shook her head. Mirabella turned to Shae. “What did you accuse her of?”

“Oh now you want me to speak?” Shae replied.

“Answer me!” Mirabella demanded. “What did you accuse her of?”

“I saw them,” Shae said.

“Saw who?” Mirabella asked.

“Her and Carlo kissing in the hall. They’re having an affair. And she’s been taking birth control pills so she wouldn’t get caught with a baby with two daddies!” Shae spat.

“That’s not true!” Marietta leapt to her feet.

The accusation knocked the breath out of Mirabella. She turned and looked at her sister with disgust, shock, and outrage. If it was true then Marietta would have put Carlo’s life in danger, and her own.

“I swear it’s not true!” Marietta wept. “Please don’t tell Lorenzo that lie. It’ll cost me my marriage. I swear I didn’t do anything. I swear it.”

“Who heard her, Catalina?” Mirabella asked.

“Eduardo and Ringo. Remember, I told you. Marietta bit Ringo. His arm was bleeding. I sent him to Zia.”

“Shit. Oh shit,” Mirabella said. She put her hands to her head. She felt dizzy. “Oh shit.”

“It’s not true!” Marietta swore to them both.

“It doesn’t fucking matter if it’s true!” Catalina shouted. “She said it in front of the men. The accusation alone will get Carlo killed.”

“Killed?” Shae said. “I didn’t mean to—”

“
Sei stupida!
You didn’t mean what?” Catalina whirled on her. “To get him killed? Too late, bitch!”

“Fuck you!” Shae shouted through her tears. “This isn’t my fault. Marietta attacked me. Came in here and confronted me for dating the man. She was the one! Not me!”

Marietta tried to swing at Shae again. This time it was Mirabella who blocked her. She shoved her sister so hard Marietta hit the window with a loud smack.

“Are you insane? Are you?” Mirabella asked through her tears.

“I didn’t do it,” Marietta wept. “I… Carlo and I… we kissed. Once. And not in the hall!” she said the latter to Shae. “I was telling him to not sneak around here with Shae, and he kissed my cheek. Not my mouth. Before then... I was drunk and—”

“And what?” Mirabella yelled.

“And nothing, Mira! You were in the hospital. I thought you were dead. He found me and I was drunk. We kissed. That was it. And for two years nothing has happened between us. He and I are friends. That’s all.”

“And the birth control?” Catalina asked.

Marietta sniffed. “I told Shae because I thought she was my friend. I didn’t want to have a baby. But I do now. I stopped taking them. I told her that too!”

Mirabella looked over at Shae. She looked back at Marietta. She didn’t know what to believe. “Catalina, take Shae to your room. And… uh…”

“I’m leaving. I’m going home,” Shae said. “I don’t want to be here.”

“Oh, I agree. You are leaving. But first we need to clear this up. Make sure that no one breathes a word of it to my husband, and yours!” Mirabella pointed at her sister. “Take her to your room, and then find Ringo and Eduardo and have them come to the room.”

“What are you going to do?” Marietta asked.

Mirabella approached her sister. Marietta could barely look her in the eye. She hugged her and whispered in her ear. “I will always protect you. But I swear to God if you’re lying to me I won’t be able to.”

“I never slept with Carlo. I swear it,” Marietta said.

No matter if it was true or not, Mirabella loved her sister. She wouldn’t let her world be destroyed. “Go to your room and clean yourself up. Then meet us in Catalina’s room.”

She lifted Marietta’s face and held it with both hands. “No more fighting and running your mouth. Don’t say anything. Do you understand?” Marietta looked back at the other two women. “Does everyone understand?”

“Yes,” Catalina said.

“Yes,” Shae said.

“Then go!” she said.

Shae took her suitcases with her. She would change her clothes and fix herself in Catalina’s room. When they were gone Mirabella let Marietta go.

“It’s just me. You have to be honest with me. Did you sleep with Carlo?”

“I swear on our mother I never did,” Marietta repeated.

“Did you want to?” Mirabella asked.

“What kind of question is that?”

“Answer me. Did you want to?”

The look of shock in Marietta’s eyes was all the answer Mirabella needed. “If you ever cross that line it will destroy our family. I can’t control Giovanni, and you can’t control Lorenzo. Not on this. If you care about Carlo, in any way, stop this. Don’t flirt with him. Don’t encourage him. If he’s coming down the hall you go the other way. Do you understand me?”

“I understand. I never will. Never again. I told Carlo I love my Lorenzo. I do love him. I just mess things up sometimes.”

“It’s okay. Lorenzo likes your crazy, remember?” Mirabella smiled. Marietta managed to smile and nod for her. “Don’t cry, sweetie. We’ll fix it. Together. I got an idea. You pray it works.”

Marietta nodded in agreement.