For Adriano (13 page)

He places his warm hand on my thigh in reassurance, and it spreads throughout my body.

Then he shows me his phone, which reads:
Call Dr. Calderone to remove the microchip from her. It’s probably not transmitting sound; I can’t imagine it is, but to be safe, let’s continue tomorrow morning? She’s also tired.

“Thank you,” I mouth, earnestly grateful for his intervention because I
am
overwhelmed.

James agrees unenthusiastically and lifts his phone to his ear. “Can you come over now?" he says to, I presume, Dr. Calderone and hangs up. “Show her to the private room. Rest and we’ll be with you soon.”

Adriano escorts me to the other side of the floor to the strip club that’s empty and dark.

Holding open the door to the room, he flicks on the lights. And then we’re both observing the king-size bed.

Just as he’s about to speak, James comes in. “We’ll be downstairs if you need us.” And he stands as if waiting for Adriano to accompany him out.

Adriano says, “I’ll be back later.”

Disappointment fills me, shadowed by respite, because this gives me time to reorganize my thoughts alone.

I fall face down on the soft mattress.

James Calderone is my father. There are so many questions swirling around.

A knock sounds on the door after about twenty minutes, and I open it a crack but keep my hand on the lever.

James, Adriano, and the doctor wait for me to let them enter.

James introduces the doctor, “Camilla, this is Marc Calderone, our Syndicate physician and my brother.”

We shake hands, and he eyes me curiously. This is my uncle. He’s an older and thinner version of James. I suddenly have a family.

“Camilla, nice to meet you.” He gestures the length of me, silently asking where I was injected.

I point to my lower back, and he signs for me to lie on the bed.

“I’d like to examine her in private,” Marc requests.

“Adriano can stay,” I comment, and James’s lips set into a hard line. Nine months of being on the run will make a person wary. And I want Adriano to stay.

“We’re both staying,” James answers resolutely.

I lie on the sheets on my stomach, and Adriano sits beside my head, tucking the pillow beneath my cheek.

The hem of my shirt is pulled up to expose the skin on my back. They can see my scars, and I’m sure I’ll be questioned relentlessly about the cause of those marks.

Apparently, Sal placed a bandage over the cut, because Dr. Calderone peels it off, taking dried blood and the residue that was sprayed on and has now hardened with it and tearing the wound. The cut that’s not numb anymore.

“Ah, shit!” I press my face into the pillow and feel Adriano’s hand patting my hair.

Then another hand is putting pressure on my lower back, and searing pain slashes through me.

“Motherfucker!” my muffled yell, and someone else is holding my legs in place.

“Shhh. It’s over, Cam,” Adriano utters and gently strokes my hair out of my face.

I rest with my cheek on the pillow, trying to pull a steady breath into my lungs. Tears drip from my eyelashes, and Adriano wipes them away with his thumb, cupping my face. I cover his hand with mine, and so many unspoken words hang in the air around us.

A throat clears, splintering our moment.

“It’s an implantable microchip tracking device,” James declares, coming out of the bathroom after rinsing the chip off.

I sit up next to Adriano on the bed, and my fingers stroke the gauze on my back.

“It’s just a small incision and will heal without scarring within days,” Dr. Calderone explains.

“Thank you.” I scoot close to Adriano, the heat of his thigh seeping into mine. My body is overly aware of his every move, and I wonder if he feels it too.

James holds out his palm to show a chip smaller than a rice grain, almost as tiny as a seed, and continues, “It’s only GPS. It can’t transmit sound, so we’re safe. Sal hasn’t overheard any vital information. We can speak freely.”

Adriano takes it between his forefinger and thumb and holds it up for inspection. “This is remarkable. It’s not on the market yet. Same goes for that small bomb you got from Club 7. Where is Sal getting these mini gadgets from?”

“A question for later,” James answers and then asks me, “Do you have any belongings we can retrieve for you?”

I shake my head. “I only have my purse and some clothes I left at my apartment.”

“Do you need them?” James probes.

“No.” Every time I moved, I had to leave possessions behind. I traveled as lightly as possible, only holding on to the few tangible memories of my past, which are in my purse.

“Let’s rest now. You can use anything you need from the bathroom.” Adriano rises and returns the chip to James.

I miss the warmth of his closeness, but I tamp the feeling down because I have more important matters at hand.

“We meet tomorrow at eight a.m. in my office.” James looks at me expectantly.

“Okay,” I confirm since he’s expecting an answer from me.

The men leave, Adriano last in line, and he doesn’t even say goodbye, which bothers me immensely.

I lie back down on my stomach.

What’s he been doing these last nine months? Does he have a girlfriend? His uncomfortable behavior is proof that he’s found out things about me. Just exactly how much does he know? From his intense stares, I think he’s also thinking about me now. However, there was also resentment in his posture.

I didn’t even realize how much I’ve missed him until he was standing in front of me. I groan in defeat of not being able to keep my mind from wandering to him. Rubbing my face in the pillow, I try to rid him from my thoughts.

Tomorrow morning, I’m just going to hear them out, and then I can decide what and how much information I can share. What’s in
my
best interest? And how can I help Santino?

I’m the daughter of a powerful criminal
Capo crimine
, more powerful than Sal. This must change my life. I’ll use it to my advantage and bring Fat Sal down. Now I just need a strategy to make sure Santino makes it out alive. My guilt wears me down, and weariness starts to crumble around me as I fall into a troubled sleep.

CHAPTER 14

Adriano

I close the door and leave Cam behind without looking back. If I turn and am confronted with her teary eyes, I’ll stay. And I’m not granted a moment alone with her by James. I’m guessing she didn’t tell him anything about us during their ride.

James, Marc, and I carry on our discussion in James’s office.

“Did you spot any other injuries on her?” James asks his brother as we stand around the chair Cam was sitting in.

“She has significant scarring on her lower back, but they aren’t newly formed.”

“I noticed them too,” James replies with a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“I’ll give her a full physical tomorrow,” Marc offers and buttons his jacket. “Call me when she’s ready tomorrow.” He hesitates before adding, “She resembles you, James.”

So Marc knows Cam’s his niece.

James doesn’t acknowledge his words and waves him off.

“Sal’s obviously up to something,” James says to me as he leans back against his desk.

“He’s a little too interested in our organization.”

“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” He glances away in thought. “What’s going on in her head?”

I had the distinct impression she was being truthful so far. Yet, she’s also holding something back. “I think she’s told part of the truth and is waiting to see how much she can trust us. There’s a past between her and Sal, and it’s a sordid one; I’m positive.” I comb my hair back with my fingers.

He regards me before asking, “What’s between you two?”

Not even we can define what it is between us. It’s electrical. It’s undeniable. There’s always a mysterious pull when she and I are in a room together. But I have no answer for that loaded question.

“We were close friends, but she held back about her past,” I provide him with a response and try to divert the conversation away from us.

James grips the edges of his desk. “I agree that her past must be sordid. We already know she worked in the fight and sex club. I’m starting to wonder if that was by choice.”

“Prepare yourself for her tale,” I warn him. I’ve seen all her scars up close and personal and combined with the way she always used to evade answering questions about her past, I’m certain we’ll learn information we won’t like tomorrow.

He takes a deep breath. “What do I do? You know her best. What do you think she wants?”

I do know what Cam wants. Or at least what Cam wanted nine months ago. “Have you told Alessa about Cam?”

“Yes, I told her when I first found out.”

“Take her to your home. Introduce her to your family. What she wants most is a family, a sense of belonging. I always got the feeling she felt lost and alone, although she’d never show it; she’s tough and resilient. We need to show her she can trust us, that she can trust
you,
so she’ll spill everything,” I advise him in good conscience.

Cam was the first woman to ever awe me when she wouldn’t take my shit anymore. My constant seeking her out, then pushing her away. She’d always handle any situation with dignity, not screaming or yelling or demanding time. She was intelligent enough to give me the same treatment so I’d come running back. A smile tugs at my lips when I remember how quickly I’d mark her as mine when she’d wander.

“How can I gain her trust quickly? Maybe when we discuss everything tomorrow, we’ll let her stay; she can know what’s being said. And I’ll answer her questions. And I’ll also talk to Alessa.” He pauses. “You look exhausted. Go home, Adriano. You did well,
Capo
.
Ma, ricordate, lei è ancora off limits per tutti i membri di questa organizzazione
.” But remember, she’s still off limits for any member of this organization.

I nod, knowing it’ll be difficult to get her alone. James has just inadvertently dismissed me from headquarters by telling me to go home; he doesn’t want me to spend the night here while she’s also occupying a room in this house. He knows me well.

Then, I remember to update James about Luca and Security Simplicity. “I’ll be here tomorrow at eight. Luca’s on his way back, so he’ll be here too. And I haven’t had the chance to talk to Jeffrey since I was interrupted to fetch Cam. I notified him that I’ll be at Security Simplicity with Luca around lunch; we’ll need to be in the Loop by noon.”

“Fine. We’ll try to get as much information as possible from Camilla, and then I’ll also need to talk to her alone. I can’t avoid getting close to her anymore.”

“No, you can’t,” I agree.

Seeing Cam again and knowing she’s close-by has my body on alert. I’m battling with myself not to go into her room and hold her, comfort her. Help her process accepting that James is her father. Yet, I also want to throttle her for sleeping with another man. It’s best that I don’t see her again tonight.

I can’t refrain from doing one last thing, however, and I quietly exit the house after finishing my task. This has been a long day, and I’m really looking forward to my own bed.

CHAPTER 15

Camilla

I’m in the exact same position that I fell asleep in hours ago when my eyes open at seven a.m. sharp, according to the clock on the wall.

I have a father who is the
Capo crimine
. After nine months of dwelling on how I want a change, wishing my life had turned out differently; suddenly, my wish has come true. Of course, I’m unsure whether to trust James completely, but with the little bit of information I’ve learned, it makes sense why he’s being unexpectedly nice to me. Italians are extremely protective of their families.

I’m going to take this chance and first, help Santino. Second, my need for revenge against Sal has tripled since last night. I’ve gained a lot in the last few hours, and now I may have a very powerful organization behind me. I’ve lived a life of lows, and I’ll take my chance at making a change. I’ve got nothing to lose anymore. Finally, I need to speak to Adriano openly and alone.

I get up to shower and wince when the cut on my lower back stretches. Surprisingly, that’s the only soreness I feel. Mostly, I want food. I’m starving, having not eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.

I see a flash of white fabric laid out on the edge of the bed: my sleeveless, cotton button-up dress that flares at the hips and falls over my knees. It’s one of my favorite dresses because it’s lovely and hides the faint scars on my thighs. Tracing the fabric with my fingertips, I remember how Adriano loved this dress on me. I’d left it behind, and he kept it. My heart skips a beat at the meaning of this.

After removing my dirty clothes in which I fell asleep, I stand under the hot stream of water in the bathroom where I’ve spent so many hours with Adriano. Did Adriano also stay in this house last night?

On the sink is a clean piece of gauze, and I replace the old one.

Then I get dressed, nervous to meet James again. He was very distant last night, but so was I.

The house is quiet and dark when I go down one floor to the kitchen – where the light is already on.

James is sitting at the island with his head bent down. He’s dressed in what must be a designer suit like all these Syndicate men wear. He looks sideways at me, and a sad smile covers his face.

“Good morning. You’re up early.” His voice is still heavy with sleep.

“Morning. So are you.”

“I’m always up early,” he comments.

That’s something we have in common then.

“Hungry?” he asks and stands to hold out the other barstool for me.

“Yes, starving.”

“Breakfast will be delivered soon.”

That used to be my task when I worked here. Stocking up and ordering meals for the entire week. For Adriano, I’d order food from his favorite restaurants. Unless he was being distant, then I’d deliberately order food I knew he couldn’t appreciate, which doesn’t give me many options since he eats almost everything – except for peanuts in his dinner. He doesn’t like peanuts in his salads or warm dishes. Funnily enough, he does love to eat peanuts. Just not mixed into a recipe.

I take the seat on the stool.

“Coffee?”

“Yes, please.” I can tell he’s trying to ease the discomfort between us, so I make a true effort too.

James presses a button on the built-in coffeemaker, and the smell of freshly ground coffee beans drifts around the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. I changed the bandage on my back.”

He places the mug in front of me. “You must have questions, Camilla. Feel free to ask them.”

I hold one hand above the warm steam of the brew. “Why didn’t you ever tell me before? When I worked here?”

“I’m not sure. I guess I was waiting for the right opportunity that never came. And it was a hectic year. I’m a selfish man and was at least happy to know that you were safe and taken care of.”

“Did you ever want children?” I fold both palms around the cup.

“Yes, and now I have two. Alessa and I have another daughter, Rosalia. She’s almost twenty-one now.”

I have a sister? Does she resemble me? “Do your wife and daughter know about me?”

“Yes. And they’re looking forward to meeting you.”

His answers are quick and without emotion. “Do you... How do you feel about me?” I dare to ask, uncertainly.

His eyes widen in surprise. James didn’t expect that question. And he straightens his shoulders. “I’m sad that I’ve missed so much of your life. I’m sad you got caught up in Syndicate business without your knowledge. But I’m happy to learn I have a beautiful and obviously strong daughter like you.” The corner of his mouth curls up for half a second.

Taking a sip of the hot coffee, I burn my tongue.

We hear the front entrance door opening, and a moment later, a blonde woman comes in with breakfast.

“Set it up in my office,” James instructs her, then turns to me. “Follow me up? We’ll continue upstairs.”

When we’re about to climb the stairs, Luca and Adriano arrive in the foyer.

Adriano automatically seizes my attention when he comes into a room. A tingle in my lower belly flares to life when I gaze at him in his black dress pants and white dress shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, his black wavy hair beautifully disheveled, as always. I detect a secret smirk when he looks at the dress I’m wearing.

Luca takes a step toward me in his grey three-piece suit. “Camilla, it’s good to see you’re okay.”

It’s been nine months since I last saw Luca. That was the night Fallon, his girlfriend at the time, and I tried to escape this house. I was in contact with her until a couple of months ago. She helped me out moneywise for a while. But when her own troubles arose, I couldn’t take her help anymore and left. I wonder how Fallon is. Are they together or apart?

“Thank you.” Luca and I were friends while I worked here. And I do think he knows the extent of my relationship with Adriano. He actually reminds me a lot of Adriano, only Luca is more serious and has bright green eyes as opposed to Adriano’s dark brown ones.

“We were just going to my office,” James announces and leads the way.

Adriano passes me toward the stairs, and I stop him by his hand. Rising up on my tiptoes, I whisper into his ear from behind, “I need to talk to you alone.”

My touch makes him flinch, and he jerks his hand away but dips his chin once in acknowledgment. “Later,” he mouths and speeds up the stairways.

In James’s office, the blonde finishes placing fruit and breakfast sandwiches on the desk.

She greets Luca and Adriano sweetly, a little too sweetly. They both mutter a hello under their breath when another man enters. I’ve also seen him around here, but I never knew who he was. He could be James’s age and looks completely the opposite of the other three men. While James, Luca, and Adriano walk around in expensive tailored Italian suits, this man walks in wearing a wrinkled brown one.

“Cam,” Adriano introduces him when he sees my astonished face. “I don’t think you ever met Salvatore. He’s our
Consigliere
, our counselor.”

Salvatore gives me a firm handshake and sets his leather briefcase down.

The men each grab a sandwich and sit. James behind his desk, Salvatore and Luca across from him.

Adriano grips the back of two chairs in the corner by the window and easily moves them in front of the desk with the others. Then he hands me – what he knows would be my choice – a
panini
with mozzarella, tomato, and basil. “Eat.”

As I take it, our fingers touch, and he swirls his thumb around on my hand without anyone noticing. “Thanks.” And I bite the soft bread to fill my empty stomach.

Adriano takes two sandwiches and sits to my right.

James wipes his mouth with a napkin and starts, “The four men here are the only people who know you’re my daughter – along with Marc, Alessa, Rosalia, and Fallon, Luca’s wife.”

My head whips to Luca. “You’re married? Congratulations!”

His eyes light up. “Thank you. You’ll see Fallon later.”

I’m excited about the prospect of seeing another familiar face. I felt connected to Fallon from the start.

James continues, “Everyone is caught up. They know we’ve removed a chip from you. It’s right here in my desk and will stay here. But now, we need to know the entire story of why you were on the run and what your past with Sal entails. There’s much more to your story, isn’t there?”

He’s smooth and quick to get to the root of my story, so there’s no need to deny; I’m sure Adriano has also already figured some things out.

“There
is
more. It’s... It’s difficult for me because I have to take a huge leap of faith. In essence, I don’t know any of you,” I say.

“We are your family now. You are my daughter and under my protection. Do you know what that means?” James asks.

I shake my head and take another huge bite.

“You are a Mafia princess, Camilla. You are not a Guillermo; you’re a Calderone. And the Calderone Chicago Syndicate is one of the most powerful organizations in the Mafia, which makes you a target as soon as word gets out that you’re my child.”

Hearing James say ‘my child’ makes me feel uncomfortable, but I guess he’s had a longer time to wrap his mind around this situation.

James continues when I don’t respond, “Just like my wife and other daughter, you’ll have protection around the clock. You won’t notice them, and they won’t bother you unless there’s trouble near you.”

“That’s why you already had me protected twenty-four seven when I worked here,” I state.

His eyes narrow.

“Fat Sal told me,” I clarify.

“What happened between you and Sal, Cam?” Adriano prompts from next to me.

It’s a question Adriano asked me often: what happened in your past to get you the scars? A question I’d elude incessantly, but now, I’m ready to speak up.

“Where do I start?” I say.

“From the moment you met Fat Sal until now,” Adriano insists. “Give us the timeline.”

I stuff the last bite into my mouth and methodically relay my entire story. From the day I started working in the dance area of Club 7 almost three years ago, to my captivity for five months. Then how I escaped – omitting a detail here and there or else they won’t help Santino. How I got a job for almost eight weeks before I met James and Luca, and they offered to let me work in the strip club two years ago. I leave out my entire relationship with Adriano. Then how I ran nine months ago after Luca and Adriano caught me escaping this place with Fallon. And how I’ve had no life except for hiding in Iowa, then hiding in the Loop until I was out of options.

They’re all quiet while I speak, and I notice Adriano chewing nervously on his second sandwich when I mention Santino. The tension in the room can be cut with a knife when I finish telling the story of my life these past few years.

Luca and Salvatore don’t look at me. James and Adriano each pin me with a dubious, yet sympathetic, stare.

“Santino helped you escape? Are you sure?” James demands to know.

“Yes, they stopped giving me drugs because I became sick, and that gave me the chance to be lucid enough to escape. My memories are a blur, but Santino helped me.”

“And he didn’t touch you or drug you?” James asks.

This is why I omitted it, because they won’t help him if they know the whole story. That I kissed him, that he drugged me and took me to that podium; those details I haven’t revealed.

“He helped me.”

“That’s not an answer, Cam,” Adriano rebuffs, knowing I’m skirting the question.

I send him an annoyed look, and he just arches a brow in sardonic inquiry. I take the risk and lie, “No.”

James muses aloud to Luca, “Sal found out she worked for me, and that made it difficult for him to snatch her back two years ago. So instead, now he wants to control her by torturing Santino and implanting the microchip. And he said he’d contact Cam? I wonder how he intends to contact her?”

Then he continues to me without waiting for an answer, “You do know that Sal would’ve just killed you and Santino after you provided him with information?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m confiding in you now. I can’t just let a man who helped
me
, rot in there,” I defend. “You know my story. You know what I want. I want Santino out of that hellhole. Then I want Sal to account for what he did to me or else I’ll never be free. I want to stop living in fear. I refuse to do that anymore. Now tell me, who are you exactly? I know you’re the Syndicate, and you sell drugs. What is your relation to Fat Sal though?”

Luca and Adriano exchange glances, and I’m sure they’re communicating without speaking.

James looks straight at me. “I’m going to explain this once. I’m the
Capo crimine
, or boss in English, of this Syndicate. Luca is my underboss. Adriano is my first
Capo
. And Salvatore is my counselor. We regulate, control, and rule all the drug traffic in Chicago. We import and set up illegal trade relations to get our drugs through customs. Every small-time drug dealer gets his hard drugs – heroin and cocaine – from us. All the clubs and the rich and famous here in Chicago are also being supplied by us.”