8. Diamonds Don’t Always Shine

EIGHT

Diamonds Don't Always Shine

MILANA

A s promised, Julian was at our door by nine in the morning to bring us to Alessio's home to meet with Josie and Valentina. He wouldn't stop to eat, so I packed up some freshly baked carrot-and-spice muffins to start his day.

Julian was in and out within minutes of dropping us off. Alessio was waiting for him at the door, ready to go. Julian's with Alessio this morning until he comes to get me later. Niccolo is somewhere around, but quickly makes himself scarce when the wedding talk starts.

"I have a schedule set up," Valentina says. "I think we should get the dresses out of the way first." She turns to me. "You're set, but you need to have another fitting. Alicia, the seamstress from the boutique, will be here in half an hour. She's bringing a rack of other dresses for you to choose for the bridesmaids."

"You should choose what you like," I interject. "I want you to be comfortable."

"You should at least pick the colors," Josie adds. "No black, I beg of you. This is a wedding, after all. I don't care about all this sleek, chic stuff. It's a celebration," she enthuses, throwing her hands up.

"What colors do you like?" I ask Josie.

"A royal purple or a sea blue?" she responds.

"Ooh, I love that shade of blue," Valentina says, then adds, "They have to be off the rack. There's no way we can have them made that quickly. I'll call Alicia and have her bring whatever she has in that shade or close to it."

While Valentina sees to making the call to Alicia, Lilliana and Josie look through the dozens of bouquets on the florist's website. "I like this one." Lilliana points to a grand oversized drop bouquet with lovely white lilies and roses. It's beautiful, but far too ostentatious for my taste.

Josie must notice my expression and gently steps in. "It's lovely, but I think that Milana would be lost behind those flowers. The flowers are to enhance the bride. I fear these would be too much."

"Yes, you might be right." Lilliana sighs. I give Josie a small smile and mouth thank you . She returns a grin of her own.

"I like the pale pink roses," I say, then move the cursor to view more options on the screen.

"Pink it is, with maybe some bluebells. That would tie together the dresses nicely," Lilliana says.

"That sounds lovely," Valentina comments. "I think a round bouquet is better suited to Milana than an elongated one."

"I think so too." Josie glances at me. "What do you think?"

"I'd like to keep it simple. I like the round."

"No baby's breath, please," Lilliana pleads, rolling her eyes like this would be a travesty.

I giggle, and Lilliana begins to laugh.

"Get your coffee cups refilled and I'll go check on Nico," Josie says. "Alessio's sisters are keeping him entertained upstairs, but I want to make sure the little devil isn't driving those poor girls to the brink of insanity."

"What are you saying? He's a darling!" Valentina exclaims.

"Sure! That's what he wants you to think. He gives those sweet smiles and snuggles in, and the first time you say no to the little bugger, he becomes the Tasmanian devil, just like in the cartoon. He's stubborn like his father. He can be loud like his father too," she huffs.

"He's also handsome like his father. And he has your heart like his father," Lilliana tells her jokingly.

"Whatever!" she teases as she tosses her hair back. She leaves us behind to chuckle at her saucy departure.

While Lilliana continues to study the screen and drink her coffee, Valentina and I take a break and sit on the sofa to talk.

"Josie's amazing, and she's on your side, you know?" Valentina tells me.

"She's been very sweet."

"Josephine didn't have an easy start in life. Her father was a monster, and if you can believe it, her first husband was worse. She understands the ugliness that occurs in the world we live in. I do too," Valentina says. I can't hide my curiosity. It can't possibly be Niccolo. I've seen him with his wife, and he's so attentive to her needs.

"Are…um…you okay?" I ask.

"I am now. Niccolo helped me to find my way back to myself." Her smile when she talks about Niccolo is endearing. It's rare that you find the wives of Mafia men in love with their husbands. I've been taught from a young age that a woman's job is to do as she's told, and she belongs to her husband. He owns her and can do with her as he likes. If you're lucky, you become a trophy wife and are carted around to show off. In many cases, you're the slave he needs to climb the Mafia ladder. It's nice to see that Valentina is happily married and Josie is completely smitten with Alessio, even though he scares me half to death.

"I was taken, you know. My bodyguard was killed right in front of my eyes, and my friend and I were taken by a gang. They raped and killed my friend. It's an image that I still have nightmares about. Il Destino got me out and brought me home, but I wasn't the same person anymore." She closes her eyes tightly, gripping my hand. "I was so lost." When she opens her eyes again, they're brimming with tears threatening to fall. "I wonder, why did I survive? My family, especially Julian, tried everything, but I just couldn't find peace. The only time I felt safe was when Niccolo was around."

"That's beautiful," I whisper.

"What's beautiful is that he gave himself to me for my peace. That's what Julian is doing for you."

"I'll do everything I can to make him happy. I promise you."

* * *

Julian

I do the rounds with Alessio. I never get to go along with him on business. My job is to keep Josie and Nico safe. I have their security system checked and the codes changed daily. I train all the new soldiers designated to watch his home and do a full background check before they even start. I've even denied a few if I felt they weren't ready for the level of responsibility of guarding the capo's family. It doesn't make me popular, but I don't give a damn about that.

Today, Alessio's been to several of the major casinos we own. The collection payments are due today, and the managers know enough not to fuck around by delaying the deed. Next up are the special meetings. We're on our way to La Scala restaurant, where Alessio asked to have his regular room set up.

"Water, brandy, and lunch," were his orders. When I asked for specifics, he merely smirked and said, "They know what I like."

La Scala is one of our own. The owner, Big Frankie, has a son and two daughters. Their son currently works under my father, and Dad speaks highly of him. We park, and I step out and check out the area. While Jack, our driver, stays with Alessio, I go inside to make sure it's safe for our capo to enter.

"Julian, I didn't know you'd be here today," Big Frankie says when he sees me. We call him Big Frankie because of the obvious: he's a big man. I don't know how he hasn't had a heart attack the way he eats and drinks, though it would be a tragedy if he did, because he's a great guy. I catch his eye and can sense that something's off.

"Hey, man. Been a while," I respond, trying to read his expression.

"Just you today? Where's your father at?" he asks, and now I'm certain that trouble is afoot.

"He's not here?" I pat my jacket. "Shit, forgot my phone in the car. Be right back." I know better than to turn my back as I leave, and my father's training has taught me well. I continue to pretend to search for my phone and catch a glimpse of the kitchen door slightly ajar, with a hand holding it open, but no face that I can make out.

As soon as I get out the door, I pull my gun from my holster to signal Jack, who jumps back inside the vehicle and takes off with Alessio. I race around to the side of the building and text frantically to Niccolo that there's trouble at La Scala. These streets are full of our men, so I'm sure reinforcements will be here soon, but will it be soon enough to save Big Frankie and whoever is holed up in the kitchen?

I text Alessio. Going around back.

Alessio: Stay put.

Me: They got Big F and more.

Alessio: Slow, but go.

I keep close to the side of the building and tread softly. I hear talking just outside the back entrance. They're fucking punk-ass drug dealers.

"They give us what we want, or we kill 'em," one says.

"Whadda we want?" the other idiot says. I peer around the corner. They have no clue I'm here. They're so out of it, I could probably waltz right by them, although I'm not taking the chance.

"The street, stupid. This is our street," the first one shrieks in his face. "And the girl inside. She's a pretty little thing." He licks his thin lips. His scraggly mustache looks like it hasn't been cut since the '70s.

"He ain't giving you his daughter." Maybe the stupid one isn't so stupid, I think.

"Then I'll waste him," his friend returns.

The back door jerks open, and another head pops out. "What the fuck? When's this going to get done? Creeps and me got shit to do." This guy's a skinhead and is tatted all over his scalp. I backtrack and text out another message.

Two inside, two at the back entrance. They got Big F's youngest daughter.

Alessio: Men ready. We take care of the two out back.

I look up and see the building next to this one, and we have two men with guns aimed at the two potheads. I lift a hand to let them know I'm ready. Our soldiers shoot the two potheads; they drop simultaneously, and the back door is yanked open at the sound of gunfire. I nail the skinhead between the eyes, then run through the back entrance to see the last guy bleeding out all over the floor with a cleaver to the chest and Alessio looking pretty smug about his aim.

"You didn't think I was going to let you have all the fun, did you?" Alessio lets out a roar of laughter. I scan the room and see Big Frankie holding his daughter close to his chest, her face buried in it.

"Don't look, sweetheart. Eyes closed," Big Frankie coos. It would be almost comical to see such a big man speaking so sweetly to his young teenage daughter if there wasn't so much blood splattered around the room. Big Frankie catches my eye and jerks his head. "I'm grateful. I knew you caught on. I was just praying the loose cannon over there"—he points to the guy with the cleaver in his chest—"didn't lose his shit before you came back."

"Nah, you did the hard work. The second you mentioned my dad, I knew there was trouble," I tell him.

Alessio interrupts. "This is all very nice, but I've got a lot of questions and no answers." He turns to Jack, "Take his daughter home. Make sure she's not alone. Call Eduardo, her brother, and make sure he stays with her and her sister until her father gets home." He pauses for a second, then adds, "He's a hothead. Tell him on my order, he does not go looking for trouble."

"Yes, Capo," Jack replies.

Big Frankie guides his daughter out of the room, continuing to shield her from the horror that lies before her.

"I heard them talking in the back. Nothing solid, but they wanted the street to peddle their stash," I tell them.

"Anything else?" Alessio asks, bending over the dead man's body and searching through his pockets.

"This guy, they call Creeps. Apropos, don't you think?" I smirk.

"They're all creeps," he replies.

"They wanted to take Cora with them. She's seventeen at most. I didn't like that shit."

Alessio's head comes up. "They said that?"

"Yay, porn-mustache dude out back said they would be taking her with them."

Alessio's lips tighten and his jaw clenches. Il Destino protects their women. With two sisters of his own, he is overtly opposed to the sex slave business. He's also still feeling the guilt of losing one of our women to the gang that destroyed her soul before killing her, and for the damage that it caused to Valentina.

"Who sent them?" he asks, not of me, but he lays it out there. "They're not smart enough to pull this off. These are stupid, radical, senseless men so fucking high that they get caught. Someone's fucking with the family, and I don't like it." I've heard that tone in his voice before, and it's eerie. He's reaching the breaking point. Soon, our army of soldiers will be policing the streets, and all the people we pay off on the force are going to be doing the same.

Big Frankie comes back into the kitchen.

"My office is clean, Capo, if you want to use it. I'm sorry, I wasn't able to get your regular room ready," Big Frankie offers.

"Do not apologize. Thank you for your offer, and I accept." He lets out a heavy sigh. "Julian will arrange for a cleanup crew. Shut the restaurant down for a week. You're renovating. Your daughter shouldn't have to come in and relive the memory of today." As he walks away with Big Frankie, he says over his shoulder, "Niccolo knows who to call. Get the number, make the call, then come find me."

Christ! What a fucking mess!

I make the call, and as soon as I mention a problem, Niccolo tells me to hold on. I can hear him stepping away and opening and shutting a door before he tells me to go on. I give him the dirty details, including where Alessio and I are for the moment and what I need.

"I'll make the call," he says.

"I think he wants me to do it," I state carefully.

He sighs. "Yeah, he probably does." Niccolo pauses. "This is part of your training, Julian. Keep calm and stay sharp." He finishes by telling me he'll send a text with the number and hangs up. With everything arranged and two of our men sitting in the back and two more at the front, and the restaurant firmly shut down, I go down the hall, where I hear Alessio's voice.

I knock before entering. "It's all arranged. I've got men at the front and the back. Jack is on his way back as well." Alessio nods and jerks his head to the empty chair as he leans back in his own.

"What do you make of this?" he asks.

"It could be a couple of scenarios. One, they were fucking high and greedy assholes who were in too deep and didn't know it," I start.

"Or…"

"Or, they were sent on a suicide mission. It comes back to the same question. Who knew this place was on the route for today? Jack was with me when you told us to make plans to settle here for the afternoon. Who else knows?" That's when it hits me: Alessio made plans to meet with a senator, a union representative, and one other manufacturing executive.

It wouldn't be the corporate guy. That deal is all legal shit, and I know firsthand because Dad is involved, and I've heard him talk at great length about how fertile this deal will be for all involved. The senator needs us more than we need him. He's looking for financial backing to push his campaign forward. The only benefit to Il Destino would come if he got reelected. Alessio wants to erect a new hotel and will need a little help circumventing the bureaucratic paperwork that comes with it.

That leaves the head of the union. "Jasper Steely," I say aloud.

"That's my guess too." Alessio drums his fingers on the desk. "Big Frankie confirmed that he turned the senator and Kyle Robbinson, from Meccaways, away when they called, telling them that the restaurant is having an inspection and wouldn't be available today. Steely never called and hasn't shown up."

"Someone got to him," I murmur.

"We'll soon find out," Alessio states, pushing the chair back from the desk. "I'm having Niccolo send out men to find Jasper. We have another matter to deal with." I narrow my gaze, wondering what now. "Nero and Sebastian are about to land with this Barry guy. We have to collect Milana."

* * *

Milana

I have decided that I'm a full supporter of elopements. This wedding planning stuff is exhausting and expensive. When I think of how many homeless we could feed with the money that we've spent, I feel guilty. I'm not against the big-wedding-and-puffy-dress thing if that's what you really want, but I'm not all about that, and I know that we're not having this wedding for Julian or me. This is about appeasing the rest of the family and, in a way, legitimizing my status. It must be done, and yet I remember how many men, women, and even kids were scrounging the back for scraps when I worked at the restaurant, and it saddens my heart.

Lilliana looks happy as a lark as she finishes her final fitting of the mother-of-the-groom dress. She looks beautiful in the jade-green suit she chose for the church. It's elegant, just like her, and the only embellishment is buttons made of crystals. She went back and forth on several others for the reception, finally deciding on a full-length dress in navy, heavily sequined in the bodice, and falling into a simple A-line skirt.

Both Valentina and Josie picked their dresses. I urged them to find designs that suit their own style. Valentina opted for a one-shoulder, full-length dress with a slit that is both sexy and elegant. Josie looked incredible in her full-length A-line chiffon dress with delicate straps. It looks very sedate in the front, but the back dips to just above her perky ass.

An amaretto cake with white buttercream was the consensus when we finished our taste testing. And the florist was able to give us some wonderful ideas for centerpieces on the table, which made both Lilliana and me happy. All in all, it's been a good day, ending with a lovely lunch that Josie made for us.

I knew that Julian was expected any time, since Niccolo made sure to come in and tell us. I keep replaying Julian's words in my head. I need to get through to Barry. I'm dreading what I'll see when he gets here. It doesn't make me happy that Barry got caught in the crossfire because I asked him to get involved.

Alessio comes in first and makes his way directly to his wife, kissing her soundly on the mouth, then bends to kiss his son on top of his head. Alessio raises his head and says hello.

"I had the cook make veal sandwiches for you and Julian. Do you have time to sit and eat? I can have them packed up," Josie tells him.

Alessio smiles down at her. "Always taking care of me."

"Someone has to." She giggles.

"I'll eat mine in my den while I make a couple of calls," he responds. He looks up at Julian. "Take ten. You've earned it."

Julian just nods and waits for Alessio to leave the room. Josie runs to the kitchen and comes back with a plate for Julian, then disappears again into her husband's study. Valentina excuses herself, saying she's going to find Niccolo. Lilliana takes the hint and excuses herself from the table.

Julian sits next to me, not touching his food. "Barry will be here soon."

"I know how important this is. I'll do my best."

"I know you will." He drags his hand over his face.

"Can you talk about it?"

"Rough day."

I bite my lip, and tilt my head, meeting his eyes and wait for more.

"One of our restaurants was hit today. Alessio's wondering if this is all connected," he says. I'm glad he told me. It means more than I can say. "Nero and Sebastian will be with Barry. Nero, to protect La Famiglia 's interests, Sebastian, because he was collecting information for his brother Dante to see if they can get a trace on who is behind this. Reno kindly offered his plane to transport Barry. I'm hoping Barry's responsive when he sees you."

Julian changes the topic and asks about my day. I tell him everything is under control. I also tell him about my chat with Valentina.

"She told you?"

"Yeah. She said that she understands how hard it is to find your way back to the person you once were and told me to search her out if I ever want to talk about it," I explain. "The thing is, I never knew who I was because it wasn't about me. I was who my father expected me to become. I guess the best version of me was the waitress at the diner, where I got to feel productive and go home. I didn't really have time for much else."

"We'll get over this hurdle, and when it all settles, you'll have time to figure it out," he replies. By this time, he's finished eating, and Alessio has come back for us.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

Julian and I stand, with Julian taking my hand and following Alessio. When we get to the car, Alessio asks me to sit with him in the back. Julian doesn't seem too enthused but climbs into the front passenger side of the car with a man they introduce as Jack.

"My wife speaks kindly about you, Milana. She thinks that I'm being too hard on you by demanding you adhere to our traditions upon your reentry into the family," he says.

I'm not sure what to say and feel it prudent to remain quiet. He lets the silence lengthen. The longer it lasts, the more nervous I become.

"Do you think I've been harsh?" he asks.

I clear my throat, clasp my hands in my lap, and choose my words carefully. "Your position means that you protect us all. That means making decisions that may be unpopular for some and necessary for others. Personally, I know I'm not my father, but it means nothing because you don't know me. You don't know that I volunteered at a soup kitchen twice a week, and any extra food from the restaurant was delivered to the shelters. You don't know how badly I wanted a kitten for my birthday, but my father refused and told me animals belonged outside, and if I wanted one so bad, I could sit outside with it. He left me outside in the cold for two hours. I could hear my mother begging him to let me in. She got slapped for her efforts, but Mom was able to sneak out a blanket that I wrapped myself in. Then I hid in the bushes to sleep. When I was finally allowed back inside, I kept the blanket hidden in the bushes, in case that happened again."

"What did you get for your birthday?" Alessio asks.

"A tiara. That was the only day I wore it. It wasn't for me, not really. It was for show. But that blanket, when I left that fateful night, was the only keepsake I took, along with a picture of my mother. I still have the blanket."

"Diamonds don't always shine," Alessio responds.

"No, they don't," I agree. We drive the rest of the way in silence.