Page 59 of La Dolce Vita

"What is it? Tell me?" Renaldo whispered into the phone. Kyra responded best to his whispers. He rarely if ever raised his voice. Even when angry, disappointed, or frustrated he lowered his voice when he wanted to be heard.

"When are you coming home?" she asked.

"Soon. I swear it."

"I need you here. I'm scared. My body hurts, I can barely get around I'm so big. And I'm tired. I just need you to come home. You said you would be here, Renaldo. What if I go into labor early? What then? I could you know."

He ran his hand back through his hair. "Where is Jamie?"

"Paris. You know that! I told you that..."

"Shhhh... calm down. It is okay.Madreis there," he reassured her.

"I need you. I'm six months pregnant."

He smiled. She complained constantly, but he knew the problem wasn't the pregnancy. She was young, and in a foreign country. He swore to her that this would be something they would experience together. He had made many promises to her. After he had been shot and forced into a long recovery, they discovered she was already pregnant. As soon as he was on his feet and able to hold his gun, he was back in the streets. That was not the vow he made to his wife.

"I will talk to the boss. What if I take a week or two to come and care for you? Will that work?"

"Yes," she said.

"Then I will make it happen. You are my first, my only priority in this life." He glanced back to his broken friend sleeping in the car and remembered his life before Kyra brought love back into it. He would not lose her or her faith in him.

"Ti amo," she said.

"Rest. I love you, too; I will see you soon," he said and smiled. The calm in her voice soothed his agitation. The burn in his chest cooled.

"Be careful. Please. Promise me," she pleaded. "No chances."

"I will be okay. So will you. I swear," he said.

"Where are you?" she asked. "Close?"

"I have to go. I will call tomorrow.Ti amo," he said.

"I miss you,ciao," she said and hung up.

Renaldo sighed. He hung his head and tried to shake off both fear and concern. It made him weak. And in his job he could never afford to be weak. He had to get to her soon, for his sake and hers. He walked back to the car and eased in behind the wheel. Carlo snored. He drove away thinking of what he could say to Giovanni to convince him to allow him to return to his wife if the boss wanted to wage war. And he knew the answer.

Nothing.

***

Giovanni opened his eyes. Eve lay on his chest.When did his little girl start to snore?He looked down at her and rubbed her back. She must have been exhausted from her day. He didn’t mind. Holding her always calmed him. He glanced over to the left and saw Bella was turned on her side away from him. Gianni slept against her breasts and Gino slept between them. It wasn't often when he shared his bed with his wife and the kids. But after the day was lost to her terrors he decided that’s exactly how they would spend the evening.

The drive to Ravello was canceled. The kids were brought upstairs, and they had dinner in the children's room. Mirabella seemed fine on the outside. And he pretended not to notice her hand trembling, or the tears in her eyes when the kids did something that made her laugh.

The children loved the attention of having Mama and Daddy together. And that was exactly what his family needed. Unity.

The hour was late. Giovanni checked the time on his watch and found it was after midnight. He sat up gently with Eve then put her on the bed. In his robe, he went to the bathroom to get dressed.

Mirabella woke. Her vision blurred but soon corrected in the darkness. She heard the toilet flush and water run. She smiled. He was her hero in every way. She was so ashamed to show him how deeply fragile she felt. The vision of Kei was so frightening that her only escape was to retreat to the space under the sink. He saved her. It was like he reached into her mind and brought her back from the brink of madness. Giovanni knew the words that stoked her love for him.

Again she drifted to sleep before she heard the soft sound of a zipper. She opened her eyes again. A man was dressed in a black tracksuit. At first, she nearly sat up in fright, but when the moonlight cast through the window and gave her a view of his profile she relaxed. It was her Giovanni. He stood near the window loading his gun. He wore black, dark running shoes, a black cap pulled down on his head, and after tucking his gun in the band of his pants, he put on dark riding gloves. She'd never seen him dressed that way. He knelt and put another gun in the strap at his ankle and then pulled down his tracksuit pant leg. He turned, and she closed her eyes. Not sure why, but her instinct told her she should let him think she was asleep. And after a few seconds, she heard her bedroom door close.

Quick about her actions, she got out of bed and located her robe and shoes. She hurried out of the room and didn't bother to address Leo who looked concerned. She went down the stairs and stopped when she heard voices. She waited and then went down the rest. In the hall, she turned and ran right toward the garage. Instead of going inside she went to the kitchen that gave a clear view of the driveway. She walked over to the sink and leaned in to see Giovanni. He spoke to several of his men. They seemed agitated. Two were pacing. And then they all nodded to Giovanni's orders. His motorcycle was brought out. To Mirabella's horror, he got on it alone. He fired it up and rode off--alone.

"No!" she raced out of the kitchen as fast as she could and out of the door to the garage. "Giovanni!" she called after him. The men whirled and looked at her with surprise.

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