Page 90 of La Dolce Vita

She could feel him looking around to see if they were alone. She had to pull herself together. If Dominic found out the truth, there was no way he wouldn't kill Lorenzo himself. The death and destruction would be the end of their family. She knew it.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Domi," she broke from hsi hold. She stepped back and put a hand to her forehead. She had to catch her breath. Dominic stared at her, and she could see his concern mounting. "I came here to visitMadre’sgrave. To pray, and it came over me. I miss her andPatriso much."

Dominic nodded in agreement and his eyes misted over with shared emotion. "You know not to come out here at night alone. Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Sicilia? You were supposed to leave for Paris!"

"Mirabella changed the plans. She wanted me to come and meet with Francesca. To take Rosetta to Paris with me."

"Damn it! You should have told me! Asked me! You go too far, Catalina! Too far with this designing business! Giovanni is going to be furious. I haven't even told him that you are here."

"Stop yelling at me!" she shouted back.

"I will yell at you if I damn well please! It is dangerous now! Very dangerous!"

"How would I know that? You men never tell us anything. Sicily is as much my home as Sorrento. Since when is it dangerous for me to come here?!"

Dominic paced. Then he stopped. His head tilted a bit to the left, and his gaze was frozen to the ground. He knelt and picked up the cassette recorder.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I dunno," she said. She glanced to the forest. Deep in the woods she knew Armando was there. Listening, and watching. She could feel him staring at her.

"Let's go back to the villa. I'm tired."

"Were you out here alone?" Dominic’s gaze swept the forest again. He looked at the cassette tape player. She knew that it didn't look weathered. There was no way it could have been here for more than a few hours in the grass and not have some sign of the elements.

"Wait! Oh! Yes, that's mine!" she walked over and took it.

"Yours?" Dominic asked.

"Yes. I um, keep it with me to record my thoughts. Sometimes I get inspired. I dropped it when I got upset."

"I've never seen you with it," Dominic said and his gaze narrowed on her.

"It's for work. How often do you pay attention to my job?"

"Where's the cassette?" he asked.

"Huh?" she looked down at the player.

"It's empty. Where is the..." He glanced over to the tombstone and saw the shattered tape cassette crumbles, and at the foot of the grave was the ribbon and some plastic shards. Before she could come up with a plausible explanation, Dominic approached the damaged tape and inspected it. "Explain this, Catalina."

She wasn't good at lying to him. Not since Franco did she lie to him. She did her best to be a good person.Why was Armando making her into a liar?She glared at the forest and then to Dominic. She had less than five seconds to explain herself, or Dominic would order the forest swept by his men. And they would find Armando. Once they did all their lives would be in jeopardy.

"When I came here I was recording my thoughts. And then I started talking toMadre. It pisses me off she is buried out here alone. Look at her grave, Domi. If we have to leave Sicily, no one will come to visit her. No one will care. And the roses. Who will make sure the blue roses never die? She should be withPatri!" Catalina wept as she opened a barely healed wound for him. The tears were sincere, and so was her torment.

"I got angry and smashed the tape."

He tossed the damaged tape and walked back over to her. She hugged him once more. She stared over his shoulder into the forest. And the forest stared back. She shivered.

"I'm scared, Domi. I'm so scared that we will never have peace in our lives. That we will never be able to live normal lives."

"We will, Catalina. Trust me. Giovanni works toward peace every day."

"But you said we are at war?" she let him go.

"And after war comes peace,cara." He touched the side of her face. "We are leaving tonight. The family is being relocated back to Melanzana. Everyone is coming. And when this is over you and I will come back here, and be married inMadre'sgarden of blue roses. Not a church. Right here. For her to see."

The love she felt for Dominic could cure her of almost anything. She kissed him. It was nice and sweet. He dropped his forehead on hers. "Don't ever worry me like this again. Ever."

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