Page 156 of Vita Mia

A man walked out. His face so pale and absent of facial hair, including his eyebrows, that he didn’t look human. He was taller than most men and even under his thick jacket she could tell he was muscular.

Her door was opened and so was Nico’s. They left the SUV but she had to be escorted around to the other side to greet the man.

“I am Sergei. Welcome to Sevskoye.”

“I’m Donna Mirabella Battaglia. Nice to meet you.”

“May I ask what is in the bag?”

“It’s been searched by Brian. It’s a camcorder and some tapes. A Russian newspaper from the plane.”

If Sergei had brows they would have lifted in surprise. She had to wonder if Brian had negotiated the full terms of their agreement with these men. One of the men at his side stepped forward and whispered to the albino looking giant. The man’s gaze swept Mirabella and then he nodded.

“I take you to meet ??? ? ???? he has been prepped,” Sergei said.

She wasn’t sure what he called Lorenzo but she knew the name he referenced had to be an insult. The others around him seemed to smirk at the mention of their prisoner.

“Is Brian joining us?”

“You are my guests,” Sergei said as if he were insulted by the question. “Is that okay with you?”

She nodded. Nico said nothing. He stayed close to her. His silence didn’t help the tension. The men surrounding them sneered and wanted to test him. They walked in the opposite direction of where Brian had disappeared. The open courtyard was brutal with the cold, but inside the dark chambers of the fortress these men had seized it felt even colder. How a person could survive the temperature without a blazing fireplace she couldn’t imagine. She was brought into a room with no windows and grey slate walls. It had several tables and chairs. It must have been where the men came to eat. A large open furnace with wood logs in its center churned out heat.

“Food? Drink?” Sergei pointed to what she saw as his attempt to welcome them. There was bread and meat, and bottled drinks for them. There was sliced fruit. He seemed pleased by the offering. She knew to refuse him would come off as arrogant or insulting, so she smiled and unbuttoned her coat. She wore a green turtleneck sweater and blue jeans with six-inch high heeled boots. She walked over to the food and tried not to notice how all the men must have stared at her backside. She wanted to be unaffected by their presence. But she wasn’t. She was terrified.

“Grazie,” she said.

Sergei smirked. She came over and gave the plate to Nico and offered him a drink. Then she went and prepared her food. The show of respect to Nico was for them and him. She wanted it to be clear that she was with him and under his care.

“Go get the pet,” Sergei said to one of his men.

Mirabella ate the food and glanced to the television. She couldn’t tell what it was playing but it appeared to be some kind of talk show. Sergei and the others didn’t say much. Mirabella expected to meet Lorenzo where he was confined. Or a possible formal arrangement for them with a bit more privacy. But she didn’t object. She nibbled a bit more and then set her plate aside. The wait was killing her. Nico didn’t bother to eat anything. He must have felt the tension as well.

Sergei never took his eyes off of her.

Then she heard the door opening. She and Nico looked to it and braced for what was to come. Lorenzo was escorted in. Not in handcuffs or shackles. He walked in the door like all other men. Mirabella’s eyes stretched in shock. He looked different, yes, but far healthier than she expected. His left eye was covered by an eye-patch, and there was a long scar on his jaw that had healed badly. His hair was long and he had a beard. But he was dressed warmly in a thick turtleneck, jacket and pants. With workman boots on his feet. He said something in Russian to the men and then approached Nico and Mirabella. Both stood not sure what to make of his casual approach.

“When they told me I had visitors, I didn’t expect to see you,” he smiled at Mirabella. He kissed her on both cheeks. She couldn’t say much. She felt faint. She didn’t believe the sight of him. He shook Nico’s hand and gave him a brotherly hug. They sat at the table.

“How is she? How is my Lorenza and Marietta?” he started immediately.

“How are you? You look, healthy?”

Lorenz chuckled. “You were hoping I would be a cripple by now?”

“No. I just thought—.“ she glanced over to Sergei who continued to stare at her and only her. “—I didn’t know what to think,” she said.

“It’s been hell. Trust me. But even in hell you find a way to exist. Sergei and I have an understanding. It’s a man thing,” Lorenzo winked.

Mirabella gave him a weak smile. She’d been through too much the past year to see the humor in the comment. The man thing, he spoke of, was pride and ego and it tore her family apart.

“How is my baby girl? She’s walking now, eh? And Marietta? She knows I’m alive? Is that why you’re here?”

“No Lorenzo. Marietta is in trouble, and Lorenza is with me not her.”

The smile on Lorenzo’s face faded. Mirabella proceeded to tell him the story from the beginning. How Marietta made a deal with the Générale and turned on the family. How she signed over Lorenza to her, and was committed into the worse insane asylum in the country. She told Lorenzo of the fire and death in the family. She shared Giovanni’s arrest and Carlo’s death. She finished with Renaldo’s death. It took her nearly an hour to tell the full story. He only asked a few questions while he listened. His face flushed red as a beet from what she could see under all his facial hair. He clenched his fists at the death of Carlo and dropped his head at the news of Renaldo. It was the only reaction he gave.

“We we’re brothers. We should have handled this like brothers,” Lorenzo said. “In the end, I wanted to make peace. Gio and I both took it too far.”

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