Page 60 of Vita Mia

“This plan sounds risky Gio. Carlo is unstable.”

“I’ll handle it personally. Carlo and I need our ending. If he can’t accept my generosity, then I’ll put him down myself.”

“And the Puglia clans? The Camorristi? The Russians?”

“Carlo first. We will deal with the others, in time.”

Dominic sat down in the chair next to Giovanni and put his head in his hands. “Are you sure about this? Are you?”

“I’m certain. He gets a pardon, he gets a new life, he gets a second chance. We all do.”

Dominic stared at his big brother with confusion. He then looked at the baby and wondered if the magic of loving little Armando would make him soft and weak. He didn’t want to think of Giovanni as weak, but they were the fucking Mafia. They never won anything by betraying their principles. Why should Carlo walk away when men have shed blood and died for less? Santo and Lorenzo couldn’t get a pardon. It didn’t seem fair. Dominic chewed on his bottom lip and thought of saying so, but he didn’t have the courage. Instead, he stared at Giovanni rocking Leeza to sleep.

“Can I hold her?” Dominic asked.

“No,” Gio said.

Dominic smiled.

“Okay, Gio. I’ll go meet with the attorneys.”

He walked out and glanced back to Giovanni. He wasn’t even sure if Giovanni had heard him agree. Nothing mattered to Giovanni in that moment more than his daughter. And Dominic realized it was the first time he saw fatherhood from any of the men in the family that way.

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GIOVANNI CARRIED LITTLELeeza back to the room where his wife and daughter slept. He walked in surprised to see Eve wasn’t asleep. She stood at the window in her nightdress staring outside.

“Eve?” Giovanni said.

She turned and looked at her father. Mirabella shot up in bed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing Bella,” Giovanni said. He walked over and handed her a sleeping Leeza. Eve wiped at her tears, it was evident she had been crying.

“I don’t remember, Papa,” Eve mumbled.

“Remember what,lucciola?” he asked.

“Boo-Boo. Did Boo-Boo come out of the house before the fire. Is she okay?”

Giovanni glanced to Mirabella who looked on unable to answer as well. He walked over to Eve and picked her up. Eve put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Mirabella gave him a small smile of understanding.

“I’ll take her outside and explain.”

“Okay, if she needs me—”

“I’ll bring her right back to you.”

Mirabella nodded.

He carried her out through the back door to the villa. And he again walked out across the lawn to the hills. The night was cloudless. And in the countryside of Chianti every star that fell from heaven could be seen in the sky.

“Look Eve,” he said.

She lifted her head from his shoulder. She looked up at the sky and saw the stars. “I see them.”

“Do you remember what Papa taught you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

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