Page 6 of Second in Command
With a huff, my father hesitantly nods. I place a hand on his shoulder, before sauntering out the door, right past Enzo. A whiff of his cologne takes me by surprise. He smelled just as good as last night, maybe even better. It took everything in me not to grab him by his shirt, and pull him on top of me.
One way or another, Enzo Andonetto would be mine, and I would make sure of that.
four
Enzo Andonetto
Francesca’s presencenever brought any discomfort to me . . . until now.
I saw her every morning, and she never ceased to make me want to jump out of my skin. She does everything in her power to subtly throw jabs at me, or stroll near me smelling like the sweetest fruit on a cherry tree.
She was clearly trouble, and I told myself for the next three days that passed, to just stop thinking about her, ignore her. The last thing I needed was for Vincenzio, or her father, to catch a whiff of anything that might be going on, and punish me for it. After all, I was only a mere soldier. Alberto Donato always made sure that Francesca had the best of things, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that said he would want somebody as low as me to be his daughter’s partner.
With that being said, it was also undeniable that I was somewhat attracted to her. I didn’t find myself completely annoyed, in fact, today, the third day since our encounter, I found myself waiting on her to show up and tease me with ‘good morning’.
I wanted to see her beautiful face, and her long, brown hair. I wanted to see her big, doe eyes that were often squinted as she jabbed at me with her words. I wanted to watch as her lips curled into a snarl — fuck — she couldn’t even make the ugliest expressions look unattractive.
“Enzo,” Alberto greets as I made my morning cup of coffee. I clasp my hand behind my back, and look at him, with a nod.
“Good morning,Capo, how are things?”
“Well, as always,” he replies, tapping my shoulder with his palm, “I was actually looking for you. Vincenzio and I believe there may be a problem.”
My heart drops, and I shift on my feet, swallowing hard. I raise an eyebrow, “A problem?”
“Si. We have aratto.”
Of all the things I expected him to say, I’m glad that it was that instead. I shove both hands in my pocket, letting out a breath.
“Who do you suspect?” he looks around the room first, before shaking his head.
“Not here, Enzo. I was hoping to hold a meeting, with you overlooking. You can observe. If anyone can taste bad blood, it’s you.”
“Understood,” I nod, and he pats my back once more.
He turns to leave, and before I could stop myself, I reach out.
“Alberto, where is Francesca?”
He sighs, turning back to face me. With both hands on his hips, he shakes his head. “Francesca is at work.”
My eyebrows knit together in confusion. At this time, women are allowed to work, yes, but it wasn’t as common, especially not for someone of her rank.
“Work?” I repeat, my mouth parting open.
“Francesca has this silly idea of being a baker . . . and well, she’s perusing just that. She has her own bakery/café in the city.”
In disbelief, I rub the back of my neck.
“I try to tell her, that she doesn’t need to do that, to marry a nice young man, have babies, but no, she’s determined. She’s stubborn, my Francesca, she doesn’t listen to anyone — she’s just like her mother—God rest her soul.” Alberto smiles fondly, looking off blankly into the kitchen cupboards, “but, I think eventually she’ll grow tired of it. For now, I will support her.”
“I think that’s very big of you, as her father, to support her despite your contradictions. I know it can’t be the easiest thing.”
“Hmm,” he shrugs his shoulder, “I’d do anything for my daughter, Enzo,anything.”
The tone in his voice forced me to look at him straight in the eye. Alberto’s face was unwavering. I place a hand on my stomach subconsciously, and he nods a final time.
“Just don’t be late for the meeting,”
