Chapter 22—Maria

Present day …

I was never the sit down and look type.

I wasn’t that years ago when I didn’t have much to worry about and I for damn certain wasn’t that kind of person now.

Sit down and look while Dante was out there doing God knew what.

I didn’t know how I kept from withering away when he told me there was new evidence he was looking into.

Still he didn’t elaborate. I noticed that part. He didn’t tell me what he had found and he didn’t tell me what he was doing either. Two very important things excluded.

It terrified me to think what it could be, but he was right.

I wanted answers too. I definitely wanted answers.

Damn I was just here with Flynn and the guys.

The guys who I actually couldn’t stand from way back when.

Saul with his full set of gold teeth, Donny the flirt, and Lois who was practically attached to his long reach knives.

Some other guys were on watch outside the house too. Scary looking tough guys I hadn’t seen before.

Saul, Lois, and Donny were inside the house.

It was lunch time and I’d made sandwiches. Then suddenly I found myself making more food like I used to when I waitresses and served food for everyone.

And, because I was so worried I couldn’t eat.

“Maria, I have to say I definitely missed your food.” Donny said munching away on a beef roll.

“Yes, here’s to more.” Donny nodded.

“You guys are a bunch of assholes. All I’ve done all day is serve you and look after you like the baby.” I glanced at Flynn who was sitting beside them around the table.

“Shhhh, language.” Saul said pretending to cover Flynn’s ears. He smiled wide showing off his teeth knowing that I hated them.

“Saul, it’s a good thing I know you.” I shook my head at him and he chuckled.

“Yes, Maria Ferrara you do know me.”

“Ugh, did Dante say when he was coming back?” I had to ask. One, because I would go crazy here with them and two, because I was worried sick.

“Nope.”

“Did he say when you guys could leave?”

“Nope.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Nope, not a damn thing besides what he said yesterday. Watch his woman and kid.”

Sweet as it was to hear it for myself, I couldn’t tamp down my frustration. These guys were brought in when they needed muscle.

They didn’t always know specifics.

Flynn started laughing at some trick Donny was doing with a bunch of cards. At least he was happy.

I sighed and left them walking into the sitting room so I could have a minute to myself.

I just needed some time to think back to the past.

The memory of that night when I saw Elliot Granger kill Todd Parker had never left my mind.

The news a few days later spoke of finding his body in the river and claimed that he killed himself. Apparently the death wasn’t suspicious.

Next his wife was reported missing.

I knew how that story went too. Could I go to the police with all I saw and knew?

Definitely not.

At the time I had my own grief to deal with, because the next day Dante and I found Christina.

Dead.

So many questions.

None of them answered, and I still felt bad for not mentioning Elliot Granger’s name.

I was scared to be wrong.

I didn’t think I could have sent Dante on a suicide mission because I speculated Elliot Granger as a possibility.

Elliot Granger didn’t just go on to become the States Attorney, his father died a few years back and the man became Governor of Illinois.

He was still married to Sheila and their kids helped out in various charity events. The image was the perfect all-American family. Made me wonder what he was gunning for next.

President?

Why not?

I didn’t watch the news as much anymore.

I didn’t watch it, because I couldn’t stand the idea that I might see him. It was like emotional bullying and a reminder of the big question on my mind.

Did he kill Christina?

It was so hard for me to see past what I saw him do to Todd, but I had to be objective and lay out all the facts I’d witnessed and heard. He wasn’t the only guy I saw Christina with and she’d said they’d just gotten back together. That tended to suggest that he wasn’t the father of her baby. But…

She hadn’t specifically said it was the baby’s father who wanted nothing to do with her. She just said: ‘he wants nothing to do with me.’

That was vague and I’d assumed she was talking about the baby’s father. Maybe she wasn’t.

Also, it wasn’t him I saw at the penthouse. That was however where Christina was found dead.

A little knock sounded at the door and I turned to see Ava standing in the doorway.

Ava. Claudius’ Ava.

She was carrying a plastic carrier bag.

The last time I saw her I was running away from her restaurant like a coward, because I’d seen Luc.

“Hi,” she beamed.

I straightened up. “Hi.”

A tentative expression washed over her face. “I hope you don’t mind me coming by. I just wanted to see how you were. Claudius kind of told me what happened and I just wanted to check on you.”

I smiled, feeling grateful for her sincerity. “Thank you, it’s nice to see you.”

“Oh good, and thanks I thought it might be a little better having me here. The guys tend to get a little annoying.” Ava chuckled, her bright green eyes sparkled. She walked in and sat beside me. “I brought some food and treats. I didn’t know if you had any friends around that would come over to cheer you up.”

Friends …

People used that word so loosely. There was a time when I had a host of people I called friends, but they weren’t. There were girls who wanted to know me, because of my connections with Luc and Claudius. Girls who wanted to know me, because they thought it would increase their chances of getting with a mafia guy, and those girls who were just bitches.

“No, I don’t really have any friends as such.” Saying it that way didn’t sound so bad, not like I was such a loser.

She looked me over and gave me a little smile. “Well, thank goodness I came by. And less friends means we can pig out on all of this.” She held up the bag which I now saw had all sorts of chocolate goodies.

I actually laughed. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. As you can tell I have a sweet tooth. I think I may gain twenty pounds after the baby comes.”

“After?” Most people gained weight with the baby.

“Yeah, my friend makes the most amazing cupcakes and I know I’m going to indulge. Now and after.”

I had to laugh. “Those sound like amazing cupcakes.”

Ava nodded and her ponytail bobbled. “Yes. I’ll bring some next time. Some for you, and Flynn … maybe twice the amount for me and baby.”

“How far along are you?”

“Fourteen weeks.” She grinned. “Fourteen weeks of Claudius going crazy and pampering me like I’m in a glass ball that’ll break if someone breathes the wrong way. The other day at the restaurant he was trying to set my office up on the main floor. I stumbled on the stairs the other week and it freaked him out.”

I chuckled even though the mention of the stairs reminded me that my husband had actually pushed me down the stairs.

“It sounds like he’s taking good care of you.”

“He is. Um, the other girls wanted to come by too. I mean with me, but I thought as you’d met me already it would be best if I came by myself.”

Others? I guess that meant Luc’s wife was in the mix, Amelia—my replacement.

I didn’t care anymore. It didn’t affect me, because to be replaced you had to belong to someone in the first place. It was never really that with me and Luc. That was truth.

In just the short time I’d been with Dante I’d experienced so much. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he wanted to be with me. My problem was that I was stubborn.

“Thanks, I’m happy you came. It would be good to see them next time. Meet them properly.”

Her smile widened. “It’ll be fun. I have to say though that of everyone I eat the most. I’m a chef. I can’t help it. Food is my weakness.”

I looked at her and liked her.

She was Claudius’ wife. It was weird as she seemed so normal and not the kind of woman I’d see Claudius with.

Extremely beautiful for sure. It was the personality though. I could imagine it to be like the angel and the demon, but it worked.

“I like food too.”

She laughed, lifted the bag and emptied out the contents on to the sofa.

A host of chocolate came out.

“Pretty isn’t it.”

“It is a thing of beauty.”

“Good. Well, if I remember correctly you wanted to speak to me about a job. I hear you have quite the experience in the restaurant business. I’m looking for a manager for the new branch of Delizioso. It’s opening at the end of the summer.”

“Manager?” My interest piqued.

“Yes. I need someone responsible and caring. Someone street smart and quirky. Someone who likes food.”

I’d never thought about myself as managing anything, but this sounded right up my field. “I like food.”

“That’s the biggest part of the criteria met. How about you tell me how much you like food while we wait for our guys to come home.”

She looked at me like she could tell I was worried.

I brought my hands together to stop them from trembling. She reached over and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

“My guy is with your guy and if it’s one thing I know they always have each other’s backs. We help them however we can. Even if it’s as simple as not worrying. Capisce?”

“Capisce.”

I nodded appreciating her advice.

Not worrying would help, especially when I had Franco to give me enough of a heart attack already.

Dante was looking into something that could solve Christina’s murder. The least I could do was be supportive and not lose myself in worries of the past.

Maybe we’d know the truth soon.