Chapter 6 - The Calm Before the Storm
For the next forty-eight hours, the Bellini mansion felt like a beautiful mausoleum. On the surface, everything proceeded as normal. Bianca continued to plan the flower arrangements, ordering the staff around like a reigning queen. She had no idea that Teresa had been replaced by a loyal guard's wife, or that the tea being served to Donna Elena was now pure, unadulterated chamomile brought in secretly by me.
Nico played his part perfectly. He dined with Bianca, kissed her cheek in front of the guards, and discussed the expansion of the shipping lanes with her father over the phone.
But at night, when the house was asleep, Nico would come to the east wing.
He didn't go to his mother’s room; he came to the small sitting room where I kept vigil. We sat across from each other, a single lamp illuminating the space between us. I showed him the old communication boards, explaining how his mother thought, how she remembered his father, and how much she feared for Nico’s future.
"She told me you used to collect brass shell casings from the shooting range when you were seven," I told him, smiling softly as I translated an old memory Donna Elena had signed to me that afternoon. "She said you told her you were building a castle to protect her."
Nico looked down at his hands, his rough, scarred fingers tracing the edge of the wooden board. "I built the castle, Clara. But I let the monster inside the gates."
"You didn't know," I said gently, placing my hand over his without thinking. His skin was cold, but the moment my fingers touched his, a sudden warmth flared between us. He looked up, his grey eyes searching mine with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.
"Why are you still here, Clara?" he asked softly. "You know what kind of man I am. You know what happens to people in my world."
May you like
"I am here for Donna Elena," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "And because... because I know what it’s like to protect a child with everything you have. You are doing that for her. I am doing that for my Luca."
Nico’s gaze softened. He turned his hand over, interlocking his fingers with mine. "Your son is safe, Clara. I’ve placed three of my best men outside your apartment in Queens. No one will ever touch him. I swear it on my mother's life."
