Page 88 of Urgent Vows
And then my men will know where to look for Carlotta.
"Good. After, I want a copy of all the videos and then I want the channel taken down. Scrub the net for any bootlegged copies," I instruct Domenico.
"Planned on it, boss."
Chapter 29
SEVERU
Catalina is tired and preoccupied over dinner, only speaking when conversation is directed at her. Today was rough on her. That secret room was her haven and now it's gone.
"Your grandmother's piano is finally getting some use." Mamma sends a smile toward my wife. "Catalina played this evening, before dinner."
"I got to hear a little after I put my little monster in bed," Giulia says, "You play beautifully, Catalina. I took lessons, but I never got much past Chop Sticks."
My sister isn't exaggerating. Much. She hated her piano lessons.
Catalina smiles wanly and suddenly it hits me. "Did you remember to take your pain meds when you got back?" I ask her.
She shakes her head.
"On a scale of one to ten?" I ask her.
She looks around the table, clearly uncomfortable with answering in front of my family. Tough.
I repeat the question.
She sighs. "Five, maybe six."
Which means six, maybe seven. I'm learning to read my wife. I stand up and don't bother to excuse myself, walking swiftly to our room. I return a minute later with her pills and hand them to her.
She stares down at the green gelcaps. "I'm afraid if I take them, I'll fall asleep at the table."
"I will carry you to bed then. Take the pain meds."
She does, swallowing them with a gulp of water.
Twenty minutes later, her eyelids are drooping and she's listing to one side. I lift her up from the chair, ignoring the comments from the peanut gallery. I can see to my wife's welfare if I want to.
She ismywife.
She does not belong to the millions of people who have watched those Stellina videos.
~ ~ ~
After tucking Catalina into bed, I meet my brother and Big Sal in the study.
"Angelo is going to help you vet the men," I tell Big Sal.
My new consigliere looks pleased. "Just having him there will garner some telling reactions."
Sometimes, the way Big Sal talks reminds me that I'm not the only made man with an Ivy league education. His son, Salvatore, went to the West Coast for college. Stanford's not Ivy League, but it's as good as.
"I think you should ask Catalina what she thinks of the men and the staff," Miceli says. "She is observant."
That's one way of putting it. "I'll talk to her."
"I'd like to be there," Big Sal says. "I have some of my own questions for her."
