The Sinclair Series Book #1: Tragedy Of Love

Chapter Twenty: Daddy Issues

Vivi's POV
Kai left early this morning before the sun came up. It was hard to say goodbye but I have to get used to teary messy goodbyes. I decided to take Marianna's advise.

I won't run. I'll stay in Italy. Nick managed to get me Mafia protection for five weeks. After that I'm pretty much on my own. I want to use this time to find out if hat happened to Zeke. My mother's death went unpunished. Fiona's death went unpunished. Aria's death went unpunished. It can't be the same story with Zeke. Someone has to pay. The only challenge is the Mafia's protection only works in Italy. That means I can't leave if I want to stay alive. For five weeks I have to be in this beautiful country. I'm not here for the scene. Not at all.

"Aren't you scared?"

"When you have lived life the way we have, there's no room for fear." Sky offered me ice cream. I read the wording. "What?"

"I remember Nick expressly saying this is his ice cream. Look, his name... is cancelled out and now yours is here. Dude, don't start a war over gelato!"

"It's delicious." She took it back. "I don't see why all the good stuff at the back of the freezer should be his."

I adjusted myself on the terracotta roof. Sly has been given residence here under the condition that she behaves and she is already eating our host's ice cream. The debate about who owns the house still rages on between Nick and Marianna. Don Giovanni left Nick the winery which includes the lands where the grapes grow. He left Marianna the house. The never ending debate is the ho owns the house. Nick is adamant that since it sits on his land, it's his. Marianna insists that her son only owns the land where grapes grow and argued that no grapes grow in the villa's compound. Unfortunately for her, Nick proves that there are grapes all around the villa and now Marianna is going around trying to uproot all of them.

"Isn't she cute?" Sly asked me. "She thinks she will get rid of all the vines."

"She's little but feisty. Who do you think owns the house?"

"The mother." She laughed. "But it was funny when he told her to uproot the house and carry it away."

We share a laugh. When they argue it's cute especially when it turns into an Italian exchange. Their hand gestures are quite expressive.

"He's something... I'm scared. What will happen when five weeks end and I can't sit on this roof to see the sun rise or set anymore?"

"Then we will die on our feet."

"I have two sons and a daughter who need me."

"They need you alive. If you want to live, you fight." She stuck her fingers into the container and started licking whatever is left. "I... I'm sick Red. Stage four leukemia."

"What? No! You can't be sick! You don't look sick!"

"Make up fools many. This is a wig." She pulled it off. "I tried chemo. This happened."

She put on the wig to cover the scanty hair on her head. "Did Zeke know?"

"Who do you think diagnosed me?"

"When?"

"A few months ago. He asked me if I'm alright. I said yes and he insisted I'm not looking okay. He insisted on going to a hospital. That's when I found out. I was alright with not knowing. The doctor in him wouldn't stop trying to fix me."

I can't lose another person in my life. I can't. "I'm..." I took her sticky hand and gave it a light squeeze. She pulled away folding her knees to her chest.

"Nicko is home! Watch this!" She waited until Nick got out of his car before she dropped the empty container. It landed at his feet. He picked it up and when he looked up at the roof, he wasn't pleased. She started laughing.