Mafia Marriage

XXXIII

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Giuliana had been taken to the safe house. To say that she was going stir crazy was an understatement. She missed the little things, like being outside and taking a leisurely walk. David and Adamo were under strict orders to keep Giuliana inside of the cabin at all times and to keep the curtains drawn all day and night. Once a week one of the guards would pick up groceries and other necessities from the nearest convenience store. They would park several miles away from the cabin and make the trek back on foot, their arms loaded down with grocery bags. The two guards weren't talkative but they were respectful and polite enough, they also gave her vague updates on what was going on in the city.

Giovanni had only called a handful of times, mostly to ask about her wellbeing. He never divulged any information on his activities, not that she was surprised. He rarely, if ever shared the mafia business with her, only when he thought her safety was on the line. She had talked to her father regularly and could detect something odd in his voice, but she couldn't identify what it was so she chose to ignore it. Donatella had called twice and she too was behaving strangely, but Giuliana figured it was because everyone was under a huge amount of stress. Laura and Isabella had been permitted to call once, and Monica had not contacted her at all. It didn't bother her. If Monica was still giving her the silent treatment then that was her problem, Giuliana was not going to beg someone to talk to her.

The sun was hanging low in the sky, and because the cabin was surrounded by mostly trees it grew darker earlier. The curtains remained closed and the lamps were switched on. Adamo and David played gin rummy at the kitchen table after they had checked the perimeter of the cabin. This was how they typically spent their evenings, playing cards or watching television after dinner. Giuliana usually made dinner for the three of them. They had insisted that she didn't have to cook for them, but she thought that it was the least she could do, after all they were away from their families to tend to her.

The only thing to come out of this whole ordeal was that Giuliana was able to brush up on her cooking skills. She tried out recipes that she had saved on Pinterest, from chicken piccata to homemade cinnamon rolls. She was sure that she had put on a few pounds in the last few weeks. She hoped that she would be able to lose the extra weight before she saw Giovanni again.

"This had been one of the best assignments we've ever had," Adamo commented as Giuliana dried the dishes.

"Really? Why is that?"

David responded, "We usually collect debts off the streets. It's usually waiting and watching."

"Sounds boring," Giuliana placed a plate on the drying rack.

"It is," Adamo said in agreement. "At least here, we aren't tracking down lowlife drug dealers that skimmed from the Boss."

"People actually try to do that?" Giuliana was shocked, even though Anthony was not the face of the Graziano Family anymore, he still was the official Boss and was still to be feared by all that knew his name. Besides him, Giovanni was also known to be ruthless and would not tolerant anyone cheating him out of one cent. The stories that were told about Giovanni were legendary and had kept Giuliana up at night before they had married.

"People are stupid, especially desperate people," Adamo confirmed.

"The number one rule Giovanni had made us swear by, is to never touch the product. It'll only get you into trouble." David explained as he placed a card down. "Too many of the street guys have gotten themselves into trouble and had to pay for it."

Giuliana shivered at the implication of what David said. She wasn't naive enough to not understand what he was saying. The paid with their lives. They were used as an example, a warning to all those that even thought about stealing from the Graziano's.