I updated my book cover, hope you all like it!
While Giuliana's whereabouts remained unknown to her family, Monica was still not allowed out of the Bellucci Mansion. She still hadn't gained her electronic devices back and her father was still furious with her. Any trust between her and Salvatore was gone, and she wasn't sure how she was going to get it back. Every time she asked her brothers how Giuliana was faring, they gave her vague responses that left her with more questions than answers. The only thing that kept her hopeful was that Giuliana didn't know about her one time friendship with Tiffany. When everything returned back to normal, Monica wasn't sure if Giovanni would allow her to even step foot on his property. He had been cordial the last time they had spoken, but that could've been in an effort to procure information out of her. Giovanni would not be a future Boss if he didn't have an arsenal of techniques at his disposal when it came to getting information out of people. His politeness could very well have been an act so she would talk more.
Her mother had attempted to smooth things over, but eventually she had decided to let things work themselves out. Donatella had been married to Salvatore long enough to know when to back off of a subject, and this was one of them. Even Isabella and Laura had put in a good word on Monica's behalf but had been answered with a hard stare and told to mind their own business.
At present Monica, Laura, and Isabella were gathered in the library, reading their various books. It was how they spent almost every evening, and allowed for a brief escape from the madness.
"Laura," Marco came into the library in search of his cousin.
Laura looked up at the sound of her name and bookmarked her novel. It was a romance novel, where the typical knight in shining armor came to save the damsel in distress. 'If only,' she had thought more than a few times. She hadn't seen Vinnie much since coming back home. The only time had been when she watched from an upstairs window, as he left the house and drove away. The only solace that she had was that Matteo had been barred from coming onto the property.
Marco nodded for her to follow him, "My father wants to speak to you for a moment."
Laura nodded and silently followed behind him. She was worried that she had worn out her welcome, her aunt and uncle loved her dearly but she was a married woman and meant to be at home with her husband. It was an obvious expectation that she would be with him and not taking up residence in her childhood bedroom. They both tiptoed around the question of her martial status but she had avoided giving a direct answer, and they had never pushed for one.
Marco held the office door open for her, inside her uncle sat behind his desk. He was alone which was a rare occurrence, usually her at least one of her male cousins lingered behind him. He only had private conversations when they were of the upmost importance.
"Close the door and leave," Salvatore ordered his son. Once the door had been firmly closed behind Laura he nodded towards one of the leather chairs in front of his desk, "Have a seat."
Despite being a grown woman, Laura still got nervous when her uncle wanted to have a serious conversation. He exuded power and strength, something that came with ease. Her husband Matteo was intimidating when he had his violent outbursts but the man before her didn't have to move a muscle to suck the air out the room.
When she took a seat he began, "You've been here for quite some time Laura."
'Oh God, here it comes, he's going to throw me out.'
"You won't take your husband's phone calls or respond to his messages." Salvatore leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "I don't like to involve myself in my children's martial problems but you've left me no choice."
"I'm not your child," Laura pointed out even if it pained her to do so, Salvatore had been the only father figure she had ever known. Her own father had died when she was just a baby and her mother had passed away only a few years ago, her only remaining family were Salvatore and Donatella and their children.
"I raised you like you were my daughter and love you like my own flesh and blood," Salvatore said.
"I'm not sure what you're getting at," she admitted. She had begun wringing her hands, a nervous habit she had picked up during her marriage whenever she was awaiting Matteo to come home.
"If you are being mistreated, I need to know. I can tell that you're marriage is far from ideal, I could tell something was wrong for quite sometime, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what's happened."
Laura remained silent, a mental war brewing inside of her. For nearly five years she had been trapped in a nightmare of a marriage, she had seen no way out without causing problems for her family and now her uncle had opened the door for her to finally reveal it all.
"Your Zia Donatella knew something was going on, she kept urging me to step in and find out what had made you pull away from us."
Laura looked up in surprise, she hadn't realized that anyone had noticed her absence from family events. It warmed her heart to know that her aunt and uncle had thought that something was amiss.
"Don't look so surprised Laura," Salvatore chided. "You are not an aloof personality, your husband however is. He never was interested to attending family events unless he thought it would improve his standing with me. The only reason I ever gave him the time of day was because he was married to you, I have many more capable men that deserve the opportunities that have been given to Matteo."
"He's loyal," Laura said quietly.
"Matteo is loyal to Matteo," Salvatore shrugged. "He's too arrogant to be loyal to anyone but himself."
"But he's a Made Man," she reminded him. Made Men pledged their lives to the Cosa Nostra, once you were in there was no way out except through death.
Salvatore looked thoughtful for a moment, "He recited the words and swore his loyalty but the real evidence comes from his actions. All his actions ever proved to me was that he was an opportunist."
Laura thought about everything he was telling her as she debated on whether or not to tell him the truth in regards to her marriage. 'He deserves to know, he's let you back into his home no questions asked.'
Salvatore waited patiently for her to respond. He understood the complexities of marriage, his own had been difficult for the first few years and he saw that Giuliana's had gotten off to a rocky start as well.
"I can't go back to him," Laura said at last. She had never said the words aloud before, but once she admitted them it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was a welcome relief.
"Why, what has he done to make you feel this way?" Salvatore flicked his engraved silver light open and close. He did it whenever he felt restless and needed something to do with his hands.
"It's a long story," she felt herself start to clam up.
"Then start at the beginning," he said gently. He had learned that sometimes he had to speak to the women in his family differently than his sons, they wouldn't respond well if he barked orders at them.
"Please don't get mad at me or...anyone else," Laura pleaded.
Salvatore nodded his agreement, he could make no promises so he didn't bother verbalizing his answer.
"When I was younger I met someone," she sighed. "I thought we might be able to get married but his father forbid it, he said he would tell everyone that we had been..."
"Did you?"
Laura shook her head vehemently. "No, never, he was much too respectful, and I wouldn't shame you by doing something like that."
"So what happened next? What became of this young man?" Salvatore could honestly say he was intrigued, this was something he never would have expected from Laura. She had been almost nun-like when she was growing up.
"We stopped seeing each other, and then I met Matteo shortly after. I knew I could never be with the man that I wanted, so I figured I could grow to love Matteo...eventually."
Salvatore remembered when she had come to him, begging for his blessing. He had been opposed to the marriage, but Laura had insisted that it was the right match for her. He should've listened to his instincts, when they screamed at him to kick Matteo out of her life.
"So that was the end of the young man?"
Laura shook her head, "No. I saw him again at my wedding and we snuck off to be together. Matteo had gotten drunk and didn't realize that I wasn't a...a virgin that night."
"Is your husband aware of any of this?'
"He still doesn't know what happened that night, he was too drunk to remember anything. Please Zio, don't tell anyone what I did." Laura could fill her panic rising as she thought about the implications of other people finding out what she had done. When she told Giuliana she knew that she would take it to the grave with her, but her uncle was another story.
He put a hand up to calm her. "Don't get upset, it will never leave these four walls."
She released a sigh of relief, "Grazi."
"But none of that answers my first question, what has Matteo done to you? Whether you had a brief affair is of no consequence, he doesn't know about it. So what else is going on?"
"He's not a nice man," she said.
"None of us are nice men Laura, we do terrible things everyday."
"But you don't bring it home to Zia Donatella. Matteo's not like you, he's a monster when we're alone." She furiously blinked back tears. This was worse than when she had to admit to Giuliana how terrible Matteo truly was.
"Does he hit you?"
She nodded, "Practically everyday."
Salvatore gritted his teeth in an effort to keep his temper under control. He had entrusted the little bastard to take care of his adoptive daughter and he treats her like a dog. "How bad is it?"
"I can usually cover the bruises with makeup but sometimes I can't leave the house. The last time was one of the worst, and that's when I left him."
"How did you end up at Giuliana and Giovanni's house?"
"I called her," Laura said. "I couldn't leave because I don't have a car and there's a guard that stays outside of the house when Matteo is gone. I figured he wouldn't try to stop Giuliana, and I was right. When he realized that she was your daughter and Giovanni's wife he went back to his car."
Salvatore nodded in understanding, the threat of offending Giuliana would make most men think about skipping town.
Laura continued, "She took me to the Graziano's doctor. I wasn't feeling well but I didn't want to go to the hospital and didn't have money to pay the hospital bills. Matteo keeps the money for himself."
She saw her uncle's eyes flash with an unrecognizable emotion so she added quickly, "But nothing was seriously wrong I just had a mild concussion."
"A concussion is serious," was all he said.
"I know but it could've been worse," Laura attempted to mollify him.
"What else does he do?" Salvatore had already decided Matteo's fate but he still wanted to be informed of everything that had gone on during the course of their marriage.
"He usually trashes the house when he's upset, he breaks furniture and any decorations that I've bought," Laura conceded. "He broke a photograph of my mother that I had put on the mantle after she died." Matteo had destroyed quite a few of her things, but that was always the most disgraceful in her mind.
"Is that all?" He could tell there was something else that was on the tip of her tongue.
"Matteo's brought other women to the house."
"Mistresses?"
"Yes, he makes me listen to them when they're in our bedroom." Her face burned with humiliation as she spoke. It took all of her willpower not to burst into tears. 'I must look so pathetic in his eyes, I'm just a weak and broken down woman.'
"There's no need to be embarrassed," Salvatore tried to reassure her. "This is Matteo's problem, not yours."
"What are you going to do to him?" Laura wasn't sure what answer she wanted to hear, if he was dead then she would be a widow, but if they divorced she would be disgraced. Divorce just wasn't done in the mafia, the Bellucci Family believed that wedding vows were for life.
"What do you want me to do with him?"
"I don't know. I don't want to sentence someone to death, even if it's a person as vile as Matteo."
"Well I haven't been completely forthcoming with you," Salvatore admitted. "Giovanni was here earlier and asked for permission to go after Matteo."
"He-he did?" Laura was shocked, Giovanni always gave her the impression that he was indifferent to everyone else around him, with the exception of Giuliana. He had always been polite but he had never seemed particularly interested in problems with Matteo.
Salvatore nodded, "I knew Giovanni wouldn't have made a request like that without good reason, and now I see that he was right. Matteo is a cancer, frankly his whole family is but I can't get rid of all of them, so I'll settle for him." He hesitated before asking, "What happened to the man that you were involved with?"
"He hasn't married yet but it's probably coming sooner or later," Laura had pushed that thought as far away as she could but she knew that it was inevitable. Vinnie was a handsome, intelligent, powerful man, any woman would be falling over themselves to marry him. Besides, he couldn't wait for her forever.
"I have the distinct feeling that Giovanni didn't request to kill Matteo just for your or Giuliana's sake," Salvatore left it at that. He didn't admit to knowing who the mystery man was, but he didn't deny it either. "The normal mourning period is a year," he added as an afterthought.
Laura understood what Salvatore was saying, as soon as she had played the part of a grieving widow she was free to pursue another relationship. But what if Vinnie was married by that time, or he changed his mind at the last minute?
Salvatore stood up and Laura did the same. He led her out of his office and into the hallway, "The opportune time to get rid of Matteo is now, we can make it look like it was the Santorelli's. Giovanni, Joe, Marco, and I are going over there today, it'll be over by dawn. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes," Laura said with a firm nod. She hesitated a moment before adding, "May I come as well?"
Salvatore looked alarmed for a split second, "I don't think that's a good idea. It's going to be gruesome."
"I know but I need to be there." Laura couldn't explain why she wanted to see Matteo's face when he realized that his reign of terror over her life was finally over after five long, painful years. All she knew was that it would be closure on a horrific chapter of her life. "I don't want to see what you do to him, but I want to witness when you confront him."
Salvatore relented, "Fine, but the moment we start in on him you need to go somewhere else in the house."
"I will, thank you Zio," she hugged him tightly. He hesitated before her patted her back gently, Salvatore wasn't the affectionate type and he felt a bit awkward.
When she pulled away he said, "We'll leave once it gets dark, and don't tell Donatella that you're going. I'll never hear the end of it."
An hour later Salvatore, Joe, Marco, and Laura were on their way to Laura's former house in Queens. It felt like a lifetime since she had last been there, so much had happened since Giuliana had picked her up. She had made the hasty decision to leave and not look back, but she didn't realize it would really be the last time she would endure Matteo's abuse. The atmosphere in the car was solemn, it wasn't a joyous occasion by any means and they all sat in silence. Joe and Marco occupied the front seats, while Salvatore and Laura sat in the back. Laura stared out the window but wasn't really seeing anything, too lost in her own thoughts. 'Just because Matteo will be gone, doesn't mean that Vinnie will want me or that he'll even be allowed to marry me. His father stopped us the first time, he very well could do it again.'
All too soon they arrived onto the street were her now former home was located. Matteo's car was parked in front of the house and his guard was gone which meant that he intended to stay in for the night. Joe parallel parked the car farther down the street so as not to give Matteo a heads up if he happened to look out the window. It was a quiet street, occupied mostly by Bellucci Family members and their families, they all minded their own business and wouldn't say a word about a late night visit from the Boss of the Family.
As they exited the car, the doors to an SUV parked across the street opened and Giovanni and Vinnie Graziano stepped out. Laura hadn't expected Vinnie to accompany Giovanni and now she felt self conscious. He was going to hear the details of her failed marriage, maybe when that started she would go sit in another part of the house while they handled their business.
"Salvatore," Giovanni met the older man with a handshake. He offered head nods to his brother-in-laws and a half smile to Laura.
"Giovanni," her uncle returned the greeting. "Let's get started shall we?"
Giovanni turned to look at Laura, "Are you sure you want to come inside? It's bound to get pretty dirty."
She nodded, "I'm sure."
Vinnie flicked his eyes over to her briefly, making sure not to draw any attention to himself. As far as he knew the Belluccis, excluding Giuliana, didn't have a clue about his true feelings for Laura and now was not the time nor the place to have them revealed.
They walked down the sidewalk, careful to stay out of the light of the street lamps. When they reached the front door the men waited for Laura to fish her keys out of her purse. They silently entered the home and found the first floor blanketed in complete darkness, there was a noise coming from upstairs but that was the only sound of life in the house. Laura recognized the sound immediately, it was the telltale squeaks of the bed. She had heard it too many times as her husband entertained other women in their bed. Giovanni flipped the light switch then Salvatore gestured for Marco to go upstairs and fetch Matteo, as he removed his fedora and placed it on the seemingly new coffee table. The men all pulled on black leather gloves and waited patiently for Matteo to join them.
As Marco stealthily went up the carpeted staircase Joe scoffed, "He sure is concerned about his wife."
Salvatore grunted in agreement as he surveyed the living room. There were missing pieces of furniture and empty spaces where decorations and pictures had previously been. Even though it had been thoroughly cleaned he did spot several holes in the walls.
A surprised shout came from upstairs followed by the pounding of feet as a scantily clad woman tripped in her effort to escape the house. Her eyes grew wide with panic when she saw the five individuals standing in the living room; the four men that radiated danger and the one woman that she knew to be Matteo's wife.
"Get out," Salvatore said without a flicker of emotion in his voice or on his face.
She didn't need to be told twice, the woman ran out the front door in her underwear, with her dress in one hand and her shoes in the other.
"What the fuck is this all about?" Matteo's enraged voice sounded from upstairs. Laura was used to his rage filled tone but the others weren't, judging from several raised eyebrows.
"He's not so polite now, is he?" Joe commented.
"You can't come into my house in the middle of the night!" Matteo shouted again.
'If he's not careful, Marco's going to knock his lights out.' Laura almost let a smile slip at the thought.
"Shut your mouth and remember who you're talking to, now get your sorry ass downstairs." Marco pushed a boxer-clad Matteo down the stairs. The others watched as he stumbled down the first couple of steps and then righted himself. He plastered a fake smile on his face as he took in each person that was awaiting him. When his eyes finally reached Laura's his grin wavered just the slightest bit, and a flash rage appeared in his eyes but was gone just as quickly as it came. However, if he was hoping that Salvatore missed the half second change in his demeanor then he was sorely mistaken.
"Boss, what's this about?" Matteo ignored his wife.
"This is about you're inability to be a decent husband to my niece." Salvatore got right to the point. He didn't bother playing guessing games with Matteo, they didn't have all night.
"She's being dramatic, I've tried to be a good husband to her but you know how women can be, they're never satisfied." Matteo didn't bother to even glance in his wife's direction, he didn't trust himself to contain his anger in front of them. "And why are they here?" He waved a hand at Giovanni and Vinnie, "This isn't Graziano business."
"It's my business when it involves my wife's cousin," Giovanni growled. "And it's especially my business when that cousin is staying at my home."
"You shouldn't interfere in my marriage, don't you have enough problems in your own?" Matteo shot back.
Giovanni advanced towards him but was held back by Vinnie and Joe.
Salvatore ignored Matteo's grievances about the Graziano's presence and continued on, "If your wife isn't satisfied then that's your fault. As the man it's your job to keep your wife happy, and you've done an abysmal job of it. Besides, Laura has never been known to be hysterical or irrational. She's been one of the most levelheaded people I've ever met, you on the other hand have a reputation that leaves much to be desired."
Matteo gulped and shifted uncomfortably. He knew that he had never been a favorite of Salvatore's but he relied on his familial connection via Laura, to secure his position in the Bellucci Family.
"Who was that woman that ran out here?" Joe chimed in.
"She's a friend," Matteo shrugged.
Salvatore shot Laura an apologetic look before asking her, "Who was that woman?"
"She's one of Matteo's mistresses. I believe her name is Tracey, she's been here quite a few times." Laura spared Matteo a glance as his face grew red as a tomato.
"Shut your mouth!" He finally exploded, with spit flying from his mouth. He stormed towards her, momentarily forgetting who was present. It was only when Marco and Giovanni grabbed each of his arms and hauled him backwards, he was brought back to reality. Matteo realized that he had let the mask slip, and there was no way for him to convince Salvatore that he was a respectable man. He had shown only a hint of the fury that he had kept so carefully concealed.
Joe had stepped in front of Laura, ready to take Matteo to the ground if he had gotten too close to her. Vinnie stood off to the side, shoving his clenched fists into the pockets of his wool coat. He didn't want to get involved and escalate the situation, but the set of his jaw showed his displeasure.
"Is this how you usually behave?" Salvatore shook his head in mock disappointment. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man, and not worthy to be apart of the Bellucci Family."
Matteo's face paled, he knew what was coming next. "I'm a Made Man, you can't kill me without a good reason. I'm not a rat, I've been loyal to this family since I was fifteen years old! My marriage doesn't interfere with my work!"
"I've heard enough," Salvatore waved a hand dismissively. "Tie him up in the kitchen, it's the easiest to clean."
Joe and Marco did the honors, dragging a struggling Matteo into the kitchen and tying him to one to the chairs. They zip tied his hands behind his back and his feet together, then they used rope to secure him to the chair. Salvatore, Giovanni, Vinnie, and Laura followed after them. Laura took in the dirty dishes scattered about her once immaculate kitchen, she realized that this would probably be her final time in the house. She would have no reason to return once Matteo was gone, she'd already taken up residence with her aunt and uncle and they would arrange for her things to be moved to their home.
"Any last words?" Salvatore inquired, even though he didn't really care to hear what the man had to say.
Matteo let a sadistic grin overtake his face as he leveled a hard stare at Laura. "Yes but not for you, for my bitch of a wife."