Chapter 12

 

Michael

 

I’ve been telling myself all morning that I need to do this right. Running down the stairs, I head toward the dining room. I expect Zaira to be there having breakfast, but when I get there, the only two in the room are Alex and Gina.

“Hey, guys,” I say to them both.

“Hey, Mikey!” Alex says.

“Hey, Bubby,” Gina says. Gina has called me Bubby ever since she was little. I can’t remember the last time she called me Michael or Mikey. She’s my kid sister and truly the light of my life. She knows she has me wrapped around her little finger, and she knows I would walk on the moon for her. She’s sixteen and a good kid, stays out of trouble and never does anything that could harm the family in any way. Alex has been teaching her to drive, but he says she’s not ready to get her license yet. Personally, I think he’s stalling. None of us want Gina on the roads alone, and we know that as soon as she gets her license, she will be.

“Where’s Zaira?” I ask. I try not to be too obvious, but Alex can see right through me.

“Fuck. Mikey!” Alex says.

“What?” I ask defensively.

“You didn’t? Did you?” he asks.

I look at Gina and then back at Alex and roll my eyes, implying this is not a conversation we should hold in front of her. Gina totally gets the whole eye-rolling thing and says, “You guys don’t have to hide it from me. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what Alex is asking, and I think you should tell us. Did you and Zaira do it?”

Oh, fuck! I not only have to worry about keeping myself in check, now I have to worry about the two of them. “First of all, what Zaira and I do is none of your business, either of you. Secondly, Gina, this is not a conversation in which you should be having with your older brother. And thirdly, Alex, fuck you!”

“Well you don’t have to be so testy about it,” Alex replies. “And in answer to your question, Zaira came down, grabbed a plate, and said she would be eating in her room.” He thinks for a moment. “She said she was not feeling well this morning.”

Not feeling well? Suddenly, I become worried about her. Is she relapsing? Is she having complications from her head injury? Fuck! I need to check on her. Just as I’m about to leave the dining room and head straight for her bedroom, I stop myself. This is exactly what I told myself I needed to step back from. Yes, I care about her. I worry about her, but if something was really wrong, she would come find me or have someone get me, of that I’m sure. So instead, I walk to the buffet, get myself a cup of coffee and a bagel, and sit at the table with Alex and Gina.

“So has Zaira remembered anything?” Gina asks.

I shake my head. “No, not as of last night. I filled her in on some information about herself. Her name, where she lives… You know, stuff like that. I told her about Vince and Mia.” I pause and then turn toward Alex. “Speaking of which, Vince will be here at noon to see Zaira.”

“Does she know about her parents?” Alex asks.

“I told her they were deceased,” I reply flatly.

“And Victor?” he asks.

“I didn’t bring him up. She asked why she was staying here,” I say, but I don’t offer anything further.

“What did you tell her?” Alex asks.

“I told her we are engaged.”

Alex chokes on his bagel, and Gina spits out her juice—not either one of their best moments, but I guess the news of my engagement came as a surprise to them.

“What the fuck are you doing, Mikey?” Alex asks. “Does Pop know?”

“I know what I’m doing. And no, Pop doesn’t know, but he will before Vince gets here.”

Alex shakes his head. “I don’t know what you have up your sleeve, brother, but this is going to backfire on you, and you will have nobody to blame but yourself.”

He’s so fucking right. “I know,” I reply defeated.

“What are you gonna do?” he asks.

“I’ll figure it out.” I look at my watch. 9:45 a.m. I have two hours to break the news to Pop and come up with a plan before Vince gets here. I finish my bagel and take one more sip of my coffee. Rising from my chair, I say, “You two have a great day. Alex, we need to talk later, after Vince leaves.”

“You got it, bro,” he says and continues to eat his bagel.

I walk toward Gina. After giving her a kiss on her forehead, I say, “Stay out of trouble today.”

She giggles as I leave the room.

 

***

 

 “You’re what?” my father yells.

“Pop, wait,” I say, trying to explain.

“Michael, what’s the matter with you? Have you gone stupid or something? Have you let a pretty girl mess up your brain?” He paces in front of his desk. “Why on earth would you lie to that sweet girl and tell her you are engaged? Why, Michael?” He stops pacing and looks at me.

“Okay, so I know you’re mad, but will you just hear me out, please?”

“Fine.” He leans against the front of his desk, crosses his arms, and rolls his eyes. “I can’t wait to hear this one.”

I take a deep breath. “You know there’s always been a connection between Zaira and me—”

“But that doesn’t give you an excuse to lie to her about your relationship.” He’s so fucking right.

“Awe fuck, Pop. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. I saw a chance for her to see me—I mean really see me—and I took it. I didn’t think of the ramifications. I just acted,” I say defeated.

“You didn’t think, Michael. Period,” he says. “Now the question is, what the fuck are you gonna do about it?”

I look at the floor. I really hate to disappoint my father, and I’ve done it now in spades. “I’ll tell her the truth,” I say.

“You can’t.”

“I can’t?” I ask, surprised by his response.

“No, you can’t. Not in the state she’s in right now. She has no memories, and she’s scared. God help her, for some reason, she trusts you,” he says sarcastically. The irony of his statement does not go unnoticed. “You tell her you lied to her about the engagement, and you will send her over the edge. She will have no one she can trust, and that is an awful position for her to be in.”

Damn, my father has made me realize I put her in a no-win situation. “So you are saying I continue to lie to her?”

“Yes, and pray to the Father Almighty she forgives you when all is said and done.” He pauses. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

“And what do I tell Vince?” I ask.

“What do you think you tell him, Michael?” He looks at me as if he is waiting for an answer and then says, “You give him the respect he deserves, and you tell him the fucking truth.”

“Fine.” I look at my watch again. 11:45 a.m. “He’ll be here any minute. Shall we meet with him in here?”

“That depends. Do you want to handle this in your office or mine? It’s your call.” My father is releasing the reins. He made it clear I’ve fucked up and that he’s pissed, but he is letting me take ownership of my mistake as well as the family.

“I’ll meet with him in my office,” I say. “You’re welcome to be there.”

My father doesn’t say a word, just smiles. After a moment, he says, “Thank you, but I think you can handle this on your own. Just remember, Mikey, you are the head of the most powerful crime family in New York. You kowtow to nobody, not even your future wife’s brother.” His last comment takes me by surprise. He would have never said that if he didn’t think this would all work out in the end.

“Thanks, Pop,” I say sincerely and get up to leave.

When I get to the door, he calls after me. “Good luck. You’re gonna need it.” And then he begins laughing.

“Yeah, like I said, thanks, Pop.” I respond like before, only this time it’s laced with sarcasm. After closing the door behind me, I turn and walk down the hallway toward my office.

Once inside, I sit and think through how I am going to handle this with Vince. I’m lost in thought when my phone beeps. It’s a text from Ricco.

Bonita is here. Want me to send him in?

I reply:

Yeah, give me five and then escort him in.

You’ll remain until the meeting is over.

He replies with a thumbs-up emoji. I just shake my head. It’s quite comical actually. Ricco is about as tough as they come. He’s an enforcer, bodyguard, and all-around wise guy. When he sends emojis in his texts, I can’t help but laugh. Ricco is also man of a few words, so I guess the emojis say more than he can. Whatever the reason, I still find it damn funny.

I spend the next five minutes getting my thoughts in order. Then I realize I have nothing to worry about. Vince answers to me now. I’ll tell him how it’s gonna be, and that will be that. Yeah, right.

When Ricco knocks on the door, I look up and say, “Come in.”

In walk Ricco and Vince. “Vince,” I say, addressing him. “Good to see you again.”

“Fuck the pleasantries, Michael. Where’s my sister?” he asks. Okay, so he’s already not happy. I thought we had settled all this on the phone, but I guess we need to make a few things clear.

“First of all, Vince, show some respect. In this room, I represent the Vitali family, which now encompasses your family. I will not tolerate such disrespect,” I say.

“Fuck, Michael, I’m just worried about Zaira. I feel like you are hiding something from me,” he replies. “I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect.”

“Good,” I say. “Now before you visit with Zaira, there are a few things we need to discuss.”

“Oh hell, Michael. What now?”

“Just fucking chill. Cut the drama, Vince,” I say. “So Zaira has amnesia. She knows her name, and as of last night, she knows she has a brother and sister. She knows both of her parents are deceased but nothing more. She knows she was hurt at her engagement party, and…” I hesitate briefly before I continue. “She knows I am her fiancé and that’s why she is staying here and not going home with you.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me, Vince. Your sister and I are engaged.”

He shakes his head. “No fucking way, Michael! You promised you wouldn’t force her to marry you! You fucking promised me!” he yells as he rises from his chair.

Ricco immediately gets to his feet and is at Vince’s side. He says nothing, but Vince quickly sits back down. He is familiar with Ricco’s reputation and knows he’s not in a position to challenge me in any way. After he is seated for a minute, he asks, “Michael, why? Why would you do this to her?”

“I’m not doing anything to her. I’m just allowing her to believe something that isn’t true. Vince, there are some things you don’t know about Zaira and me. We’ve always been close, and I guarantee you we would have ended up engaged if not married already if it weren’t for your father blaming the Vitalis for your mother’s death.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” he replies.

“Actually, I can. The day of your mother’s funeral, Zaira begged me to take her away. She begged me to elope and marry her. Out of respect for your family, I refused. Then everything went to hell.”

“I didn’t know that. She never said—” Vince has always known that there were feelings between Zaira and me. But the true surprise on his face tells me he had no idea that they ran as deep as they had.

“No, she didn’t. But I would bet money those feelings still remain.”

Vince leans forward in his chair to make his point. “But, Michael, that was five years ago. A lot has happened since then,” he says.

“You don’t think I know that?” I ask. “But fate has dealt me the perfect hand, and it’s time for me to play my cards.”

He looks at me confused.

“This whole memory loss for Zaira is a blessing. It erases all the past and allows her to start new. We have no idea when, if ever, her memories will come back. I’m not a man who will sit idly by and wait for something to happen. I make things happen, Vince. You will do well to remember that.”

“Fuck, Michael, why do I feel like I’ve just been fucked in the ass?” Vince asks.

“There you go with the drama again. You are being ridiculous. I know you care for your sister. Hell, you should know I care for her too. Why the fuck do you think I am doing this? If anyone has anything to lose in all of this, it’s me. I’m taking the biggest risk, and I’m gambling my happiness. This could blow up in my face, and she could fucking hate me when her memories come back. So get over the feelings of being fucked over and get on the train. I promise it’ll be a hell of a ride, and the last person who will get hurt is Zaira.”

“I really don’t have a choice,” he replies, defeated. “I sure as hell hope you know what you’re doing.”

“So do I,” I say. “You can see Zaira now. You will go along with everything we just talked about, and you will be careful about sharing memories of her past. And most importantly, she is not to know how your parents died if she asks.”

He takes a deep breath and then says, “Got it.”

“You ready?” I ask, getting up from my desk.

He nods and stands and follows me.

Ricco follows behind us both. I turn toward him and ask, “Do you know if Zaira is in her room?”

“No, boss. She’s out at the pool,” he replies.

“Oh, okay.” I look at Vince and say, “Follow me.”

We get to the pool deck, and I find Zaira sitting in one of the lounge chairs reading the morning paper. She has a glass of water with lemon on the table next to her, and I see she has taken full advantage of the clothes that were provided for her in her closet, wearing a beautiful yellow sundress and straw hat to shield her from the sun. She looks beautiful as always.

“Zaira?” I say when I approach.

She looks up at me and smiles.

“This is Vince, your older brother.”

Vince steps around me and takes the seat next to her. “Zaira, it’s good to see you,” he says. It’s awkward, but I expected as much. I’ve been the same way with her. We just don’t know what to say to her when we know her and she has no clue who we are except for what we tell her. It not only fucks with her mind, it fucks with everyone who loves her.

I turn to give them space when Zaira says, “Michael, please stay.” She taps the lounge chair she is sitting on, indicating she’d like me to sit next to her. I look at Ricco, confirming he should stay as well. He nods as Zaira slides to the other edge, and I sit down.

“So tell me, are you feeling okay?” Vince asks.

“Other than a bit of a headache that seems to come and go at times, I feel great,” she replies.

“And I assume Michael is making you comfortable?”

She looks at me and smiles lovingly. “He is, Vince. I’m in good hands.” She reaches for my hand and grasps hold of it. I’m taken by surprise by the familiarity of her actions and wonder if this is all just a show for her brother—especially after what happened between us last night. I ran from her. She should be fucking pissed as hell at me.

“Mia sends her love,” Vince says. “I know you don’t remember who she is. Hell, you don’t even remember me, but I hope you realize how much we both love you.”

Zaira nods and squeezes my hand. What the fuck is that all about?

“I understand that, but you will have to forgive me, Vince. Right now, you are nothing but a stranger to me,” she says, and I’m surprised by her uneasiness with her brother. The more I watch her interact with him, I realize why. Vince looks like his father. Zaira had serious issues with her father, and I believe she may be remembering Alberto in his son.

“I brought you some of your things from home.” Vince takes the duffle bag he’s been carrying and sets it on the ground between them. He unzips the bags and says, “Some of your clothes are here, along with some of your personal stuff like deodorant and shampoo. If you need anything else, please call me. My number is here.” He hands her a piece of paper with his cell phone written on it. Mia’s is written below his. “The other number is your sister’s cell phone. She wanted to come visit, but I told her it might be best to wait until you are more settled.”

“Thank you,” Zaira says as she begins to look through the duffle. She turns toward me. “Michael, do I have a phone?”

I shake my head. “No, sweetheart. I think it somehow got lost when you had your accident. Once you are feeling better, we’ll go out and get you one.

She smiles and turns back toward her brother.

“Would you mind if I came and visited often, Zaira?” Vince asks.

“Of course not. I would like that. Even if I don’t remember you, I’m gonna have to get to know you somehow. I mean, you’re my brother, right? I can tell by your concern that we must be close. It will just take some time.”

He smiles. “Yes, we are.” He takes her other hand and kisses it. “I should let you rest. I’ll come by tomorrow to see how you’re doing. I know you don’t have a phone yet, but don’t forget to call me if you need anything. I’m sure Michael will let you use his phone,” he says as he looks at me and glares.

I cock my eyebrows at him and nod. “Of course, Zaira.” I reply. “Whatever you need, my dear.”

Vince gets up to leave.

“Ricco, would you show Mr. Bonita out, please?” I ask.

Ricco walks to the exit to wait for Vince and then follows him away from the pool. I stand from the lounge to leave as well.

“Michael, wait,” she says, then hesitates a moment. “Please don’t go just yet.”