Julietta
Iwake up startled, hearing someone bang on my front door. I jump out of bed, grab my robe, and throw it over my naked body as I run to my bedroom door. I tie the band around my waist, then open my door, and run into the living room. When I get into the center of the room, Ricco, my bodyguard, is darting from his room, on the other side of my condo, wide awake with his gun in his hand. He gestures for me to go back to my room and be quiet. I do as I’m told and stand by my closed door, listening. I glance over at the clock on my nightstand to check the time; 3:27. Who the hell would be here at this hour?
Then I hear Ricco yell for me to come out. When I walk out, he’s standing in the living room with Vito –Uncle Dominic’s head security guard – and Gigi – Bella, my best friend’s baby sister.
“There’s trouble at the Estate, and I was ordered to bring Gigi here to you for her safety,” Vito says, and I can tell she’s scared. She may not be my sister by blood, but we have always been like sisters.
Uncle Dominic is the head of the Italian Mafia here in New York and not really my blood uncle. We call all our elders, aunt and uncle, or nana and papa for the much older generation. Gigi and Bella are his only daughters. He and his wife, Aunt Amelia have three boys, Valentino (Val), Romeo, and then there’s Sabastian (Bash). Val is the oldest at 28-years-old, and Romeo is 25, then there is Bella and me, we’re 22, almost 23, and Bash, the youngest boy, is 21. Gigi’s the baby, she just turned 13-years-old about a month ago.
I have a blood sister who is five years older, Angela. She’s married to a well-known heart surgeon, and they live in Boston. They just had their first child, a boy. They named him Vincent.
My father was a Capo/Captain for Uncle Dominic. Unfortunately, he passed on less than six months ago from liver cancer. My mom lost her fight two years ago to breast cancer.
Uncle Dominic considers me a daughter even though I’m the only girl that hasn’t moved away. He’s been looking out for me since the day I was born into this family. Even with Bella and I being best friends since we were babies.
I walk over to Gigi and take her in my arms to calm her quivering little body.
“Where’s Bella?” I ask Vito wondering why he only brought Gigi and not Bella here.
“Still at the Estate, I’m sure she’s fine, Luigi is there if she needs anything. Take Gigi to your room and get some sleep. I’m going to crash on the couch. We’ll find out what’s going on in the morning,” Vito says, dismissing me.
I look over to Ricco for some insight, he has none, he just tips his chin up towards my room for me to go.
I trust him, he’s like a brother to me, my family. He protects me, and he’s loyal to me, on his life.
Vito, on the other hand, I have always gotten a bad vibe from, and Dad always said trust your gut.
I do as I’m told and take Gigi to my room and get her settled. Once she’s back to sleep, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering what’s going on and why Bella isn’t here with her sister.
After a while of laying and still no Bella, I fall into a light sleep.
We’re abruptly woken up a few hours later by Ricco and Vito. They order us to get dressed fast so we can go to the hospital. Bella was admitted this morning, and neither of them seems to know why.
Gigi and I hurry up and get dressed so we can get some more information. When we finish, they usher us out to the parking garage, to a waiting SUV to take us to the hospital.
We arrive at the hospital, and I get some vague details from Antonio and his men on the way to her room, they are astonishing, to say the least.
His men aren’t men from the organization. They’re not even Italian.
The story I’m told doesn’t even make any sense to me, at all. Aunt Amelia and Uncle Dominic were murdered in their home last night, and Bella was brutally attacked. The most absurd thing of all is, Antonio told the hospital he’s her fiance.
Antonio for some reason has taken over as head Capo until Val returns. He was barely fourth in command, and now he’s the head. What the hell kind of universe are we living in?
When I open the door and take in Bella’s appearance laying in the hospital bed, horrible condition, I almost lose it. What the hell happened to her?
Nothing is adding up or making any sense what so ever to me. I feel like I’m in an episode of The Twilight Zone.
They leave us alone in her room, and I can finally think for a minute. While she’s still out of it, I take the opportunity to sneak a peek at her chart hanging on the end of the bed. What I read has my stomach turning and it’s my undoing.
I need help. I need manpower.
I keep calling the guys to break the news to them about their parents and sister. Also, Val needs to know about Antonio taking over. I don’t have any other way to contact them and neither does Ricco. When I ask Anton about it, he says he had it under control. He also says for me not to call Cesare - our other best friend, since high school - or I would regret it.
When Bella wakes up and tells me what she remembers from last night, I know there is only one person in this world that can help us. The one and only person Bella will allow near her after this. The only man besides our brothers she will let get close. She is going to need him now more than ever. If I could just get in touch with our brothers, I wouldn’t have to contact him after all these years and ask him for a favor.
The guys, - our brothers - Lorenzo, Val, Romeo, and Bash are supposed to all be in Italy on LA Familia Business. Lorenzo is not a blood brother, but for all intense and purposes, he is. We have all grown up together and our fathers were Capos together for Uncle Dom.
There are only six men in this world I can trust now, and four are my brothers and out of the country. The other, Ricco, I can’t risk asking for his help, so that only leaves one. I haven’t spoken to him in years, but he is still our family, and I know when he hears me say Bella’s name, he'll move mountains for her.
The next morning before everyone is awake, I grab one of my burner phones and hide in the back corner of my closet to make my call. First, I have to get in touch with Aunt Cindy, his mother.
I’m a nervous wreck waiting for her to answer, and if I get caught who knows what Anton will do to me. Ricco would never tell on me, but Vito has been staying here and he follows Anton lead now.
“Hello,” I hear her cheery voice say. She sounds the same as I remember.
“Aunt Cindy,” I whisper into the phone not to be heard. Even though I know my walls are thick enough.
I swallow hard then speak again. “Aunt Cindy, it’s me, Julietta. I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s urgent I get in touch with Gio, and I don’t have any contact information for him.” I skip the pleasantries and go straight to the main event. I need to speak with him now, every minute counts. If Bella leaves the hospital and goes home with Antonio, it’s game over for her and maybe Gigi and me too.
“Honey, it’s good to hear from you, but why do you need to speak with Gio? Can I help you, sweetheart?”
“I need his help, it’s about Bella. I need him to contact me on this number immediately. Please, Aunt Cindy, I can’t say anymore.” I start to cry and have to take a couple of deep breaths to compose myself.
I have to hurry up before one of the guards come to wake us up.
“It’s bad. Please just have him call. I have to go.” I hang up just has my bedroom door opens and Vito enters my room. I play it off that I’m looking for an outfit for the day, and I think he buys it.
I know Aunt Cindy will do as I asked. When I was hanging up the phone I heard her say she’d call him.
Now, I just have to bide my time until he gets in touch. We are leaving for the hospital in about an hour, so I’ll hide the phone in my closet. I’ll come back later and check on it.
We make it back to my place in the afternoon. I excuse myself, saying I have a headache and need to lay down for a bit. Gigi stays with the guys to keep them occupied for me so I can check on my phone. We talked a little at the hospital, and I clued her in on what I was up to. So, she knows I need privacy to get the help we need for her sister.
I hightail it to my closet and retrieve my phone. I find a voicemail from Gio and call him back immediately.
I sit on my floor, try and control my emotions, while I place the call to him.
God, I hope he doesn’t lose his shit too bad and he can keep it together enough to save us when I tell him about Bella. Oh, fuck, who am I kidding, I couldn’t keep it together when I found out so how can I expect him to?