As easy as it was to figure out Giani’s plan, I have to be mindful. A desperate man does desperate things. If he finds out Bonnie is here, I have no doubt he will try something stupid. It’s unlikely he will be obvious about it. I can’t envisage him storming the villa and mowing us down, not with other families close by. We might be rivals, but overall, we look out for each other to preserve our way of life. If Giani breaks the rules, the Ferrante family will be the least of his worries.
So, I need to be cautious. Bonnie must stay within the perimeter of the villa and inner gardens. The risk of her having an “accident” whilst in the vineyard is too great, especially as the vineyard is the biggest on the island.
Great, I can’t wait to have that discussion with her. No, not a discussion. What am I thinking? She’s not my equal here. I’m in charge of her safety and she’ll do as she’s told.
You’re fooling yourself, Allegra.
Sinking below the water, I let out a scream that burns my lungs. I suddenly feel bone-tired—not from the travel, but from the weight of shit I have to deal with. I’ve focused solely on making Lorenzo and the Ferrante family proud. But sometimes I forget the cost of the job.
The brief respite I had earlier is well and truly gone now. No amount of stargazing will help. I just need to sleep. As I towel off and slip under silk sheets, my phone lights up. I want to hurl the thing across the room. Gritting my teeth, I open the message to see what barrage of shit I have to deal with now. The message is from Rosa.
Rosa 11:27 p.m.
You’re in trouble this time, Allegra. She’s going to eat you alive!
I regret opening my mouth. Last night, I may have vented to Rosa about our new houseguest.
Allegra 11:29 p.m.
Stay in your lane, Rosa.
Rosa 11:30 p.m.
You don’t scare me, Al. I can’t wait to see this blow up in your face!
Of course, Rosa was there through the Petra debacle, so she’d immediately latched on to my irritation with Bonnie as being something more than one person detesting the other. She was insufferable last night. I couldn’t exactly deny it, though. My feelings for Bonnie are confusing, but only because she reminds me of Petra—not because I have anygenuineemotions about her.
Rosa found the entire thing hilarious. She gets off on watching me squirm. This time, though, she will be disappointed. Bonnie hates me as much as I dislike her. We just have to get through this threat unscathed and everything will go back to normal.
Normal. What does that even mean? I’m more worried I don’t know the answer to that, than anything else. I thought claiming the title of Donna Malgeri was everything I wanted, but once in a while, a sliver of doubt creeps in. Having to be icy all the time is draining. I feel most of my life is spent playing politics with other families, and I’m starting to question why I bother. Unbeknownst to the other families and somewhat to Lorenzo, I have taken the Ferrante family business on a more aboveboard route.
We make more money with legitimate businesses than we do our underground ones. I’ve not suddenly grown a conscience; it just makes sense. The law is cracking down harder and harder on our enterprises, and I, for one, will never see the inside of a prison. The days of disappearing people to deal with any unwanted attention are gone. As much as I enjoyed taking my frustration out on other bad guys, it is not feasible anymore. We have to be smarter, and the way to do that is to go legit.
Still, we do have a few practices that are frowned upon, but those just hurt the rich. No harm, no foul in my book. Our world sees me as a bloodthirsty animal; an image I have encouraged. Being a woman in this line of work is no joke. Better that they fear me. But it’s been a while since I’ve used violence to my advantage. The incident with Kelley, notwithstanding. Maybe I am finally growing a conscience if I’d rather hit the obnoxiously rich where it hurts than physically hurt innocent civilians. Huh, that’s something to ruminate on.
Putting the phone on silent, I lay back and stare at the ceiling. Sometimes I feel like I have two personalities: One that still needs to prove my worth to Lorenzo and the family, and the other that is tired and wants to stop.
I am Allegra Malgeri, and I am…tired.
13
Bonnie
IfIwerewritinga book, I’d name this chapter “Pete”. Because the second I see him step out of the car, I know he’s about to stand centre stage. And I’m okay with that. Far too much focus has been on me lately and I’m ready for a break.
We’re heading to the airport soon, but I refused to leave until Pete arrived. I’ve got Kelley, who makes up one half of my friend support system. She’s like me: introverted and a massive geek. She is my logic. Pete makes up the second half. He’s outgoing, spontaneous, and extroverted. He’s not afraid to challenge my reserved personality and sometimes I need that—like in a situation where you’ve been kidnapped by mobsters. If anyone can help me get through this, it’s Pete, with Kelley reining him in when needed.
“Well, fuck me, honey. I know I told you to get a life, but I didn’t quite mean this,” he says, waving flamboyantly at the giant house. “Love the look, by the way,” he finishes, grabbing my shoulders and looking me up and down.
“Not my choice,” I reply, tugging him into a hug.
“Which part?”
“All of it. I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into it, P.”
He sucks his teeth. “Fuck that. This is excellent. I would have been super pissed if you’d left me out. Hey, what happened to you, Frizz?”
Kelley jabs him with her good arm. “I got shot, you arse!”
